Roads 81 and 11

We love this 81 Route South--though we often pull off the main road and drive winding 11, parallel to 81.  The Shenandoah Valley's farms are beautiful--and this area includes many vineyards and wineries and some stretches of pristine Amish farmland.

I love clotheslines, and this was the first one we've seen on the whole trip:

We're spending the night in a Comfort Inn in Roanoke. In the morning, we'll see the Roanoke Star and visit an Amish store a few minutes south of here.

On the way north, we stopped in a general store in Fairfield--a tiny town on 11north of here.  Barbara, the owner, told us about a different route (mostly 29)  into Falls Church and a good German restaurant in Staunton and told us about the history of Fairfield.  One of the best parts of traveling anywhere is talking to the local people who give us a  better sense of the places and roads than we'd ever discover on our own--along with the best local places to eat.

On that route, after Hungarian Stew and German potato salad, we discovered a beautiful arts and  crafts gallery on the outskirts of Charlottesville, near the Blue Ridge Parkway.