Byways Mountains & Valleys 2020

Featuring North America’s Leading Travel Destinations

Mountains & Valleys 2020 The Black Hills of South Dakota Colorado’s Front Range The Roanoke Valley & Virginia’s Blue Ridge The Green Mountains of Vermont

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Instant Connect

Direct one-click digital links to our Advertisers Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad

Royal Gorge Route Railroad

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

All Aboard

for Colorado Rail Experiences The distinct, historic railroads of Colorado give travelers the opportunity to experience some of the most revered scenic train rides and attractions in the U.S. Build these unique rides into your western itineraries for your most ardent railfans.

Peak gold rush. The track heads out of Cripple Creek, past the Midland Terminal wye and over a reconstructed trestle before returning to the depot.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad in CaĂąon City offers an elegant out-and-back trip through the Royal Gorge along the Arkansas River. Choose from a variety of options where gorgeous scenery is combined with great service and delicious food, sourced locally and prepared fresh right on board the train.

In Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which runs from the mountain town of Manitou Springs to the 14,115’ summit of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, is under reconstruction with new Swiss cog rail cars, 19 miles of newly constructed track and a new depot. It is scheduled to reopen in 2021, shortly after the opening of a new and stunning Pikes Peak Summit House.

Head up into the Rocky Mountains to ride the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. This narrated trip on a century-old steam locomotive reveals scenic shots of Pikes Peak and old mining camps around every curve as guests are transported back to the gold mining days of the Pikes

For a unique and authentic experience, visit the Pikes Peak Trolley Museum, located in the 1888 Rock Island Roundhouse.

Their mission is to promote interest and knowledge of street rail transportation, restore vintage trolley cars and preserve the remarkable transit legacy of Colorado Springs.

Historic Rail Trips & Museums: 1. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad 2. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad 3. Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad 4. Georgetown Loop Railroad 5. Colorado Rail Museum (Golden) 6. Colorado Model Railroad Museum (Greeley) 7. Pueblo Railway Museum

What’s New: In late May 2020, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum will open its doors as one of the most accessible museums in the world. Each guest will have an experience unique to them based on their favorite sports, athletes and hometown. Interactive, digital exhibits will allow you to race against a Team USA track star, ask questions of an Olympian and Paralympian and see how the Games

Plan Your Tour

VisitCOS.com/groups-tours

Floy Kennedy

Director of Travel Industry Sales Floy@VisitCOS.com 719.685.7635

Byways Magazine ŠCopyright 2020 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher.

For more than 37 years, Byways has been covering the leading destinations along the highways and byways of North America. Some of the most well-known, and least known, destinations to discover in the United States and Canada.

Byways is published in three versions. The is the Turn-Key edition on the web for viewing on Computers, Android, iOS (iPhone and iPad). There is an Apple App Store edition. There is also a Byways Magazine Channel in Apple News. A Byways Podcast is available on major podcast apps, including the Apple Podcast app.

For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine 502-785-4875 or Email http://bywaysmagazine.com Byways • 3

PREVIEW

By Steve Kirchner, Editor & Publisher

W

elcome to the Mountains & iar with the Front Range. It is the first mountain range Valleys issue of Byways. viewed as one goes westbound across the Great Plains of Before we continue, let’s North America. As such, it was the first mountains answer the question you are undoubted- encountered by the pioneers in their trek west.

The Front Range runs north-south between Casper, ly asking: Why publish a travel magaWyoming and Pueblo, Colorado and rises nearly 10,000 zine when no one can travel? feet above the Great Plains. Longs Peak, Mount Evans, Actually, in our view, this may be one and Pikes Peak are its most prominent peaks, rising over of the better times to publish a travel magazine. Rarely 14,000 feet along the Interstate 25 corridor. have our readers had as much time on their hands as they The peaks of the Front Range are some of the most do right now, to think of the future. To wonder where dominant in Colorado. And they form the backdrop to they might travel if only they could.

A second answer is how travel decisions are actually two of Colorado’s largest metropolitan areas, Denver made even in the best of times. Most professional tour and Colorado Springs.

Traveling east, the Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue planners don’t see a magazine and decide to plan a trip to Ridge is situated on Interstate 81 in the heart of that destination next week. Maybe six months from now, Virginia’s western mountains. or even next year. And they will need more information European settlers first discovered the Roanoke Valley than what we provide. It takes a lot of research and hard over three centuries ago. However, it was not until the work to put together an itinerary. It doesn’t happen 19th century and the Age of the Iron Horse that the modovernight.

Likewise, most consumers don’t read a travel article ern valley became an economic powerhouse.

The Blue Ridge Parkway makes its way through the and say, let’s call and make reserheart of Virginia’s Blue vations. They may say, wow, what Ridge Mountains. At 469 a beautiful place, let’s think about miles, this scenic drive that for a future trip. winds along the Blue Ridge Whether it’s six months from Mountains and offers visinow, or next year, things are going tors the opportunity to enjoy to be very different than they are some of the best mountain today. views in the world.

And if there is one thing that we The Green Mountains of can agree on, it’s that the demand Needles Highway in the Black Hills.

Vermont are part of the for travel will be unprecedented Appalachian Mountain syswhen this pandemic is behind us. tem, extending for 250 miles north to south through the No one will want to stay home! state.

Vermont not only takes its state nickname (“The So in the Mountains and Valleys issue we present some Green Mountain State”) from the mountains, it is named beautiful places to think about in the future.

First stop is the Black Hills of South Dakota. with nat- after them.

The Long Trail, a wilderness hiking trail, traverses the ural beauty and exciting adventure. The Black Hills rise state, while drivers set a slower pace on Vermont’s scefrom the Great Plains in western South Dakota and nic roads.

Quaint towns, acres of farmed valleys, apple extend into Wyoming. orchards, covered bridges and specialty stores are prevaWith over five million acres of forest and mountain lent in the area. lands, the Black Hills offer rich western history, abunIn What’s Happening, we enter the world of espionage, dant natural beauty and exciting adventure.

From four faces carved on Mount Rushmore to the cybersecurity, and surveillance at the International Spy The museum’s new Cathedral Spires of Custer State Park, from the other- Museum in Washington, DC. 140,000-square-foot purpose-built facility offers interacworldly Badlands in the east to Devils Tower in the west tive exhibits and the world’s largest display of authentic — the Black Hills of South Dakota are home to many spy tools and gadgets. truly monumental places.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Byways.

When we think of Colorado, we naturally think of the Rocky Mountains. However, far fewer people are familByways • 4

Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad

Video r o f k c Cli Royal Gorge Route Railroad

U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum

All Aboard

for Colorado Rail Experiences The distinct, historic railroads of Colorado give travelers the opportunity to experience some of the most revered scenic train rides and attractions in the U.S. Build these unique rides into your western itineraries for your most ardent railfans.

Peak gold rush. The track heads out of Cripple Creek, past the Midland Terminal wye and over a reconstructed trestle before returning to the depot.

The Royal Gorge Route Railroad in CaĂąon City offers an elegant out-and-back trip through the Royal Gorge along the Arkansas River. Choose from a variety of options where gorgeous scenery is combined with great service and delicious food, sourced locally and prepared fresh right on board the train.

In Colorado Springs, The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cog Railway, which runs from the mountain town of Manitou Springs to the 14,115’ summit of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, is under reconstruction with new Swiss cog rail cars, 19 miles of newly constructed track and a new depot. It is scheduled to reopen in 2021, shortly after the opening of a new and stunning Pikes Peak Summit House.

Head up into the Rocky Mountains to ride the Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. This narrated trip on a century-old steam locomotive reveals scenic shots of Pikes Peak and old mining camps around every curve as guests are transported back to the gold mining days of the Pikes

For a unique and authentic experience, visit the Pikes Peak Trolley Museum, located in the 1888 Rock Island Roundhouse.

Their mission is to promote interest and knowledge of street rail transportation, restore vintage trolley cars and preserve the remarkable transit legacy of Colorado Springs.

Historic Rail Trips & Museums: 1. Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad 2. Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad 3. Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad 4. Georgetown Loop Railroad 5. Colorado Rail Museum (Golden) 6. Colorado Model Railroad Museum (Greeley) 7. Pueblo Railway Museum

What’s New: In late May 2020, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum will open its doors as one of the most accessible museums in the world. Each guest will have an experience unique to them based on their favorite sports, athletes and hometown. Interactive, digital exhibits will allow you to race against a Team USA track star, ask questions of an Olympian and Paralympian and see how the Games

Plan Your Tour

VisitCOS.com/groups-tours

Floy Kennedy

Director of Travel Industry Sales Floy@VisitCOS.com 719.685.7635 Sponsored Content

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Abbott Lake and the Peaks of Otter. For more on Virginia’s Blue Ridge, turn to page 20.

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Volume 37, Issue No. 2 2020 On the cover. View from Sandy Gulch Trailhead in the Black Hills of South Dakota. For more on the Black Hills, turn to page 8. Photo courtesy Visit Rapid City,

Features Mountains & Valleys 2020. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 The Black Hills of South Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Colorado’s Front Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Roanoke Valley & Virginia’s Blue Ridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 The Green Mountains of Vermont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Sponsored Content All Aboard for Colorado Rail Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Departments Byways Instant Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Byways Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Advertisers Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

What’s Happening Intelligence Secrets at International Spy Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Coming in future issues of Byways ...Ocean Views, Rivers & Lakes, Great American Roads and more!

Next Up: Ocean Views Right. The white sandy beaches of Alabama’s Gulf Shores on the Gulf of Mexico. Byways photo.

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s y e l l a V & s n i a t n Mou

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The Black Hills of South Dakota

The Black Hills from Harney Peak. Photo courtesy Navin75 & Wikimedia Commons.

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Black Hills National Forest. Photo courtesy Visit Rapid City.

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rom the four faces carved on Mount Rushmore and the Cathedral Spires of Custer State Park, from the otherworldly Badlands in the east to Devils Tower in the west – the Black Hills of South Dakota are home to many truly monumental places.

With over five million acres of forest and mountain lands, the Black Hills offer rich western history, abundant natural beauty and exciting adventure.

The Black Hills rise from the Great Plains in western South Dakota and extend into Wyoming. Black Elk Peak (formerly known as Harney Peak), which rises to 7,244 feet, is the range’s highest summit and is the highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

The Black Hills encompass the Black Hills National Forest. The name “Black Hills” is a translation of the Lakota Pahá Sápa. The hills were so-called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they were covered in trees.

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Gold and the Black Hills War Native Americans have a long history in the Black Hills. After conquering the Cheyenne in 1776, the Lakota took the territory of the Black Hills, which became central to their culture. In 1868, the U.S. government signed the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, establishing the Great Sioux Reservation west of the Missouri River, and exempting the Black Hills from all white settlement forever.

However, when settlers discovered gold in 1874, as a result of George Armstrong Custer’s Black Hills Expedition, miners swept into the area in a gold rush.

The U.S. government took back the Black Hills and in 1889 reassigned the Lakota, against their wishes, to five smaller reservations in western South Dakota, selling off 9 million acres of their former land. Unlike most of South Dakota, the Black Hills were settled by European Americans primarily from population centers to the west and south of the region, as miners flocked there from earlier gold boom locations in Colorado and Montana.

Bison in Custer State Park. Photo courtesy Visit Rapid City.

The U.S. government took back the Black Hills and in 1889 reassigned the Lakota, against their wishes, to five smaller reservations in western South Dakota, selling off 9 million acres of their former land. Unlike most of South Dakota, the Black Hills were settled by European Americans primarily from population centers to the west and south of the region, as miners flocked there from earlier gold boom locations in Colorado and Montana.

The conflict over control of the region sparked the

Black Hills War (1876), also known as the Great Sioux War, the last major Indian War on the Great Plains.

Following the defeat of the Lakota and their Cheyenne and Arapaho allies in 1876, the United States took control of the Black Hills. The Lakota never accepted the validity of the U.S. appropriation because, according to the Lakota, the U.S. government broke every single treaty prior to the takeover.

The Lakota have continued to try to reclaim the prop-

Mount Rushmore. Photo courtesy Travel South Dakota.

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Downtown Rapid City, South Dakota.

Photos courtesy Visit Rapid City. erty for sacred purposes and filed a suit against the fed- Growth of Tourism eral government. Many Lakota believe the government As the economy of the Black Hills has shifted from still has yet to uphold their bargain of the broken treaties. natural resources (mining and timber) since the late 20th century, the hospitality and tourism industries have Illegal Takeover grown to take its place. Locals tend to divide the Black On July 23, 1980, in United States v. Sioux Nation of Hills into two areas: “The Southern Hills” and “The Indians, the Supreme Court ruled that the Black Hills were illegally taken by the federal government and ordered remuneration of the initial Hiking in the Black Hills. offering price plus interest, nearly $106 million. The Lakota refused the settlement, as they wanted the Black Hills returned to them.

The money remains in an interest-bearing account, which, as of 2015, amounts to over $1.2 billion, but the Lakota still refuse to take the money. They believe that accepting the settlement would allow the U.S. government to justify taking ownership of the Black Hills.

The money remains in an interest-bearing account, which, as of 2015, amounts to over $1.2 billion, but the Lakota still refuse to take the money. They believe that accepting the settlement would allow the U.S. government to justify taking ownership of the Black Hills.

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Deemed “impossible” to construct by its critics, Needles Highway—a National Scenic Byway—was completed in 1922 and includes 14 miles of sharp turns, low tunnels and impressive granite spires. The road lies within the 73,000 acre Custer State Park, just 30 miles south of Rapid City.

Consisting of Iron Mountain Road and the Needles Highway, the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway was created by Governor Norbeck to showcase the scenery without The Needles destroying the land or wildlife.

Today, the major city in the Black Hills is Rapid City, with an incorporated populaNorthern Hills”. The Southern Hills is home to Mount tion of almost 70,000 and a metropolitan population of Rushmore, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave 125,000.

It serves a market area covering much of five National Monument, Black Elk Peak (the highest point states: North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, in the United States east of the Rockies, formerly and and Montana. still more commonly known as Harney Peak), Custer In addition to tourism and mining (including coal, speState Park (the largest state park in South Dakota), the cialty minerals, and the now declining gold mining), the Crazy Horse Memorial, and the Mammoth Site in Hot Black Hills economy includes ranching (sheep and catSprings, the world’s largest mammoth research facility.

Attractions in the Northern Hills include Spearfish tle, primarily, with bison becoming more common), timCanyon, historic Deadwood, and the Sturgis Motorcycle ber, Ellsworth Air Force Base, and some manufacturing, Rally, held each August. The first Rally was held on including Black Hills gold jewelry, cement, electronics, August 14, 1938 and the 80th Rally will be held this year. cabinetry, guns and ammunition.

For more information, visit: The event attacks more than 1 million bikers to the Black https://www.blackhillsbadlands.com Hills. Devils Tower National Monument, located in the Wyoming Black Hills, is an important nearby attraction https://www.visitrapidcity.com and was the United States first national monument.

Needles Highway

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14 • Byways

Colorado’s Front Range

Longs Peak as viewed from Windsor, Colorado.

Photo courtesy Peter Romero and Wikimedia Commons.

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Mount Evans and the Front Range dominates the Denver Skyline. Photo courtesy Visit Denver.

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he Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains is located in the central portion of Colorado and the southeastern portion of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered as one goes westbound across the Great Plains of North America.

Lying largely within conservation areas, the Front Range constitutes the whole of Rocky Mountain National Park and occupies portions of Pike, Arapaho, Routt, Roosevelt, and Medicine Bow national forests.

The range is known for its variety of minerals and its recreational appeal, and it serves as a source region for head streams of the Cache la Poudre and Colorado rivers.

North-South Range

extending from Cheyenne, Wyoming south to Pueblo, Colorado. This urban corridor benefits from the weathermoderating effect of the Front Range mountains, which help block prevailing storms.

20 Peaks Over 11,000 Feet Twenty peaks over 11,000 feet make up the Front Range. Four of the mountains have an elevation over 14,000 feet.

Grays Peak These include Grays Peak, the tenth-highest summit of the Rocky Mountains. The prominent 14,278-foot fourteener is the highest summit of the Front Range and the highest point on the Continental Divide in North America. Grays Peak is located in Arapahoe National Forest, about 4 miles east of Loveland Pass.

Grays Peak is one of 53 fourteeners, mountains of over 14,000 feet in elevation in Colorado. Botanist Charles C. Parry made the first recorded ascent of the summit in 1861 and named the peak in honor of his botanist colleague Asa Gray. Grays Peak is commonly mentioned in conjunction with adjacent Torreys Peak.

The Front Range runs north-south between Casper, Wyoming and Pueblo, Colorado and rises nearly 10,000 feet above the Great Plains. Longs Peak, Mount Evans, and Pikes Peak are its most prominent peaks, visible from the Interstate 25 corridor.

The area is a popular destination for mountain biking, hiking, climbing, and camping during the warmer months and for skiing and snowboarding during winter.

The name “Front Range” is also applied to the Front Range Urban Corridor, the populated region of Colorado Mount Evans Mount Evans is the highest peak in the namesake and Wyoming just east of the mountain range and Mount Evans Wilderness in the Front Range. The peak 16 • Byways

is one of the characteristic Front Range peaks, dominating the western skyline of the Great Plains along with Pikes Peak, Longs Peak, and nearby Mount Bierstadt. Mount Evans can be seen from over 100 miles to the east, and many miles in other directions. Mount Evans highway above Summit Lake is the highest paved road in North America Mount Evans dominates the skyline, rising over 9,000 feet above the area. Mount Evans can be seen as far away as Castle Rock, 65 miles to the south and as far north as Fort Collins, 95 miles, and from areas near Limon, 105 miles to the east.

In the early days of Colorado tourism, Mount Evans and Denver were often in competition with Pikes Peak and Colorado Springs.

Parry Peak, west of Denver. Photo courtesy Tom Berrigan & Wikimedia Commons.

Longs Peak Longs Peak rises 14,259-feet and is 9.6 miles southwest of the Town of Estes Park, Colorado. Longs Peak is the northern most fourteener in the Rocky Mountains and the highest point in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Longs Peak is one of the most prominent mountains in Colorado, rising 9,000 feet above the western edge of the

Great Plains.

The peak is named for Major Stephen Long, who is said to be the first to spot the great mountains on behalf of the U.S. Government on June 30, 1820.

Together with the nearby Mount Meeker, with an elevation of 13,911 feet, the two are sometimes referred to as the Twin Peaks.

Pikes Peak is just 12 miles east of downtown Colorado Springs. Photo courtesy VisitCOS.Com. Byways • 17

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View from the summit of Mount Evans. Photo courtesy Daniel Schwen and Wikimedia Commons.

Together with the nearby , with an elevation of 13,911 ed to members of the Pike expedition, led by Zebulon feet, the two are sometimes referred to as the Twin Peaks. Pike, for whom it is named. Pike, however, was unable to reach the summit.

Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range. The ultra-prominent 14,115-foot fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, 12 miles west of downtown Colorado Springs. The summit is higher than any point in the United States east of its longitude.

Pikes Peak rises 8,000 ft above downtown Colorado Springs. It is a designated National Historic Landmark.

It is composed of a characteristic pink granite called Pikes Peak granite. The color is due to a large amount of potassium feldspar.

The first Europeans to see Pikes Peak were the Spanish in the 1700s. The first American sighting is often credit-

Pikes Peak Gold Rush Gold was discovered in the area of present-day Denver in 1858, and newspapers referred to the gold-mining area as Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak or Bust became the slogan of the Colorado Gold Rush. This was more due to Pikes Peaks visibility to gold seekers traveling west across the plains than any actual significant gold find anywhere near Pikes Peak.

Major gold deposits were not discovered in the Pikes Peak area until the Cripple Creek Mining District was discovered southwest of Pikes Peak and led, in 1893, to one of the last major gold rushes in the lower 48 states.

Denver’s International Airport and the Front Range. Photo courtesy Visit Denver.

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Golden, home of Coors Brewery, and the Front Range. Photo courtesy Visit Denver.

America the Beautiful

The Front Range will be hard to miss on your next visit to Colorado.

In July 1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote the song https://www.visitcos.com “America the Beautiful”, after having admired the view https://www.denver.org from the top of Pikes Peak. It appeared in print in The Congregationalist, a weekly journal, on July 4, 1895. A plaque commemorating the words to the song was placed at the summit.

Other mountains in the Front Range include Parry Peak, elevation 13,397 ft. The peak is on the continental divide southeast of Winter Park in the Arapahoe National Forest. The name honors Charles Christopher Parry, a botanist who made extensive studies of the Colorado mountain flora in the 1860s.

It is one of the 637 peaks over 13,000 ft elevation in the state of Colorado.

Bard Peak is a prominent mountain summit in the Front Range. The 13,647-foot thirteener is also located in Arapaho National Forest, 4.5 miles west-northwest of the Town of Silver Plume.

Finally, the Twin Sisters Peaks are located in the Front Range, straddling Rocky Mountain National Park and Roosevelt National Forest.

Pikes Peak and the Garden The peaks of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of the Gods, Colorado Springs. are some of the most dominant in Colorado. They are Photo courtesy VisitCOS.Com. easily visible when traveling from the North, South or East, and they form the backdrop to two of Colorado’s largest metropolitan areas, Denver and Colorado Springs.

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Blue Ridge Parkway Aerial View.

Photo courtesy Star City SkyCams & Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

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The Roanoke Valley & Virginia’s Blue Ridge

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Fall Foliage at Tinker Cliffs. Photo courtesy Chad Corbett and Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

L

ocated within a day’s drive of half the nation's population, the Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue Ridge is situated on Interstate 81 in the heart of Virginia’s mountains. Roanoke is approximately 251 miles south of Washington, DC, and 216 miles west of Colonial Williamsburg.

History European settlers first discovered the Roanoke Valley over three centuries ago. However, the history of the region stretches back thousands of years to geological events that created this vast expanse of ridges and valleys and left alternating limestone and salt deposits in an area that would later come to be known as “Big Lick”.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge, like most of the early frontier, was not for the fainthearted. The salt marshes that once made the valley a fertile hunting ground were also the cause of countless deaths.

Militias were a necessity against frequent Native American and British raids. General Andrew Lewis, who distinguished himself in the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, purchased land in then-Botetourt County (later formed into Roanoke County) that eventually encompassed the present limits of the City of Salem.

The City of Roanoke had less auspicious beginnings, 22 • Byways

although it soon became the busiest commercial center west of Richmond. Once a rough, tawdry outpost along the Wilderness and Great Roads, it was never more than a bumble collection of hamlets, including Gainesborough and Big Lick, until Frederick J. Kimball brought the railroad to town in 1881.

The 19th century was the Age of the Iron Horse.

Several railroad companies, including the Virginia & Tennessee, the Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio and the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, were established in this area around the time of the Civil War. Several Philadelphia financiers, led by Kimball, realized there was money to be made with the discovery of bituminous coal in West Virginia.

When some enterprising locals got wind of the plan, it took a Paul Revere-esque midnight ride to Lexington, VA with a satchel containing $10,000 to convince the railroad executives to establish the junction in Roanoke.

The grateful locals almost renamed Big Lick after Kimball, President of the newly formed Norfolk & Western Railway, but he instead urged them to rename their city in honor of the river that runs through the valley. The name comes from a Native American word, “rawrenock,” which refers to white shell beads used to trade. Thus, Roanoke was born.

In 1974, Norfolk & Western merged with Southern

Railway, becoming Norfolk Southern, and moved its headquarters to Atlanta. As a result, the economic future of the Roanoke Valley was left in doubt.

Over the past three decades, however, the region has emerged as a center for healthcare, banking, shopping and tourism.

The Roanoke Star Indians wandering between the parallel ridges of the Allegheny Mountains named their great valley, Shenandoah, “daughter of the stars”. Here, nestled in this beautiful valley, is the progressive-spirited “Star City of the South” — Roanoke.

And, visible from just about every part of this city is the splendidly illuminated, 100-foot-tall Roanoke Star.

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway makes its way through the heart of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. At 469 miles, this scenic drive winds along the Blue Ridge Mountains and offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy some of the best mountain views in the world.

The Parkway is operated by the National Park Service and is the most visited unit in the National Park System.

Blue Ridge Parkway Information Center.

Photo courtesy Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

Travelers can take the Parkway north out of the Roanoke Valley and make their way to Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive or south toward Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina.

In addition to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the region is also home to Smith Mountain Lake — the “Jewel of the Blue Ridge”, and four amazing Virginia State Parks.

View from the Roanoke Star. Photo courtesy Jeff Greenberg & Virginia’s Blue Ridge..

Roanoke Skyline and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Photo courtesy Darryle Arnold & Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

Living History

had a major impact on the growth of the Roanoke Valley History is alive and well through fascinating museums at the History Museum of Western Virginia and the and major historical sites that let you walk in the foot- Salem Museum.

Here you can also learn the story of the brave men who steps of soldiers, explorers and statesmen.

You can find out how the railroad was instrumental in gave their lives during the Allied invasion of Normandy the development of the region at the Virginia Museum of during World War II at the National D-Day Memorial.

Transportation.

Walk through the spot where one of the nation’s Virginia Museum of Transportation. founding fathers used to Photo courtesy Bruce Henderson & retreat at Thomas Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

Jefferson’s Poplar Forest.

Discover the AfricanAmerican influence on the region and the entire country at the Booker T. Washington National Monument and Harrison Museum of African American Culture.

Understand how major Civil War battles in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains affected the outcome of the war.

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Outdoor Adventure The majestic mountains provide a scenic backdrop for all the outdoor adventures in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

But to fully enjoy your experience of over 1,000 miles of trails in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, you’ve got to put on some sturdy shoes and hike, bike, climb, and paddle among them.

The Roanoke Valley was named one of the ten most bike-friendly areas in the United States by USA Today Travel.

Roanoke is the largest city on the Appalachian Trail, and the local trio of Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs has become collectively known as the Triple Crown of Virginia, showcasing three of the most beautiful summits of the Appalachian Trail.

At approximately 2,200 miles in length, the Appalachian Trail, is revered among outdoor enthusiasts as a challenging and breathtaking path that provides one of the most unique nature experiences on earth.

The northern trailhead is at Mount Katahdin in Maine while the southern trailhead is at Springer Mountain in Georgia.

Less than an hour from Roanoke by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway are the Peaks of Otter, among the 7 Natural Wonders of Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

The Peaks of Otter are Sharp Top, Flat Top, and Harkening Hill. At 3,875 feet in elevation, Sharp Top was long believed to be the tallest mountain in Virginia, but in fact, Sharp Top isn’t even the highest of the three Peaks. Flat Top holds that title at 4,004 feet. Harkening Hill rises to 3,375 feet. The highest mountain in Virginia is Mount Rogers at 5,728 feet.

For more on the Roanoke Valley and Virginia’s Blue Ridge, visit: https://www.visitroanokeva.com

Mountain Bikers. Photo courtesy Sam Dean Photography & Virginia’s Blue Ridge.

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Traveling the Highways & Byways with Bill Graves

E

ast Tennessee is part of Appalachia. It has the soft peaks and broad, river valleys of the Appalachian Mountains that run up the East Coast.

It’s the home of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the country-music metropolis of Knoxville.

Here too is the “secret city” of Oak Ridge, where the nuclear material was secretly produced for the two atomic bombs that ended World War II. The roots of the homegrown folks run deep into Appalachia. I suspect many can tell stories of their early kin, their struggles with poverty, of life and death in the coal mines, of clan feuding, and makin’ moonshine.

Remnants of those days are found in antique shops all over eastern Tennessee. But nowhere are antiques and collectibles bought and sold with more frequency than in Clinton, population less then 10,000. It has 22 antique stores: more than any town this size that I've been in.

I normally don’t go in antique stores, but in Clinton, it’s what ya do. I discovered they were selling as

Clinton, Tennessee “antiques” things that were in my life when I was a kid.

I watched a couple happily paying good money for a cor-

Steve Jennings, Marvel Comics.

rugated washboard. I remember when my grandmother appeared equally happy when she tossed hers in the trash, the day she realized her new washing machine had replaced it.

Then again, this is Tennessee, bluegrass country, where music is often made with a washboard in the mix. That couple may have been famous musicians, who I would have recognized, if only their world of music connected with mine.

Most of the antique stores are on Market Street.

Two days a year, in May and October, the town Clinton closes its streets twice each year for antique festival. closes the street Photo ©Clinton Downtown Historic Association.

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Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons. to cars. Shop owners move merchandise out under canopies on the sidewalk, and they have an antique festival that goes all day.

Walking up Market, I was intrigued by a neon sign in a store window that said “Marvel Comics”. Inside, it looked like a shipping room where only someone who had worked there a long time could find things.

Steve Jennings, Downtown Oak Ridge, TN. the owner, was at a Photo courtesy Bill Graves. desk facing the door.

He was wearing his steel-rimed glasses on his forehead. The desk was covered with papers, boxes and an open check book. He obviously had plenty going on. A southern gentleman, he made me feel that since I was there, everything could wait.

Steve has been selling comics and action toys here – new as well as collectibles – for over 30 years. He works six days a week. “Most of my business is walk in.” he said. “Lots of kids. Families drive up here from Knoxville, shop and stay the night. And folks bring in collections, which I buy. Always ask questions though.

Occasionally, someone tries to sell me stolen stuff. I can

tell. And I don’t want it.”

“Ever sell on eBay?” I asked.

“Not now. I’ve got a 1000 pieces waiting to be priced.

I’ve been here since ‘83, ya know,” he said, as if rationalizing work that he had been neglecting for a good while. He has an inventory of over 300,000 comics with 80 to 100 new ones coming in every Wednesday.

What he calls “showcase comics” can go for as much as $80 to $100 dollars a copy. A more-typical collectible would be a John Wayne comic for $30.

“No one has the back issues like we do,” he said.

I didn’t ask to see any. I should have. I missed a chance to look back into a world, an earlier time, to which I am still connected.

Welcome to America’s Outback.

About the author: After seeing much of the world as a career naval officer, Bill Graves decided, after he retired, to take a closer look at the United States. He has been roaming the country for 20 years, much of it in a motorhome with his dog Rusty. He lives in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and is the author of On the Back Roads, Discovering Small Towns. of America. He can be reached at Roadscribe@aol.com.

Byways • 27

The G

View of Mount Mansfield from the toll road. Photo courtesy Joe Calzarette and Wikimedia Commons.

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Green Mountains of Vermont

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View from the top of Killington Peak looking straight at Pico Peak. Photo courtesy Mimi Camilleri & Wikimedia Commons.

T

he Green Mountains of Vermont are part of the Appalachian Mountain system, extending for 250 miles north to south through the state.

They are separated by Lake Champlain and other valley terrain on the west from the Connecticut River valley that defines much of its eastern border. A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers, and a majority of its open land is devoted to agriculture.

Green Mountain State

The Vermont Republic, also known as the Green Mountain Republic, existed from 1777 to 1791, at which time Vermont became the 14th state.

Highest Peaks Many peaks in the Green Mountains rise above 3,000 feet, and five rise above 4,000 feet. Mount Mansfield at 4,393 feet, is the highest point in Vermont. Killington Peak, 4,235 feet, is the second highest. Camel’s Hump, Mount Ellen, and Mount Abraham are also over 4,000 feet.

Highways cross at passes cut by the Missisquoi, Lamoille, and Winooski rivers. The mountains are noted for their scenic beauty and are popular tourist resort areas, known for its skiing facilities in winter and hiking in summer.

Vermont not only takes its state nickname (“The Green Mountain State”) from the mountains, it is named after them. The French Monts Verts or Verts Monts is literally translated as “Green Mountains”. This name was suggested in 1777 by Dr. Thomas Young, an American revolutionary and Boston Tea Party participant. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College is referred to as UVM, after the Latin Universitas Viridis Hiking, Skiing, Recreation The Long Trail, a wilderness hiking trail, traverses the Montis (University of the Green Mountains). state, while drivers set a slower pace on Vermont’s sce30 • Byways

nic roads. Quaint towns, such as Stowe and Montgomery, acres of farmed valleys, apple orchards, covered bridges and specialty stores are prevalent in the area.

Rutland, the state’s second largest city, is nestled in Vermont’s Green Mountains, resting in a wide valley between two mountain ranges. To the east three large peaks — Killington, Pico and Shrewsbury — flank the city. Rich in natural beauty, melded with a healthy economy and a wonderful history, Rutland is hailed as an ecletic mix of the old and new.

Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in Vermont. The summit is located within the Skiers at Killington Resort. Photo courtesy town of Underhill, the ridgeline, Brian Cua & Wikimedia Commons. including some secondary peaks, extends into the town of Stowe, and the mountain’s flanks also human profile, with distinct forehead, nose, lips, chin, reach into the town of Cambridge. When viewed from and Adam’s apple. the east or west, this mountain has the appearance of a Mount Mansfield is one of three spots in Vermont

View to the east from Mount Mansfield and the Stowe Mountain Ski Resort. Photo courtesy Stevage & Wikimedia Commons.

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Video r o f k c i Cl

Looking south off the summit ridge of Mount Mansfield towards Camel’s Hump. Photo courtesy Joe Calzarette and Wikimedia Commons. where alpine tundra survives from the Ice Ages. The bound on the Trail, it is the last 4,000 feet peak until mountain’s summit holds about 200 acres. In 1980, the Virginia. A gondola transports skiers and non-hikers to Mount Mansfield Natural Area was designated as a the summit in winter, summer, and during fall color seaNational Natural Landmark by the National Park son. There is a lodge near the peak which is complete Service. with a restaurant and bar with panoramic views.

Located in Mount Mansfield State Forest, the mounFor more on visiting the Green Mountains of Vermont: http://greenmountains.com tain is used for various recreational and commercial purposes. “The Nose” is home to transmitter towers for a https://vermontvacation.com number of regional radio and TV stations. There are many hiking trails. In addition, the east flank of the mountain is used by the The Green Mountains, just outside of Montpelier, Stowe Mountain Resort for winter skiVermont. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons. ing. A popular activity is to take the toll road (about 4 miles, steep, mostly unpaved, with several hairpin turns) from the Stowe Base Lodge to “The Nose” and hike along the ridge to “The Chin”.

Killington Mountain is located east of Rutland in south-central Vermont. A ski resort, Killington Ski Resort, nicknamed “the beast of the east”, is located on the mountain. Killington is a stop on the Long Trail, which shares its route with the Appalachian Trail. Traveling south32 • Byways

Downtown Rutland, Vermont. Photo courtesy Doug Kerr and Wikimedia Commons.

View from Mount Killington with skis, between the K1 gondola and the Peak Lodge. Photo courtesy Brian Cua & Wikimedia Commons.

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Intelligence Secrets at International Spy Museum

The Museum’s new building in Washington, DC. Photo courtesy Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners & International Spy Museum.

A

s revelations about espionage, cybersecurity, and surveillance make headlines every day, the International Spy Museum drew back the curtain on this secret world when it opened in its new home last year in Washington, DC. In the Museum’s new 140,000-square-foot purposebuilt facility, interactive exhibits and the world’s largest public display of authentic spy tools and gadgets are augmented by first-person accounts from real spies along with RFID technology that invites visitors to undertake their own spy missions.

The non-profit Museum dives into the alluring pop culture world of spies that the public knows well, but digs much deeper, exploring and demystifying real intelligence work—often stranger than fiction.

Its unparalleled collections and extraordinary stories are designed to engage, inform, and entertain visitors from around the country and across the globe, from school-age children to experienced intelligence professionals.

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The new International Spy Museum at L’Enfant Plaza—just steps away from the National Mall and The Wharf—provides more than twice the overall floor space of the Museum’s original home.

New exhibits showcase the varied ways technology is transforming the craft of intelligence and spying, as well as placing a spotlight on intelligence failures and successes throughout history that have shaped our world.

The Museum introduces the public to the nuts and bolts of intelligence work

Lipstick Pistol, courtesy of the International Spy Museum.

and to spellbinding stories of individual courage, risk, and betrayal.

It illuminates the many roles of intelligence professionals, from the gadget makers and intelligence collectors to the codebreakers and scientists. A new gallery takes a

intelligence past and present. The expanded exhibits reveal the often overlooked accounts of women and African-American offi-

g n i n e p p a H s ’ t a h W

close look at the analysts who make sense of incoming information, helping leaders make decisions that can sometimes mean life-ordeath.

The International Spy Museum’s staff and Advisory Board include top-ranking members of the Intelligence Community and experts in the field who draw on their decades of experience and first-hand knowledge to inform the Museum’s exhibits and programs.

Spy Museum Founder and Chairman of the Board Milton Maltz observed, “The world of espionage has been transformed since 2002 when we first opened the International Spy Museum and we felt it was vitally important to update and significantly expand the stories we tell and the insights we provide, addressing spying in the post 9/11 world, the growing threat of cyberwarfare, the passionate debate over enhanced interrogation, and operations we could not have even imagined 17 years ago. I welcome everyone to the new International Spy Museum to see for themselves what is at stake.”

The Spy Museum provides a comprehensive view of

cers and their crucial and largely unknown contributions, from the Revolutionary War to the present.

The new Museum explores both U.S. intelligence work as well as the operations and history of espionage agencies around the world, including those in the Middle East, China, and Russia. It also casts its eye across the broad span of human history, from the Trojan Horse and Mongol empire to 21st-century cyberwarfare.

Selected Exhibition Highlights The expanded exhibitions in the new Spy Museum tackle a range of new issues and employ new techniques to bring visitors deeper into the world of espionage and intelligence work than ever before.

•RFID: Radio frequency identification, technology and interactive stations enable visitors to take on a spy cover identity and test their espionage skills.

•Red Teaming: A dramatic interactive experience in which visitors participate in an exercise that CIA analysts used in the hunt for Osama bin Laden. Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morell, who was in the room with the president during the raid that killed bin Laden, speaks directly to visitors, virtually taking them through

007 James Bond’s Car in Lobby. Photo courtesy Dominique Muñoz for the International Spy Museum.

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Video r o f k c i l C

Cyber interactive, courtesy Sam Kittner for the International Spy Museum. the process in which analysts poke holes in theories, challenge conclusions, and weigh evidence to deliver to decision makers.

•Mind Games: A series of interactive experiences that expose the mental traps and patterns that people fall into on a daily basis, revealing how these biases can prove disastrous in the world of intelligence.

•Berlin: City of Spies, an immersive exhibit that invites visitors to step back in time to the surveillance state that was Communist East Berlin. The exhibition features original sections of the Berlin Wall, a Stasi office and East German hotel room furnished with all original artifacts, and an interrogation room where visitors can test their skills of deception by attempting to deceive their friends.

•Cyber: The New Battlefield explores technology that gives governments, shadowy groups, and individuals powerful new collection tools or dangerous weapons.

•Top Secret: Secrets Kept, Secrets Revealed examines the tension a democracy faces between openness and secrecy, as well as the profound consequences of a government keeping secrets…and the public uncovering them.

•Spying Launched: A Nation highlights the intelligence work that helped the outnumbered, outgunned American colonies win the Revolutionary War, showcasing a 240-yearold handwritten letter that launched the 36 • Byways

colonies’ spy network, penned by General George Washington.

The new Spy Museum’s permanent collection features more than 7,000 unique artifacts offering visitors the opportunity to come face-to-face with an astonishing new slate of never-before-seen intelligence tools and gadgets. The Museum’s already-impressive collection tripled in size in 2017 thanks to the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. H. Keith Melton, who pledged a donation of their entire personal collection of spy artifacts, the largest in the world.

Shoe with Heel Transmitter, courtesy Erik Sharar for the International Spy Museum.

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Facilities and Amenities The International Spy Museum’s new facility was designed by architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners. The building more than doubles the Museum’s education and programming space, including 30 percent more permanent exhibition space; dedicated temporary exhibition space; a flexible learning center with workshop spaces for adults, educators, and students; a fully acousticcontrolled theater for lectures, films, and panel discussions; and many adaptable spaces for programs.

The rooftop provides nearly 360-degree views of Washington, DC, from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument to The Wharf, with indoor event space encased in floor-to-ceiling windows for private events and public programs.

The International Spy Museum is the only museum in the United States dedicated to fostering public understanding of the important role intelligence and espionage have played in shaping our world, and the profound impact of espionage on our daily lives.

For more information please visit https://www.spymuseum.org

Pigeon Camera

Red Teaming Interactive, courtesy Sam Kittner for the International Spy Museum.

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Byways is published bi-monthly by Byways, Inc. and distributed electronically throughout North America.

Byways is emailed to more than 4000 tour operators /Travel Trade. Subscriptions are complimentary. An iPad & iPhone version is available for consumers in iTunes in the App Store. An Android browser version is available at www.issuu.com/byways.

Byways’ distribution includes motorcoach companies, tour operators, selected travel agents, bank travel managers, school band and athletic planners, meeting planners and the travel trade. For advertising rates, editorial deadlines, or to place advertising insertions, contact: Byways Magazine at 502-785-4875. ©Copyright 2020 by Byways, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be duplicated in any form without express written permission of the publisher.

Editor and Publisher Stephen M. Kirchner

Advertising 502-785-4875 Internet bywaysmagazine.com byways@motorcoach.com Byways on Facebook Byways on Twitter

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