Jen, Stu and the boys, a year in the States 2013, 2014 6 months, 2015 4 months: Virginia.....thanks John Denver......

From Tennessee we drove into West Virginia (very, very briefly) and then into the beautiful State of ....

Stuart and Joshuah went and explored some caves.......they're everywhere....as it was a particularly warm day.......nice and cool in the caves

before we went in search of our night's accommodation. Stu does most of the bookings for accommodation which is really time consuming...most evenings are spent on the internet organising where we'll sleep the next day/week. US motels have a bed size called full size....we assumed this was a full size bed...turns out it is a full size single bed!! So we have been caught a few times with a nice full sized single bed for Joshuah and Stu and I sharing a full sized single bed!
Free internet is a prerequisite as well so we can organise our day/travels etc, a fridge is always handy, air conditioning (it's pretty warm here at the moment) and if we can, 2 queen size beds....throw in a microwave and we're set. And when you are paying for accommodation every night for 10 weeks, it can't be too expensive either!
Our first night in Virginia hadn't been booked so we drove and drove....and as the sun was going down knew we had to make a decision. So many hotels we rang were too pricy and of course you are quoted a price and when you go to pay tax is added.....so we thought we'd go cheap. KOA (Kampgrounds of America) have cabins...so we rang to book one.....$90 for a 2 room cabin which is above our budget. But she could give us a 1 room cabin for $69, with a queen size bed and a bunk bed....great... but we don't have linen...another $15 for linen...ok we are desperate...then another $10 for tax.....so this one room cabin ended up costing us around $95.....but they had free wireless internet, which we needed to organise the next nights accommodation...so we took it!
It looked really lovely from the outside....

and there was plenty of space to kick the footy.....

but the inside was teeny tiny. There were plastic covers on the mattresses and pillows...they gave us a set of sheets and one blanket each that was the size of a hankie...and a towel each. There was no toilet/bathroom....that was communal.....I guess it is a camp ground....no fridge.....but fortunately an air conditioner....and to pick up wireless internet...you had to stand on one leg, facing north, one eye closed and head twisted left to pick anything up...and when you did get it, it was for about 2 minutes!!

There was no town nearby and we didn't have any food, so it was suggested we go to the Pink Cadillac Diner down the road before they closed...they were pretty busy (because there were no other shops for miles...) and we were seated by an angry lady who was obviously pissed off that we came to eat at her Diner...2 hrs before closing time!!

That night and early the next morning, Stu did all the internet tricks and managed to somehow book the next 3 nights accommodation, despite having internet access for about 2 mins total!! He did well. We had planned to do a scenic drive to a place called Natural Bridge, then up through the Blue Mountains before staying the night at Front Royal.
The car was full of Morgan and Jakeb's gear that they are taking back to Australia...long story, but they would have been over the limit to fly to meet us within the US, so we had their bags with us......including Jakeb's snowboard, boots and helmets!! The car is small enough anyway, so to add all that, plus our bags and then pick the boys up in Chicago, drive with them for 10 days...it would have been impossible. Jakeb had arranged with a friend who lives just outside of DC for us to drop their bags off and they would pick them up when we are all staying in DC. We had planned on doing this a bit later, but the car was so full it made travelling very uncomfortable.
First place was Natural Bridge...it was absolutely pouring with rain and it was pretty expensive to go in, so we decided to give it a miss. Instead we made our way up the Blue Mountains to do this beautiful scenic drive, which is one of the best in the US (apparently)...

it was raining a bit, but the higher we got, the more cloud cover came in and the heavier the rain...this was our view.....

so after a brief consultation (3 seconds) we made the decision to head to DC (Olney in fact) and drop the boys gear off....the weather was too miserable to see anything...the car was too uncomfortable to travel in being so full...so off we went...it was about a 3hr drive...in the rain...loads of DC traffic...and another number plate purchase.....

We were at the Creamer's house for about 20 mins, unloaded and drove back to Virginia to Front Royal, getting there around 6pm...with a much lighter load, which was a relief for everyone...especially Joshuah who had had NO room!
Our accommodation at Front Royal was really rank...we had 2 rooms (it was a coupon deal) in a really seedy part of town..the rooms smelt of cigarette smoke, wee, animals....ewwww! Fortunately it was one night only...especially as some of the clientele were BBQing their dinner in the guest carpark!
The next morning we decided to approach the Blue Ridge Mountain scenic drive from another angle...it was a bit grey, but we were assured it would be beautiful up there....I was so excited to see the word Shenandoah everywhere...so many songs!!!! (and to see a KM sign!)

Then the fog started to become a little thicker.....

until this was our view......seriously!!

So again we decided to call it a day on the Blue Ridge Mountain Scenic Drive (did I mention one of the best in the US!!)...and try somewhere else. We ended up on another mountain ridge where the sky cleared and we had the loveliest drive, with beautiful country.....

Overlooking the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains

Shenandoah Valley

Of course John Denver kept playing over and over in my head...."Almost heaven, (West) Virgina, Blue Ridge Mountain, Shenandoah River".....

Yep, that's the Shenandoah River...a little disappointing...can't believe he wrote a song about it!! No I'm sure it was just dirty after lots of rain!! There was always a creek running along beside the road, so we decided to take a look and it was lovely...

Stu loved it so much he went for a swim...so far he has swam in the Rio Grande and the Shenandoah....by this time we were ready to go to our accommodation, but not before stopping at a town to check out Thrift shops for number plates...with no success, but some really nice houses....

The top one is for sale..not sure of the price....so we went and did our grocery shop for 2 days...pretty excited as we were going to a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains...with a hot tub. The photos looked really nice, but you never know if that is what you are going to get. This cabin was a mid week special, a little indulgent....for our budget.....but we had been staying in pretty ordinary places, so decided to splurge. It was run by 2 guys...Steve and Chris....who had been amazing with their communication. This was the place Stu had booked from the KOA..with the bad internet!

It was absolutely beautiful....modern, clean, a big fridge and freezer, big microwave, dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, big TV, a dining table that sat 6, couches...and a view from the kitchen overlooking the Shenandoah Valley......I felt like I was back at Australind...except it was mountains, not estuary! It was an absolute treat and the guys had not forgotten anything. They even left a complimentary bottle of red! It was luxury. But the best part was the hot tub on the deck...it was divine....

We loved this place so much that we didn't leave it for 2 nights....we watched the sun go down over the Valley....

watched Miami Heat beat the San Antonio Spurs in the 7th game of the NBA final...in luxury, with quick dips in the hot tub in the time-outs! The next day we saw some interesting creatures....