Saturday was a dreary day, the occasional rain shower falling but I drove over to Winchester to check out the Ravenwood Faire, the first renaissance festival held here. There's one held in Maryland, which is a huge event, but that's now over 2 hours away from me, so I was interested to see if I could get my knight fix locally. They had announced there would be jousting and I managed to arrive just after they had started. Running over to the tournament grounds with my camera I was pleased to see the crowds weren't huge and I could get up close to the fence. There was obviously a good knight fighting against a bad knight but I had missed the story leading up to it, yet I didn't care, because all I wanted to do was stare at those wonderful suits of armor and admire the manly beefcakes inside them.
They charged their horses up and down the runway, lances poised, and then I lost the battle plan, likely from staring at the opponents too much and not watching the actual action, because after one tumbled from his mount, the lances were thrown to the side and a splendid fight with swords took place, iron clanking as they parried back and forth, deep battle cries being bellowed from each. It was splendid! Helmets were ripped off and they fought as though to the death until one fell and the other thrust his sword into his quarry's chest. Well, that's how it looked. And then they both got up to walk with their mounts over to the fence so the kids could pet the brave steeds.
I wandered away to investigate the vendors that had small tents set up along a strip. There were a few visitors dressed up for the event, although few in what I could call proper renaissance outfits, some looking very gothic and others in styles that I'd never seen before. I met a fierce looking 'viking' kind of chap who was supping a mug of grog and later a beautiful 13 year old kestrel who was perched under a shelter and very much enjoying all the company he was receiving. Turkey legs and sausages were on sale, a tavern was set up, while a small podium had minstrels playing and jokers performing. The vendors were very fairly priced, and I ended up acquiring a beautiful wine goblet that had been blown that morning on site by a glass blower. There were a few craft vendors, some with beautiful wares, and I made another purchase, a
selenite wand, just because it made me think of Lord of the Rings and it felt great in my hand. Apparently it has healing qualities so that's an added bonus.
The faire was small and after a couple of hours I'd explored every corner and seen all that I could, but I'd been very impressed at how well organized it had been for its first year. The crowds weren't huge but they were certainly enthusiastic despite the rain sprinkles. I shall definitely return next year.
I wasn't ready to go home so decided to travel some back country roads and enjoy the fall foliage.
The colors were stunning, almost peaking. We'd had a few weeks of drought and had feared the leaves would simply fall as crispy brown husks, but over the past couple of weeks the weather relented and shed some much needed moisture. The temperatures dropped by 30 degrees in one day and suddenly autumn had arrived. Nature had decided to put on a glorious show after all, the mountains getting brighter each day. Because it was a dull rainy day the colors were more subdued but the beauty still shone. I stopped to call a donkey, calf and llama over to the fence. All three were very curious and posed nicely for the camera. A pick up truck stopped with two guys inside, and the window wound down so the driver could smile at me and say, "Watch this!" He called out to the donkey who suddenly threw its head back, braying and honking loudly for at least two minutes solid. It was hilarious and so deafening that all I could do was stand and watch. I asked the guy afterwards why it had behaved that way. He laughed and just said, "She likes me!" They drove off and the donkey immediately returned to her docile pose, the other two creatures standing by and acting as though this happened all the time...
On Sunday the sun came out so with the peak foliage colors looking vibrant I drove up on to the Skyline Drive. The 'leaf peepers' from the cities and suburbs seemed to be waiting until next weekend as although there were a lot of cars at the outlook spots, there wasn't the crowds Front Royal usually has. A shame, as the mountains won't look this good next weekend. A warm wind was blowing, gusts of gold sprinkling across the road as I drove along, the air smelling like autumn, earthy and freshly fragrant.
The colors were magnificent, yellows and oranges more prominent than the browns, while green and red spots were still visible in the leafy canopies. It was spectacular. I stopped at a few lookouts and then hit the back roads again, enjoying the solitude and peaceful countryside. Even the cattle were enjoying this beautiful day, looking up when I asked for their photo. The blue sky was reflected azure in the Shenandoah, the water as smooth as a mirror.
I took the day off on Monday as this wonderful weather was going to continue for another day, and decided to hike. I had planned on White Oak Canyon but the ranger said there were a lot of people on the trail so I went up Cedar Run instead. It was dull and chilly in the valley as I set off, the creek bubbling alongside me. The damp emerald mosses and ferns offered the only brightness and as I leaned on the thick mosses, they squelched, loaded with water from the recent rains. The small waterfalls tinkled with icy white water, so bright that they appeared to freezing into crystals. The climb was steep and some of the rocks slippery with wet leaves. I wished I'd brought my hiking poles but did manage to find a nice strong stick, like Gandalf's staff, for the descent later.
The leaves had been dull and drab in the gloomy valley but as I climbed higher into the sun they transformed into gold, like a carpet of lustrous, shiny coins, with scattered red leaves among them like rubies. It became warm as the sun broke through the forest, so soon I was packing my jacket into my bag and enjoying the feel of the crisp air on my arms. I stopped at each waterfall for a few minutes to enjoy the scenery or chat with the few people I met on the trail. I passed a local couple, who like me, had taken the day off, and were equally amazed that there weren't more tourists on this trail. I chatted to an English guy who has lived this side of the pond for 30 years but plans to go back when he retires. We sat on boulders and swapped hiking tips and foods we missed from England.
Later, as I neared the bottom on my descent, I met a group of three early twenty somethings, resting on the side of the trail. They had been there for 45 minutes, watching one of the waterfalls. As I passed they asked, "Is it a steep climb up there?" I chuckled, telling them it was and the young guy in the group lamented how he'd done this trail three years ago and it was much harder today. I had to laugh, since they'd only just started, but then one of the girls said it was her first ever hike, and my heart warmed to them. I praised them for being outside and enjoying this beautiful show that nature was putting on for us, and said I hoped they'd hike forever, as it was far better for the soul than staring at their phones, noting that actually not one of them had their phone out. They lived locally and were incredibly polite, and we chatted about the water falls further up the trail which they seemed keen to get to. They promised they would be back down the mountain before it got dark and we parted with waves and smiles. I walked back to Stanley feeling very fortunate that I live in such beautiful countryside with wonderful locals.
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