DAY ONE

FRONT ROYAL, VA - SKYLINE DRIVE, VA - NATURAL BRIDGE, VA - ROANOKE, VA

420 miles. Departed Philadelphia: 8:40am, Arrived Roanoke, VA: 7:45pm.

Today was the big day. We packed the car this morning, said goodbye to Cali, and were on the road from Philly at 8:40am. 

successful packing job

peace out philadelphia

We spent the first few hours driving southbound on I95, through Delaware, (which only took 30 minutes) Maryland, and the DC area. We arrived in Front Royal, VA, a cute little town which holds the entrance to Shenandoah National Park and the Skyline Drive. Here, we refilled our gas for the first time. (Gas prices are still cheap here.) 

$3.35 per gallon

We had lunch at a diner called Wynn's, which was run by four women whose hospitality made us sure we had entered the south. After a breakfast/lunch full of carbs, we started off on the Skyline Drive. The first few scenic overlooks we couldn't stop pulling over to take it all in. The view of the rolling Virginia countryside matched with the hazy blue mountains in the background is a sight thoroughly enjoyed by the throngs of tourists.

 After a little while, we started turning our heads to just look at the overlooks as we drove by (the 35 mph speed limit doesn't really allow you to miss much.) The two overlooks that really stood out to me were Little Devil's Stairs, and Rockytop Overlook. 

Little Devil's Stairs

Rockytop Overlook

We took a break for a snack about half way through, and as we were about to stop for another break, we noticed the cars in front of us all slowed to a stop. Looking out my window, I saw a small black bear! She was trying to eat the shrubbery and ignore the 5 cameras pointed at her from various SUVs. This was the most exciting event all day.

Mama bear

 

Found this Jurassic Park jeep, too

After a few more miles, we had completed the 105 miles of the Skyline drive and were too exhausted to continue onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. Instead, we detoured to the high way in order to make it to Natural Bridge, VA before sundown. 
Our main destination was Foamhenge. Created by Mark Kline (we passed by his Enchanted Castle studio also) Foamhenge is a life-size replica of Stonehenge, made entirely out of styrofoam. It was a lot of fun to check out. 

Foamhenge, in Natural Bridge VA

We pressed on, and reached Roanoke, VA at 7:45pm. We had dinner at Thelma's Chicken and Waffles, which was seriously delicious. We had to wait a long time while a 30+ group of churchgoers ordered and received their meals, but snacked on fried green tomatoes during the wait. I got Chicken wings and Waffles, and Kenny got meatloaf with mac and cheese. I could really get used to this southern eating... 

Staying at a Days Inn in Roanoke tonight, and planning on waking up early to finish our trek down the Blue Ridge Parkway!