land of Blue Ridge Mountains and Jefferson

I haven't had time to post much, we've been busy. Charlottesville is a cool town, very connected with Thomas Jefferson. He founded the University of Virginia in the 1820s (I think), it's quite a beautiful campus with old buildings and fine gardens. We hiked near Monticello, his home but were short on time and didn't pay for the tour of his property. Nice trail, but there are many in the area. We canoed one day at a fine county park called Walnut Vreek, a quiet lake with lots of lily pads and forest around it. Shenandoah National Park is mind blowing... huge, ancient mountain ridges covered with hardwood forests rise from fog to stun you. We hiked to the top of Crabtree Falls that is actually a series of cascades- very fine hike and great view from the top. I'm also very taken with the Writer's House, which hosts many readings and workshops for us scribes. There's a very nice downtown mall with an excellent homemade ice cream parlor, and strolling musicians. Of course we had lots of fun with our friends Ben and Sue and Henry, their cat. This is Charlottesville in a nutshell. We're now in Lancaster, Pa., another creative and unique town... I'll try to be more disciplined and make more entries.