Now We're Ticked
On the History Highway, Day 57: Strasburg, VA to Fishersville, VAOur 39th wedding anniversary dawned sunny and clear. With no particular historic destination on the agenda, we decided to venture away from I-81 and drive down the scenic Skyline Drive in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park. The road follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 105 miles. As we discovered once we arrived at the park, it was indeed historically significant.
![]() |
Skyline Drive |
Since long-distance travel during this period was not practical for most Americans, the park system needed to gain a foothold in the East to benefit more citizens. Eastward expansion would also generate greater Congressional support for the park service. So in 1926, Congress authorized three eastern parks: Shenandoah, Great Smokey Mountains, and Mammoth Cave.
![]() |
Shenandoah National Park |
Atlas Quest, our primary database source of letterbox clues, had been hacked this morning. Aargh! We were confident that the site would be restored but not sure how long that would take. We'd just have to keep checking. As it turned out, even connecting to the internet with our smartphones turned out to be a challenge, as cell service through the mountains was quite spotty. Often, we'd have voice service but no data.
Shortly after entering the park at Thornton Gap, we stopped at a comfort station, where we chatted with an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker from Lancaster, PA, who said he planned to cover 30 miles today. Since the AT follows the same ridge as Skyline Drive, crisscrossing with the road, we would see it often today. With an entry point near the station, Ken decided to take a little hike, but I declined. The cool, breezy weather we encountered when we left our hotel in Strasburg had turned downright cold and blustery. Ken bundled up, pulled on a ski cap, and took off for a 30-minute sampling of the AT, while I cozied up in the car, still trying to connect with AQ for some letterbox clues.
![]() |
A taste of the AT |
![]() |
Evicting an unwanted guest |
That unpleasant task behind us, we continued down the parkway. Spread out along the course of Skyline Drive are 75 scenic overlooks. Quite a few of the overlooks we passed today were closed for construction. Signs proudly proclaimed that the work was made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
![]() |
Our tax dollars at work |
![]() |
Look in danger of crumbling to you? |
Another gem administered by the National Park Service is the Blue Ridge Parkway. Though we've driven on this beautiful road many times in the North Carolina mountains, we never considered the location of the northern or southern terminus. Today we found out.
Begun in the Depression era as a relief project to provide work for the unemployed, the Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.
Our mountain-top journey done for the day, we exited the scenic highways and headed to our hotel in nearby Fishersville, VA, discovering when we turned on the computer that the Atlas Quest web site was back up and running. What a nice anniversary gift!
Quote of the Day:
"He was big, bad, and nasty. A beast!"
(Ken, about the tick he removed from my head)
More Photos from Today