Evening star., 1938-07-03
MOUNTAIN AUTO TRIP IS COOL
Scenic DayandaHa Journey May Include the Switzerland of
America, Stratosphere Drive and Crabbottom Valley.

sphere Drive commences. Two miles
on 1t brings you TO the top of Reddish
Knob, highest point in the shenan.
doah ranCe. From its S0-foot observa.
tion tower the world seems an endless
succession Of rugged ranges.
CPRUCE KNOB, West Virginia's
top" can be seen IS miles away
~ though 1t were . step. Blue Ridge
In the east is blue; and the ranges
to the west are bright green and calm
lavender in sun and shadow. The
slopes OF Shenandoah range are hung
with pine forests soft as Persian rugs
Harrisonburg, Bridgewater and other
towns nestle in the valley to the east;
Franklin and Monterey in the western
valley.
After traversing the remainder Of
this drive which straddles the Virginia.
West Virginia line, you must retracs
1t to Briery Branch Gap, where the
road west leads into Brandywine, w.
Va. Go down the South Fork Valley
to Oak Flat. near which Fort Seybert.
an important outpost in 1853, was To-
Gated. From here you cross yet an.
other range-South Branch Mountain.
Franklin, on the South Branch Of the
Potomac, Is a small fishing mecca and
resort
Your road argues its way up the
South Branch to the Virginia line
where 1t leaves the Potomac system
and enters the James. 1t follows the
jackson River down to Monterey.
This town, with . name remindful Of
seashores and sunny climes, Is Curl
ously situated in a north temperate
mountain valley whose very floor is
over 5000 feet high.
Highland County is aptly named,
however. Its mean elevation is near
the 4,00O-foot mark 1t is called
the Switzerland Of America both for
Its vertiginous topography and for
the fact that many Swiss people, COM
ing down the endless valleys from
Pennsylvania, settled here in the early
days.
To your right as you enter the coun-
ty lies beautiful Crabbottom Valley,
One mile from Monterey the Mon Cap
scenic drive begins at 1850 feet and
climbs to the summit of Sounding
Knob, 1897 feet above sea level. The
many streams in the county are noted
for speckled and rainbow trout and
bass. There are several adjacent
waterfalls of surprising beauty.
Starting homeward, you again cross
that vast public tract-the George
Washington National Forest. whose
evergreens provide q perpetual mantle
for the shoulders OF Shenandoah
Range. You descend into the shen-
andoah Valley at Staunton Here you
may find several eating places. among
which Is the Stonewall Jackson Hotel
dining room. At Mount Sidney, north
OF Staunton, you may take an un-
numbered, paved road to the right and
cut across to U. 8. No. 80, missing
Harrisonburg. The A. A. A. map Of
Virginia shows this cutoff clearly.
From this point your road swings
around the southern promontory Of
the Massanuttens, where they rise
precipitously from the valley floor,
and climbs to Swiftrun on Blue Ridge.
At present this Is the southernmost
point on Skyline Drive, though work
on the final section (south to Atom
Is being completed. The entire drive
from Front Royal to Alton will be
open for traffic late this year or early
in 1899. Now you must be content
with the old 35-mile section, which.
though you covered 1t half q dozen
times, still has plenty to offer for the
seventh trip.
After skirting Stony Man and tun-
neling Marys Rock. you come to Pano-
rama, where 4 right-hand turn sends
you home over the Lee highway Those
Of you living in the Northwest section
will find the newly opened Chain
Bridge helpful in getting back into
town.