Thursday, August 25, 2005
REVISITING BEDFORD
I thought I knew every pig trail in Virginia.
Turns out I don’t. At least not as well as I thought.
On a recent prowl through the mountains and piedmont area of central-southwest Virginia surrounding Bedford, I uncovered several relatively unknown treasures for the outdoor lover.
The town of Bedford is best known for losing more young men (19) during the World War II invasion of Normandy than any other place in America. The late historian Steve Ambrose beat the drum for years to establish an interactive National D-Day Memorial on the hills overlooking Bedford.
Today the sprawling memorial is finished. If you can take the tour and watch the simulated German fire as it pockmarks water around soldiers in agony pulling one another from the Normandy surf, and if you can do it without a lump in your throat, then "you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din."
A related suggestion: Try the outstanding food at the Olde Liberty Station restaurant. The restaurant was once a bustling railroad depot. Ask owner Harry Leist to show you the door through which young Bedford men passed to board the train that would carry them into history.
(If history is your thing, another restaurant in town with great food and a pleasing ambiance is the Duchess of Bedford.)
But let’s get into the outdoors surrounding the city.
You’ll want to drive the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, a mountaintop two-lane highway that runs along the flinty backbone of the Blue Ridge.
While on the Parkway, stop at Peaks of Otter Lodge. The buffet is famous. The lodge overlooks a lake stocked with trout, and fishing is encouraged. Each room (no phone, no TV) has a balcony overlooking the lake, and in the mornings, you can sip coffee and watch hundreds of feeding trout dimpling the still surface of the lake.
You might want to also take the bus (or even hike) to nearby Peaks of Otter, once believed to be the highest mountaintop in Virginia. This proved incorrect (Mount Rogers in Southwest Virginia is slightly higher).
But the error wasn’t caught until after a chunk of granite from Peaks of Otter was transported to Washington, D.C., inserted in the Washington Monument, and inscribed with the information that it came from Virginia’s highest peak.
If – and this is a big if – there are mountain lions or cougar in Virginia, this is the best place in the state to catch a glimpse of one of the big cats. More cougar sightings – including several sightings by Park Rangers – have come from the Peaks of Otter area than any other place in Virginia.
And don’t forget 20,000-acre Smith Mountain Lake located in the mountainous terrain between Bedford and Roanoke.
Smith Mountain is among the top two or three most beautiful lakes in Virginia. Fishing for bass and stripers is good. Marinas with rental boats surround the 500-mile shoreline.
It’s worthwhile to take time out from fishing (as I did) to simply skim over the water and marvel at the million-dollar homes that are springing up like Queen Anne’s lace.
Things change. Some places get better. I need to prowl more often and check ‘em out.
(For full details of all that’s available in the area, call 877-HiPeaks toll-free or check the Bedford Welcome Center’s Web page at www.visitbedford.com)
END
Turns out I don’t. At least not as well as I thought.
On a recent prowl through the mountains and piedmont area of central-southwest Virginia surrounding Bedford, I uncovered several relatively unknown treasures for the outdoor lover.
The town of Bedford is best known for losing more young men (19) during the World War II invasion of Normandy than any other place in America. The late historian Steve Ambrose beat the drum for years to establish an interactive National D-Day Memorial on the hills overlooking Bedford.
Today the sprawling memorial is finished. If you can take the tour and watch the simulated German fire as it pockmarks water around soldiers in agony pulling one another from the Normandy surf, and if you can do it without a lump in your throat, then "you’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din."
A related suggestion: Try the outstanding food at the Olde Liberty Station restaurant. The restaurant was once a bustling railroad depot. Ask owner Harry Leist to show you the door through which young Bedford men passed to board the train that would carry them into history.
(If history is your thing, another restaurant in town with great food and a pleasing ambiance is the Duchess of Bedford.)
But let’s get into the outdoors surrounding the city.
You’ll want to drive the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, a mountaintop two-lane highway that runs along the flinty backbone of the Blue Ridge.
While on the Parkway, stop at Peaks of Otter Lodge. The buffet is famous. The lodge overlooks a lake stocked with trout, and fishing is encouraged. Each room (no phone, no TV) has a balcony overlooking the lake, and in the mornings, you can sip coffee and watch hundreds of feeding trout dimpling the still surface of the lake.
You might want to also take the bus (or even hike) to nearby Peaks of Otter, once believed to be the highest mountaintop in Virginia. This proved incorrect (Mount Rogers in Southwest Virginia is slightly higher).
But the error wasn’t caught until after a chunk of granite from Peaks of Otter was transported to Washington, D.C., inserted in the Washington Monument, and inscribed with the information that it came from Virginia’s highest peak.
If – and this is a big if – there are mountain lions or cougar in Virginia, this is the best place in the state to catch a glimpse of one of the big cats. More cougar sightings – including several sightings by Park Rangers – have come from the Peaks of Otter area than any other place in Virginia.
And don’t forget 20,000-acre Smith Mountain Lake located in the mountainous terrain between Bedford and Roanoke.
Smith Mountain is among the top two or three most beautiful lakes in Virginia. Fishing for bass and stripers is good. Marinas with rental boats surround the 500-mile shoreline.
It’s worthwhile to take time out from fishing (as I did) to simply skim over the water and marvel at the million-dollar homes that are springing up like Queen Anne’s lace.
Things change. Some places get better. I need to prowl more often and check ‘em out.
(For full details of all that’s available in the area, call 877-HiPeaks toll-free or check the Bedford Welcome Center’s Web page at www.visitbedford.com)
END
