Seems we’re going to continue to break the “Quiet” request - we are all up and not-too-quietly packing well before 9 a.m. No one has complained - I guess they’re just glad to see that we are going :-)

Jewel steps out on her back balcony and finds Jerry in his jockeys! Considering we’ve been traveling together for 8 days - it was bound to happen.

We have a nice breakfast at our leisure - which means some of us eat at 7 a.m. - some at 8 a.m. - and Scott rolls out of his room 15 minutes before we hit the road with his bag of chocolate chip cookies! The Bottas are going to head out on their own - he needs to be back in Lancaster. Harry and Elaine are going to go to our first stop and then they’ll hit the Interstate to go spend a night at the Bottas hotel before returning to New Jersey.

Today’s game plan calls for driving north along the Blue Ridge Parkway and hopping off to check out Natural Bridge before continuing up the Parkway to the Skylands Drive. We’ll stay at the Skylands Lodge for our last night on the road. We don’t have a long drive before its time to jump off on Route 130 for Natural Bridge. Route 130 is a wonderfully curvy road. Roc’s car is backfiring a lot - so it appears that things are still not quite right with the old ‘67. We arrive at our latest destination. You have to buy a ticket and then hike down 145 steps or take a little shuttle bus to the base of the trail to Natural Bridge.

It's an enormous natural formation that claims to be “One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World”. Route 11 actually runs over it - and from 215 feet below - you can’t see anything at all to indicate that a highway is above you! A footpath takes you another three quarters of a mile beyond the bridge formation - passing a saltpeter mine, a lost river and a waterfall. Scott and Mike, Ginny and Ray and Elaine decided to take the hike to the waterfall - the rest of us would wait for their return. Jim found a nice park bench and sprawled out on his back with his Aussie hat over his face to take a short nap. Being the mature individuals that we are - we quietly placed Gwendolyn on the ledge above him and took his picture . . . then just as quietly retrieved Gwen . . .slipped away!!!!!

Quite a few people were getting a chuckle out of our “Reclining Figure.” Jerry suddenly decided he would like to scale the walls of the Natural Bridge. We watch this valiant attempt. He didn’t get too far - but before coming back down he also posed with Gwendolyn for her scrapbook. The hikers return from the not-too- watery waterfall and we reform in the parking lot.

Roc tells us that he’s going to stop at an auto parts store we passed on Route 130. He has spark plugs and wires - but no tools for installing them - so he’ll buy them so he can work on the car tonight. We have directions to a little cafe on 130, so the Kaupps, Wickershams, and Jim and I hang with Roc & Nancy for lunch and the tools while the others push on toward Skylands Lodge. We wave goodbye to the Beckers as they head out to Route 81 and Lancaster. We find the cafe with no major trouble. It's real small, but we manage to put a table together for the 8 of us. They have a vending machine which dispenses various lottery tickets - so Jerry and Kathy start playing the scratch-off games. After several loser tickets, I tried to convince Jerry to just hand the dollar to ME if he wants to throw his money away :-) The food is basic, but good. Our waitress says she was traveling through here on vacation from Ohio 15 years ago - and just forgot to go back!

The auto parts store looks like it could very well be stocked with original parts - a real throwback to the 1950s & 60s. I use this stop to beg some more reds off Joan. While we’re waiting for Roc to make his purchases we are approached by a VERY BIG dog who is intent on inspecting each of our convertibles. Kathy tells him NOT to try raising his leg! He seems most fascinated with the tailpipes :-) The owner of the dog comes outside and tells us the dog’s name is Stein. Nancy learns that the man speaks German to the dog - so Kathy starts talking to Stein in German . . . but she still can’t get him to sit!

We continue up the Blue Ridge and connect with the Skyline Drive. The scenery continues to be beautiful - and it's still hot - even up in these mountains. We have to stop several times due to deer standing in the road. The Skylands Lodge has 160 units that turn out to be in a series of small buildings. When we check in we find that the rest of our group has already arrived and we are all in the same 16-unit lodge. We have 8 of the rooms - so that means there are 8 “non-Vetters” here as well. I don’t see any “Quiet Please” rules posted . . . and this place has televisions in each of the rooms - and there’s a pay-phone on the wall near our lodge’s ice machine. Nancy quickly discovers that we get ABC - on three channels! On one the signal is real bad - another it's passable - and on the third channel - it comes in real clear. So, as long as you want to watch ABC, you’ve got it made.

Most of the gang decides to go up to the Tap Room to relax. Roc is going to change his sparks while there is still some daylight. Jim and Nancy stay close for comments and moral support. We are amazed to see several deer approach as we’re working on the car. They just ignore us . . . didn’t even flinch when my Vette “honked” as I locked the car! We see two other Corvettes go past our location and they call out to us that we did a great job on the caravan. Joe recognizes the cars as two from the New England contingent who traveled with us.

Roc has checked the engine several times - he’s getting good spark - but the car is running real rough and its been backfiring a lot. Jim and Roc check the distributor cap - it looks fine - points seem fine - all wires are making contact. Roc takes each spark out - they don’t look bad at all - so he cleans them off as well as the wires and puts everything back together. Joe and I are handing him paper towel sections and Q-tips as needed so we joke that we’re like the scrub nurses assisting the surgeon. We decide that the next possibility could be the coil - so Roc plans on jumping off at Luray tomorrow morning to pick up a new one. The sun is setting and Nancy uses a couple cameras to try to capture the spectacular view. Now its time to hike up the hill to the Dining Hall Lodge. Its not until we are half-way up this mountain that we realize this was not such a good idea. We should have driven up!

We have no trouble finding our table - - - just follow the noise coming from our friends. They have a second table saved for the five of us. The two couples from New England are at the next table over and Joe stops to chat with them. Jerry is telling some of his jokes (what else is new?) and that table is getting louder and louder. They tell us there is going to be “live” entertainment in a little while - the lodge manager is a singer. Our waiter comes over to tell us the days specials - and I can hardly understand him. He is Lithuanian - can’t remember what his name was - and very patient with me. The gales of laughter are coming more and more frequently from NGCA Table #1. We’re certain we are going to be thrown out of here!

Suddenly the sound of squealing brakes is heard. Oops. Sorry, that’s the “entertainer” singing in the next room!!!!! One by one everyone but Roc and I get up and peak around the corner to see what this person looks like. . . . and each one comes back laughing hysterically! The report is that she is quite substantial in size and somewhat unattractive! Jerry relates to our table that given a choice of running into her or a bear on the way back to our lodge - Scott would prefer the bear! The only one enjoying all this country “music” is Jim.

Now we have to get back down the hill to our lodge. They’ve been warning us all day about the local bears so most of us aren’t too thrilled with the prospect of hiking down the woods to our building. Don’t know how it happened - but Ginny takes point and she’s walking down the path yelling “OK, bear - here we come. Go away, shoo, shoo”. Its not till we’re half-way down the path that Jim tells her that he heard on The Learning Channel that bears attack when they hear noise! Mike waits till we’re practically at the bottom before asking if anyone left their room key up at the dining room :-)

We call it a night - and I think we’re each looking forward to sleeping in our own beds tomorrow night!