Shenandoah Valley Campground 8/17 --> 8/19/2016

This Shenandoah Valley campground in Verona, VA is not to be confused
with the one in Mt. Jackson where I stayed overnight on 8/10th.

As far as driving goes, this adventure is right up there with the l-o-n-g ones. A total of 384 miles, it took about 8 hours with three lengthy stops for lunch, fuel, and grocery shopping at a Food Lion near the campground, so it wasn't that bad. The Interstates down here in the south are a pleasure to drive. The hills roll gently up and down, the scenery on either side is beautiful. But when there are mountains to go over, great care is given by truckers and RV drivers alike. Speed limits of 35 mph are posted on the steep downgrades that go for miles. At one point in North Carolina there were brake-failing cut offs every 600 feet or so should brakes overheat of fail. A wake up call for sure when it comes to careful driving. The sky was magnificent as well. The clouds in the distance billowed upward and were impressive. As I drove toward them, their complexion changed. They darkened to a threatening black punctuated with streaks of lightening that were directly in front of me and getting closer and darker as I approached. Finally, the heavens opened. I drove through a huge thunderstorm whose lightening strikes were to my right with very little time between sight and sound. Blinding rain on the windshield didn't seem to bother the truckers as they continued to plow along at the speed limit, 70 mph.

After picking up a few supplies in a Food Lion, I arrived at the Shenandoah Valley Campground. They have an impressive web site.  Check it out here.  Don't forget to left click your browser arrow to return to the blog.

The campground is very spacious and the sites are set comfortably apart from each other. I was greeted with a surprise: tame bunnies running all around...about 20 counted so far and on a sloping hill in front of the Registration office, kids were feeding them. I had to slow down and keep an eye on the little critters as they hopped here and there obviously accustomed to humans.

This little guy came right up to Winne but soon realized I had
not bought my $.50 bag of pellet food for it so it took off.

Don't know where they hang out at night or that they're fox bait but they seem to thrive. I saw a dachshund with a leash attached which it apparently pulled from the ground stake give chase to blackie but the rabbit out ran the dog quite easily.

The registration was in the camp store which was
quite well equipped and stocked with both camping
and everyday items you run out of while camping.
The thin, crispy crust of the plain cheese pizza hit
the spot for dinner after that long ride as well as lunch today.

Took a walk around. Lots of empty sites but I've seen RVs coming and going constantly since I've been here. Noticed a lot of 'old timers' and lots of kids; a great campground for families with young kids.

Nothing set up as I'm here only two nights.
The threat of more rain prevented me from
extending the awning

Plenty of spaces available 'down' the street.

The 3/4 acre catch and release pond. 

For my fishermen readers that can't read the fine print, the pond is stocked with:

Rainbow Trout, Large Mouth Bass, Small Mouth Bass, Tiger Bass,

Spotted Bass, Crappie, Hybrid Sunfish, Red Breasted Sunfish,

Blue Gill, Bream, And Channel Catfish

As you can see, rafting is big. The Middle River runs along
the back end of the campground

Breakfast served daily: "Sausage gravy biscuits and
all you care to eat pancakes.

A huge storage area for RVs. They're rentals.  There may owners
 nearby who call ahead and have their trailer placed
on their site ahead of their arrival but renting RVs is an amenity.

The Game Room

The Camp Store and.....

...deli serving ice cream and pizza.
Registration desk is to the right.

Other sites from the top of the hill

The Middle River runs around and forms the
perimeter of the campground

Not a deep "river" at all. One can walk across it and have
water only up to knees in deeper places.

Good for rafting but hanging up on rocks slows things down.

At this observation point, the river is shallow and slow moving.

Probably the perfect spot for fly fishing.

A great number of tent sites

With temps in the mid-90's, Winnie was the cool place to be.

Tomorrow, by noon, I'm back on the road again headed north to a campground I visited on the way down on 08/09th, the Appalachian Campground.  If you didn't get a chance to read about it, Click here and review. My itinerary is being check off one by one and time is sure flying by. Clicking the tab at the top of the page will give you what's coming up for me and clicking "VISITORS" you'll see the crowd is growing on my "Hall of Fame." Take a look at both. See you next in Pennsylvania.