Dinner Out

Monday was another cool day at Big Meadows...and it was time to do the laundry. We were running out of clean clothes. They have a good-sized laundry at Big Meadows, along with hot showers, so we filled almost all the machines and spent the morning doing laundry.


Later, Ellen and I took a short hike along the nature trail that runs from the campground, through the woods to the Visitor Center and back. It really wasn't very woodsy, mostly scrub, but we did come across a major weather station hidden in the woods. There was a USGS truck parked next to it and I asked if they were responsible for the weather station. Different agency, they said. They were out looking for a couple of small ponds, which seemed to have dried up. I expect that it was as dry at Shenandoah as it was at home over the winter.

In the evening, we drove up to Skylands Resort with Harry & Sally for dinner at the restaurant. It was supposed to be a special treat. The menu looked good. Everyone, except me, ordered the trout..and a bottle of Shenandoah wine. I went with one of their specialties, the turkey dinner. The Shenandoah label was not Virginia's finest wine—we hope not. At least we saved the folks at the table next to us from making the same mistake. The turkey was equally disappointing. I think I got served the end of the bird. It was mostly fat. Unfortunately, this was not discovered before I'd eaten most of the side dishes. By the time the waiter reappeared everyone else had finished. Although they offered to give me another piece of turkey, it was a bit too late for that, but they did provide a free dessert.

I ordered another specialty, the blackberry ice cream pie. The others ordered the chocolate chip bread pudding. We waited and waited....finally, dessert arrived. Mine was partially melted, the bread puddings were dry as a bone—and not a speck of chocolate. It obviously waited under the lights too long. Ellen, Harry and Sally each took no more than a bite of pudding, I slurped up my "pie", not exactly the special dinner we'd hoped. At least the trout was good.