Road trip! Warm spring day in western Virginia

 It was a beautiful spring morning when a friend and I headed south from Staunton to Lexington and then turned west on I-64 heading toward the Allegheny Mountains of western Virginia. If you've never driven this stretch of interstate, you've missed a beautiful part of Virginia and West Virginia.

 This is the on-ramp for I-64 west of Lexington. Look at the scenery ... mountains, trees, blue sky.

 First stop was Clifton Forge snuggled along the mountain bases.

 There's a Tea Room in Clifton Forge!

 And then out the western side of Clifton Forge back onto the interstate to nearby Covington.

 The Chocolate Festival is this Saturday at the Armory in Clifton Forge. Sweet tooth mandatory....

 Covington is a combination of small and large homes ...

 ... the railroad ...

 ... and a quaint downtown.

 They have a new Visitor Center that also houses the Alleghany Highlands Chamber of Commerce.

 By afternoon temperatures had reached 70 degrees as we lunched in Covington, then back on the road toward Lexington ...

 ... and the familiar sights of that area.

 The Blue Ridge Mountains were ahead of us as we traveled east on I-64 and then north on I-81 before turning east on I-64 at Staunton to drive up and over to the eastern side of Afton Mountain before heading back home to Staunton.

Afton Mountain and Waynesboro in the Shenandoah Valley below. This part of Virginia touches hearts and souls ... it's a wonderful place to call home.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
April 1, 2014

Adventures with Barb ... enjoying the waning days of fall leaf season 2013

These photos were all taken in Augusta County, most of them along the western foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. What a glorious day just going where the wind blew. The Shenandoah Valley was at peak leaf color on the first weekend in November, unusually late for this area, but it's been an unusual leaf season. With sunny skies and cool temperatures, the final colors of red and gold popped out which sent Barb and me on another adventure along the back roads and up to Afton.

We found a covered bridge, visited a friend whose property touches the boundaries of Shenandoah National Park, found trees with leaves of shimmering golds and brilliant reds, observed vehicles parked at Skyline Drive overlooks along the Blue Ridge Mountains, toured the Dooleys' marble mansion on Afton known as Swannanoa, stopped for caramel corn from Afton's popcorn man, and lunched at McAlister's where our plans to eat at an outdoor table were sidelined by a prevailing wind with an exceptionally cool edge to it.

It was a fun day. More photos to come

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
#FallinVA
November 2, 2013

Afton Mountain's popcorn man

King's Gourmet Popcorn on Afton Mountain

"If you build it they will come." Or, perhaps more appropriately, they will stop and buy.

Ron King has found a market for snacks on Afton Mountain with King's Gourmet Popcorn located at the juncture of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, I-64, and Rt. 250. With views into the Rockfish and Shenandoah valleys, millions of tourists pass that way annually.

Once an oasis for hungry travelers, the past 15 years have not been kind to Afton. The Inn at Afton formerly known as the Holiday Inn, the Howard Johnson Restaurant, service station, and everything else have fallen into disarray. Only the Inn remains open. The sight of burned-out buildings and graffiti is not what most would expect while traveling the scenic mountain ridges.

That's why King's bright yellow vendor trailer, decorated now for fall with brightly colored chrysanthemums, hay bales, and orange pumpkins, is a welcome sight for hikers, travelers, and locals alike. He is filling a need, as evidenced by his steady customer base and ever-growing menu selections.

Eighteen months ago he started with a tarp and kettle korn pot, cooking the salty-sweet goodness on site while servicing curious customers. That fall he was joined by the apple man.

Then King's Gourmet Popcorn began branching out, offering bottled water and icy cold soft drinks followed by a wider variety of flavored popcorn and then pork rinds. That was followed by the bright yellow vendor trailer that replaced the tarp and kettle. He added picnic tables, hotdogs, coffee, ice cream, walking sticks, and tee shirts. A Facebook page was established that now sports 600 followers and comes in handy when late afternoon storms cause early closings, conveniently announced online. There's even a small neon "Open" sign that flashes when he's on site.

In short, King's Gourmet Popcorn is now a fixture on Afton Mountain, sought after by travelers who have become familiar with his offerings. My husband stops almost every time we're in the vicinity, grabbing his favorite bag of kettle korn before heading north on the Drive or south on the Parkway, and even sometimes as we head east on I-64 toward Richmond.

Ron King is becoming a tradition. But he's not finished. Plans are to add more food selections, mail order, and additional flavors. Many would be happy if he proved to be the seed that began the rebirth and rebuilding of Afton Mountain.

An interesting article by Waynesboro reporter Roger Gonazlez shares more about King Gourmet Popcorn and Ron King in The News Virginian.

If you go:

Kings Gourmet Popcorn
Afton Mountain, I-64, Exit 99 (look for the bright yellow vending trailer)
Open: 7 days a week
Follow on Facebook
Website: King's Gourmet Popcorn

Afton Mountain overlooks (from top to bottom) Skyline Drive, I-64, and Rt. 250.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
October 11, 2013

I-64 over Afton Mountain to receive improvements

For years I-64 over Afton Mountain has been a foggy gap through the mountains in bad weather as well as icy, snowy, windy, and every other weather condition possible. Since it was completed in 1972, this interstate that connects the coast of Virginia westward to the mountains has been used by millions of travelers. It's gentle grade and curves made crossing the Blue Ridge Mountains far easier and safer than in the past, and in good conditions it's a breeze to drive.

That is, until bad weather hits, and one particularly nasty deterrent over the years has been fog that can be as thick as pea soup, literally limiting visibility to about as far as the front of your vehicle. With eyes squinting to see through the thick, opaque haze, it can make for a white-knuckle, heart-stopping drive as you go up against Mother Nature.

And then there's the other drivers. That's where Russian roulette comes into play because some drivers feel completely safe continuing at the 65 mph posted speed limit even though they can't see beyond their noses. Others slow down ... but how much? Some almost stop while others feel safe at 55 or 45 or 35. That's a dangerous mix on foggy or wintry Afton.

For years those living in the area have suggested that a variable speed limit would be helpful under such conditions. Improvements have been made as far as automatic fog lights that outline lanes making it easier not to drive over the side of the mountain, and electronic signs with messages warning of inclement conditions. But the speed limit issue was still there. And pileups still happened even with the improvements.

Thankfully, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a new phase of improvements is going to be put in place and, included in Phase 2, will be the variable speed signs:

The variable speed limit would allow VDOT to not only detect inclement weather or changing traffic patterns but automatically alter the road’s legal speed limit to prepare drivers for the conditions.

In Afton, Shiley said, “we looked at crash types, not just number of crashes, and it led us to this solution: We really need to have something to get motorists to slow down when we have fog conditions or winter weather conditions.”

Afton is legendary for the pileups that have occurred over the years:

In April 1992, state police responded to a 60-car pileup that resulted in two fatalities. In April 1998, a 65-car pileup sent 40 people to area hospitals. Then, less than three weeks later, the road was the site of an 18-car collision. In all three incidents, police reported that fog was a major factor.

The new improvements will be welcomed. Now if we could just get climbing lanes....

Afton summer views

Chicory was in full bloom Wednesday on top of Afton Mountain. The sky was overcast with rain on the way as I snapped this photo looking north toward Shenandoah National Park.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
July 10, 2013

Paranormal research takes place Saturday overnight at Swannanoa

They say there are ghosts at Afton Mountain's Swannanoa so overnight a Fishersville paranormal society will be investigating reports that it's one of the most haunted places in Virginia.

With sophisticated equipment set up throughout the marble mansion, it will be interesting to hear if anything comes of it when the sun rises Sunday morning....

Afton roadwork

Roadwork is scheduled to continue on I-64 near the top of Afton Mountain this week. This is the VDOT sign on I-64 heading west toward Afton on Sunday afternoon. With rain moving in for the next three days, one has to wonder if the work will need to be rescheduled once again after delays this past week due to rain.

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell
May 5, 2013

Afton Mountain I-64 work to continue next week

There's no immediate relief in sight for commuters and travelers after VDOT announced another week of work and closures on I-64 at Afton Mountain, as reported by NBC-29.

Stabilizing Afton Mountain adjacent to the I-64 westbound lanes will take longer than originally reported and, while the drivers understood the necessity of the work, it did not help soothe frazzled nerves due to the backups. Commuters who regularly drove over the mountain found themselves in long lines of traffic causing frustration, some arriving late for work and appointments.

 VDOT's press release notifying the media of next week's closures:

I-64 EMERGENCY PROJECT WILL CONTINUE NEXT WEEK

Traffic restrictions resume April 29-May 2 while unstable soil is removed from Afton Mountain slope

CULPEPER – Intermittent traffic restrictions on Interstate 64 between Charlottesville and Waynesboro will resume next week during operations to remove unstable soil from Afton Mountain above the highway at milepost 100.3 in Albemarle County.

Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, April 29, traffic on I-64 will be restricted in both directions for 30-45 minutes. The restrictions will continue through the day, ending between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The westbound right shoulder will be closed and work zone activity will begin at 7 a.m. each day but traffic will not be restricted before 9 a.m. The work is expected to continue through Thursday, May 2.

The restrictions will affect traffic from Exit 107 (Route 250/Rockfish Gap Turnpike) at Crozet to Exit 96 (Route 624/S. Delphine Avenue) at Waynesboro. Drivers should expect significant congestion and delays; passenger vehicles are encouraged to use Route 250 as an alternate route. Message boards along I-64 will advise motorists of the closures and expected congestion in the area.

Motorists should check VDOT's traffic information web site, www.511virginia.org, or call 511 for real-time information about traffic conditions and delays.