We had heard a lot about this beautiful drive in the Shenandoah Natl. Park from other RVers and in books but we were still unprepared for the splendor of this magnificent road. It rises out of the valley at Front Royal, VA and climbs to over 3500 feet above sea level. The entire 105 mile length is along the ridge of the mountains so you can look down into the valleys over both the east and west sides of the mountain ridges. There area 75 overlooks along the route. Needless to say they didn’t overlook many overlooks. We didn’t overlook all 75 but came close as the beauty of the fall colors going down into the valleys thousands of feet below drew us off the main road. At the top of the mountains the leaves were all brown and some of the trees barren. As you looked down into the valley 3000 feet below they turned to yellows and tans and at the bottom you could see some reds.
This reminded me that we have been watching the leaves change since early August when we left southern New Brunswick and noticed that the sumacs were all turning red. It has been a full three months of color change. Wonderful. And we still have a few weeks to go. We will head down the Blue Ridge Mountains on Sunday and anticipate more of the beautiful fall color. Life is good and colorful.
Forty miles into the park there was a tunnel with 12 feet 8 inch clearance. I had our Montana figured at 12 feet 4 inches with the new vent covers I had installed adding six inches to the height. So I figured 4 inches clearance. As we approached the entrance I was a bit nervous but there were no turnarounds so we proceeded in. Immediately a loud noise and we both jumped off the seats. To our relief we see that the tunnel is dripping water a big splash had hit the windshield. Now to find a place to change my underwear.
The leaves on the ground along side the road were swept into a magical dance by our jet stream as we drove by at the maximum speed limit of 35 miles an hour. They were mesmerizing to watch in the rear view mirrors, so much so that they almost lured me off the road into the ditch a few times. We were taken aback at first by the numerous gaps and runs signed along the way. Out west we call gaps, passes and runs are streams.
The narrow twisting road reminded me that at an early age I was practicing for this drive through Shenandoah's mountains. I can remember as early as eight years old some 55 years ago practicing to stay within the lines as I filled in my coloring books with my crayolas. And driving this beautiful highway I was again working hard with my tongue clenched between my teeth to keep the 5th wheel within the lines on the road. All that practice was paying off.
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