The Mountains Are Calling...

The mountains have always been my home away from home and taking a long weekend is a must when it starts getting cooler and the leaves start to change colors.  I have been going to Shenandoah National Park since I was a little girl and have loved it so my mister and I decided to make it a yearly tradition of going to the Shenandoah and staying at Skyland Resort.

We loaded up the car (& I do mean loaded up the car...we definitely need to improve our less is more packing skills) and headed out to Virginia.  Our first stop was in Lexington, VA or as I like to call it the Land of Stonewall.  We love eating at The Palms so since Lexington was on our route we decided to stop for a quick lunch.

After a great lunch we resumed our journey to Skyland Resort in the Shenandoah National Park.  We entered Skyline Dr. at the Swift Run Gap entrance.  Its a ritual for me that as soon as we get on Skyline Dr. I immediately roll down the window...there's just something about the smell of the mountains!  

We were in the end room on the second floor at Skyland Resort.  

The view from our room. 

We woke up to cloudy skies and a forecast of afternoon rain from Hurricane Michael so we decided to put off our hiking to the next day (which promised sunny skies) and set out to explore a few of the surrounding towns.  Our first town was Sperryville, VA.  As soon as we arrived in Sperryville it started raining so we didn't stop to tour around but did get a few photos from our shelter (aka the car).

Our next stop was to Culpeper, VA also known as the birthplace of Confederate General A. P. Hill (of course you knew the Civil War history part of the trip was coming...you know me!).  We stopped at the visitor center to pick up some pamphlets of things to do around town and toured the town museum (it's attached to the visitor center).  

 1900-1906 National Cash Register.

Portrait of General Ambrose Powell (A. P.) Hill.  Reading recommendation:  General A. P. Hill:  The Story of a Confederate Warrior by James I. Robertson, Jr.

After a quick stop for lunch, we headed to Brandy Station.

 We really wanted to see the inside of the Graffiti House but they are only open on Saturday and Sunday.  The Graffiti House was built in 1858 and was occupied by soldiers from both sides during the Civil War as a hospital and a headquarters.  During the 1993 renovation of this house it was discovered that the walls (under layers of paint and wallpaper) are covered with "names, pictures, and messages" from the soldiers.  What a fantastic piece of history

 This building is located beside the Graffiti House.  I don't know the history of this building, other than it is/was more than likely a church but I thought it was very beautiful.

 Across the street from the Graffiti House, is this monument dedicated to Major John Pelham.  Confederate Major Pelham was a was mortally wounded at the Battle of Kelly's Ford.

We didn't get to see much of Brandy Station before the rain came back in full force.  We decided to head on back up the mountain to our room.  After a few hours there was a break in the rain so we headed down to the lodge for dinner and enjoyed watching the night's entertainment, cloggers (they were great!).

Since Friday was calling for all sunshine, we decided to get up early and head out on a hike.  First of all it was cold, not chilly but cold (low 40s).  (I apologize to my friend Lindsey who lives in Buffalo, NY for that statement as I understand that 40 isn't really cold but for this SC girl any degree below 80 is chilly/cold..HA!)  My parents had previously hiked the Dark Hollow Falls so we decided that we would give that one a try.  I enjoy hiking but have for the most part only hiked flat land.  Hiking in the mountains of the Shenandoah was a whole new thing for me and while getting to the falls was great coming back from the falls was challenging.  However, I was inspired by the female hiker with a baby on her back making the hike and I was channeling my inner Dixie from Homemade Wanderlust and pushed through.  I was very grateful for my trekking poles that I received from my mister for Christmas last year because without them the stops to rest would have been endless.  We meet a ranger on the hike who said that the elevation gain was 440 feet and I felt every inch of it.  However, the falls were beautiful and I am very glad that we did the hike and very grateful that we both made it back to the top.

All smiles before the journey back up!

After our morning hike, we treated ourselves to grilled cheese sandwiches at the Grilled Cheese Mania in Harrisonburg, VA.  I had read about this place on onlyinyourstate.com and knew that we would definitely be eating here.  It did not disappoint...the sandwiches were delicious. 

 Grilled Cheese Mania

 My mister ordered the Jersey Boy Grilled Cheese Sandwich which included ham pork roll, a fried egg, and American cheese.

I ordered the Philipo's Pepperoni Strip Grilled Cheese sandwich which included pepperoni and muenster cheese and served with a shot of tomato soup (for dipping).  Holy grilled cheese it was amazing!

We drove past James Madison University, such a beautiful campus and then headed to an antique mall (I could spend hours in antique malls).  On our way back to Skyland Resort we stopped to put gas in the car in New Market, VA.  I told my mister that next year on our visit to Skyland Resort we would be coming back to New Market to explore.  It was an adorable town and jammed packed full of history.

We returned to South Carolina Saturday afternoon and while it's always nice to be back home, I already miss the mountains.  Until next time...

Happy Travels,

Amber