2022 Trip to Monticello & Shenandoah National Park
We have been trying to get a trip to the Shenandoah National Park for a few years now without success. Our good friend Jean Martin tried a few times to reserve a YURT at her timeshare resort but it never seemed to work out for one reason or another. This past Christmas my son’s family gave us a National Parks pass and we figured we should do our best to use it. Dan & Jane and us have been trying to plan a trip somewhere and take the girls (Penny & Xena) along with us. We did some research and found this place close to the National Park called Montfair Resort Farm that welcomed our pooches.
So we packed up the girls and headed to Crozet, Virginia for a mini 4 day vacation. Having lived in Richmond many years ago the trip was pretty familiar along I64 until almost Charlottesville where we turned off and traveled through beautiful Crozet on our way to the cabin at Montfair resort. Upon arrival at our cabin apt named DOGWOOD we unloaded the car and Dan & Jane headed back to Crozet to pick up some groceries and dinner for the evening. I will say this about the cabin – it says accommodated up to 6 people but you better be real cozy with those people as the cabin was probably no bigger the 700 square feet (Including the deck) and with 1 bathroom that you could shit, shower, & shave by standing (or sitting) in one spot. Dan said I picked this place over the one he wanted with 2 bathrooms because it had internet. I dispute this and selected it because of the setting and the lake outback. nonetheless, the group decided that on the next trip I don’t get a vote.
Next morning the plan (my Plan) was to head to the Park and drove the scenic Skyline Drive 105 miles from the southern entrance to the Northern Terminus of the Shenandoah National Park. The maximum speed limit is 35 and there are dozens of scenic overlooks and the Appalachian Trail intersects it at numerous spots. Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. We got to the entry point and it was so foggy you could barely see 5 feet in front of you, so we decided to go to plan B. Plan B was actually scheduled for 2 days later but we improvised and headed of f to Monticello for a tour of the gardens (They permitted dogs in the gardens but not the house).
Monticello was great as seen in the pics below. It was a cool and drizzly day but the gardens were beautiful and the girls enjoyed their walk. Dan & Jane decided they wanted to see inside the house and made a late dash to get tickets while Sharon & I had a leisurely walk back through the gardens.
Next day the other girls (Jane & Sharon) went for a massage while Dan & I headed to a Microbrewery (One of my favorite things) called Pro Re Nata with the other girls. The beer was good and dark and the food was good and fried and after 3 beers so was I. 🙂 I’m not sure but I think we enjoyed the rest of the day just relaxing and hiking around the cabin.
Our last day was on Friday and it was a beautiful day and off we headed for the Skyline drive trip that I had originally planned for Wednesday. The drive was SPECTACULAR and the views were AWESOME! We stopped at several of the lookouts and took a few short walks to stretch our legs and let the girls (all of them) do their business. The entire 105 mile trip took about 3 or 4 hours. The trip back was a bit of an adventure as I had inadvertently set my map settings to avoid highways and tolls. That meant that we went down many backroads and hollers that Dan swore he heard banjos a few times. We eventually made it back and settled for quiet night in to start packing and heading back home.
Guess what was in store for us on our trip back to Kentucky? yep, a Bomb Cyclone. The temperatures dropped from the 60s the day before to the upper 20s with blizzard like conditions and 40-60 miles per hour winds. It was a fun ride back but since it had been so warm the day before and with all the salt trucks out the roads were in relatively good condition.
ALL in all great trip and would love to spend more time there and do some hiking in the Park.