Shenandoah

July 17, 2006





Shenandoah National Park is situated at the eastern end of the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachian Mountains just east of the Shenandoah River in Virginia. The highlight of the park is the beautiful 105 mile skyline drive which follows the ridge of the mountains offering spectacular views of the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont. We got onto Skyline Drive at the far Northern end at Front Royal and drove about a quarter of the way before finding a campsite at the Mathews Arm campsite.


The drive is great, there is a 35 mph speed limit throughout and numerous overlooks, pullouts and trail heads which make it one of the more scenic of the many roads we have traveled. We assumed that the place would be really busy in the summer, with the beautiful weather and its proximity to Washington DC, but it was not crowded at all and there were tons of campsites to choose from. It proved to be a perfect stopover. We had hoped to see a bear, but had to settle for the numerous deer that inhabit the place. Deer in fact, walked nonchalantly right through our campsite, hardly taking notice of us at all. We exited the park and drove into the Shenandoah Valley near Elkton, Virginia, a small mountain town where we stopped for gas and lunch.

Our lunch was really special and was an example of the sort of experience you can have by simply avoiding the fast food type places that are found along most highways. We selected a little place called, “The Good O’ Boys Diner”. The diner is run by Greg & Shannon Mowbray who opened it about 7 months ago after the tragic death of Greg’s brother Derrick when he was hit by a car while assisting a stranded motorist. Wanting to do something that would at once take his mind off of the tragedy as well as honor his brother, Greg bought the dilapidated structure and turned it into a diner decorated with a collection of items that his brother had collected. The walls are lined with photos from both brothers, who just happen to be world class bluegrass musicians who have played all around the world with many of the best bluegrass musicians. The place is awesome and the prices unbelievable, the most expensive dinner on the menu is all of $5.50. The food was great and the people we met were as nice folk as you will find anywhere.

Shannon & Greg Mowbray, Evelyn Breeden & Cassandra Dean at Good O Boys Diner

Good O Boys Diner

Our drive next took us to Sandy Ridge, North Carolina to the home of my sister Marika Blades & her husband Brian Martin. This will serve as our base of operations for the next leg of our journey. We arrived a full 10 minutes ahead of my other sister, Michele Noel who was bringing my mother Marta to her new home in nearby Winston Salem. After living for 50 years in the same home in Indianapolis, Marta is moving to a sparkly new condo in downtown Winston Salem. We had thought we’d be farther along and would have missed this momentous occasion, but fate had us arrive at almost the exact moment.

Roadside Attraction