Climbing The Mountain
May 19th, 2008
After I wrote the last post, it made me start thinking about my most favorite remote areas in Shenandoah County.
Some of you are probably thinking all of Shenandoah County is remote - and comparatively speaking that is probably true. But some spots are a little more off the beaten path than others.
When I first moved to Woodstock in 1985 I was driving a 1974 VW Super Beetle. I drove that Bug all over this county, looking for interesting stories and meeting great people. Those early years in Woodstock, when my friend Adam would come up for the weekend, were great for exploration. We were Lewis and Clark, claiming the twisty mountain roads and the graveled country lanes. Well, we were probably more like Lewis and Martin or Martin and Rowan if the truth were told. But we had a great time on the road in Shenandoah County.
Last Saturday was a spectacular day. Bright blue skies swabbed with puffy white clouds and cool temperatures begged me to jump in the Charger despite the rising price of gas.
I pointed Duke (my Inferno red = really, that is the official color - Dodge) toward the western mountains. With my camera in my lap, I was ready to capture the beauty of this county that I have lived in and loved more than 20 years.
Route 263 snakes along the western mountain slopes from the middle of Shenandoah County to her northern boundary. Known as Back Road, it is a very popular secondary road - especially on the weekends. Don’t expect to travel fast on this road. You might feel the wind in your hair for a mile or two, but then you get behind a tractor or a horse trailer or some other slow-moving vehicle.
Truthfully, I don’t mind. And if it is bugging me, I just ditch off onto one of the side roads which is what I did on Saturday. Only I jumped off onto a different road than I intended.
Before long the road began to elevate as it wound around the mountain on turns so tight you could swear you touch the tail end of your car.
Route 600. Zepp Mountain.
You know, I was born and raised in the mountains. My parents live on a mountain facing another mountain. But I have always had a problem with heights. Acrophobia. Some times are better than others. I was hopeful on this trip that I might conquer my fear of the mountain and get a cool picture from the top.
As you near the top of Zepp Mountain, off to the right is a spectacular view of the floor of the Shenandoah Valley.
I have no idea what the elevation is of Zepp Mountain, but my ears started popping about halfway up. When I neared the top, I could feel my pulse starting to pick up speed even as I slowed Duke to a crawl.
It is a very narrow road and those who know her twists and turns by heart travel briskly on the mountain. Fortunately, no one was behind me, but I did meet a couple of cars. I clung to my side of the road.
Once I made it to the top, I did not dare look out over the guardrail because I knew my heart would leap into my throat. I passed the overlook and turned around. Driving against the mountain made me feel safe enough to point my camera out the window and capture a nice shot.
I didn’t have time to travel on into Zepp, but I encourage you to go there. It is quiet and beautiful with a sprinkling of houses.
Orndorff’s Rainbow Trout Farm is in Zepp, just after you get to the bottom of the mountain. They are open Friday through Sunday and other times by appointment. If you enjoy trout and want to fish without a challenge - say with your kids or grandkids - this is great fun.
I did some other re-exploring over the weekend, but I will save that for a later date. Next up. The Shenandoah Valley Music Festival.