Redford and Fall Colors

On Friday, Oct 23rd we  fired up the motorhome and left the sticks-n-bricks to visit our Grand-daughter Sara at Radford University.  Of course we picked the wrong day to drive south on Interstate 81 as there was about a 2 hour back up as we neared Roanoke.  After the four hour drive extended to six hours, we finally arrived in the Radford vicinity. Our favorite park at Claytor Lake had no vacancy.  So we spent Friday and Saturday nights at a small park (the Interstate Overnight RV Park) near Christiansburg.  It was not much more than a gravel parking lot, but it had full hookups and was fairly quiet.

That evening we had dinner with Sara at a local Radford town restaraunt. After picking up a few things at the Walmart we retired to the RV.  Sara met us for breakfast the next morning at the Cracker Barrel.

After breakfast we headed for the Blueridge parkway.  Enroute, near the little town of Floyd we found an interesting local bakery and bulk foods store.  The bakery appears to be run by Mennonites and had a lot of really good locally made breads and candies. 

In Floyd, there was a farmer's market with a number of craft and art shops.  Floyd is one of Virginia's centers of  bluegrass and old time music.  The Floyd General Store also hosts a weekly radio show and a number of music performances.  We had been through the town a couple of years ago, but had not stopped to wander the streets.  On Saturday there were a couple of musicians playing at the store.  We stopped for coffee and enjoyed a few of their songs.

Traveling on to the Blueridge parkway, the colors were probably at their peak for this year.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy and not the best lighting for photos.  Here are a few of the many photos from the Blueridge.

On Sunday the weekend crowds gone and we were able to move the RV to Claytor Lake SP.  The campground was practically vacant by 6PM.  That evening we enjoyed dinner at a local Pulaski steak house. The temperatures were pleasant and we had a good campfire; plenty of conversation; and  roasted chestnuts.

Monday morning we broke camp and headed East to the Thousand Trails RV Park near Lynchburg. The park had mixed reviews on the various RV web sites.  Although the area is hilly with number of less-than-level sites; the park with its lake and club house look nice.

This park was also nearly vacant as this is their last week before closing for the winter. Unfortunately, the weather turned nasty with cold wind and rain on Monday.  We'll be heading for home tomorrow.