Traveling the Back Roads From Staunton to Blacksburg Offers a Slice of America

1

Road trip! In 2015, with our daughter and her husband living less than two hours from Staunton, we headed out to meander the back roads and take the kids to lunch. It was time for a road trip to Blacksburg. With a cooler in the car and maps in hand (the places we go aren’t GPS-friendly), we headed out to begin our trip to the land of Virginia Tech and expansive mountain vistas. Our trek was Rt. 11, traveling from Augusta County into Rockbridge where we passed through Natural Bridge and its scenic Blue Ridge Mountain backdrop.

2On the back roads it’s easy to pull over and read historical signs with information about those who settled the area, nearby landmarks, and other events from the past. This sign is a reminder that the Shenandoah Valley was once the western frontier of the New World with outlying forts that protected settlers in this once-wild land.

3Running through some light rain showers as a front moved through, we could see fog on the mountains across I-81.

4Buchanan is more than 250 years old and was established as a James River crossing, is one of the many historic towns along Rt. 11.

5

Just outside of Buchanan’s town limits is this historic sign, located between alongside Rt. 11 beside the James River, commemorating the importance of the area as a river crossing.

6

First the Great Valley Road, then the James River, and eventually the railroad opened up this area of Virginia.

7Historic Troutville is on Rt. 11 just north of Roanoke. We drove to the intersection of Rt. 11 and Rt. 220 at Roanoke with truck stops and fast food eateries where we took a left, heading east until we reached Rt. 460. At that point, we turned right and drove south on Rt. 460, winding our way through Vinton and Roanoke. At Salem we hopped on I-81 south to Christiansburg where we took Rt. 460 west to Blacksburg. Noon was approaching and we had lunch plans….

8Blacksburg offers a small town flavor in a college town with Virginia Tech’s huge school-year population and quieter summer population. Warm weather flowers bloom in brilliant hues while cascading from oversized hanging baskets on light posts around town and planted in medians on city streets. Everything in downtown Blacksburg is within easy walking distance — restaurants, businesses, Frosty Parrot, the college campus.

9Meeting up with the kids, we went to Lefty’s Main Street Grille for lunch. The place was packed with patrons, both inside and out, and no wonder with the varied offerings on the menu. We can vouch for the quesadilla (jack cheese, black bean and corn salsa, minced onions, crispy tortilla), grilled chicken sandwich (a favorite of our son-in-law), onion rings, and Philly Cheese Steak. Lefty’s has since moved a short distance east on Rt. 460 to a larger new building next to the mall at the IMAX Cinema complex.

11This is Main Street traveling west with the mountains and national forest in the distance.

12This photo doesn’t do justice to just how beautiful the flowers are in downtown Blacksburg.

13

14Another of the many restaurants along Main Street. In late afternoon we said our goodbyes to the kids and began following the back roads home to Staunton. This time we backtracked on one of our favorite series of rural roads that eventually comes back out on Rt. 11.

15From Blacksburg’s North Main Street (Rt. 460), we took Mt. Tabor Road (Rt. 624), a windy, mountainous back road along Catawba Mountain in Montgomery and Roanoke counties. To our east was Fort Lewis Mountain. This picture was of what I called “back road country art.”

16Rural Virginia … breathtaking scenery with vistas in all directions.

17

18

19We followed Rt. 624 to Rt. 311 where we turned right and continued for a few miles before turning left on Rt. 779.

20Along Rt. 311 we passed the Homeplace Family Style Restaurant that was already busy when we passed. The back parking lot was full … apparently it was pulled pork night.

21

22From Rt. 311 just past the Homeplace Restaurant, we turned left onto Catawba Creek Road (Rt. 779), a meandering narrow road that followed Catawba Creek along Catawba Mountain, up and down through rolling mountainous terrain.

23Mountains, clouds, wildflowers, trees, farmhouse … borrowing West Virginia’s theme, it was almost heaven.

24

25

26

27

28Tinker Mountain along Rt. 779. The Appalachian Trail is somewhere up there.

29This is Catawba Creek Road. America lives on back roads and that’s why this is why we love to travel them.

30

31At the Roanoke end of Rt. 779 was the Roanoke Cement Plant. Shortly after passing this, we reached Rt. 220 where we turned right, then back onto Rt. 779 in Daleville.

32We crossed over the interstate and, at the T-intersection stop sign, turned left onto Rt. 11 north toward Staunton.

33Backtracking our route at this point, it is sometimes surprising what can be seen driving the opposite direction. As we reentered Buchanan, we watched for route numbers on the left that would be our next back road adventure through the Tinker Mountain-Catawba Mountain area traveling to Blacksburg. Buchanan marks the end of the Roanoke Valley to the south and is the gateway to the Shenandoah Valley to the north.

34Back through the historic main street of Buchanan lined with American flags.

35Off Route 11 was Rocky Road with the Alpine Public Boating Access area. We drove down the road for a ways but the sun was getting low in the sky and we didn’t have time to explore so we put it on the list of places to check out in the future.

36Abandoned houses, barns, and buildings intrigue me. Who lived there? Why are these buildings now abandoned? This house could have been the site where many children were raised over the years, perhaps crops were grown in fields grubbed out from the rocky mountain hillside. Perhaps there were gatherings with neighboring farmers where the men stood around talking about the weather, the women sat discussing the latest birth or upcoming social or children … perhaps a deceased family member laid in state in the parlor before burial. There is so much history in these old structures….

37Back through Natural Bridge, my third time passing through in a week.

38It was late in the day so Natural Bridge’s parking lot was almost empty. The Blue Ridge Mountains with the Blue Ridge Parkway are in the background.

39

40The Pink Cadillac Diner on Rt. 11 a few miles north of Natural Bridge is a nostalgia-themed eatery featuring American comfort food, 1950s decor, and a pink Cadillac parked outside. Formally located in southern Augusta County in Greenville, it now sits adjacent to I-81 in Rockbridge County.

41

42Route 11 Business goes through downtown Lexington, an historic Shenandoah Valley town that is home to Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and Washington and Lee University (W&L).

43

44VMI’s football field.

45Looking east toward the Blue Ridge Mountains from Rt. 11 as it crosses I-64.

46Rt. 11 … bucolic drive in Rockbridge County …

47… and Augusta County. We arrived home just before dark after another day of roaming the back roads of western Virginia.

Originally published July 30, 2015
Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell

Сейчас уже никто не берёт классический кредит, приходя в отделение банка. Это уже в далёком прошлом. Одним из главных достижений прогресса является возможность получать кредиты онлайн, что очень удобно и практично, а также выгодно кредиторам, так как теперь они могут ссудить деньги даже тем, у кого рядом нет филиала их организации, но есть интернет. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi.html - это один из сайтов, где заёмщики могут заполнить заявку на получение кредита или микрозайма онлайн. Посетите его и оцените удобство взаимодействия с банками и мфо через сеть.