Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River: Virginia Part 2

By this stage of our trip we were now at Thursday October 21 and we could not leave Charlottesville without seeing the University of Virginia. Thomas Jefferson took great pride in being the 'Father of the University of Virginia', which he established in 1819. His aim was to create a beautiful campus, which he did, but a campus that was also an 'academical village'. He created a main quadrangle with a huge green lawn in the middle and around the lawn were 40 or so individual rooms for students and about 8 larger 2 storey houses in which professors lived. At the time when the university began, the professors would teach their classes downstairs and live upstairs. Because students and professors lived and worked so closely together, Jefferson hoped that learning and exchange of ideas would take place both inside and outside of the classrooms.

This heart of the university is the quadrangle, around which the student and professor rooms are housed. The main building is the Rotunda, designed by Jefferson, and which is also UN Heritage listed.


Today, the rooms around the quadrangle are reserved for 4th year students who apply to live in one. They must show that they have made a significant contribution to the life of the university in their academic and extra-curricular achievements. University professors still live in larger houses around the quad. Each is designed in a different classical style.

James, Pia and Ella crossing the main quadrangle....

and inside the Rotunda. 

At the time when Jefferson built the University of Virginia, it was unique in that it was the only university in the US that was not centered around a chapel. In fact, it did not even have one (it does now)and was not founded on any religious principles. Instead Jefferson chose to make the focus of the quadrangle the Rotunda, which was the library at the time.


After leaving the University, we then drove a few miles west until we reached the start of the Skyline Drive. This is a 105 mile road that takes you through the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah National Park. It was such a beautiful drive and the leaves, many of which had already fallen, were in gorgeous shades of orange, yellow, red and brown. We took the rest of Thursday and Friday to do the drive, stopping overnight in Luray. Here are some of our photos from the Skyline Drive, showing the diversity of the scenery, from mountain views and granite rocks to little towns and plains.









At the area called RipRap we did stop and do a 1 mile long hike along the Blackrock Trail. We were not treated to any wildlife (there are dear and bear that live in the park but we did not see any, unfortunately) but we were treated to some spectacular views.









As I mentioned before we stayed in Luray overnight and on the Friday morning, before continuing our drive, we visited the Luray Caverns. These are the largest underground caves on the East Coast and were truly spectacular.

Our favourite spot was the underground lake, which you can see in this photo. The stalactites are reflected in the water, which looks amazing.

In most parts of the caves, the stalactites and stalagmites are still growing due to the moisture levels in the caves. This 'ghost' in the photo, nicknamed 'Pluto's ghost', was formed when stalactites and stalagmites grew until they became one.

Pia and Ella listen to the Kid's audio tour. They loved the caverns and were sad to have to go back up to the 'outside' world!

This organ is in the Ballroom area of the caverns where dances and wedding are sometimes held. It is also the area of the 'singing rock', where certain stalactites which are tapped make their own music - the original 'rock music', so they say!

After the caverns, we continued to the end of the Skyline Drive, which is just over an hour or so from Washington DC, and then home. We had had another great trip and enjoyed seeing another part of the US and the beautiful countryside.


Mum and Dad returned from New York the following day, and on Sunday 24 October, Dad ran in the "Army 10 Miler" which is one of Washington's most prestigious running events. As the name suggests, it is organised by the Army, is 10 miles (16 kilometres) long, and is Washington's version of the City to Surf. It is limited to 30,000 runners and entries sold out within 35 hours last April, 6 months before the event was due to run. It starts and finishes at the Pentagon, and the course winds around the streets of Washington past the cities most famous monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Watergate Complex and the Capitol Building. Dad ran in a time of 85.49 minutes, and was quite pleased with his international debut! He received a nice medallion in the shape of the Pentagon for his trouble. At this stage I do not have a photo of him to add to the blog but if I can manage to get one I will post it on at a later date.