Along the Virginia Creeper Trail
We got back this evening from a three-day weekend spent camping at Grayson Highlands State Park in Mouth of Wilson, VA. Highlights include a deluge of rain Friday night that started as we were setting up our tent Friday night and didn’t let up until 9 AM Saturday morning.
We took our bikes with us and drove to Damascus, VA Saturday morning, where we arrived in time for lunch at Quincey’s Pizza, a fine eating and drinking establishment, indeed. After a tasty meal, we drove over to the bike shuttle place, where we boarded a van and were driven with our bikes up to our starting point for the Virginia Creeper Trail in Whitetop, VA. The next 17 miles were spent chasing the kids down the trail at breakneck speeds, with me stopping only as long as I dared so that I could snap photos of the beautiful scenery.
We arrived back at the campsite around dinner time, so Kelly cooked up a tasty turkey chili to recharge us. Then after listening to a musician play in the park amphitheater, we sat around our campfire roasting marshmallows until about 10 PM. Unlike Friday night, sleep came quickly and easily this time!
My view, most of the way!
After an excellent night of sleep, we enjoyed some hot oatmeal for breakfast, broke camp, and drove over to one of the many trailheads in Grayson Highlands. We hiked the Rhododendron Trail up to a scenic overhang, where we met a man and his two young daughters and stayed for a while. Peering through binoculars, we could see groups of wild horses on the hills surrounding us. It was cool.
We then ventured down a loop trail and made it back to the van in time for lunch (and just before the heavens opened up again). On our way down, though, we flushed a wild turkey out of the woods mere feet away from us. What a surprise that was to see this huge, startled bird bust out of nowhere!
The ride was an easy one back and we’re now in for the night. In spite of the spotty sleep I got during Friday night’s non-stop rain, it was the best camping trip I think I’ve ever been on. We’re already making plans for our next trip out this summer!