Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley Took This Texan’s Breath Away

This little pasty elf doesn't get out of Texas much, but I love to check out new places when I can. A few weeks ago, my wife and I hit the road to drive 1100 miles to Richmond, Virginia, and while I love Tennessee very much, when Virginia's Shenandoah Valley suddenly appeared outside our passenger window, it took my breath away.

Sidenote About Driving Across Tennessee:

Holy crap, that's a long state!

When you're crossing the Great State of Tennessee, driving from the southwest to the northeast, plan on seeing a lot of Tennessee. It's a 7-hour and 38-minute drive across that fine state, 503 miles corner to corner, from Memphis to Bristol.

• The Good News: We split our trip up into two parts. Texas to Nashville, TN on day 1, Nashville to Richmond, VA on day 2.
• The Bad News: Construction and two bad wrecks (not us, thankfully), delayed the second leg of our journey quite a bit. Turning it from a 9+ hour drive into an 11+ hour drive.

I don't recommend that, by the way. Hard on the tushy.

Anyway, Back to Virginia:

The first time I saw the Shenandoah Valley was when we were running late to our destination in Richmond due to all the traffic incidents. At that time, my wife was asleep, and we didn't have time to stop anyway. Mental note: When we come back through here on Monday, we will stop. We would also have to pray that the weather was still good, but that was a chance we would have to take.

But ya'll... in the late afternoon glow, that valley was one of the most beautiful sights I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing on God's green Earth. As I said earlier, it was truly stunning.

Our business in Richmond finished, we hit the road early Monday morning, anticipating not only a smoother return trip but also checking out that valley, and having a little time to admire it before we leave Virginia.

We were driving through the Blueridge Mountains along Hwy 64, hoping the clouds/fog would lift by the time we reached the scenic overlook. They did...

• Total Trip: 6 Days - 5 Nights
• Total miles: Approximately 2200

I truly hope I get another shot at Virginia, there's just so much to explore.

Safe travels.

Coming Soon: Did you know there are Buc-ee's outside of Texas? Yeah, I knew it too, but now that I've seen two of them, I must report back. Watch for it.

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