# 61 In Our Own Backyard..

It seems there are many scenic byways, points of interest and a variety of outdoor activities in the Wytheville area..and all of this is here in our own backyard.  We have only scratched the surface of everything there is to do and explore in this beautiful part of the country.  We plan to be here for a month visiting family but with all there is to do..we could stay longer.

One day we took a drive to the New River Trail..specifically the Foster Falls area.  We also discovered a very nice bike trail there.

We found some interesting exhibits at Foster Falls Park.  This was a large furnace used by the iron foundry, built in 1880-1881.

Ronnie and I were amazed at it's size.

If you look closely, you can see the foundry's furnace behind the building seen in the foreground.

We also visited the Shot Tower Historic State Park in Austinville.  I didn't take any photos that day but it was an interesting place, full of history and beautiful scenery.

 We have discovered a couple of interesting wineries very close to us too. 

Rural Retreat Winery & Dye's Vineyards

We didn't want dinner after this cheese platter!

We have enjoyed the West End Farm Winery as well.  It is located about 4 miles from Fort Chiswell RV Park.

The swing was an excellent addition to our glass of wine.

We found this winery to be a serene and peaceful place.

The weather and outdoor temperatures have been very pleasant so far.  We've got a hand full of brochures describing places to explore and things to see.  What to do next?   We are enjoying our visits with family and also having a great time motoring about these rolling hills and mountain vistas.

#60 Rockets and Blue Grass

We were invited by Ronnie's sister and brother-in-law to their monthly launch meeting of the New River Valley Rocketry Club.  http://www.nrvr.org/  We attended one of the club's launch meetings last October and really enjoyed ourselves.  The launch site was at Kentland Farms located about 15 miles outside of Blacksburg. 

Several members launched rockets of all sizes and shapes that day.  Ronnie's sister Terry even achieved her own Level One status by assembling and launching this rocket.  I liked the slogan she placed on it.

Since all I had was my cell phone camera, I knew it would be useless to try to capture an image of a rocket lift off.  All rockets went off as planned and none spun off uncontrollably.  One rocket did land in the tree branches so that it couldn't be retrieved and unfortunately one of Carlos' rockets landed in an uncut hay field and it couldn't be found. 

Carlos launched several rockets that day.  One even had an HD video camera attached to it, recording as it launched.  Now that was an interesting video!   

Sunday, we took a drive down VA Scenic Route 52.  As we were motoring along we came upon the "Big Walker Lookout Tower and Country Store" (http://www.scenicbeauty-va.com/) and we pulled in to get some refreshments.  Wow! There was a wonderful 7 piece bluegrass band playing on the front porch. (Tune Town Old time Band)  It seems they have different musical performers and craft demos every Saturday and Sunday during the summer.  We sat with a cup of coffee (it was chilly outside) and enjoyed the music and scenery.  We enjoyed that unexpected experience.

No, I did not climb this tower at Big Lookout..but we all know Ronnie would climb it.

So far we are enjoying our monthly site here at Fort Chiswell RV Park..but no more than Little Boy.  He's having a ball!

 I wonder what more interesting things we can find around the Wytheville VA area?  New places..new discoveries..one of the many reasons why we have always enjoyed traveling.  Stay tuned.