We woke up to a beautiful morning in Shenandoah. And after a quick breakfast, we were ready to explore.
First-up: A ranger program on birds of prey, which was held at the Big Meadows amphitheater. Ranger Sue led an hourlong talk, and introduced us to a gorgeous barred owl, a scrappy little screech owl and a majestic, yet slightly unhinged, red-tailed hawk -- all on permanent loan to the park from a wildlife rehabilitation center nearby. (The three birds had been hit by cars and are now unable to survive on their own in the wild).
From there we went to the Big Meadows visitor center where we worked a bit on Junior Ranger badges and listened to another short ranger talk on the effects of climate change. The requirements for the Shenandoah Junior Ranger badges seem especially rigorous -- the kids need to attend at least two ranger programs (check) and have to complete 12 out of 15 activities from the Junior Ranger books.
We had a surprisingly tasty meal at the Big Meadows lunch counter (Keith wants me to use this space to recognize his fried green tomato-pimento cheese sandwich with sweet potato fries), then hiked the Dark Hollow Falls trail, which was not as eerie as it sounds.
We headed back to the visitors center to finish up the Junior Ranger badge books before the center closed at 6. It was kind of a hack job to get them done, but, sheesh, the required Junior Ranger activities were especially involved and geared for, like, 14-year-olds. So, we cut a few corners. Oh, well.
Back at the campsite, we played board games until dinner. It’s Sunday, and as I expected, the crowds at the campground have thinned out. We are enjoying relative calm, although some knucklehead’s car alarm keeps blasting every once in a while.
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