THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409100061
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHEN HARRIMAN, TRAVEL EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 139 lines
YOU CAN'T QUITE feel that autumnal crispness in the air yet, but the swelter of summer seems to be over. Before you know it, The Season will be upon us.
Foliage season.
In just about a month, nature's Day-Glo palette of bloody reds, tawny oranges and buttery yellows will be washing down through the hardwoods, day by day, moving from north to south, from the ridges into the hollows, from the mountains to the flatlands.
The scents of dry leaves and wood smoke fill the air.
It's our annual reward for putting up with August and February.
In the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia, the height of the color is usually between Oct. 10 and 25. (That's a best guess, not a guarantee.) Here, along the coast, it lasts into November.
Still time to make plans, but not much.
One way to see the fall foliage is to pick a sunny weekend in October and spend the whole day roaming the highways or scenic byways - particularly the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park - in bumper-to-bumper traffic along with everyone else who had the same idea.
Leaf-peeping that way can seem more like a contact sport.
Another, better, way is to head for one of Virginia's uncrowded and relaxed state parks, where you can get out of the car and take in the spectacle from a comfortable porch of a housekeeping cabin or along a hiking trail.
You'll find it is one thing to view the foliage from behind a windshield and quite another to be out among the leaves, scrunching them beneath hiking boots or bicycle tires.
For the first time in five years, the camping and cabin rental season at Virginia state parks has been extended through Dec. 5.
The cozy, rustic cabins, many built by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) labor in the 1930s, are wonderful bases from which to explore the surrounding parks or many of Virginia's outdoor fall festivals and attractions.
Visitors who have stayed at some of the cabins may notice improvements this fall. Many cabins have been renovated and have had heating and air conditioning installed.
Cabins are located in the following parks:
Claytor Lake, off Interstate 81 (exit 101) southwest of Roanoke near Dublin in Pulaski County; (703) 674-5492.
Douthat, 7 miles north of Clifton Forge, Interstate 64 (exit 27) to Va. 629; (703) 862-7200.
Hungry Mother, 4 miles north of Marion (on Interstate 81) via Va. 16; (703) 783-3422.
Fairy Stone, 10 miles west of Martinsville via Va. 57; (703) 930-2424.
Staunton River, 16 miles east of South Boston, just off U.S. 360; (804) 572-4623.
Westmoreland, on the Potomac River 5 miles northwest of Montross just off Va. 3; (804) 493-8821.
Seashore on Cape Henry in Virginia Beach; (804) 481-2131.
Cabins - one-room, one-bedroom and two-bedroom - are available for a minimum rental period of one week and a maximum period of two consecutive weeks at one park. Weekly reservations begin on Monday at 3 p.m. and end the following Monday at 10 a.m.
Weekly rates are $259 for a one-room cabin; $287-$322, depending on location, for a one-bedroom; and $434-$504, depending on location, for a two-bedroom.
Reservations for the remainder of this year as well as for next season (March 1 through Dec. 1, 1995) may be made by phone at (800) 933-PARK. If you need more information, call this number for a free color booklet on the parks.
Haven't got a whole week? Just a weekend? Give it a shot anyway; maybe you'll be lucky.
Any cabin not reserved will become available on a first-come, first-served basis for a minimum of two nights. Rates are pro-rated. You must call the individual parks to check on availability.
All cabins have rustic furniture - made at the state penitentiary - fireplaces, refrigerators, range, hot water heater, dishes, cooking utensils, silverware, glassware, blankets, pillows, sheets and towels.
If cabins aren't for you, campgrounds are located in 19 Virginia state parks. There are electrical and water hookups for recreational vehicles at Claytor Lake, Hungry Mother, Fairy Stone and Westmoreland as well as at Kiptopeke on the Eastern Shore, Bear Creek in Cumberland County west of Richmond on U.S. 60, and at Occoneechee near Clarksville and the intersection of U.S. 58 and 15.
During the fall season each state park will offer a variety of nature hikes, campfire programs, birdwatches and other activities.
State park festivals include Estuaries Days on Saturday at York River, west of Williamsburg off Interstate 64 (Croaker exit, north on Va. 607 and 606); Fall Harvest Festival Sept. 24-25 at Grayson Highlands in southwest Virginia; and the Eastern Shore Birding Festival Oct. 8-9 at Kiptopeke.
Other fall happenings at state parks within a couple of hours' drive:
At the newly opened Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster County on the Northern Neck: canoe trips, hiking, biking and ``Dances with Geese'' weekends during September and October.
At False Cape State Park at the south end of Virginia Beach: Back Bay canoe programs, Sept. 21, Oct. 9 and Oct. 29; deer herd management program and controlled hunt, Oct. 1-8.
At Caledon Natural Area, King George County east of Fredericksburg, self-guided tours of American bald eagle habitat (open for first time), Oct. 1-Nov. 15; wildlife art exhibition, Oct. 15.
At York River State Park, moonlight canoe trips, Oct. 19-20; controlled deer hunt, Nov. 21-23 and 28-30.
The tart and tangy smell of apples is also in the air. Those blushy-white blossoms of springtime have become branch-bending balls of red and yellow. This is a fall bonus that manifests itself into apple pies, apple sauce, apple butter, apple cider, apple. . . well, you get the picture.
If you want to get the picture of the way the country folks have been dealing with their apple crop for decades - big kettles bubbling over open wood fires - there's no better place than Nelson County. They're having three Apple Butter Festivals - Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 - at the Flippin-Seaman Packing Shed and at Drumheller's Orchard. Stop at the county's visitor center in Lovingston, less than an hour south of Charlottesville on U.S. 29, and ask directions; or call (800) 282-8223. On Oct. 8-9 you can pick your own apples at Silver Creek Orchards in Nelson County.
Other fall events worth a trip that combine beautiful scenery with interesting entertainment:
They also do the apple thing particularly well at the Apple Harvest Festival at Graves Mountain Lodge near Syria (an hour north of Charlottesville). It's a two-weekend deal, Oct. 8-9 and 15-16. Info: (703) 923-4231.
Foxfield Races - steeplechase racing and tailgate partying, 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25, just outside Charlottesville; (804) 472-3001. If you like the horsies (or the tailgating), the International Gold Cup, Oct. 15 at Great Meadow near Warrenton, is an absolute must; (800) 69-RACES.
Choo-choo buffs have several opportunities to ride the rails and gaze at the fall foliage:
The Autumn Leaf Special, Oct. 1-2, features steam locomotive rides from Richmond to Appomattox and Lynchburg; (804) 231-4324.
The Roanoke Railway Festival, Oct. 7-9, features steam engine excursions; (703) 342-2028.
The Buckingham Train, Oct. 8 and 15, two nostalgic day excursions through rural Buckingham County in central Virginia, leaving from Dillwyn; (804) 231-4324. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND RECREATION
Several of Virginia's state parks, such as Douthat near Clifton
Forge, rent cabins, from which tourists can view the fall foliage in
comfort.
by CNB