Driving the Natchez Trace Parkway: A Road Trip within a Road Trip: Day (4) Shenandoah Valley CG, Grand Caverns in Grottoes, VA and visit to Staunton, VA

We woke to an overcast day with a light drizzle. Unfortunately, as the day went on, the rain intensified and torrential downpours became the norm. Today was the day that participants in the MH decorating category were to be judged, but the rain interfered with decorating outside.

It never stopped and got worse as the day progressed so the Santa parade was washed out , too. We felt bad for the all the kids but at least they had the protection of the pavilion for some of the days’ festivities.

It was a great day for cave dwelling so headed out to tour the Grand Caverns. As I said before we toured the biggest and best in Carlsbad so weren’t sure how these caverns would compare.

As we were preparing to leave, Jewel jumped up on the chair and sat herself in a very unusual spot. She does the oddest things and can always make us laugh.

The beautiful stone lodge outside the entrance to the caves caught our attention right away and we both said almost simultaneously – “that would make a beautiful house.”

Once inside the caves we were pleasantly surprised and enjoyed them immensely. The caverns were incredibly beautiful with features that we had never seen before. Each room was different and some were over 100 feet high . We walked over 1.5 miles and down 200 feet below the surface.

The reflecting pools were perfect ( except when the little boy was kicking stones into them).

The room of shields was also incredible with a record of over 350 shields in one concentrated area. Hard to believe these shields could be the result of dripping minerals and water developing in something so round and thin.

One of the many curtain formations hanging from the walls and ceilings

Reflecting Pool - Back lit for effect

After finishing the cave tour we both agreed that the Grand Caverns was our favorite because of the unusual features it offered. A must see for anyone interested in caves.

It was still raining quite hard when we exited the caves so walking around the grounds or hiking by the river was not an option. Instead we opted to drive to Staunton (pronounced STAN-ton) to view what has been deemed a National Register Historic city. So named because Staunton was spared during the Civil War and the buildings in the city and surrounding homes are original to the pre-civil war era.

LINK TO CAVERNS

http://grandcaverns.com/v.php?pg=15

The ride to Staunton took us through beautiful country roads and more torrential downpours. We happened on a new neighborhood that was definitely not pre-Civil War. The houses were spectacular and we did get a shot of at least one.

We had hoped to walk through downtown Staunton but the rain would not stop. So, we opted to ride around and take pictures from the car.

We only captured a small portion of Staunton in pictures because there were so many beautiful homes and buildings we only chose a few that we felt reflected the essence of this beautiful place. Ron and I both felt the same about our observations of Staunton – everyone here has lots of money. A beautiful and well to do place.

Back at the CG we caught a short break from the rain and took Jewel for her walk. We headed down the path along the river and enjoyed the views and the vibrant color of the greenery from all the rain.

We were able to get in a good 45 minute hike before the rain started again. Once back at the MH we settled in for the night. The rain was coming down so hard and making so much noise on the roof of the MH that it scared Jewel. She headed for the bed and wanted up. I put her up on her towel but she headed for the pillows. Somehow she thinks pillows are her protection because she does the same thing at home, cuddles into the pillows and goes to sleep.