Gettysburg to Skyline Prwy

Gettysburg to the Skyline Parkway Drive
After leaving Gettysburg we followed some more of the historic byways of the area. First into Maryland and then into Virginia. Remember that Lee’s army was called the Army of Virginia not the Confederate Army. ‘
Following along we passed places like Antietam which was the site of the single days bloodiest fighting during the Civil War. There were 23,000 killed, wounded or lost during that single day.
On to Harpers Ferry where John Brown was hanged. If you will recall he was the Abolitionist who wanted the slaves to start a rebellion and overthrow their masters. He raided an army gun depot here and was later hanged but his actions frightened the white slave owners in the South and it is said that this was one of the incidents which precipitated the Civil War.
Next we drove on past the town of Winchester which changed hands more times than any other town in the Civil War (73 times and 13 times in a single day). This is also where George Washington started his military career as a surveyor.
We stopped at a visitor Center in Virginia and had a change of plans at that point in time. It was decided to follow the Skyline Parkway Drive Southward and then the Blue Ridge Parkway some of the way. Both are National Scenic Drives and take you above the Shenandoah Valley, Shenandoah Mtns, thru the Blue Ridge Mountains, the George Washington Natl Forest, the Massanutten Mtns and the Appalachian Mtns. They are in their two peak fall color weekends so how could we miss this opportunity.
You start this at Royal Front in Virginia and we will probably leave the parkway which is a national park at Roanoke, Virginia.
There are spectacular views of the valleys bellow and you cross from one side of the ridgeline to the other to take in just one vista after the next. This really is a wonderful experience to see firsthand. The mountains to the east and west are covered with what looks like smoke and I am sure similar to the Smokey Mtns.
Well now it is time for chores and things like that. We are in a national campground tonight so there are no hookups (thank goodness for a working generator) but the setting is magnificent in the trees with all of the leaves changing and falling to make a carpet on the ground.
1 Fall colors
2 Anteidom Memorial
3 Shenandoah Valley
4 The parkway drive
5 More fall colors