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First order of business was to get a new house battery. It was another foggy rainy day, so this delay didn’t bother us much. We located a Camping World in Manassas, Virginia, about 60 miles east. We first drove north off Skyline Drive, then on to Manassas. Camping World treated us very well. After we explained we were on the road far from home, their service department moved us to the front of the line and replaced the battery right away. We were there maybe an hour and a half. Excellent service. So we headed back west to Front Royal and got back onto Skyline Drive at the northern terminus.

We stopped for lunch at the Shenandoah Valley Overlook. Still foggy, but it had quit raining.

After, we drove back to Mathews Arm Campground. Early that afternoon I hiked to Overrun Falls on a very strenuous trail, then hiked back on a different but just as difficult trail back to the campground. It was a very hard 5 miles up and down twisty rocky trails, with the added benefit of being wet, slippery and muddy. But it was still fun.

An interesting rock I passed along the way.

It looked to be a struggle to keep this trail clear.

I reached the stream that led to the waterfall.

The top of the falls.

With all the recent rains, the falls was running pretty good.

Of course, I had to get down to the bottom.

And up close.

Then it was back up to the campground.

And up.

Why does it seem longer back up than down? That evening after dinner we roamed around the campground. Then I was ready to crash. It had been a long day.

Next Location: Big Meadow Campground, on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Early the next morning we continued east from Blackwater Falls SP. Another beautiful drive through the mountains, even though there was a dense fog. We followed Hwy 48 out of West Virginia into Virginia, most of the way following a scenic 2-lane winding mountain road that was great fun to drive. We wound our way up to the tallest peak yet, where we drove out of West Virginia into Virginia. We drove on to Front Royal, the northern entrance to Shenandoah NP. We drove up the Skyline Drive, but soon were fogged in. Could only see about 10 feet ahead. At MM22 we pulled off into Mathews Arm Campground and got a site and crashed for a while.

After lunch, we backtracked to the visitor center at MM5, stopping at vistas along the way. With the fog, visibility wasn’t the greatest.

The visitor center was closed (due to Covid), a common theme of this trip, so we roamed around outside.

In the photo below, you can see a stretch of Skyline Drive toward the top left corner.

Driving back to the Mathews Arm Campground, we stopped at more vistas along the way. But it was still foggy.

We spent the rest of the day fogged-in at our site. That night our house battery went bad.

Next Location:
American Locations 4: Skyline Drive-Blue Ridge Parkway-Smoky Mountains trip (fall, 2020) – Mathews Arm Campground, on the Skyline Drive National Road in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Early that afternoon I hiked from the campground down to the lake.

There I got on the Dobbins House Trail, which followed along the canyon rim.

It led to Pase Point, a collection of big rocks jutting out over the canyon, a great view.

From there I took a trail leading out of the park that looped for miles through a national forest.

I came upon a deer but, despite the warning signs, no bear.

By the time I got back to our site it ended up being a 5 mile hike. I crashed the rest of the day.

Next Location:
Skyline Drive-Blue Ridge Parkway-Smoky Mountains trip –
Mathews Arm Campground, on the Skyline Drive National Road in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Although many campgrounds were closed at that time due to Covid, we embarked on a camping trip just to break confinement of our house. From our home north of Cincinnati, Ohio, leaving at 7:30 in the morning we drove north up I-71 to the Hwy. 35 exit, where the Outlet Malls are. We drove east to Chillicothe, then continued east on Hwy. 50. At Parkersburg, we crossed the Ohio River into West Virginia. We ascended from the river valley up into the Appalachian Mountains. We stopped for lunch at Woodmount Park.

After, we continued east on Hwy. 50. It was a beautiful drive, up and down and around mountains on kickback after kickback, through forests and along rivers with a lot of wildflowers. At Clarksburg, we turned south-east on Hwy. 20 then zig-zagging (praise to Garmin) to Hwy. 38., which took us most of the way to Blackwater Falls State Park, near the Maryland state line. We set up camp about 3:30 then crashed.

After dinner, we walked around the campground. The following morning we drove around to see the rest of the park. Starting with the lake.

A couple of deer playing disc golf.

Outside the Nordic Center (closed because of Covid) I found a bear.

We stopped at the falls overlook. They couldn’t close that.

We stopped at the lodge (closed because of Covid).

Which had a good overlook.

We hiked a short trail.

To another overlook.

After that we returned to our site for lunch.

Next Location:
Skyline Drive-Blue Ridge Parkway-Smoky Mountains trip (fall, 2020) – Blackwater Falls SP, West Virginia 2