I hate to tell you this, Ma’am, but I think you have a hole in your seat. -Park Ranger at Thornton Gap Entrance

The first thing I did at Shenandoah National Park was throw away the pants I had been wearing. I’d had to get out of the car at the entrance gate to retrieve the Annual Pass I’d so thoughtfully left in my backpack in the trunk. It turned out that it wasn’t so much a “hole” as a “split in the pocket seam about the length of my entire hand.” If the ranger hadn’t said something, who knows how long I would have walked around like that before I noticed the breeze.

So I drove to the first parking lot, about 45 seconds away, and found my mom waiting for me. My mom is a firecracker (anyone who has met me should be unsurprised by this news). She’s 76 and you’d never know it – her hobby is climbing the Black Diamond courses at her local outdoor Adventure Park Ropes Course. I explained my pants predicament and used the restroom at that parking lot to rectify my situation. First belly laugh accomplished about 2 minutes into our adventure. This is on point for us.

The weather wasn’t as hot as I’d feared – but it was still 87° and we decided that was a little warm for hiking. The road signs along the way agreed with us.

We figured getting our home base established was the best plan, so we made our way to Skyland Resort and checked into our room. The first thing I like to do when I’m in a new situation is get the lay of the land, so we headed back out to check out Skyline Drive.

Skyline Drive is not overrated. There are lots and lots of scenic overlooks, and they are all different. You might think, “How different can the view by 1/8 of a mile down the way?” and the answer is “Enough to warrant stopping at another outlook.”

We tooled around for a couple of hours. We made our way from Skyland Resort to Big Meadows Lodge, which is about 10 miles down the road, and found the Visitor Center. I picked up a couple of stickers and my first Cancellation Stamp (why are they called that?) so I guess my first Park Visit is officially in the books.

I’m really, really happy with the accommodations at Skyland. We chose a “Preferred Room” which boasts A/C and WiFi. The views are phenomenal from where we are – the building is called Laurel and it’s tucked behind the main lodge area with a separate parking lot nearby. There are a number of hiking trails nearby, including Stony Man Trail which is going to be the first hike on our list because A) it’s close and B) it’s easy. But hiking will wait until tomorrow, as we’re watching the rain move in. Hopefully the rain clears out, because I’d really like to see a sunrise.