The home of Thomas Jefferson
Leaving this morning we set off on the rest of Skyline Drive.
The drive is slow as the top speed is only 35 mph. But the scenery along the way is fantastic and the slow pace lets you take it all in. And you can see where the “Blue Ridge Mountains” get their name – the ridges in the distance just blend into one another into the distance with theat blue tinge.
Leaving the park and the drive, we headed for our stop for the night in Charlottesville. Charlotttesville is also home to Monticello – the home of Thomas Jefferson who drafted the Declaration of Indpendence and became the 3rd US President.
Jefferson inherited the property and set about designing the house himself. The original building was extended and it took over 40 years to finalise due to Jefferson’s extensive periods of travel. The designs were advanced for the time with large windows and skylights allowing significant light into the house as well as essentially creating double glazing from windows on both the inside and outside of the thick stone walls.
We wandered the yards and listened to Jefferson – well, an actor playing him – and then did a tour of the lower level of the house. On the way back to the visitor centre we walked past his grave which is on the estate.
Leaving Monticello we arrived at our hotel – the Homewood Suites (Hilton). It was “Evening Social” night so dinner was covered – Snacks, soup, salad and drinks.
Also needed to pack up some of our shopping to make room for Liam who is meeting us in Washington DC tomorrow afternoon – it will be great to have him travelling again with us for a week !