No room at the Inn

And no room at the campgrounds in the immediate area of Charlottesville, Virginia.  This is the pitfall of not planning ahead when you are in a popular place on a beautiful sunny fall weekend.  So, we are at Wal-mart, next to highway 29.  I can’t complain.  We arrived after 8:00 p.m. and were thrilled that the manager allowed us to camp here.  We had a wonderful day.  We started with a brief stop at Mannassas, to see the Civil War battle site.  We saw the visitors’ center but opted not to take a tour.

We had a full day planned for Charlottesville.  This is a beautiful college town with a nice pedestrian mall downtown.  We walked with the pups and bought a couple of slices at Christian’s pizza—a family favorite.  It was a very pleasant and casual lunch.

We then proceeded to Monticello, where we spent the entire afternoon and early evening touring the grounds and exhibits.

We saw the film and took all three tours offered—of the garden, the mansion, and the plantation.

I was here this spring and glad to see it again in better weather with Don.  I love all of the inventions and details that Jefferson included in his home,

and the grounds are lovely with beautiful views of the surrounding area

While the university of Virginia was being built, Jefferson watched
it from his terrace.  Trees have grown up since then but the gardeners
keep a hole cut in the understory and ...

and of the University of Virginia, which he founded.

through the magic of Lightroom, we can see it too.

Jefferson was a man of contradictions—most notably, of course, he was opposed to slavery while owning slaves.  But he was a true genius and it is hard to imagine anyone in this age with comparable gifts.

not measuring up

122 miles; Charlottesville, VA, N 38°05.798’, W078°27.930’