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Shenandoah--most often
translated as "Daughter of the Stars"--is one of the loveliest
names in the language. Backroads travelers will find that it fits the
Valley perfectly.
Most people know the
Shenandoah Valley for its Civil War-era history, from Robert E. Lee's
capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859 to Stonewall Jackson's
Valley Campaign of 1862 to the Battle of New Market in 1864. Fewer know
that the Winchester area was home to George Washington, explorer Richard
Byrd, novelist Willa Cather, and singer Patsy Cline. Or that Thomas
Jefferson owned the geologic wonder known as Natural Bridge. Or that the
McCormick Farm near Steeles Tavern was the site of a revolutionary
breakthrough in agriculture.
The word Shenandoah
may have had as many spellings and definitions as there are stars in the
sky, but travelers will know they've reached the Valley when they see
rugged Goshen Pass, the beautiful country roads between Lexington and
Staunton, the Mennonite farms around Harrisonburg, and the mineral
springs that first attracted visitors over 200 years ago.
The 13 tours in this book
explore areas of unspoiled wilderness and mountain escapes within easy
range of metropolitan centers like Washington, D.C., Baltimore,
Richmond, and Norfolk.
about the author
A writer, editor, and editorial project manager, Andrea Sutcliffe is
the editor of Mighty Rough
Times, I Tell You and the editor of The New York Library
Writer's Guide to Style and Usage. She lives in Virginia.
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