Day 3 - Charlottesville, VA to Floyd, VA

OK, internet connectivity restored.  Let's go back to yesterday.

We start out back at the less-than-pleasing Cavalier Inn.

Notice the new glass wall.  Not a huge improvement.

Goodbye Cavalier Inn.

Given the location, we took time to visit the University of Virginia and view Thomas Jefferson's planning work.

They sure have a large yard.

Those buildings on the right and left are residential.  Quite the location.

After walking the campus, we headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway for some sights.

The views are pretty impressive.

After a few hours, we stopped for lunch at the only restaurant on the first 180 miles of the parkway.  Decent food, but the view was nice.

View from our table.

Erin is excited by apple cobbler.  I'm seeing a trend.

After lunch, we decided to take advantage of the views and do some light hiking.

Great 4th of July weather.

Nearing the end of our walk.

We got back on the parkway heading to Floyd.  This is a good time to show off our trusty transportation.

2014 Chevrolet Cruze

They are going to regret renting to me so cheap.  I got it with 8000 miles so they will be in for a shock when I return it in August.

Near the end of our drive, we found "civilization" after hours of nothing but trees.

A village perhaps?

We went through Roanoke, but didn't really see anything of note.  Luckily, Floyd more than made up for it.

At first, Floyd looks pretty sleepy.

The Country Store is the secret.

We attended the Friday Night Jamboree in Floyd and only the videos can explain what we saw.

 Quite a few people gathering on the streets.

Once inside, we started out with this.  The first two videos set the stage.  The 3rd and 4th are trip highlights for sure.

Gospel hour!  Notice the average age of the audience.  We were definitely out of place.  But then crazy things started to happen.  When the second band came on, you'd think everyone was drunk.  (Alcohol is not allowed at the Jamboree.)

Notice the age of those dancers!  Pretty much everyone was over 50, but a majority were over 60.  Some were clearly in their 80s.  Where else do you see your grandparents dance?  But it got better!

The second half of that video was pretty good, but just wait for the grand finale.  Look at the speed!

I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like it.  We even saw a real square dance, although I didn't get a video.

Fireworks!

We got lucky on the way out as a fireworks shows was underway.  We didn't expect a small town to have anything, but they did.  What a way to spend the 4th!

Besides, we met real hillfolk and saw a terrifying hornet's nest.

I couldn't understand a word this guy said.

This is something out of a horror movie.

If I found that nest in my home, I might just abandon it.  That is a huge nest.