Week-Long Trip: Natural Bridge, Blacksburg, and Crabtree Falls, Virginia

While helping out a friend moving to Blackburg, Virginia, we decided to make it a scenic tour of Central and Lower Virginia. The 550-mile round trip did not disappoint. Here are photos and some highlights of our trip.

Day 1: Natural Bridge, Virginia

We arrived at the Natural Bridge Historic Hotel in Natural Bridge, Virginia on Monday, July 18. The hotel was rebuilt in 1964 after a fire devastated the original wooden structure. Reminded us of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining.

The interior of the hotel was quite impressive. Here is the lobby and the Washington Room.

The Natural Bridge can be accessed across the street via an under-road tunnel. This spectacular 215-foot limestone structure was carved millions of years ago via Cedar Creek. No picture can do this justice. It is mammoth in size. Notice the tiny people under it in the distance. We were so in awe of this natural wonder that we just wanted to sit on one of the many benches and enjoy it for hours.

About half an hour later we reached Lace Falls at the end of the trail.

Here's a time-lapse of mist rolling over the mountains as we finished our evening off in the hotel tavern and retreated to our room balcony.

Day 2: Blacksburg, Virginia

Blacksburg, Virginia is a college town, home to Virginia Tech. The central town area is bustling with eateries of every kind. The Cellar Restaurant has been around for over 40 years.

Colorful murals of every kind can be seen at almost every turn.

A mural honoring the 32 people who died in the April 16, 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech.

This bleach bottle looks like a face.

The college campus is just a stone's throw away. Talking traffic lights warn pedestrians when to go.

Day 3: Crabtree Falls, Virginia

On our return trip we were able to stop at Crabtree Falls and spend our last night at another hotel. With over 1,000 feet of cascades, Crabtree Falls is said to be the largest falls east of the Mississippi River. Enjoy this tranquil video of the lower portion of the falls. We were too exhausted to hike the whole thing. We'll save that for another time! The 11-mile road to the falls is quite curvy. Go slow.

In the evening, we stopped over for some food and drinks at Smiley's, a truck-stop restaurant with awesome prices. I ate a large plate of nachos with house-made Texas BBQ for only $3 on special.

Day 4: Antique Shops in Ruckersville, Virginia

Lastly, a trip isn't complete without checking out a few of the many antique shops along the rural highways. I purchased a 1947 postcard of Natural Bridge for $2.

More Photos:

Enjoy some of these other photos from our trip. I am so glad I was able to get out for a vacation this summer, and now I have the bug in me to do it more often.

Our neighbors, Karen and Marcia, join us on the balcony at the Natural Bridge Hotel.

Having food and beer in The Cellar Restaurant.

Writing out names on the wall of Gertie's Restaurant along the route to Crabtree Falls.

Our hotel tavern bartender, Sherry. This house wine was awesome.

Kelsey, our bartender and server at Smiley's. I told her she looked like a Stephanie. She said she hated Stephanie because of bad friends with that name. Lol.

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The Making of a Terrarium

I have the terrarium bug again, and now I'm stepping up the game with interesting containers and more elaborate landscapes. Here, I will show you how I created this plant enclosure with steps and a pond.

I've always had a love of houseplants and terrariums, ever since I was 10 or 11 and my mom gave me one of those scientific growing kits. It came with a petri dish, a clear cone cover, and a bean seed. Within days the seed sprouted, traveled up through the hole in the top of the cone, and wound its green tentacles around my pole desk. It was fascinating to watch it grow, roots and all.

In my adult years, I took a liking to more elaborate terrariums. Here is a 40-gallon aquarium I turned into a jungle setting, fake snakes and all.

Now I am into smaller, more interesting containers, like this birdcage glass and metal enclosure I purchased as a Christmas gift to myself. Here's how I turned it into the finished terrarium.

1. First I sealed the bottom corners and part of the inside crevices with clear silicone since the enclosure it not 100% watertight. After letting it cure for a few days, I added a layer of dark gravel and activated charcoal. Then I covered that with black mesh.

2. Next I baked some sifted potting soil at 200 degrees for 45 minutes to remove any possible bugs or contaminants. I covered the pan with aluminum foil.

3. The pond idea I got after removing the top tray of a store-bought salad. The large round area would serve as the pond. Brilliant, right?

4. I placed the "pond" on top of the mesh inside the terrarium, then formed dirt around it so the back was higher. I kept the pond area covered with cardboard to keep the soil out.

5. Next I placed small slabs of thin slate stone to form the steps and secure the soil in the back.

6. Then I thought about where I wanted the plants. The moss I purchased at a local nursery that was kind enough to scrape a chunk from below one of their outdoor plant bins.

7. Now came the fun part: placing the plants and inserting the moss. The plants include a nerve plant (fittonia), a button fern that recovered after I almost killed it, and a peperomia puteolata. You don't need too many because plants will grow and fill out spaces.

8. I added dark rocks and water to the bottom of the pond, but it still wasn't enough. Then I saw these two guys at Dollar Tree: a Zen turtle and frog. I laid down a bridge with a couple of sticks, and now the pair can chill out within their peaceful surroundings. I may change it later, but for now, it's pretty cool to look at.

So there you go. It takes a little bit of preplanning (plants and hardscape materials), but now I have something alive that I can enjoy for months and hopefully years to come.

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