Someday Is Now

Located in New Market, VA.  This museum features the entire American Civil War highlighting each phase and major battles and developments.  Mesmerizing.  The maps, visuals, explanations and story details are excellent.  The storytelling and artifacts are just amazing.  Explore the story of the civil war. soldiers struggle Walk into the main area and be greeted by this beautiful life sized detailed statue of three soldiers wrestling for control of a battle flag.  I stood for several minutes looking at the detail.  A union and confederate soldier fighting for a battle flag.  a third soldier coming in to aid his friend.  The soldier to the right confederate, the soldier on the left and the assisting soldier are union.  You can tell by the detail.  The caps or hats and the belt buckles inscribed as US or CSA. In the background are 33 hanging state flags.  The succeeding state flags are slightly lowered.  Its a great vi...

Who knew Culpepper VA was so historic and lovely.  Not me.   We took a trip from Madison, our camper home to Culpeper.  A little Christmas shopping.  The town is about 20,000 people and is very historic, founded in 1749.  An original colony town.  When I watched John Adams recently, I did notice that VA, NC and SC are among the original 13 colonies or states as they later became known.   This little town is gorgeous with its streets, buildings, hills and the Blue Ridge Mountains off just a little ways to the west. This flag was hanging on a wall in one of the little shops nestled so nicely on the main st.  This is the cute little downtown shopping area.  This town has both civil war history and American revolution history.  Pretty neat. The town was originally surveyed by a young George Washington, yes, that George Washington.    Historic Downtown area Love this old school signage         ...

We are staying in Madison, Va. at the Madison Vines RV resort.  A nice enough place.  Lots of recent upgrades.  Talked a bit with the staff who informed us that the park was purchased a couple years ago from an older couple who had kind of let it go.  A common enough story too.  Youngish people purchase the campground, poor their capital and energy into it for a few years, but inevitably, they get older, their capitol runs dry as does their energy and probably to some degree their interest.  Anyway, park was purchased and is in the midst of a renovation.   Good for the park.  It fits her well.  The new bath and laundry houses, cabin homes, paved roadways, fresh gravel and mulch, new electrical infrastructure, game room, event room, camp store.  The staff told us that the guy who bought the place does this with campgrounds.  Finds some older parks, buys them, fixes them up and sells them.  As long as the market allows, its ...

Tanners Ridge Today, my girl Joni and I and our old lab jazzy took a 3 hr drive on Sky Line Drive that runs along the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.  It sports an elevation of about 3500'. Immediately to the east is the legendary Shenandoah Valley to the west is beautiful rural Virginia.  To the west of the valley is the Appalachian Mountains. Scenic does not do the drive justice.    Wild Freedom! To see such a lush landscape nestled between mountain ranges is a real treat.  From Sky Line drive, about 3500 ' above sea level, the views are something else.     The slopping tree covered hills leading to the valley floor with its natural canopy of grasses and farm houses with another mountain range rising up beyond is spectacular. You get views from both sides of the road, west and east.  The road weaves in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering pull offs - scenic views from both sides of the road.  BTW, $30 for a day pa...

Junius Ponds Campground located in Phelps, NY in the heart of the beautiful finger lakes area of central/western NY State.     The campground is located about 1 mile from the NYS thruway,  making it very accessible in terms of avoiding smaller lesser known roads in search of your campground.    Head east on rte 318 for about 1 mile and look for the camping sign on the right, the road on the left.  It will say dead end, but don't be worried, the campground entrance is at the end of the road. There is a welcome gate outside with someone who is occasionally checking traffic as there is a $5 fee for visitors.  Campers get a piece of paper to put in their windshield describing their truck.  Come straight through and find the registration office directly to your front. Wherever your spot, with all the campground roads, it should be easy to find. The campground is sprawling with lots of sites and mature trees.  The shade is very nice and t...

Our travels brought us to a little town in MA called Brookfield, West Brookfield actually ;) We are on our way back from Maine to the finger lakes region of NY, and needed a halfway stopping point.  I used campendium "shout out", and found this cute little old school Highview campground about half way along our path. Brookfield is located in central MA with a population when including North, East and West, of about 10 - 12 K.   We arrived to Brookfield about 4 pm, after a 300 mile trip pulling our home behind us.  The town was quaint, pretty with that old New England charm.   Being Memorial day, there were flags all over the town and the center town area was just lovely.  Old style New England homes, large and well maintained with handsome landscaping as far as my eye could see.   Through Brookfield we went into West Brookfield. Up, up and up some more we pulled our fifth wheel to an elevation of about 1000 feet.  Past 3 different ...