Today, our road trip took us to Radford, Virginia, where we visited with our nephew, Rory. He gave us a complete tour of the Radford University campus, where he is working towards his master’s degree in organizational psychology. He then prepared homemade risotto, one of my favorite dishes, serving it with asparagus and beef spare ribs. What a delightful meal.

Our day started with a visit to Harper’s Ferry, where we got out and explored the historic village. The town is located at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and was a key battleground during the Civil War changing hands eight times between 1861 and 1865.

Jeanine managed to score us a private tour of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church which was otherwise closed to the public.

We opted to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway for as long as possible. When we stopped at Humpback Rocks, the ranger informed us that the trees were at peak color. Indeed, it was like driving through a tunnel of color interrupted by turnouts offering awesome vistas of the surrounding countryside. It was one of the best fall time drives we have ever taken.