May 18, 2008 – More Hiking and More Rain

The day started out sunny but we knew it was going to rain by noon, so we only did a short hike – 2.1 miles. We took the Appalachian Trail to Fishers Gap Overlook (same place we drove to yesterday).

Some pictures of the trail:

The view (notice the clouds coming in versus yesterday’s picture):

And more wildflowers:

When we came back to the campground, we were amazed at how empty it was. We know that it was full last night and now there are probably about 7 campers in our area.
It is so nice not to have to pack and leave!

The rain started ~ noon so we headed to the visitor center for the ranger talk about bears in the park by Ranger Debbie. (Did I mention I just love these talks???)

We did get a chance to talk with Ranger Bob about other upcoming programs and made reservations for a trip to Rapidan Camp (Herbert Hoover’s Summer House) for Saturday morning. Last year we hiked to the camp but could not get into any of the buildings. With the Ranger trip, we will get to see the inside. Stay tuned.

We also inquired about the library in Luray (yes they have WiFi) and grocery stores, etc. We will be making a trip there later this week.

Back at camp, we were finally able to connect with family and friends to get caught up on what is happening back home (thanks!).

The rain finally stopped but it stayed cold so no campfire tonight - :-)