Try this road trip for a change of pace

By Thelma Dalmas
Published: August 12, 2008

If you are tired of the hot, humid weather here in Central Virginia, maybe it is time to head for a place where the temperature is cooler. In Bath County, little more than two hours away, you can enjoy chilly nights and brisk mornings, as well as some of the most picturesque scenery in the state. 

In fact, traveling toward your destination along Virginia 39, which goes through Goshen Pass, will take you along one of the state’s more beautiful highways. The road runs beside the Maury River, and offers ample parking space and picnic tables at the overlooks. The river’s waters are ice-cold, not very deep and perfect for wading among the rocks.

Our daughter and her husband, who live in Texas, are here on a visit, and we spent the weekend at Warm Springs. On Saturday morning, I had to attend a meeting in Monterey, so the other three headed off to one of my favorite spots in Bath County: Hidden Valley.

Administered by the National Forest Service, this area provides hiking trails, as well as camping along the Jackson River. At this time of year, Hidden Valley is interesting, not only for the birds, but for the wildflowers now at their peak, which are scattered through the brushy meadows.

Two of the more common species now in bloom are blazing star and New York ironweed. Both have purple flowers in dense spikes, and cultivated varieties are featured in many gardens. In late summer, butterflies and goldfinches are likely to be seen on the blossoms.     

If you have a copy of the “Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail Guide,” published by the Virginia Division of Game and Inland Fisheries, this site is included on the “Headwaters of the James” loop. Lake Moomaw is nearby, and at this season you might spot some of the migrating herons and egrets moving through the area. Bald eagles are often seen hunting over the lake or perched along the shoreline.

Although I was tied up in a meeting for much of Saturday, I did have one unique experience as I drove along from Warm Springs to Monterey. I enjoyed seeing cedar waxwings as they flew by the car, watched a great blue heron fishing along a creek and stopped by a weedy meadow to listen for bobolinks. The real novelty of the day, however, was the necessity of turning on the car’s heater on a morning in mid-August. I can’t remember ever doing that here in Lynchburg. 

News and Notes
Jackie Marks, from Lynchburg, sent an interesting photo of a downy woodpecker visiting her hummingbird feeder. Although the feeders are designed for the use of hummingbirds, many species have figured out a way to gain access to the sugar water. We occasionally see warblers on our feeders, and the house finches are regular visitors.