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

Lexington's Bistro On Main ... lunch with Hannah

I spent Thursday in nearby historic Lexington so met up with PEACH homeschool grad Hannah for lunch at the Bistro On Main. The conversation was lively and animated with lots of laughter as we caught up on all the latest news including her recent trip to Ireland. As I pulled out my phone to take her picture, we realized we had matching Otter Boxes.

The food was tasty. Hannah had the Grilled Chicken Caesar Wrap -- grilled chicken breast, romaine, romano cheese, and Caesar dressing with beer-battered fries. I had the quesadilla with black beans and cheese with a side house salad made up of romaine lettuce, carrots, red onion, sunflower seeds, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

For dessert, Hannah had this lovely Key Lime pie ...

... while I got the Crème Brulée.

It was a good day but the best part was lunch with Hannah.

On the way out of town, I stopped at Devils Backbone Outpost Brewery on Rt. 11 to get a picture. They're adding on to this location.

House Mountain, the familiar landmark for those who live in Lexington and Rockbridge County.

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
March 27, 2014

Roger Jarrell elected Rockbridge Republican chairman

 Roger Jarrell II with son Trey, 17, driver with Trey Jarrell Racing

Well over a hundred people turned out Monday night at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington where Roger Jarrell II won the chairman's race for the Rockbridge area Republican Committee, defeating incumbent chairman Cher McCoy 94-34. Three candidates had vied for the position but Al Tucker dropped out prior to the meeting.

Rockbridge Republican Committee is part of the 6th Congressional District that is represented by Congressman Bob Goodlatte.

Jarrell, a Lexington native who attended local schools, is well known in the area and had won support from residents and the business community. After graduating from Lexington High School and Virginia Military Institute, he went on to earn his law degree at Washington and Lee University and now is in private practice. His involvement in politics began 20 years ago when he worked on Goodlatte's campaign for Congress as well as campaigns for Oliver North and John Warner.

Jarrell is an adviser with his son Trey who is a NASCAR driver for Trey Jarrell Racing Team.

Attending Monday night's meeting were  Delegate Ben Cline who drove back from Richmond's special session on Monday to give a General Assembly update before returning for Tuesday's session, as well as incumbent Wendell Walker and challenger Vance Wilkins who are candidates for 6th Congressional District Chairman at the convention to be held April 26 in Daleville.

General Robert E. Lee ... 1807 - October 12, 1870

"It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it."

-- General Robert E. Lee

On this day in 1870, General Robert E. Lee died at the age of 67 after suffering a stroke while serving as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia. He is buried at the chapel at Washington and Lee, with his trusty horse Traveller buried nearby.

Lee is perhaps best remembered as a Virginian who would not fight against his native state and turned down President Abraham Lincoln's offer to command the Union Army. When Virginia voted to secede from the nation in 1861, Lee had serious misgivings about secession but could not fight against the south so agreed to lead the Confederate Army.

HistoryNet.com notes:

Today, [Lee] remains internationally respected as a daring, often brilliant tactician, a gentleman who never referred to Northern soldiers as "the enemy" but as "those people over there," a man who opposed secession but felt honor-bound to serve his native state. He applied for restoration of his American citizenship, but the papers were lost until the 1970s, when his wish was granted.

General Lee, from a long line of Virginians, remembered on this day.

Happy First Anniversary, Katy and Colin!

House Mountain Inn located in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia

September 15, 2012

The Wedding Song

by Paul Stookey

He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubador is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. There is Love.

Well a man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
And they shall travel on to where the two shall be as one.
As it was in the beginning is now and until the end
Woman draws her life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love. There is Love.

Well then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it Love that brings you here or Love that brings you life?
Or if loving is the answer, then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh there's Love, there is Love.

Oh the marriage of your spirits here has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. Oh there's Love.

NFL games this fall at Hull's Drive-In

It's a go for NFL games this fall at Hull's Drive-In in Lexington. Here's the latest from them:

NFL Games at Hull's
There has been a lot of excitement about the upcoming football season and Hull's Drive-In showing Sunday and Monday night games on the big screen. While we are excited as well, we want to make sure this is a success so here are few things to keep in mind if you're coming out to the games.....

1. Admission is FREE!!!!!
2. We strongly encourage you to visit the concession stand and buy your food there instead of bringing outside food in. This is how we are paying for the football games to be shown, help us keep them on the big screen and support your concession stand.
3. We will be doing a 50/50 raffle each night and that will be drawn the beginning of halftime.
4. Donations will also be accepted at the gate and in concessions that will go to helping make the football venture a success.
5. Our alcohol policy is the same as it is for movies.......please just be responsible and mature and we won't have to enforce it!!!! Catch my drift!!!!
6. GLASS BOTTLES ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED NO MATTER WHAT IS IN THEM!!!!!!
7. We want everyone to have a good time. Trash talk each other, cheer for your team, boo the refs but remember that this is still a family environment and there may be kids in attendance on some nights to please watch the language and respect others.
8. We will have the sound broadcasting over the FM station as well as the speakers and as long as there isn't a terrible echo the loudspeakers. Feel free to bring out your radios and turn them up.
9. ABSOLUTELY NO GRILLS WILL BE ALLOWED!!!!!
10. Wear your jerseys and other team gear!!!
11. There will be door prizes handed out at the end of the first 2 quarters.
12. Did I mention that admission is FREE!!!!!!!!

Spread the word about our football games, we want to get as many people out there as possible. If you have any questions please message me and ask. I try to cover most of the questions here but I may have missed some.

On a side note, Sunday games in October are dependent on us NOT having to show movies on Sundays. That is still in the works and if it ends up that we have to show movies on Sundays, then in October we will do Monday nights only. We will keep you informed on this as well.

Here is the tentative schedule through October.

Thursday September 5th Baltimore Ravens vs Denver Broncos
Sunday October 6th Houston Texans vs San Franciso 49ers
Monday October 7th NY Jets vs Atlanta Falcons
Sunday October 13th Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys
Monday October 14th Indianapolis Colts vs San Diego Chargers
Sunday October 20th Denver Broncos vs Indianapolis Colts
Monday October 21st Minnesota Vikings vs NY Giants
Sunday October 27th Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings
Monday October 28th Seattle Seahawks vs St. Louis Rams

All the games start about 8:30 pm and the gates will open at 7 pm for people to come in and get something to eat, get a good place to park and start having a great time!!!!

Can't wait to see everyone out there!!!!!

Goshen Pass, Virginia ... the Maury River

Goshen Pass where the Maury River passes through the 3.7-mile gorge. Acquired in 1954, the area encompasses the oldest state-managed natural area preserve in Virginia. Numerous rare plants can be found in the deep forests that grow on the mountain slopes covered with oak, pines, chestnut oak, and dozens of other tree varieties.

Rt. 39 runs along the river, providing a beautiful scenic drive just 30 minutes from Lexington and 45 minutes from  Staunton.

A picnic area on Rt. 39 provides access to the river for swimming, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and tubing as well as picnic tables, grills, and a shelter with stone fireplace. Careful! The rocks are slippery so watch your step, and keep an eye out for snakes. Hiking trails are nearby.

A picnic shelter has no nails and is made with the mortice-peg style of construction using only wooden pegs to hold the beams together.

Stacked field stone fireplace.

My Virginia Tech graduate engineer step-dad studied the construction of the shelter.

Mom watched rock-hoppers on the river ...

See another post with more photos: The land of Goshen, Virginia

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
24 August 2011

Lexington: Hull's Drive-In ... movies under the stars

SWAC Niece tailgates while waiting for dark to signal beginning of movie.
The choice that night was "Star Trek."

A short 30-minute drive from Staunton will find you at Hull's Drive-In Theater, located on Rt. 11 outside Lexington. The only not-for-profit drive-in the country, it has an interesting history.

Hull's was operated by the Hull family from 1957 to 1999. After 42 years, it closed ... but many did not want to lose this community icon ... so a drive began to save it. They were successful and this year they are celebrating their 10th year as a not-for-profit drive-in with many volunteers pitching in to help.

Open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, the cost is only $6 per person (kids 11 and under are free) to see first-run movies and each night offers a double feature. If you stay for both movies, be prepared to be out late since movies do not begin until dark. The night we attended to see "Star Trek," the movie began at 9:20 pm and we left at 11:45 pm. If we had stayed for the second feature, it would not have been over until close to 2 am.

A car load of us piled in and headed to Lexington on a recent Friday night, carrying subs and a cooler of water and soft drinks to tailgate before the start of the movie. We also carried entertainment to keep us busy when not people watching before the start of the movie.

On the lawn in front of the outdoor screen, children played ... a dad and son pitched a baseball ... other kids played tag. Families parked down front ... couples parked near the back. Speakers played music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s ... the snack bar provided reasonably-priced offerings with everything from popcorn and sno-cones to onion rings, burgers, hot dogs, and BBQ.

This weekend's double feature is Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian rated PG and State of Play rated PG-13.

For a fun evening with the family ... or a date night with your significant other ... you may want to wander back in time to Hull's Drive-In.

Photo by SWAC Girl
Lynn Mitchell
June 2009