Virginia

I may claim to be a California girl always living in a New York State of mind, but Virginia will always hold a special place in my heart. And not just for the wine, although that always helps. Stephen and I first moved in together in Washington, DC with frequent trips out to Virginia to get away and escape the city life. Before I made the move I would come to DC for weekends because being a student you can absolutely skip class on Friday to spend 36 hours in DC. Getting away to Virginia is something we both discovered together and even from our first wine-tasting adventure we were hooked. On each other, or the wine not really sure if one helped the other. Well now we always have at least 6 bottles of wine anywhere we call home. Which includes our Prius at the moment.

Our time in Virginia revolves mainly around wine. And our first National Park Visit of this trip. We became so infatuated with this Virginia wine that we became members of one of our favorite vineyards. As any true yuppie will do. Rappahannock Cellars is one of the first wineries we visited and it is still one of our favorites. Even after our wine-obsession took us to California, Rappahannock knew just how we liked it. Steve is partial to their Meritage, and if you pronounce it like you think you should, you’re wrong. It’s Merit-idge. Like any uncultured American would say. I’m in love with their rose´ because, as we have established, rose´ is my jam. But everything else they make is solid. Desert Rose Ranch & Winery is another favorite and pretty much everything they make is good. Virginia is known for their Cabernet Franc and Desert Rose has a good one. They also love dogs, maybe more than wine, which makes it so easy to enjoy wine without feeling guilty of leaving Ella in the car.

One thing we never experienced while pseudo-southern residents is Charlottesville, which is basically the Napa of Virginia. Most of the best vineyards in Virginia are all located in Charlottesville, and we went to one of the best. Barboursville is a fairly large vineyard, which I usually tend to stay away from since I prefer visiting smaller vineyards. But if every large vineyard was like Barboursville I might rethink that. The tasting room is well organized, you pay for a tasting, pick up your glass, and head to the tasting room to taste as many of their wines as you want. And with at least 20 you really have options. And I love options. Steve and I will typically share a tasting, because someone has to drive, so this was a set-up we liked. They are making some really amazing wine, even using a grape that has NEVER been grown in the US. It’s Italian, and of course we bought a bottle. Way to go, Virginia, pioneering the shit out of those grapes. Everything was amazing and if we weren’t traveling across the country in a Prius, more than 2 bottles would have been purchased.

Now this is the time where camping is put on hold and motels are utilized for the extremely cheap living. I’m not sure if they are all pet-loving establishments, but we didn’t have a problem here so I’m calling it a win. Something that is not a win? All-you-can-eat sushi in a dinky little Virginia town. Stomach ache for days. Well, really just 1 day. But being reunited with old friends (aka Starbucks) can fix anything.

We are all about wine, but Virginia is into other things. Like National Parks. Duh duh DUHHHHH. Here we are, finally putting the Annual National Park Pass that my brother game me for my birthday to use. It is seriously the coolest thing to drive through the entrance gate and not have to pay the hefty entry fee. I feel like a rock star part of this cool club that likes nature. Even though it’s a really big club. Shenandoah Park is gorgeous. We drove nearly the whole way on Skyline Drive which takes you directly through the park. It is just so green and the views at every turnout is incredible. I like scenic overlooks but I’m trying not to stop at every single one. You gotta pace yourself in the parks. Because then you can also see a baby Black Bear hopping over the rock wall, like we did.

Unless you frequent the national parks often, let me tell you about the Passport. Go to any National Park and you can buy a Passport which is essentially a book that you get to stamp at every National Park, National Historical Site, or Monument. It’s really a cool way to feel like visiting all the parks is a game. And it’s going to take a really long time to beat it. During this trip I get to use my mom’s because I have no idea where mine is, and adding more to a 20+ year-old passport is really amazing. My mom has been to some amazing places and I get to stamp some she has never been. I’m not sure if I’m going to catch them all, but I’m definitely on my way.