Fall on the East Coast

Our plan had been to do a 6-mile hike to a viewpoint over the town of Harpers Ferry and the rivers, and then to stroll the town, which is a National Historic Park. Well, it was a Saturday and a "National Park Lands fee-free day," so the place was packed and there was NO parking to be had. Instead, we did a 3-mile walk around "Murphy's Farm," which is in a more remote part of the Park. This was one of the sites where the Confederate troops hauled cannons up from the river (we saw the steep terrain!) to outflank the Union army who were protecting Harpers Ferry. This led to the "largest surrender of Federal troops in American history until the fall of Bataan during World War II." The walk also took us to some nice views out over the Shenandoah river.

Since some time had passed, we gave the parking lots another try, but no go. So again, we found a more remote place to put the car down, and made our way to a couple of other lower viewpoints (the river is easy to find!). I saw a groundhog scurry across a lawn to hide in some bushes.

We ended the day crossing into Maryland again (the C&O towpath is on the Maryland side of the Potomac), to check out a winery. The tasting room is in a big open air barn (a little like Erin's wedding site!). They had loads of picnic tables on the lawn for visitors to listen to a guitarist and accompanying drummer, as well as well-distanced seating in the barn. We opted for indoors after seeing all of the free bug spray set out for guests. In a first for us, but what seemed like a great solution, they pour out your tastes in plastic condiment containers, label the lids, and give you a numbered sheet. You go sit down and take off your mask and pour your tastes into the wineglass provided to keep as part of the price of our tasting. It was very relaxing because it felt safe and was very scenic.Read more