Day Three; falls, snakes, pandas, and pigs

Day Three.

The morning always seems to come earlier when I am in a tent. Maybe it is the inability to close the blinds or the early morning bird or even the anticipation of another day outside. It could even be that I am frugal, buy cheap tents and end up waking up with a thin layer of morning dew on my face. All I know is that it give me more daylight hours to be active and enjoy my precious time away from the day to day.

Ashley and I had made plans to leave Shenandoah that afternoon to follow through with some exciting Sunday night plans! We did a 2 hour hike right after we packed up the tent. It was a nice hike and we even got to see a cool dog on the trail. By the time we left the park we had seen 5 of 10 falls, 3 snakes, dozens of deer, and a skunk.

As it began to rain we exited the park with a few hours to spare, as we opted out of our final hike plan. We were informed that the waterfall was only a slight trickle and the water has mostly dried up.

On a whim, we drove to Richmond Virgina to have a late lunch at Panda Veg. It was a Chinese spot that had an alternate vegan menu. Here in Atlanta we have Chinese Buddha that does the same thing with the double menu. On this trip, I realized how common this is for a restaurant.

We split some insanely spicy noodle dish that neither of us could handle and we also split some vegan crab rangoon. That was not great either but to be honest, I have never had non-vegan crab rangoon before so maybe I just do not like it. Ashley had a spring roll and teriyaki mock chicken. I had some a very interesting dish with mock chicken, veggies and mango in a white sauce. I tried it because I love mango but have trouble being creative with the fruit. This dish gave me some fun ideas.

After out late lunch, we headed back west to complete our Sunday night plans. I think I may have found my dream life. The White Pig Bed and Breakfast. In very rural central Virgina, there is an amazing vegan spot of relaxation.

The White Pig is an all vegan bed and breakfast. It has fun little pig ornaments all around the property and the house is full of character and there were even some amazing and tasty cupcakes for us. There is about a mile of hiking trails on the property, 11 rescued pigs, a horse, a pony, a few dogs, and a number of cats. Ashley spend the first hour or so of our time here running around the house discovering new threats and goodies that had been left for us. It was so much much to see and brought a big smile to my face.



Late in the evening, after settling into the Olive Room, Ashley and I walked around the property and saw a huge black snake slither up a tree, the forth large snake of the trip. One of the owners of the house told us how he was happy to see that snake since it keeps the copperheads away. It gave us little comfort as we had had our fill of the snakes.

As the sun fell, the bats came out and the pond frogs began to chirp. We sat in the hot tub in the backyard relaxing our muscles from the strenuousness of the rugged Shenandoah, while sipping home made lemon-aid. Then we settled in for what would easily the most calm we would find on the entire trip.

I have never been to a bed and breakfast before The White Pig. It was amazing, something I will never forget. I want this is be my life. For years, I have wanted to live in a very rural area on acres of land with distant neighbors. However, I could never give up my desire to cook for people. This could be the long term solution.

The White Pig is fantastic. I can not say enough good things about this place and its residence.