After our birthday months of August and September, in early fall 2012, we took a car trip to Virginia. Dad tells me it was the continuation of a series of trips to places he visited as a boy. This time, Dad took us near Waynesboro, to the southern entrance to Skyline Drive, which sits inside Shenandoah National Park. He wanted Mom and me to experience the drive along the 105-mile scenic highway built in the 1930s.
The journey there is easy to remember. After leaving the flatlands of Ohio, we passed through one mountain range after another. First, the rocky mountains of West Virginia. Next, their majestic green counterparts in Virginia's Blue Ridge range. Dad didn't mention it then, but I notice now that both ranges resemble mountains here. The granite projections of West Virginia remind me of Gangwondo province to the northeast, while the undulating greenery of Virginia seems closer to my home province of Chungcheongbukdo. We stayed overnight near the park entrance and got an early start the next morning.
As you can see from the photos, we had great weather. Warm enough for shorts and open-window and sunroof cruising. Dad says he felt like a time-traveler to the 1960s, when his parents took the family on the reverse course. Probably the same wooden signs with several coats of paint marked the way, he joked. The speed limit harkened back to slower, more leisurely times, too. It's 35 m.p.h. for the entire course and policed in various ways. In part, the limit's set to protect wildlife. Bears, deer and wild turkeys roam the area. Once, we saw several wild turkeys retreating into the forest as we approached. Driving slowly promotes soaking in the scenery, too. Blue-green mountains as far as you can see. Lots of peace and quiet. We'd hoped to see early hints of fall in the foliage but were disappointed there. No big deal. We passed a wonderfully slow day traversing the snaking, two-lane drive. After leaving the park, we checked in our hotel in Manassas, and went food shopping the next morning.
Many Korean-Americans live in the Fairfax, VA area. For that reason, it's home to several huge Korean supermarkets, H Mart being the most well known. Mom and Dad had visited the Fairfax store many times, but it was my first time to witness them in action. With me guarding the Honda Odyssey in the parking lot, they split up to tackle the long shopping list. Dad returned first with bulk items. Ramyeon and a variety of other noodles, soy milk, rice cakes, a sack of rice, dried veggies, baking powders, cooking oils. Then he returned to the store to help Mom with the finesse shopping. Fresh fish, fresh vegetables, various meats—kaching! I was amazed at how much they bought. Packing the coolers and the car came next, and then we hit the road for home.
We made it back to Dublin by dinnertime, and I returned to my 2nd floor station to resume the watch while Mom and Dad unpacked the car. Fall rolled by, and so did winter. Soon, Mom and Dad began discussing 2013. Big plans were on the table. Dad was talking about retiring, maybe as early as 2020. The Polar Vortex winters were too much to take, so where would we go next? South Carolina, North Carolina, the Southwest. Or maybe... well, you know how the story ends, but not the tale leading to Mom and Dad's big decision. I'll tell you how everything worked out next time.
Until then, thanks for reading my blog.
Tango
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