History Lesson...

Friday, May 8th – The first white man probably saw the Shenandoah Valley in 1716. What a sight it must have been to get to the top of one of the eastern ridges and look into the spacious, fertile valley below, with the north and south branches of the Shenandoah River swirling through it. By the time of the Civil War, the area was heavily planted and farmed, and was the source of much of the beef, wheat and corn consumed by Confederate armies in the East. The valley’s importance as the “Breadbasket of the Confederacy” meant that the area was fought in and fought over many times. The town of Winchester, at the bottom (northern) end of the valley, changed hands no fewer than 70 times during the War.

I was really enjoying Lewis Mountain, and had already decided to stay another night, and spend this day driving around the site of two Shenandoah Civil War clashes – Port Republic and Cross Keys – about 30 miles to the southwest. I had a late, huge breakfast of eggs, bacon and orange juice, stopped in Elkton for coffee and a few more supplies, then rolled along.

Port Republic and Cross Keys are not state or national parks, so you have to look for information, interpretive signs and monuments on your own – or with the help of one of the many brochures published by various organizations.

When you see road signs like this, you know you're in the right area:


A roadside interpretive sign:


There MUST be a story here. Graves of two Confederate soldiers in a local cemetery, but those headstones are new. Bodies recently discovered? Hmmm... :


Back at Lewis Mountain, I opted to avoid the previous night’s smoke signals, and have a giant pita stuffed with tarragon chicken salad, lettuce, diced onions, diced tomatoes and bean sprouts. It was delicious. I started a fire earlier tonight – the forecast again called for rain, and I figured I should use up the wood I had purchased upon arrival. The night was cold - colder than last night. James had departed for home in the morning, so I sat by the warm fire reading my book, probably for at least two hours.

As I sat there, I watched other campers pull in and set up – it was a Friday night so I figured it might be a busier than the previous night. One guy pulled in two sites to my right, and unpacked a few things. He was in a tiny car, I’m not sure what kind. He pulled out something and started eating. I think he had a small cooler. And that was about it. I sat by my roaring fire, and watched as he spent an hour trying to get a fire started, and then gave up (I didn’t tell him that I had started mine with a Duraflame log – one of the miscellaneous supplies I had acquired in Elkton). He had nothing. Apparently, nobody had told him that camping does require at least a bit of planning and preparation. He sat in the front seat of his car, reading by the dome light. I guess he was planning to sleep in his car.

By about 10 PM, you could see the lightning in the distance and hear the deep, long rumble of thunder. By 11, it started to rain. I threw any loose items in my car, and ran to the tent. I had tightened down the top cover of my tent, and, once I saw it was going to hold up despite the gusting wind and rain, I relaxed and went to sleep. I woke up at about 2:30 to pee. I held my raincoat over my head and ran up the hill to the bathroom. The guy two sites down was gone. Hahaha. What a dumbass.

It rained all night, and it was COLD. I awoke at first light, sat up, and I could see my breath in the tent. No thanks. I read for a few minutes and went back to sleep. Awoke at 9, had more delicious bacon, eggs and orange juice, and started to pack. The four deer returned to their little patch of grass. I watched, and tried to be quiet while I threw things around to get them in order. They didn’t seem to care.

I snapped a photo of the first deer that wandered toward me. I think he was trying to smile. Show off:


Breakfast of champions on top of Lewis Mountain:


Alligators need lots of water:


I really enjoyed my two days on Lewis Mountain. I would love to go back (I might do it next weekend). For now, I guess I have gotten close enough to DC that I need to get my ass down there.