Miata Mailing List: February 2000, Message #247

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>>I'm planning a trip to the Virginia area during the April school vacation.
This is just an excuse to drive my car with the top down sooner than would
be possible in  New England. Any and all suggestions for roads to take a
sights  to see would be appreciated.

Oh, man...  You asked for it.  I made the trip a lot, going between home
(Atlanta) and long-term assignments in Wiscasset ME, Peekskill NY, and
Brattleboro VT.

For starters, you can hit NYC on the way south if you want, but I'd stay out
of the I-95 corridor.  Leave NY and cross northern New Jersey on I-80 or
I-78; you had no idea New Jersey was that pretty.  But stay west - if you go
south through Pennsylvania, you'll probably be happier than if you go south
through New Jersey.  If you want to avoid the whole NYC area, you can start
off west through New England and come down west of the Hudson.  I like I-81
and its surroundings MUCH better than I-95.

You don't say where in Virginia.  It's a pretty big place - about 400 miles
east to west (at its southern border) and about 200 north to south.  There's
beach, tidewater, piedmont, and mountains there.  (As pretty as New England
is, those are mostly "hills.")  And as far as history, Virginia has plenty
of sites of interest.  "Historical" seems to mean "1860's" in Georgia and
"1680's" in New England, but Virginia has its share of each.  Gee, do I
sound like the Chamber of Commerce or anything?  

My personal Miata favorite would be Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge
Parkway, running parallel to I-81 through the Blue Ridge Mountains and along
the Shenandoah Valley.   Skyline runs through National Park area and costs
$5 (last I checked) to enter the park.  The BRP is just a scenic road.  BOTH
are breathtaking.  There is a variety of camping, bed&breakfast, small inn,
or chain hotel choices.  Natural Bridge, Luray Caverns, Peaks of Otter....

Take pictures, and post a write-up about your trip!

- Bill. jealous 'cause all my road trips lately are across boring central
Georgia - "Next Curve 18 Miles"