Shenandoah River

June 3 and 4rd
I left Alice’s at 8 am in the morning. Lucha and I drove through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and finally Virginia mostly on highway 81, a truck route. Ten hours later we arrived outside of Luray, at the Shenandoah Outfitters Campground, right next to the Shenandoah River. The place was closed but there were plenty of campsites. I pulled in; Lucha and I burst out of the car and ran around exploring the whole place. We were so happy to be out of the car. The next morning I decided to canoe the river. I was the first one up in the camp and got a paddle and life jacket on. Two young boys one from Yugoslavia and the other one from Bulgaria drove me to the launch spot with the canoe. They had just arrived to the state to work until October with the Outfitters Campground. It was the first time ever in the states for the young Bulgarian and he was overjoyed, expressing his amazement at the kindness of people here. He spoke great English, and was truly excited for his new adventure ahead. The boys helped Lucha and I into the canoe and we all said good-bye. On the river, my first bird sighting was a pair of bald eagles, one landed on a tree and I got a great look at him through my binoculars. There were hundreds of turtles sunbathing. A few cattle were grazing along the edge. The river was wide and gentle. Lucha was an excellent passenger