Driving through the Shenandoah Valley

We are staying in a beautiful campground, north of Lynchburg, VA.

We took off west today, heading over the Blue Ridge Mountains, through the Shenandoah Valley, and up again into the Appalachians. We ended up in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The terrain here is magnificent, with wide rivers and crooked creeks. The woods are almost through their colors, and lots of the trees are bare. The weather ranged from bright sun to hail. 

And White Sulphur Springs has the Greenbriar Resort, which, for the past 225+ years has been a destination for people escaping the stickiness and heat of the lower states. It was just magnificent, with huge rooms filled with overstuffed chairs, and verandas overlooking green gardens. Presidents have vacationed here. Golf was introduced in America near here, and Sam Snead was pro at that club for lots of years. During the Cold War, the "bunker" that would have housed Congress if they had to flee from Washington D.C. is also here.

The Greenbriar, White Sulphur Springs, West Virgini

On our way home, we took a little side road up to the Big Bear Winery.  

The tasting room was closed, but our new best friend, Robin, was more than happy to open up and let us taste their wines.  It was set on an old farm...

...and the tasting room opened onto an open-walled barn, furnished with random unmatched tables and chairs, and chandeliers, a big fireplace, and a piano. 

Oh, and Sam, the dog. 

And wine.