- Today started in Roanoke – a really lovely little town (centre) with a lot of historical feeling. They were just celeberating 25 years of something, so they had a band playing in the market sqaure – a market square which has been in use since 1882. It had a lovely European feel to it and the people were so incredibly friendly and helpful! A big “thumbs up” to Roanoke.
Especially worth a mention was the jewellery made by by Anne Vaughan. She has some beautiful designs, all handmade – just what we like!
Also worth a mention in Roanoke is the O.Winston Link Museum. No, I had never heard of him or it before, but after having been there, one feels as though one has got to know him. He was an engineer, born in 1914, who had a passion for steam trains, which showed itself mostly in his excellent photographs of them. Most of his pictures are in black and white and evoke a sense of a bygone time. Often the engines are not largest feature in the picture, but they always command attention. – Definitely worth a look at his site if you like photography at all. This Soul Catcher Site has an excellent number of his pictures on show – have a look!
A short film in the museum introduces O. Winston Link (first name Ogle… and initials spelling OWL – can it get better than that?) and after watching it I was almost in tears that he had died in 2001. His love of the engines was infectious and although I have a leaning towards railway engines anyway, I almost cried with him when it was decided to stop the 1218 and the 611 engines running.
Even if you are not into engines, I would recommend going, just to feel the passion of one man and what it can bring about.
Near Roanoke are the Dixie Caverns in Salem. Dinky Dixie Dog. The caverns were discovered by a dog called Dixie – I love it!
These caverns are the smallest we have been to so far – really only one large chamber. They have lovely tiled walkways and a fantastic “wedding bell” formation under which one can get married (if you want). Worth seeing? Defintely. If one was only going to visit one set of caverns, would these be the ones? No. The tour is short-ish at 45 minutes and the guide we had was quite amusing, but not in Dillon’s league. My top two caverns are still Endless and Luray, just because they are such a contrast to each other and both have unique selling points. Hopefully I have yet to see Grand Caverns. I wonder how they will measure up?
The last stop today was the Natual Bridge. This is a very impressive natural rock formation, which one has to pay quite a bit to view. Yes, it is worth it, but I am not so impressed by the enormous tourist hoo-ha that goes on around it. I am sure others find it very exciting. Thankfully you don’t have to buy a ticket for everything – you can leave it at just paying for walking down (and then back up ) 137 steps to doodle along the trickle of a river running under the arch. If you don’t fancy the steps up again, there is a shuttle.
The arch itself is indeed awe-inpsiring. Truly massive. However, my young sons were less impressed.
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