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On Sunday, with the long Thanksgiving weekend behind us, we took the back roads home from Richmond to Staunton, enjoying rural vistas with late autumn leaves and winter woods along Rt. 250.
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[16]By the time we arrived at this lumber yard in Zions Crossroads, we decided to hop on I-64 west to stay ahead of heavy holiday traffic.
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The decision to jump onto the interstate was a good one … traffic was still light at mid-day.
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Traffic remained light as we began the climb up Afton Mountain …
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[25]… and descended into the Shenandoah Valley.
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From I-64 many farms are visible as families in the Valley continue to cultivate the fields just as those before them have for generations. The fertile soil is one reason this area was known as the breadbasket of the Confederacy [30] during the Civil War.
Our journey home was a safe one and we were just ahead of what ended up being a horribly congested I-64 and I-81 with traffic slowed down and backed up for miles late into Sunday night.
Virginia … a beautiful place in the fall.
Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell
November 27, 2016