Monday ...

  I had an appointment in Roanoke this afternoon, and Google Maps took me through the mountains on VA311 to get there.  It was a beautiful drive, through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, on wonderfully winding roads, up and down mountains.  It made me think of how much my 2nd ex Jay would have loved it on his Harley.

 < One community I want to go back and visit when I have time to actually stop and explore is Paint Bank, VA [<link] where there was a beautiful old home that has been turned into The Lemon Hotel [<link].

Image Source: Wikipedia

 > Sweet Chalybeate Springs, VA is somewhere I'd like to just stop to take pictures.  The hotel there was built in the 1850s, and closed its doors in 1918.  It was put on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1974.

Photograph of the Jefferson Building at Old Sweet Springs
captured by Frances Benjamin Johnston in the 1930s.
Image Source: Wikipedia

 < Another spot to stop and wander is Sweet Springs, WV.  It is home to a resort that was originally built in 1792 and is currently undergoing renovation by the nonprofit Sweet Springs Resort Park Foundation.  It is open for tours on the weekends.

 VA311 alone was worth the drive, and I definitely plan on taking it again in the fall when the leaves start to change.