June 26, 2011

TAKE THE SCENIC ROUTE AND ENJOY THE VIEW!

I would like to apologize for getting my blog for June 26 out late, but my family got back late from a weekend getaway in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia which brings me to today's topic. 

In celebration of my son's birthday, my husband, son, and I along with my son's friend headed down the highway to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. Yesterday, we spent a few hours at Luray Caverns which is the largest caverns on the East Coast. We had visited the caverns years ago when my son was very young, so this was like his first visit, because he could not remember ever touring these massive caves. This was his friend's first visit to the caverns, so it was amazing to me to watch each of the boys' faces lighting up as we turned the corners and peered at stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and numerous rock formations.

This morning as we headed to our next destination in Virginia, I decided I did not want to travel all the way back to the highway, so I asked our waitress, who served us breakfast at a quaint little spot in the town of Luray called Uncle Buck's, if she knew of a back way or scenic route to get us to our next destination. She was quick with her reply, and we were soon driving down the most beautiful roads between two very beautiful ridges of the Shenandoah Mountains. The views along our drive were breathtaking, and I am quite certain that taking that route saved us probably 20 minutes driving time if we had traveled back to the highway. 

My point of today's blog is this: do not be afraid to get off the highway, take the scenic route, and enjoy the spectacular views that you might not otherwise see. Had we driven the entire way back to the highway, we would have missed out on the beauty that nature wanted so dearly to offer us. The rolling hills, the green pastures, the mesmerizing ridges, I could just go on and on! Don't get so hung up on time schedules, go off the beaten path, and see what the world has to offer! Take the scenic route and enjoy the view!!!