October 19, 2011 – Harrisonburg, VA:

Yesterday morning Cal did indeed ride his bike on the bike trail along the water front at Virginia Beach.  It was a beautiful morning.  One of the last beautiful days before rain and lower temps, so we really enjoyed the beach area, before leaving for Harrisonburg, VA. 

Tautog Restaurant, Virginia Beach, VA - Restaurant where we had dinner

Old Coast Guard Station along the Virginia Beach Boardwalk

Monument of Norwegian Lady along the Virginia Beach Boardwalk - Commemorating a Norwegian ship that sunk off the coast

American Naval Air Squadron Monument for World War II

American Naval Air Squadron Monument for Team Work

Instead of driving on the Interstates west across VA we took US highway #33.  It was a lovely drive. The trees had more color as we reached the rich Shenandoah Valley. 

Horton Vineyards

It is great being able to see where our niece and husband live in this area, as they have just moved to the Valley in the past several months. 

This morning we drove west, northwest from Broadway, VA on Hwy #259.  Years ago, when we were married students at Eastern Mennonite College in Harrisonburg, - one summer for a job Cal drove a US Mail Star route. It basically took mail from Harrisonburg to Baker, West VA and back.  He stopped at Post Offices along the way as well as putting mail in boxes along the road. One stop was Fulks Run.  The General store was along known for Turner’s Sugar Cured Hams. So today we drove to Fulks Run, checked out the General Store and drove farther on into West VA.  This is a lovely drive any time of year but especially in the autumn, and would have been lovelier today had the sun been shining – the colors would have been brighter. However, certain things do not change much along this road! 

Back in Harrisonburg, we had lunch with old family friends, before going to the nursing home to visit an old family friend (in fact a relative) who is 96 years old.  She just lost her 98 year old husband, a former pastor at Cal’s childhood church in Iowa. We drove around the campus of Eastern Mennonite University noting the additional buildings.