Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-11
Ideal Circle Tour Provided
in Midst of Scenic and
Historic Background.



most colorful mood In the form OF
trees laden with leaves extravagantly
tinted in deep crimson, pale yellow,
heavy brown and light orange.
Especially does all this seem to be
true in the case of the Old Dominion.
Her mighty hills and spacious valleys
are about ready for the Winter season.
But not without one final fling at
beauty's shrine. Yes, early Autumn
Is with us once again. full swing, and
manifests its welcome presence in
bountiful fashion-in fertile fields. for
the most part now ploughed up in
readiness for the next crop paintings;
giant pumpkins, almost ripe enough
for the Thanksgiving feast; mound
after mound Of hay and grain care
fully packed away and guarded from
the forthcoming icy blasts. and turkey
gobblers growing ever larger and
plumper for bountiful meals just
ahead.
With all these new rural charms to
entice us, shall we today HE away
from the city and enjoy q pleasant
motor journey into the Blue Ridge
foothills? Front Royal, heart Of Vir-
ginia's famous horse country" serves
very we'll, indeed, as the focal point
of an ideal circle tour, that eventually
offers a brief sojourn in historic
Charles Town, w. Va.
Just this side of Front Royal, 1t
will be recalled, Is one Of the most
interesting training grounds for thor
oughbred horses in the entire Nation,
the United States Army's Remount
Depot, where more than 400 fine ami
mails, fresh from their breeding
grounds, have been shipped for con-
ditioning just prior to issuing them
to Army troops. Visitors are allowed
to enter the depot grounds on Sum
days, as on other days, and q drive
around the $500 acres on the beau
tiful estate Is a revelation and q Joy.
Figure on about four hours Of
leisurely driving for this journey Of
less than 80 miles one way. Clip out
the map on this page, prepared espe-
cially for The Sunday Star by the
American Automobile Association, and
your way will be easy and pleasant.
First of all, head for Falls Church
along the Lee Highway. You're now
on State Route oil. Stay on this
until you reach Gainesville, rs miles
away, and then shift to IS, which
should be followed all the way into
Front Royal, A miles from Gaines
vile.
Here you should be on the lookout
for Route SIS, which leads you into
Strasburg, IL miles distant. You have
now travelled 80 miles and your cir
Gle tour is not quite half finished.
BY following the suggested return
route you will cover SO more miles
before the days journey is over.
From Strasburg to Stephens City,
on Route II, the mileage is 10 miles;
whereupon Route 277 should be fol-
lowed for six miles until the tiny
hamlet Of White Post is reached.
Route IL now leads you into Berry,
vile, IL miles away. Another IL
miles, this along Route $40, and you
find yourself in historic Charles
Town, w. Va. Distance from here
to Leesburg on West Virginia Route 8
and Virginia 80 Is % miles. Follow
Route into Falls Church and then
take the Lee Highway Gid back to
Washington. Distance from Leesburg
to the District is only SO miles.
p DADS throughout your trip are
~ in excellent shape, with several
minor exceptions. On Route IS, about
IA miles west of Gainesville, you'll
find two short stretches under repair.
The going is rather rough at times,
and even a bit slippery, in case of re-
cent rainfall.
Between the town of Marshall, some
five miles west of The Plains and
Front Royal, two small bridge con-
struction jobs have been under way
for at least q month. Drive slowly
through here and be on the alert for
bad shoulders and repair equipment
on the highway.
Somewhat rough in spots is a short
stretch of road between Hillsboro and
Leesburg on Route 23s.. About seven
miles long. it's not hard-surfaced and
requires slow and careful driving.
Now for some Of the motorists tit
bits that you may enjoy en- route.
Piece de resistance. as was limited
earlier. is the Army's Remount Depot.
This is very easy to find, being right
OF the main highway. only couple
80 ID ~
Distance from Washington Is approx
mately "a miles.
It's not necessary to describe in de-
tail the many delights found on the
lovely estate. BY all means visit it
yourself and devise your own adjec-
tives. However, here are a few high
lights for your guidance: There's no
annoying red tape. Simply drive into
the grounds and ask the guard to let
you in. No doubt competent guide
will take you on q pleasant tour of
the grounds. II you inquire as to
the purpose Of a remount depot, his
explanation will be something like
this: 1t Is place where thorough
bred horses are raised and trained for
the Cavalry, draft horses for the Ar
tillery and polo ponies for the various
Army teams.
On hand are more than 400 splen-
did horses, including newly purchased
mounts, a number of established brood
mares and stations and foals Of all
ages from sucklings to 4-year-olds.
If this is your lucky day you'll be
privileged to meet the oflcer in charge,
Col. Warren w. Whiteside, U. 8. A.
No doubt he will point out many in
teresting facts about the depot. For
instance: That 1t has been In exist
ence since 1909, and is, with others,
maintained by the Army. One Of the
Wednesday at q luncheon and pre-