Taking a Tour

Harrisonburg VA  16 July 10

Wall to wall Optis

The Cap’n downed tools and declared a rest day was due.  It had nothing to do with week-long Opti Nationals hosted by our Marina. (Translated that reads 300 kids and their tiny, snub-nose dinghy’s around the Marina and out in the Bay.  They launched just near C dock too.)  Hmmm?

We, like many of our transient comrades, hired a car and went away….far away!  After our previous driving adventures we couldn’t make it without a little road guidance.  So, first stop was Wal Mart (fortunately close-by) to buy a Garmin GPS.  Trust me; you also need a GPS in Wal Mart, and the similarly sized Home Depot next door.  Otherwise, days of your lives would just disappear in these cavernous shops.   

Joshua Wilton House

Harrisonburg, about 3.5 hours away, was our first port of call.  Harrisonburg is located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.  The area is famous for its Civil War landmarks, a lush Skyline Drive (Shenandoah National Park), its large Mennonite settlements (famous quilters) and most importantly, the Virginia Quilt Museum.  Aha!  So that’s it, eh?  You’ve noticed my cunning plan…

We stayed in the attractive Mauve Room

We stayed overnight in an historic B&B, the Joshua Wilton Inn (just across the road from the VQM).  A restored 1888 Victorian home, it looked a perfect setting for one of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies.  We had the Mauve Room, a lush four-poster and feather bed and many antiques that wouldn’t quite fit in my suitcase. 

We ate downtown but not before sampling Cally’s “flakes” of home-brew and nearly buying a “growler” (a 6 pack sized glass jug with ceramic stopper).  We dined at nearby Clementine’s; himself going all southern and having catfish, chilli black beans and grits.  The First Mate went all global and had linguini and shrimp, followed by a very tasty little crème brulee with fresh raspberries.  We finished in time to see the last half of a monthly, open air free concert, Jazz on Court Square. 

Jazz in the Park

Joshua Wilton served us up a splendid gourmet breakfast before GS raced off so as not to miss the 10am VQM opening.  This museum was indeed a feast for the eyes.  Their current exhibition included many of their older collection quilts, a room of antique sewing machines and quilts with Civil War significance, all nicely displayed with costumes and other period memorabilia.  No photos were allowed due to the age and condition of the textiles but I was able to purchase a lovely book as a memento.  Let me tell you, most quilter’s hand stitching was just so incredibly tiny.  (More on the VQM at textile tourist.)

Shenandoah Valley

After GS surfaced (some 2 hours later), our trusty Cap’n had done the town so we met for iced tea (vurrie suuurthern, sweeetie) in the Harrisonburg Information Centre located in the historic Hardesty-Higgins house.  Well, isn’t tea just the in-thing these days?  Just can’t make a good cuppa Queensland style though!

Rain squall at Elkton

We timed our departure well with a local rain squall and thunderstorm but found it cleared as we drove up past Elkton (the site of General Stonewall Jackson’s 1862 Headquarters) towards Swift Run Gap (2365’) and on to Skyline Drive.  The views over farmland are pretty, the tree-lined road would be even nicer in Autumn and the deer and the antelope play…  We stopped briefly at Loft Mountain and caught Ranger Bob’s talk about the local black bears - the closest we got to one was Ranger Bob’s ol’ bar-skeen.  We did find large flocks of Harley enthusiasts more of a worry than bears however.

Still, it was a nice day for a drive.