Whitetop Mountain

At 5,520 ft high, Whitetop Mountain is Virginia's second highest mountain.  It is located at the juncture of Grayson, Smyth and Washington Counties.  The highest auto road in Virginia, FS89 (Mud Creek Lane) runs from VA SR 600 (Whitetop Road) to the summit of Whitetop.  The Appalachian Trail also crosses the summit of Whitetop Mountain.

On clear days, one can see three states.  From 1932-1939 Whitetop summit was the home of the Whitetop Folk Festival.

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View of Buzzards Rock from the summit of Whitetop Mountain.

View from the summit of Whitetop Mountain

FS 89 (Mudcreek Ln) climbs the mountain from VA SR 600

Old Park Road area from Whitetop Mountain

Whitetop Mountain is a bald, covered with grass and conifers more typical of northern highlands such as spruce and firs.

Hydaspe Fritillary butterfly

Smaller of two radio/microwave towers on Whitetop summit

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Elk Garden Trailhead

Our fourth day in Southwest Virginia took on a loop through the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area (NRA).  Our first stop was a picnic lunch at Grindstone Recreation Area.  We found picnic tables near a wading pool, fed by a cool mountain stream.  Pam enjoyed cooling her feet in the pool.

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Cooling her feet in the wading pool @ Grindstone Recreation Area

After leaving Grindstone, we drove up to Elk Garden Trailhead.  At 4,450 ft, the open fields of Elk Garden lie in a gap between Virginia's two highest peaks: Whitetop at 5,518 ft and Mt. Rogers at 5,728 ft.  Two trails cross Whitetop Road (VA SR 600): the Appalachian Trail and the Virginia Highlands Horse Trail.

Split Rail Fence @ Elk Garden Trailhead

Appalachian Trail @ Elk Garden Trailhead

Appalachian Trail Blaze @ Elk Garden Trailhead

Virginia Highlands Horse Trail @ Elk Garden Trailhead

Fields of Elk Garden Trailhead

View from Elk Garden Trailhead

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Burke's Garden

I first heard of Burke's Garden from my Computer Science & Math professor at Radford College back in the 1970's.  Only now have I taken the opportunity to visit the area.  What a gorgeous place!  Burke's Garden is a natural bowl not formed by volcanic activity  Rather, it was formed by the erosion of the sandstone in the middle leaving harder rock of the rim.

If you go, I highly recommend you gas up and visit restrooms in Tazewell.  There is nothing much in Burke's Garden.  We were lucky to find the Burke's Garden General Store open when we happened by. I recommend you stop there.  Lots of great items for sale. 

The Lost World Ranch raises Appaloosa Llamas in Burke's Garden.  To get there, take a left on SR 666.  Don't you just love that "666" name?  If Burke's Garden is God's Country, why do they have a road called "666?"  

Do take the time to do the full loop of the bowl to see as much as possible.  When done, do take the SR 623 out of the bowl to Ceres, VA.  Highly worth the effort!  Lots of great views of the valley.

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Two Llamas at Lost World Ranch in Burke's Garden, VA

An Appaloosa Llama at Lost World Ranch

An Appaloosa Llama at Lost World Ranch

Many barns have signs on them.  This one sports a smiley face 8^)

Many of the barns and sheds have icons on their sides.  

Lots of cattle in Burke's Garden.  We also saw goats and horses.

The farms we saw there are in great shape.  The vast majority of the land is under active cultivation.  There was very little litter and no mobile homes or double-wides.  The population of Burke's Garden is approximately 250 people.

An Amish woman runs the Burke's Garden General Store.  We stopped in for some cold soft drinks.

A view of the eastern rim from Medley Valley Road.

Another view from Medley Valley Road.

Burke's Garden from SR 623 as we left the valley heading east.

Valley View from SR 623

A farm nestled in the valley.

Closer view of a farm from SR 623

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Back Of The Dragon!

If you are a motorcyclist or drive a sports car, you might be familiar with the route called "Back Of The Dragon."  It twists and turns as it follows Virginia State Route 16 from Marion past Hungry Mother State Park to Tazewell through gorgeous territory.



There are about 260 curves on this route of 32 miles.  I highly recommend it whether you are in a car or on a motorcyle.  I shot these photos of Thompson Valley from an overlook just east of Clinch Mountain.




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Motorcyclists Cruising - Back Of The Dragon

Thompson Valley from Back Of The Dragon

Capturing The View - Back Of The Dragon

Thompson Valley II from Back Of The Dragon

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Alvarado Station

It was a bit rainy Monday so we decided to explore Abingdon.  Unfortunately, most of what we wanted to see (galleries, vineyard, brewery) were all closed on Mondays.  Wish I had looked up their hours before leaving!

Still, just driving to Abingdon Vineyard & Winery was fun.  Along the way, we stopped by the replica Alvarado railroad station on the Virginia Creeper Trail.  The station was built to provide restrooms for riders on the Virginia Creeper Trail and to provide museum space for railroad related artifacts.

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Restored Alvarado railroad station on the Virginia Creeper Trail

Next door to the station is the Old Alvarado Station general store.  They offer food and merchandise to travelers. They also are a B&B with an apartment for rent upstairs.  We did not make it inside, but should have!  We were tired after a long day of exploring.

Old Alvarado Station

Across the street from the station is a wayside on the South Fork of the Holston River.  There, travelers can rest, relax and picnic.  Very pretty place!  

Pleasant wayside on South Fork Holston River.

South Fork Holston River

South Fork Holston River

Across the river, I spotted a Great Blue Heron!  Always great to see.  

Great Blue Heron over the South Fork Holston River

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Arrival at Hungry Mother State Park

When we arrived at Hungry Mother State Park, we found a rustic yet comfortable cabin.  Cabin #2 was built in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).  The park is one of the six original Virginia State Parks constructed by the CCC's.    Here's a side view of the cabin.

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The cabin consists of four rooms.  A cozy bedroom with a double bead, a bathroom with a shower, a living room with a fireplace, sofas, table and refrigerator and a small kitchen.  The kitchen has a small stove and oven, microwave, sink and cabinets.  Pots, pans and utensils are provided.  Linens, blankets and pillows are also provided.  They also provided us with a small pie of firewood for the large stone fireplace.  Not sure if it will get cool enough to use it!

Shot these photos in front of our cabin.  It is the only cabin located on Hungry Mother Lake.  It was rainy and foggy when we arrived.

Rainy Afternoon

Lake in Rain

Fog Over Hungry Mother Lake

Lichen Treefall

Bridge To Amphitheater

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Lover's Leap - Patrick County, Virginia

We decided to take the southern route to Hungry Mother State Park from our home town of Midlothian, VA to minimize the time we would have to drive on I-81.  We took US 360 south west from Woodlake to US 58 at South Boston.  Turning onto US 58 west, we drove to Danville  where we took a break for lunch.  From Danville, we took US 58 west around Martinsville to Stuart in Patrick County.

Stuart is the county seat of Patrick County.  It is located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  My parents lived in Stuart in the early to mid 1970's.  I often visited during my undergrad days at Radford College in Radford, and while I worked for Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.  We drove around town a bit and drove by our old house.

From Stuart, we climbed the mountain via US 58 to Meadows of Dan.  On the way up, we stopped at Lover's Leap Wayside for some awesome views of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Patrick County.  

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The wayside gets its name from the Legend of Lover's Leap.  In the 1600's, a settler fell in love with a Chief's daughter, Morning Flower.  They were criticized and shunned by both the settlers and her tribe. To remain together, the couple leaped off this cliff to their deaths.  If you search the net, you will find many locations with the same name inspired by a similar tragic story.

At the top of the mountain on US 58 is Woolwine and Meadows of Dan.  Gorgeous farm country on a plateau.  We continued on to Hillsville where we picked up I-77 for a short stretch to I-81 South.  We finished the journey by taking I-81 South to US 11 at Marion and Park Blvd to Hungry Mother State Park.