Since we plan to stop back on the way home, Laura and I delayed our purchases until then but Rhoda bought a beautiful one-of-a-kind wreath in case it wasn't there when we returned. If you leave Cincinnati first thing in the morning, Tamarack is a perfect lunch stop and we got to stretch our legs a bit shopping before getting back on the highway. A long drive is more pleasant due to windshield conversation with good friends and 2-hour stints at the wheel. This was a stop in Virginia where we noticed the Blue Ridge rocks are really blue!
We found the resort just in time to enjoy sunset from the rocking chairs on the patio overlooking the lake. The weather's beautiful and it's far enough away that there's no highway noise; just peace and quiet.
Pleasant dining room with good local wines and I had delicious cream of cauliflower soup and avocado falafel before hitting the hay. Excited to ride horses, play putt putt, swim, hike, and taste wine and cider tomorrow.
Up with the sunrise and off to the Trading Post to see what's available for breakfast. Found another swimming pool and water park (outdoor), the luxury yurts, primitive camping area, and RV area -- this resort has everything and seemed like a really fun place to have a family vacation. Something for everyone. I got a kick out of seeing all the roosters and chickens running around the horse paddock and we were assigned to horses for a short trail ride.
Mine was Buddy which I took as a good sign since that's what we call my nephew Grant. He was a big draft horse, so I needed a step stool to get up.
Rhoda and Laura rode Ginger and Cookie. I almost called Glenda, who was supposed to have come with us, to tell her Andy was waiting for her. If you don't know that story, ask me about it sometime. The moral is: ride the horse assigned to you and don't switch with somebody else.
Buddy was hungry and licking the feed bucket after having to haul me around the resort. Horseback was a great way to see the place and so was hiking. The putt-putt course was busy so we decided to drive to some nearby wineries to see if any served lunch.
We never made it to Barboursville Winery, so missed its touted Italian restaurant but enjoyed tasting (and buying) at Horton Vineyards, known as one of the most innovative in the Virginia area, which is known as the birthplace of wine. I'd forgotten Thomas Jefferson brought grapes back after serving as Ambassador to France to try his hand as a vintner at Monticello. More about that later. Hungry, we headed to Montpelier, home of James and Dolley Madison, to walk around and have lunch.
Not up high like Monticello but boy what views all around this plantation. It couldn't have been a lovelier day -- 70 degrees and sunny. Two racetracks out front -- 1 dirt and 1 turf. I'd love to come back someday for the annual steeplechase (first week of November) Deer wandered the grounds with us.
One of us thought we remembered Dolley Madison invented ice cream. Not quite but there was a Greek temple near here that hid an ice house below and the family were known for serving cold drinks and treats. The Foundations that operate these homes now do a great job but they are focused on restoring the original and I sure didn't like the color they painted these front doors!
They looked like they had plywood covering them. We didn't take time to tour the house but I'd like to someday. In the end, I liked Montpelier as much as Monticello and will remember its formal flower gardens like I'll remember Jefferson's vegetable gardens, orchards, and groves of trees.
Got sort of lost driving home and it was a happy accident because the two-lane roads took us by some of the more beautiful farms and estates imaginable. Enjoyed the drive back to the resort as much as I enjoy driving through the Bluegrass country to Keeneland in the spring and fall. We wanted to get back in time for the 7 pm program by actor James Cameron playing Revolutionary era John Rollings. You may see him at Williamsburg. Glad we made it back in time to experience that before dinner. The day passed quickly and soon we saw the unusual "super moon" or "hunter's moon." Saw it falling outside my window when I woke up Sunday morning.
We visited the garden before having lunch at a restaurant we'd driven by on the way home the night before. BBQ Exchange had a line a mile long out the door Saturday night but Sunday noon more manageable. I had never seen doughnuts covered in bacon before! (no, I didn't have one but I wish a had). Onward to a cidery -- Castle Hill.
Pretty and you could take your own picnic to the shelter on the left and buy your favorite cider to go with it; nice.
Finally, the piece de resistance -- Mountain Jello, as my niece used to call it. Remembered vividly from when I was in 5th grade. Interesting how much has changed here since then, as well as what hasn't.
When one of the giant old trees falls, a new one grows in its place! The big willow oaks and little leaf lindens had to have been there when Jefferson was alive. We thought a lot about slavery and racism during this weekend and had many of our perceptions challenged.
On the last house tour of the day, I saw things I didn't remember from the memorable visit with my family so many years ago. Lewis and Clark's native American memorabilia in the front hallway. The privies on either side of the lower galleries. The library with his original books. The silver and china in the dining room. The wallpaper and paint colors to match what was original. Shop selling heirloom seeds from the gardens.
And things that seem unchanged: the weather vane you could use without leaving the front porch. The clock above the front door. Inventions. The beds recessed into the walls. The Wedgewood mantel. The fish pond. The galleries (what they now call necessaries). The family graveyard. We walked down the little mountain as it closed for the day and went home to play putt putt.
Sorry to leave such a nice place and would definitely come back, especially at this time of year. At a rest area on the drive home, we caught a scenic overlook of the Greenbrier resort and ate their food at Tamarack again.
Rhoda's brother gave us a wonderful tour of the State Capitol of West Virginia in Charleston on the way home.
Thanks for a great little vacation, a day's drive from home.
