March 18th

Definitely south of the Mason-Dixon line today, driving on winding roads through farms and views of the Blue Ridge mountains and Shenandoah river John Denver sang about yesterday.

I first visited Luray Caverns, with amazing formations and droppings and a “cathedral room” with an organ that uses stalagmites and stalagmites as pipes.

Then I visited my third and fourth presidential homes and/or libraries (the first two were Coolidge and Teddy Roosevelt) – James Madison and Woodrow Wilson. Madison’s Montpelier was built by James’s father, a wealthy tobacco farmer. James and Dolley didn’t have any children together, but she had one from her first marriage and there is oral history that James may have fathered a child with a slave, like his predecessor Jefferson.

Wilson was born in Staunton Virginia in 1856 in the parsonage house where his father was a Presbyterian minister. He grew up mostly in Georgia, which explains his less than stellar reputation in race relations.

Then I worked my way along the Blue Ridge Parkway, snapping plenty of pictures and taking a 5 minute hike on the Appalachian Trail- I have no idea how folks can do it for 5 months. I ended up having dinner and staying over in Lexington, Brian’s college town.