One of the perks of retirement is enjoying the journey. Instead of being subjected to the hassle of airline travel, security screening, crowded planes and delayed connections we get to enjoy the leisure travel of road trips, stopping at will and delighting in the scenery across the country.

We have had a wonderful return visit to Richmond, Virginia and the opportunity to see former colleagues and friends at the International Mission Board. This followed a Saturday mission conference in Charlotte, NC and a Sunday engagement in Raleigh. A gap in our itinerary in these eastern states gave us three-days to enjoy some spectacular scenery in the Shenandoah Valley of western Virginia. It was disappointing to find the Shenandoah National Park closed due to the government shutdown but that didn’t deter us from daily excursions southward on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The fall foliage was not yet at its peak of color but the cool mountain air and brilliant colored leaves emerging was a pleasant introduction to fall following the hot and humid summer of Mississippi. One day we found some remote cabins near Lyndhurst where we had escaped the hectic demands of mission administration 20 years ago, and enjoyed lunch at the Wintergreen ski resort.

A trip into nearby Charlottesville include a jaunt to the mountaintop Carter’s apple orchard. We had traipsed through the hillside trees picking apples years before but chose to purchase a bag of freshly picked varieties and sample the fresh apple cider at the Apple Barn. This was followed by lunch at Michie’s Tavern, just down the road from Monticello, the historic home of Thomas Jefferson.

The tavern dates from 1754; a meal of fried chicken, green beans, black-eyed peas, stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes and cornbread, was attended by servers in colonial attire. Although the scenery and culinary features of the Shenandoah Valley were enjoyable the greatest delight was a few days of afternoon naps and sipping coffee overlooking the mountain panorama.