Skip to main content

Civil War Road Trip Day 1 - Into the Shenandoah Valley

Image
By

My oldest son, who's 10, enjoys history.  So we embarked on a trip to Harpers Ferry, Antietam, and Gettysburg - plus some surprises along the way.

Day 1 was from Charlotte to his grandparent's house near Staunton, Virginia.  The complete set of photos from the first day's trip can be found here.

Route:

I-77, VA 69, US 52, I-81, VA 262, US 11.


Our first stop was Shot Tower Historical State Park in Virginia.  The over 200-year-old shot tower is easily seen from Interstate 77 as it overlooks the New River below.


The tower is a nice and easy side trip off of the Interstate and offers great views of the bridge that carries I-77 over the New River.  The bridge originally opened in 1978 as a twin span over the river.  In the early 2000s, a rehabilitation project widened both bridges to accommodate a future three lanes in each direction.  This was done by building a new bridge superstructure between the two existing bridges. 


In addition to the shot tower, the park has access to the New River Trail State Park and great views of the surrounding countryside.

From there, it was a drive north along Interstate 81.  While extremely scenic, the highway is full of traffic.  With the Interstate only being two lanes in each direction, traffic can slow when trucks attempt to pass each other on even the slightest incline.  

An example of the heavier I-81 traffic just north of the Interstate 77 South split.

Floyd is a charming town about 20 miles south of this interchange. 

If you enjoy exploring caves, there are plenty along I-81 in Virginia.

There is a large construction project between Salem and Roanoke - that along with heavy traffic due to slower vehicles took away from some of the scenery.

Interstate 81 approaching the Interstate 581 interchange. 

I'd love to see the color here in the fall.

Virginia likes to include measurements to the fifth of a mile.  It's a sneaky little quirk.

Between Lexington and Staunton, Interstate 81 is joined by Interstate 64 as it comes from West Virginia on its way to Charlottesville, Richmond, and Virginia Beach.  Traffic on this stretch wasn't as heavy as it was from Interstate 77 to Roanoke.

Interstate 64 East joins I-81 in Lexington then leaves it in Staunton.


We then spent a relaxing evening with his grandparents.  I took some time to attempt to take photos of some birds.  There were a few cardinals but they always flew away when I sat down.  So I took photos of some other birds instead.



Day 2 is a visit to Antietam and Harpers Ferry.

Site Navigation:

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tale of Tollhouse Road, western California State Route 168 and failed Piute Pass Highway

By
Western California State Route 168 is entirely located in Fresno County and is linked historically to the Tollhouse Road corridor.   Tollhouse Road is one of the oldest highways in the Sierra Nevada range of Fresno County. The corridor presently begins in at Clovis Avenue in downtown Clovis and extends northeast to Huntington Lake. In 1866 the Woods Brothers established mining claims on Pine Ridge. In 1867 Fresno County would grant the brothers a toll franchise to construct a roadway to the desirable logging areas atop Pine Ridge and near Dinkey Creek. The Woods would establish a tollhouse at the start of their franchise road and lumber mill. The lumber mill attracted settlers which led to the establishment of the mountain town of Tollhouse. Fresno County would purchase the Tollhouse Road in 1878 and make it a public highway. The county would remove the tolls and incorporate the corridor into the existing county road network. Prior to the establishment of Clovis in 1...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old Dunlap Road (former California State Route 180 in Yokuts Valley)

By
When California State Route 180 was commissioned in August 1934 the alignment in took in Sierra Nevada range was very different than from today.  The original highway alignment from Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) to east Grant Grove (then part of General Grant National Park) originally followed what is now Ruth Hill Road, Dunlap Road, Pinehurst Road (modern California State Route 245), Dark Canyon Road (partially now Forest Road 14S45).  After funding fell through for the planned Kings Canyon Road the was corridor eventually picked up as a 30-mile-long cooperative project between the Division of Highways and Federal Government.  Much of current alignment of California State Route 180 bypassing Squaw Valley (now Yokuts Valley) and Dunlap was complete by 1941.  The post-1941 alignment of California State Route 180 in Squaw Valley was shifted onto what was once Dunlap Road in Squaw Valley.  This alignment itself was later bypassed by modern California State Route...
Post a Comment
Read more

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

By
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...
Post a Comment
Read more