Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Lynchburg to Lexington, VA


Today is the final day of the 2016 Morgan Pub Crawl and we travel from Lynchburg to Lexington, VA.  Not too far, but with two major sights to see.  

Last night we feted our Florida friends who will depart the crawl Thursday to position themselves closer to the Auto Train which will transport them to Florida tomorrow.  New friends to the Pub Crawl experience were Mark and Andrea Braunstein, Rick and Sam Frazee, and John and Debbie Stanley, they received out thanks for joining us, and our best wishes for many happy miles ahead. 



As we loaded up the cars this morning I had a chance to catch our hosts, Bob and Missy McKenna, with their car ready to roll.  Thanks guys, a wonderful trip with many new adventures and memories.

Missy and Bob McKenna
Then we were off, aiming for the Poplar Forest, the Thomas Jefferson get-a-way some 90 miles from Monticello.

This plantation and plantation house in what is now Forest, Bedford County, Virginia, near Lynchburg was designed and treated as a private retreat, working on it from 1806 until his death 20 years later. Jefferson once wrote a correspondent saying "It is the most valuable of my possessions." Skilled slave-labor was used in its construction.
Known as the architect of such buildings as Monticello, the University of Virginia, and the Virginia State Capitol, Jefferson built the more remote and lesser-known Poplar Forest as a place to escape the hordes of visitors at Monticello and seek the "solitude of a hermit." It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970.[4][5] It is operated as an historic house museum by the Corporation for Jefferson's Poplar Forest.[6]

In 1773 Jefferson inherited the estate of 4,800 acres (1,900 ha) from his father-in-law, John Wayles. He supervised the laying of the foundations for a new octagonal house in 1806, when President. This octagon house, built in accordance with Palladian principles, includes a central cube room, 20 feet (6.1 m) on a side, porticos to the north and south, and a service wing (to the east).

Although he had intended it for his youngest daughter Mary Jefferson Eppes and her family, she died at age 26. He entrusted it to her only surviving son Francis W. Eppes, upon his marriage. Eppes and his bride lived there only a short time and sold the plantation (1828) before moving to Florida.


The road to the plantation was very "rustic"

A small scale Monticello, single story, being restored now to
reflect the unique building techniques of the 18th century.

Our tour guide energetically explained the intricacies of the building
and its history.  A very rewarding tour.

The wing, at ground level, held a kitchen and offices


A "necessary room" for the staff.

The staff allowed us to drive our cars onto the grounds for
this photo opportunity. 
The tour over, we headed down the road to find lunch and head for the Natural Bridge.

Just up the road we found Benjamins
A patio lunch, in the pub tradition

Reg Hahn stopped our four car caravan to make a needed
adjustment to his clutch linkages. 
It was a brisk drive on a two lane road over a mountain top to the Lexington area and the Natural bridge.  Some interesting twists and turns in our little sports cars.

The Natural Bridge National Historic Landmark is a well known site for touring in Virginia.  Operated by a private company it has recently been acquired by the State and is in a state of flux at the moment.   With limited staff and resources it looked like it needed some loving care.  The Natural Bridge itself though, was spectacular.





Protective headgear was available, to protect from falling stones.

Our first view...

Char took the warning to heart.

While Bruce tried to hold up the bridge for her.

In all, we had another delightful day of light travel and spectacular sights.  Sadly though, it was our last day with the group.  Hahn's and Kneisley's head back to Ohio, McKenna's and Fosters back to their Williamsburg area homes, Al (DC Bubba) Marsh is headed to his home in the Washington DC district.  The Florida gang is on their way to Florida in the morning, and the Moodie's are already well on their way to their new home in North Carolina. 




In all.... the 2016 Morgan Pub Crawl MarVA Mille was a wonderful experience and quite successful.

Til next time.... wheels down, shiny side up. 

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