Last glimpses of the Parkway and on to Monticello and Shenandoah NP

We are leaving the Parkway and going on to the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park.  Here are a few shots ending that long drive.

Last glimpse from one of the many overlooks.

James River - the lowest point of the Parkway.

Sherando Lake camping area.  It is actually off the Parkway but was the closest campground where we could go to as the Parkway ones are closed until mid May.

Monticello is the family home of Thomas Jefferson, Founding Father, author of the Declaration of Independence and third US president.  Today it is the only home in America designated as a UN World Heritage Site.  Built in a Roman neo-classical style, and designed by Jefferson himself,  it was the centrepiece of a 5,000 acre working plantation tended by 150 slaves.  The man who declared that "all men are equal" was a slave owner and rumoured to have fathered 6 children by a slave some years after the death of his wife.

We have now gone along Skyline Drive through Shendandoah National Park.  In fact, we spent three days at the Big Meadows campsite through pouring rain waiting for the weather to clear before we could do any hiking.  Only one of two campsites open on Skyline Drive and the whole length of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

When the weather finally cleared we hiked up to Hawksbill which at 4,051 ft is the highest point in Shenandoah National Park.

Accessing wi-fi at Skyland, a lodge on Skyline Drive.  Difficult to see the wonderful view over the fence.