Because of its altitude, Shenandoah National Park boasts the ability to be above the clouds, below the clouds, or right smack in the middle of the clouds depending on which minute you happen to be outside looking. This feature can be a hindrance if what you want is a great view of the vistas or the night sky, or it can be really cool if you end up sandwiched between cloud layers for a sunrise, as we did.

After a second amazing sunrise and a fabulous couple of days with my mom, it was time to head home. Right on cue, the clouds rolled in.

I’m a generally optimistic person, and I tend to find adventure in things that others sometimes find annoying. I think that if it had been cloudy the entire time we were at Shenandoah, I would have been a little bummed out. But as it was, we had plenty of nice weather and when the clouds rolled in as we were departing, I thought it was kind of fitting. It made for a different kind of drive out, where I still stopped at number of overlooks and looked into… clouds. The lack of a view was more than a little bit eerie, and an altogether worthwhile experience of its own kind. The fact that I probably missed some gorgeous views only fuels my resolve to return.

The clouds (fog? I feel like fog grows up from the ground while clouds settle down on you) made for a slow drive down the mountain. I stuck to Skyline Drive (instead of leaving the park for a faster freeway), heading north from Skyland Lodge to the Front Royal entrance. I have now driven about half of Skyline Drive from Front Royal to Big Meadows. This leaves the whole southern half as yet unexplored by me, and is reason enough to go back.

Eventually I came down out of the cloud cover, and stopped at an overlook with clear views. I was able to look back in the direction I’d come from, and see the clouds I’d just driven through sitting on the mountain I’d had such an enjoyable visit with. It was a very sweet moment, and I said a quiet “Thank you” to the mountain and the park and the people who had built it.

I also stopped at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center (Mile 4.6) to get my second (and final) cancellation stamp. I’d already gotten the one from the Harry F. Byrd Sr. Visitor Center (Mile 51) near Big Meadows.

It’s worth noting that of the “10 things to do and see” in this (my favorite) book, I only accomplished the first one and only the top half of that to boot. Old Rag was too much mountain for us on our maiden journey, and we were not in a camping or rustic cabin kind of mood. But I did get a good sense of where the other mentioned trails are, and how difficult or not-so-difficult (they were more difficult than we were up for this time) they are, so I have a good idea what I’ll be interested in doing when I go back. Because I’m definitely going back. Probably more than once.

I would say that the two nights we allotted were just right for this trip. It gave us a good taste of what’s there, and let us dip our toes in without getting overwhelmed. All in all, an absolutely perfect “First” National Park experience. Overwhelming success.