Spent one night here in the Loft Mountain campground, altitude about 3500’ so it’s a bit cooler than the lowlands. It’s been hot and humid the last few days so this is a welcome respite. Since we have a Golden Passport card for seniors, NP entry fees are waived and camping is $7.50, half the regular cost. We’ve been spending $40/night and up at recent campgrounds so the savings are welcome also.
.This park was established in 1935. Highest peaks here are a tad over 4000’; it appears that the entire park is deciduous forest. It must be beautiful in the fall. The park is long and skinny, the main feature being the 105-mile long Skyline Drive that runs along the uppermost ridge of the Blue Ridge Mts.
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Skyline Drive may not be the crookedest, curviest road in the world but it ranks right up there. If it were a string and you put your left thumb on the north end and grasped the south end in your right hand and gave it a brisk tug, it would straighten right out - and the south end would then reach to the far side of Cuba.
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Old timers will recall the song Oh Shenandoah, which, prior to yesterday, was my main Shenandoah reference. Always loved that song, so sweet and sad with its lovely lyrics and haunting melody. The word Shenandoah itself is mightily appealing, has a soft romantic feel to it. Who wrote it? Nobody knows. What’s it about? Nobody knows. Shenandoah and ‘the wide Missouri’ are nowhere near each other, nor is Shenandoah, IA close to the Missouri.
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Speculation is that the song is about a woman named Shenandoah, possibly the daughter of an Indian chief, being sung by her would-be sweetheart who is ‘out west’. Carrying it a step further, my imagination has him located on the far bank of the Missouri, the poor bugger can’t swim and he’s flat broke so doesn’t have money to take the ferry across. Remember the song Running Bear? Could be Oh Shenandoah was on the same theme but hopefully with a less tragic ending.
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