Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

We are camping at the Sherando Lake Recreation Area Family Camping, part of the George Washington National Forest. It is a beautiful park with tons of walking trails and two lakes. I enjoyed my first morning walk here and captured this beautiful photo.

We passed through the edge of Waynesboro VA and found the old building belonging to the Waynesboro Stove Company. On October 6th, 1890, the WJ Loth Stove Company was started in Waynesboro, Virginia. The company manufactured "Cast Iron" stoves and wood & coal heaters. In the late 1890's frying pans, waffle irons, tea kettles and other cookware were added to the company's product line. Mr. Loth died in 1904. Percy, his son, ran the company till the end of World War I. His cousin, retired Army Captain Richard Clemmer, then took control of the business. Clemmer realized that the future was not in wood and coal heating. So, in 1922, Clemmer hired a Canadian electrical engineer, Mr. Fred Cuffe. Together they designed an electric stove and by the mid 1920's, they marketed Clemmer's "Hotpoint Range". In 1938, the company installed equipment for melting brass and other non-ferrous metals and began to market products under the name Virginia Metalcrafters.

Although World War II halted the casting of brass products - they began again and hired Artist Calvin Roy Kinstler who was primarily a wood sculptor of animals. The wood carving would be used to make reproductions in primarily bronze or in the case of doorstops - Cast iron. Clemmer signed a license with Colonial Williamsburg in 1951 to produce brass and iron reproductions. Other Gift Shops followed: the Smithsonian Institution, Mount Vernon, Monticello and others. In 1953 Charles Eckman purchased the company and expanded the company's operations and, in addition to making such diverse products as lawn mowers and tractors. The company went out of business in 2005. Colonial Williamsburg bought some of the Virginia Metalcrafters' molds, and still uses them to produce items today. The building was undergoing some renovations, not sure what the building is going to be used for next.

The Shenandoah Valley AVA is an American Viticultural Area located in the Shenandoah Valley. An AVA is a designated wine grape-growing region in the US, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know about the geographic pedigree of their wines. The Shenandoah Valley AVA is emerging as one of the country’s most exciting wine producing regions, and it is no wonder with the limestone soil, higher elevation, cooler nights, and less rainfall. All of this combines to provide some of the state’s best growing conditions. In addition to producing award-winning wines, the scenery is breathtaking with the Blue Ridge, Massanutten, and Allegheny Mountains as the backdrop. The sprawling countryside invites a time of relaxation as you are sipping on the wines. Most of the vineyards are family-run, with the owners frequently found behind the tasting bar.

     

On our way to Skyline Drive and The Blue Ridge Parkway, we passed under and overpass and found vividly painted bridge supports on Route 250.

Shenandoah National Park, established in 1935 before skyscrapers and air travel were common. The park was designed to give millions the opportunity to travel to the top. Its 197,000 acres of beauty with 500 miles of trails, scenic overlooks, concessions and picnic areas. From the beginning, national park planners, capitalizing on the new popularity of motor cars, called for Shenandoah’s “greatest single feature” to be a sky-line drive on which motorists could enjoy a leisurely drive through the Blue Ridge and experience the awe and inspiration of magnificent views. Construction of Skyline Drive had begun even before Congress established the National Park. Formed from over 1,000 privately owned tracts of land, Shenandoah started as patchwork of forests, fields, orchards and home sites. In 1976 Congress designed over 40 percent of the park as wilderness, providing the highest level of protection to this precious resource.

We entered the park and drove on Skyline Drive first. Virginia's Skyline Drive is a National Scenic Byway that runs 105 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains from Waynesboro to Front Royal. Skyline Drive is Shenandoah National Park’s linear conduit, with 75 overlooks connecting travelers to all the major visitor centers, campgrounds, lodges, picnic areas and most trailheads. Concrete posts numbered every mile keep you apprised of your whereabouts. We aren’t driving 105 miles today!

We stopped at McCormick Gap Overlook. View the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley from McCormick Gap Overlook is spectacular. The Shenandoah Valley is bordered by the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Valley and Ridge Appalachians to the west. Origins of the name Shenandoah are unknown, though it is generally believed to be of American Indian origin. The most common, romantic theory is that the name means "Beautiful Daughter of the Stars," however there is no more evidence for this theory than any other. From this overlook, you can also see Turk Mountain.

We drove further to stop at Beagle Gap Overlook. Facing east from an elevation of 2,495 ft, the view from Beagle Gap Overlook stretches outside of Shenandoah National Park to the Piedmont region of Virginia. Calf Mountain is the long ridge from the left descending down to the center of the view. If you travelled in a south-eastern direction, the first urban center you would hit is the town of Charlottesville, Virginia.

What separates Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway? The answer to that question is Rockfish Gap, aka crest of the Blue Ridge. Rockfish Gap is a wind gap located in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Charlottesville and Waynesboro. Rockfish Gap has always had that name, acquiring it from the river which rises in part from its base.

The Blue Ridge Parkway was decades in the making by many people. Its route, stopping points and vistas were all carefully planned. Stanley Abbott, the chief parkway designer and first superintendent, often talked to area residents and ensured their stories became part of the parkway. As you travel on this historic road enjoy the careful designs revealing the region’s people, landscapes and exceptional views! Be sure to stop often at historic sites, view exhibits and walk the trails.

We stopped at the Afton Overlook. The community of Afton can be seen from this overlook. Notable because it was the route Thomas Jefferson took in 1818 on his way to confirm plans for the University of Virginia. Afton was once a prized destination for tourists seeking to escape the crowded cities and enjoy the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Afton is now the site of the western trailhead of the Blue Ridge Tunnel, a former railroad tunnel converted into a pedestrian trail. Hiking through the tunnel is a truly unique hiking experience!

We stopped at Humpback Rocks Visitor Center for the facilities. I snapped this picture of the beautiful azaleas in bloom.

We enjoyed lunch at Benny Stivale’s in downtown Waynesboro. Google told me it was similar to ABC Pizza. Well, it was nothing like ABC, except the fact that they both serve pizza! This place served slices of pizza, HUGE slices of pizza!

Charlie wanted to wash the car, so we stopped at Pinky’s Car Wash for a quick wash! Then it was off to Kroeger’s for a few groceries and Truist for the ATM. We headed back to our temporary home in the George Washington Nat’l Forest

I finished the day with a walk to the upper Sherando Lake, it is much smaller than Sherando Lake, but just as beautiful!

Stay tuned for more fun on our Two Lane Adventures!