The Democratic advocate., 1881-08-20
For fAe DemsrTaiic -idrocate.
LURAY CAVERES.
Trip Through the Cumberland and
Shenandoah Valleys
LrRAY. Va. August 9. 1881.

LURAY, Va. August 3, 1881.
While the Western Maryland Railroat
has been boon to the business interest.
Of Carroll county aud furnished an oatlel
for is rich products, its has also opened
the avenue Of sight seeing and given {
growing impetus to summer travel. Th'
Delighted excursions It gets up are temp
tatious sufficient iu themselves 20 draw 4
prosy, s,ay-at home from his corner, aad
carry him away to pastures new, WherC
relaxation Of mind aud muscle viii give !
keeuer zesI for future labous The patron
sgo Of Penmar has beea descrvedly large,
and lhe CAysrns of Laray Row occupy ne
small share Of tourists attention. ehooscd
a Trip 10 the latter, aud on a recent eheeEy
morning boarded the train, and was soon
comfortably seated IN one Of the eommO-
dioas Eastlake coaches Of that model road
The route lay through QUO Of the most
beautiful stretches Of scenery and oae Ol
the most fertile aud prosperous regions ia
the country Passing the environments
of Westminster we were soon speeding
ihroagh a wealth Of natural beauty aud
heartily appreciatius the feast Of pleasure
which nature had spread before Is The
nsat homes aud rich smiling acres Of Car.
roll, the fac farms 10 the fertile valley oi
Waksssld, the laughing streams dancing
ripPliBgly 10 the golden sunlight, the high
bill ranges With their earpetings Of green ap-
pear for an Instant only in the moving
panorama please the eye, aud then disap.
pear. Ssqaestercd New Windsor, as Il
bashfal Of it, beauty, hiding in an exha
bersnee Of foliage, is soon passed, aud on
ward we 20 through woods Of oaks and
pine, past large fields where herds Of fa,ted
cattle =se grazing, by banks aad brae:
which are dotted aud spangled with my
riads Of flowers, through deep cuts aud
undcr the froWns Of overhangiug rocks
over high bridges which span b0istero0.
streams, through towns where dirty faced
uEchins turu somersaults on the elastic
earth, and the old stop their work to gaze
GA the passing ,rain, aud past dense grown
lhiekets where sombre creeks steal out
among the crooked trees as if eager q
furnish seductive nooks for the birds which
Autter aud hover aud hop from a thousand
twigs All along the route nature, in a
moment of joyous abaaiOa seems to have
woven with fond and cunning hand per
feet harmony Of woodland aud water, Of
hill and dale; while ever busy art has
crowned many Of the emimaDccs with
handsome dwellings, surrounded them by
trim lawns, divided the valleys into field.
aud truck patches, and set them aglow
with pleuteous crops Splendid farms in
fine, rolling country greet the eye on every
hand, and the appearance Of the lands be
token an intelligent and judieious appli-
cation Of the great science Of agriculture
The towns along the road are pleasantly
situated, and possess all the evidences Of
business animation.
After the prosperous village of Mechan-
iestown is passed the scenery assumes a
more rugged beauty aud the ride becomes
more exeitingly interesting. The ascent
of the Blue Ridge is now begun, aud the
putting locomotive laboriously draws US
over the road, sometimes along a shelf
blasted out of the perpendicular rocky side
of the mountain, aud whirls us sharply
around corners and past rapids aud roaring
waters.
The rise is continuous, and as the train,
with its ehatty and companionable iu-
mates, climbs the tortuous curves of the
road, following the sinnosities of the
mountain side, our admiration is at its
zenith. The clear morning air exhilar-
ates like champagne, and every nerve is
strained to grasp the scenic beauty that is
swiftly passing. The great mountain
ranges, "bcsOmed high in tufted trees
form the backgrounds of majestic gran
deur, aud frown down like mighty senti-
nels on the scenes of pastoral beauty that
so peacefully repose in their shadows
Here we behold a small stream rushing
down the mountain, creaming black
mass of rock which is margined with fern,
splotched with lichens and Swallowed by
arching trees. There a road, by dis
tance dwindled to the size of a cord
winds its course in deep, secluded vale
or mounts higher on the crest OF some
hill. Soon we are at Penmar and fee
that we have lived short idyl of beauty
and pleasure. Here we behold the lux
uriant expanse of the Cumberland Valley!
girdled by the mountain activities, and
punctuated with cities and villages quietly
sleeping in peaceful prosperity. The
magnificent landscape gradually merges
itself to the mountain peaks, which are
elouded by dun, misty veil, aud yields
IL Il manu hon OfIpS