A Few More Cavern Shots

This underground lake is actually only a little over a foot deep, but the reflections of the stalactites make it look much deeper (and cool too!).

Totem Pole Valley

The Bath Towel

The Wishing Well

They drain this pool of water once a year and collect the coins, which are then donated to various charities. They have collected over a million dollars (my contribution is 17 cents).

Luray Caverns

So, after almost six months in this area, I finally made it to Luray Caverns. It was amazing! I would highly recommend it.


A few shots from inside the caverns

Pluto's Ghost

Apparently, they named it Pluto's Ghost because Pluto was the Roman god of the underworld and it's a white rock formation (which stood out from the darker rock around it).

The Stalacpipe Organ

This organ literally plays the stalactites! Stalactites make sound when they are hit - they make different tones, depending on the size. The organ is connected to 37 different Stalactites with different tones. It played A Mighty Fortress is Our God. That was truly the highlight of the tour for me!

Fried Eggs

These were formed after two Stalacmites were broken off in the 1920s. They really did look like fried eggs (as you can see).

Rambles and Brambles

The Rivanna River Trail has become a favorite of mine. Several nights a week you can find CJ and me hiking somewhere along it - I mean, there is not much else to do in sleepy Charlottesville! As a kid, I used to watch The Waltons, and I remember that they would travel into "the city" (i.e. Charlottesville) when they needed something that couldn't be purchaced on Walton's Mountain. But even in that show, Richmond was the larger, more sophistocated city of the two. But in this NYC girl's eyes, even Richmond looks like a little podunk town. However, I am learning to appreciate a bit of country living... learning to enjoy the simple pleasures (or at least that is what I often hear them called)... milk cows grazing in the fields, cylindric hay bales scattered across green meadows, brightly-colored insects that apparently kill the Ash trees (a post for another time), old barns whose paint is chipping and roofs are sagging, the sound of water tripping over stones on its way downstream, and little red berries that I seem unable to identify (but I think may be wild straberries, or somehow related).

The aforementioned berries

A home for the homeless

We came across a couple of homeless gentlemen on a recent hike. They had quite the set-up, so I thought maybe they were just Freegans. I am not quite sure what was up with the two lawnmowers and the edger (doesn't seem like there would be much need for that in the middle of the woods!).


CJ, hiking

When the brush got rather thick, we began question how far we should continue on the trail.

The Rivanna River

Then we came upon a lovely clearing with a bench, overlooking the river. Score!

All in all, it was another lovely evening in little C-ville.

Rivanna Trail Foundation

One of the pluses of C-ville, is the river trail that circumnavigates the city, marked by little diamond-shaped, metal signed, nailed to trees and posts.

There are a number of foot bridges, crossing the Rivanna River

The trailes can get pretty dense at times, making the trail almost undiscernable from the surrounding brush. So far I have not had any run-ins with Virginia's snakes, but I am always on the lookout just in case.

All the recent rains have actually washed out parts of the trail... but that did not stop us. Wading, anyone?

Rivanna Reservoir

I didn't realize that I had know idea how to spell "reservoir" until CJ and I went on a hunt for the Rivanna Reservoir. I saw it on Google Maps one day when I was looking for directions for my lazor hair removal appointment (TMI? Oh, sorry.). I had been feeling overwhelmingly land-locked, here in Central VA (yes, I realize VA is on the Atlantic coast, but where I am living is so far from the ocean, I might as well be in a land-locked State), so I was desperate to see water - any water. I dragged CJ along on my quest, but didn't think to look up the specific directions. I knew the general vicinity - could even see the reservoir from the highway that runs through the city. But when we got to the right area, it seemed that none of the roads actually led to the water. I pulled out the GPS to type in Rivanna Reservoir and that was when it hit me that reservoir was a word I had never before spelled in my life. I couldn't even picture it in my mind's eye. In the end, it didn't matter. The GPS couldn't help us anyway. The only reservoir it would give us directions to was over 100 miles away (I still don't quite understand that one...). In the end, we parked the car on a nearby country road and found a little worn-away path in the brush and tall grasses that led us right to the falls of the reservoir. It was beautiful! CJ were both glad we went to all the trouble it took to find that spot... it was totally worth it!

If you don't believe, have a look for yourself...

Natural Bridge, VA

When you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, it is pretty much imperative that you strike out into the great unknown of your environment and explore the beauty that can be found (in reality, beauty can be found just about anywhere if you just look for it). Well, that is just what CJ and I decided to do last weekend. We chose to head west to a historical point of interest known as Virginia's natural bridge (coincidentally located in Natural Bridge, VA - ok, so it wasn't a coincidence). Why historical you ask? There are a few historical aspects, dating back to our forefathers in the 1700s... and then of course, there is always the fact that God created it thousands of years ago. Here's the stuff I learned while there... Jefferson bought it (along with much of the land around it) from King George III for 20 shillings (approx. $2.40) back in 1774. Even before that, George Washington (you know, like the first President of the United States? yeah, that one) surveyed the bridge and carved his initals 23 feet up on the inside of the bridge. I'm sure I'll never know how he managed to get 23 feet up, seeing as they hadn't invented cherry pickers yet.


It's nearly impossible to make out the "GW," but I am told that is what is in the little white box and of course I believe everything I am told (obviously). ;)



Almost as soon as we got past the concession stands, we arrived at the natural bridge. CJ and I were rather disappointed because after driving more than an hour to get there, we were all ready for a nice long hike. Besides the fact they charged a whopping $18 PER PERSON (is that not INSANE?!). I mean I didn't pay a cent (because my guys is awesome like that), but it's the principle of the matter. They should not be allowed to charge for something that should be open to the public. It is a national historical landmark, so I have no doubt my tax dollars make their way to Natural Bridge, VA. It's not like they even provide you with a ski lift to the top like the natural bridge in Kentucky. In fact, they don't even allow you to hike up to the top at all. Ok, I'll step down from my soapbox now...


In any case, it was pretty, and worth seeing once.


We did continue hiking past the bridge along Cedar Creek. It was quite beautiful and the weather was perfect!


At the end of the trail were some small falls... great photo opportunity, which I did not let slip away. I offered to take a picture of a nearby couple and of course they offered to return the favor. So, I got a cute shot of CJ and myself in front of said falls. Maybe I'll post it on Facebook. =)

FOAMHENGE

You may think it a typo or somekind of mistake, or you might even just assume I am plain ol' crazy, but no... there is an actual place in this world called Foamhenge, and I have been there (and lived to tell about it!).

I was in middle-of-nowhere, VA, when out of the blue, sign appeared! C. and I HAD to check it out. =)

Lo and behold, we found what looked an awful lot like Stonehenge, but without the stones.

It was truly made entirely of styrofoam! Who would think to do such a thing? Funny you should ask. His name is Mark Cline. He is apparently some kind of artist, and based on some his projects (and the sign he posted), I'd venture to guess he is a little off his rocker.

Here is the aforementioned sign. I thought it quite amusing (but sad that he had to post such a thing at all - where is respect for other people and their property?!?!?!?!).

Here is a comic strip that mentions Foamhenge. This was a reprint that was posted on a bench near the psuedo-historic site.

The Flora of Monticello

I don't know if the flowers and foliage around Monticello is anything like wast it was in Jefferson's day, but it is my favorite part of Monticello... just so pretty! Here are some of the flowers I saw on Saturday.

Here is a view of the landscape from the house...

And a shot of the house itself.

Just Keep Driving

I suffer from a condition known as wanderlust (if you can call it suffering). I've had it my whole life. I thought travel was the cure, but as it turns out, it only feeds the disease. The more I travel, the more I want to travel. And the more I see, the more my curiosity is peaked and I need to know what else is out there! I have spent a lot of time in the car - well, in many cars, many rental cars. When I drive, I see other ways of life, worlds so far removed from the one I live in, and it makes me wonder what it would be like to live like those people. I remember as a child, looking up at the huge high-rise apartments, imagining the lives of all the different families, who made there homes there, above the hustle and bustle of the city. I imagined what it would be like to be one of those people. I remember seeing the Soldiers in the news during desert storm, living in tents in the sandy wasteland of the Middle East, and thinking about what that must feel like - residing in a war zone. During our 3 week cross-country road trip several years ago, I saw farms and wide open spaces and considered whether that would not be better than suburbia. Well, over the years, I have had the chance to live in a city (in a high-rise apartment), in the country, in a hotel for months on end, in a war zone, in a military barracks, and in the Caribbean. Though I enjoyed each of those experiences for what they were worth, they were never quite as good as I had imagined. I still faced times of loneliness, depression, uncertainty, and the daily struggles of life. The landscape is always so diverse, changing from state to state, city to city, and even country to country. But what I have found is that anyplace can look perfect from a distance. It is when you get out from behind the windshield that you can see the flaws and imperfections. The longer I remain in any given place, the more I notice its shortcomings, and the more I long for greener pastures. It seems there is no remedy, except maybe to just keep driving.

C. calls this the Joshua Tree... I drive past it every day on my way to his apartment.

I love this old, run-down shed... so typically quaint... one of C-ville's many beauties.

RR tracks in Charlottesville, VA

A rainbow on Long Island (not something we see frequently there)

A Walk in the Park

C. and I went for a lovely walk in the park the other night. Of course, I took my camera along and captured some shots of the flora along the way. Thankfully, C. is a very patient person (or at least patient with me) and didn't seem to mind the numerous stops I took to acquire said photos.

Old Rag

I hadn't been hiking up Old Rag in quite a few years. I had forgotten how long it actually takes to get all the way to the third peak!

The day could not have been more perfect! A beautiful blue sky and the trees just beginning to show their green leaves budding...

My hiking companion was getting a little tired. but even he thought the view was worth it. =)

I love VA Dogwoods! They are especially plentiful in this part of VA it seems. So pretty... I just had to get a photo.

Road Tripping

I had to make a trek down US-29, from VA to NC for work. Along the way, there were some interesting sights. First, I saw a fire just north of Lynchburg. It was devouring an entire hillside and there was no one in sight trying to contain it. The plumes of smoke, rising heavenward, could be seen from a mile away!
Farther on, I came to a very small town by the name of Tightsqueeze. I was so intrigued by the name, I Googled it when I got to my destination and logged on to the hotel wifi. There was actually a rather interesting story behind the name. Apparently, a Mr. W. H. Colbert built a large general store in 1870. He put it right up to the edge of the dirt road so that ladies riding in carriages could step out of carriages onto the porch of the store building. Well, shortly after that and Mr. Isaiah Giles built a blacksmith-wheelwright shop right across the road directly in front of Colbert's Store, also at the edge of the road. Colbert complained about Giles putting his building to the edge of the road in front of his store, but Giles contended that if Colbert could put his store building to the edge of the road, he could too. When the buggies and wagons came galloping down the road at high speeds, they had to slow down to a walking pace to pass through the narrow passage between the two buildings because it was such a "tight squeeze." The drivers began warning travelers about that particular spot and that is how it got its name.
One thing I noticed was how many farms there are in VA and NC. Growing up in the suburbs, not too far from the greatest city ever, I always imagined that all the farms were out in the Mid-West and not along the East Coast. It's kind of amazing to me how many people grow up and live their whole lives away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities. I often wonder if I could ever be happy with such a life, having already tasted the pleasures of city life. I don't know... it is hard to imagine!
It was interesting watching the colors change as I went farther south, from shades of brown with hints of green, yellow and pink, to shades of green, with vibrant yellow and white blossoms everywhere. Despite my northern roots, the south calls to me. I have a feeling I will end up in warmer climates.
I am sure there were other things I found interesting at the time, but I have forgotten them already. I guess they didn't make too much of an impression.
Until next time...