2005 August 5
280 miles
As we travel north with the Massanutten Mountain to our right, we pass many cornfields and tobacco fields. This is a typical view of an old farmhouse with barns surrounded by cornfields and tobacco fields. That's part of the Massanutten Mountain in the background.
Along Hwy 11 were several markers showing civil war battle activity in this area. This is one of the monuments in a field where a battle took place.
Just a few miles south of Mt. Jackson, we turned west on 720 and just down the road, past the cornfields, we found the Meems Covered Bridge built in 1892.
Mount Jackson is known for the area apple crop.
Rather proud of those apples, it seems.
We crossed the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in Timberville. I always thought it was a bigger river than this...maybe the river of song is a different fork.
Traveled south on Hwy 42, through Harrisonburg and then past Bridgewater. At Mossy Creek we turned west onto 747 to Mount Solon and turned north on 731. We drove past Natural Chimneys State Park, but decided that since it was getting late in the afternoon, we would save that stop for another day. We took a break up the road at Werner’s Country Store. Time to start making our way back east…
Back through Mount Solon, just before reaching Mossy Creek, we turned eastward making our way to Elkton and made a fuel stop as dusk fell. We pulled on our jackets and headed east on Hwy 33 into the Shenandoah National Park and back across the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 1716, Alexander Spotswood and his companions also crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains here as they adventured into the Shenandoah Valley. Upon returning from their adventure, Spotswood gave each of his companions small golden horseshoes. The group became known as the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe. 
This plaque and pyramid monument mark the story of the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe.
Riding past Barboursville and toward Orange, we see lightening in the eastern sky. As we passed through Orange, we decided to continue on, even thought the lightening was beginning to put on quite an impressive show! We only made it about 8 miles down the road before the rain started to fall and the lightening was growing more and more threatening. At the intersection of Hwy 20 & Hwy 522, we took shelter at a closed BP convenience store where there was a large cover over the fuel pumps. We tuned into the weather broadcast and learned that Fredericksburg was under a severe weather warning with hail and high winds! We sat it out for a while and took the opportunity to take a few photos of the lightening show ... using the fuel pump as a tripod. 
The lightening is pointing down...directly to Fredericksburg!
After 30-45 minutes, hunger drove us to the belief that we could make it the 13 miles or so to the McDonald's at the intersection of Hwy 20 and Hwy 3.
We traveled through rain for the prize of a Value Meal! While we ate, the rain poured out of the sky, heavier and heavier it fell, temporarily flooding the parking lot. Seemed this could go on all night so we decided the next time it let up just a little, we would make a go of it…only 15 or so more miles to home. And so, about 11pm, we ventured forth in the often heavy drizzle, sometimes light drizzle, but always rain coming down. Slowly we entered Fredericksburg, just glad to be close to home where we could get dry. Still…it was a good day. But we really should get rain gear...
We traveled through rain for the prize of a Value Meal! While we ate, the rain poured out of the sky, heavier and heavier it fell, temporarily flooding the parking lot. Seemed this could go on all night so we decided the next time it let up just a little, we would make a go of it…only 15 or so more miles to home. And so, about 11pm, we ventured forth in the often heavy drizzle, sometimes light drizzle, but always rain coming down. Slowly we entered Fredericksburg, just glad to be close to home where we could get dry. Still…it was a good day. But we really should get rain gear...
