A Little Outing

We decided to take a little day trip to see how the leaves look in the mountains of Virginia.  The forecast called for good weather so off we headed in the direction of Sperryville.  My sweetie is still in his boot, so I did the driving on this lovely morning.

 I packed a small picnic for us to enjoy when we reach our destination.  I had my Rtic tumbler full of Constant Comment tea and Grayden had his preferred coffee.  Driving along, Grayden pointed the camera out the window and began snapping away.

The further along we drove the darker the sky began to look.  

Continuing along the weather began to brighten again.

The leaves varied as we traveled along.  The scenery felt so peaceful.  I do love the country lanes and farms that dotted roads along the way.  I'm definitely a country mouse.  How about you?  Are you a city mouse or a country mouse?

The orange and yellow leaves brightened as the sunrays shined on them. 

It's exciting to see the Blue Ridge mountains rising on the horizon. 

Autumn farm stands came into view as we approached the town of Sperryville.  Of course we stop to have a look.  Sperryville is a very small town of around 300 folks.  The town sits on 3,000 acres from an original land grant from King George II in 1731 to Francis Thornton.  

We have been coming to Sperryville for years.  We used to come with our children when they were small.  So our many memories come to mind as we view the pumpkins and apples.

All of the beautiful colors of the pumpkins, gourds, and apples are a feast for our eyes.

Inside of this little fruit stand there are more items to tempt.

The quilts certainly got my attention.  If I had room, I'd add more to my collection!  

More produce and fresh fall apple cider filled the shelves.

After leaving the farm stand, we continue driving up the mountain through the Shenandoah National Park.  We decided to enter Skyline Drive at Thornton Gap.  From here one can travel north or south along the drive that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) from 1933 to 1942.  This program gave many men jobs.  It's quite amazing that they built the roads, the rock walls, trails and scenic overlooks and a lot more along this 105.5 mile drive!  It is quite a gift for all of us and our posterity to enjoy.

We decide to travel to Skyland that is 10 miles away.  I thought it would be nice to enjoy our picnic there.  

Mary's Rock Tunnel takes us along the drive south to Skyland.

The tunnel was built by the CCC in 1932 by blasting and drilling through Mary's Rock.

We both enjoyed stopping at the scenic overlook, but unfortunately we began to see the fog roll in.

The fog and the colors certainly were beautiful!

Then our world turned black and white!

As lovely as it is, I must admit to not enjoying the driving now!

Changing elevations did bring some relief for which I was grateful.

Then turning into Skyland we were in a blanket of fog that made it quite hard to find a proper parking spot.  We decided it was not a good idea to have an outdoor picnic, so we enjoyed our lunch in our car!  Grayden and I have stayed in the cabins you can rent and find them to be quite enjoyable. There are many trails you can explore.  But today after our lunch, and hopefully the fog lifting, we will head back home.

The fog did start to lift slowly as we drove back to Thornton Gap.

Getting away for a little while did my heart and soul good.  Being in the beauty of nature is always a balm for me.  

Thanks for coming along on our little outing!  It was a lovely day with my sweetheart.