Zion Crossroads, VA
Last night, Mindy spent some time putting together an itinerary for today, and we thought we were set. But when we went down for hotel breakfast, we ran into another couple from yesterday's timeshare fracas. We got to talking--we were planning to skip Monticello, because the website indicated that we could only get tickets for very late in the day. The other couple told us they got in without any problem. So, we decided to give it a shot--and indeed we got in, although we had to wait for awhile, walking the grounds on a gloomy day.
Then it was a tour of Tom's home--I saw it as a kid, right around the Bicentennial. The current program doesn't shy away from Jefferson's "enslaved people" as they did back then. There's a multimedia presentation on Sally Hemings, who was, more or less, Jefferson's slave and mistress. It was heart-wrenching. On the other hand, the tour ran into Tom himself--you'd think he could retire by now.
A series of cables runs through this wall clock, with a weight indicating the day of the week. It turned out to be too tall, forcing “Saturday” into the basement.
Well, that’s a color choice.
We then drove into town and the Dairy Market food hall for Italian food. We're fans of these upscale food courts.
After a drive around the UVa campus (at one point winding up in a private area we had to back out of), we went up the mountain (to be precise, Carter Mountain and their orchard). It's well known for its scenic views, although the rain and mist took care of that. We got some cider and donuts.
“Scenic” overlook. We swear there’s a mountain range there.
Speaking of the rain, we decided to head back to the hotel and take refuge for the remainder of the day. Fortunately, we brought some provisions and snacks.
Tomorrow, we move on, with a decision to make--make a run for Skyline Drive or not (based on the weather, it's not looking good).