The headlines any day of the week would make you think that all of America is at each other’s throats. It’s simply not the case. Throughout our travels, we have met a lot of people who are friendly, god-fearing, family-oriented and pet-loving. They work hard for a living and want to live their lives in peace. We have found this even outside of the most political place in the nation—Washington, DC. Not far from the nation’s capitol is a small town, Front Royal, Va. It’s historic Main Street is really a picture of many Main Streets, and not far is the Shenandoah River. This is a place where one can experience a slice of American hospitality and the rugged beauty of the outdoors, a formula for rest and relaxation.
Chris, Service Dog Charlie and I arrived in Front Royal around lunch time. We decided to parallel park our RV at the far end of Main Street by the old Proctor Biggs Feed Mill. The mill is now a restaurant and we thought to take a walk through town and end up back at the feed mill to, well, feed ourselves. The walk down Main Street featured a lot of nice shops and stores. Dusty’s Country Store, for example, had a little bit of everything. Chris got some Black Cherry Honey to try. I ended up with a really big chocolate peanut butter cup. They even had dog treats for Charlie. We passed a couple of coffee shops and restaurants. Later, I found out that a high school classmate of mine lives near Front Royal and she recommended Element, a restaurant that we tried on our second day. It was excellent.
A little later, we met Daniel Elliott, owner of Front Royal Wines. He had started the shop around when everything got shut down with COVID. But he persisted and survived. He has a great selection of wines as well as chocolates. We found a bottle of Israeli cabernet sauvignon that paired great with my home-made cigars sitting along the Shenandoah River at our campsite. Daniel truly represents the entrepreneurial spirit that makes this country great. Back at the RV, we fed Charlie and then went to lunch at the feed mill. Good food and friendly people. Charlie is a social magnet. Everywhere he goes, people want to make over him. A lady in the booth next to us was having a business meeting with a client and she was slipping Charlie food. We ran into her several times during our two visits to Main Street—such as it is in small towns.
Low Water Bridge Campground is an absolute treasure off the beaten path. We had a campsite right on the river bank of the scenic Shenandoah. This is a real campground. Yes, we had electric hookup, but other than that we were camping without the normal amenities you find at fancier places. Even so, this campground rates among the best where we have stayed. People were really friendly, many of them tent campers. And the beauty of the river was all around us. It was the perfect place to wind down and relax. King Solomon wrote that every person should eat, drink and enjoy the good of his labor because it is a blessing from God. Certainly, being able to live in a country like America, visit places like the Shenandoah Valley, and engage with salt-of-the-earth people is a tremendous blessing. Even Charlie thinks so!
