Happy Birthday to Me

You can call me a dork.

For my birthday this year, I wanted to go on a small trip to celebrate. When I mentioned this to friends, they’d asked, “How exciting! Are you going to the Outer Banks? New York? Vegas?”

I sheepishly replied, “No, just Lexington. You know, to see the Natural Bridge.”

“Um, you’re a dork.”

As you can see, my friends are accustomed to using the nickname.

I have this nerdy interest in visiting historical places like famous old buildings (Monticello, Gunston Hall, etc.), unique natural formations (caverns, canyons, etc.), and memorials/monuments (Mount Rushmore, Lincoln Memorial, etc.).

I would rather visit a stuffy old building that one of our early presidents was born in than lay out in the sun on a beach. Yes, there’s something wrong with me.

So Lexington was perfect for my birthday trip; it catered to the dork in me.

The first day, Justin and I stopped by a winery to start the trip right. Rockbridge Vineyard was housed in a barn; surrounded by lush, green vines and birds that greeted guests with songs. We told them that this was the first stop of my birthday trip. They gave me a small wine opener and wished us a happy adventure.

Along the roads toward Lexington, we were constantly spotting wildlife. “Look, a deer!”, “Look, a hawk!”, and “Look, a rabbit!” were regular exclamations in the car. So Justin made up a game to see who can spot the most wildlife during the trip. But there was one special rule: if one of us saw a bear, they would automatically win the whole game. The challenge was on.

Over the hills and through the woods, we arrived at our bed and breakfast, Stoneridge Inn. Located on a secluded hilltop, nothing but woods, mountains, and gardens encircled us. The air was fresh and soft. The gardens were fragrant and blooming. Mountains could be seen in the distance covered in row after row of untouched trees. It was very private, peaceful, and beautiful. We contemplated in not leaving at all; we almost stayed hidden away at the inn.

The next day, after a delicious homemade breakfast, we started our dork quest. The Natural Bridge was first on our itinerary. It was vast, but almost humble. The rocks were smooth and curved from the constant flowing water and it softened the presence of the monumental bridge. We walked along the trail that took us to the Monacan Village and the Lace Waterfalls. There was more wildlife to see, like fish, birds, and “Look, a snake!”

Justin got another point.

Afterwards, we headed to downtown Lexington. On the way, we stopped at Foamhenge. It was exactly what the name was: a life-size replica of Stonehenge, all made of painted foam. I was taking a few photos when I heard rustling to my right. When I turned, I saw a black figure galloping through the fields, towards the woods uphill.

“Look!! A BEAR!” I shouted.

“No way! There’s no bear, liar,” Justin snidely responded.

I didn’t even reply. I just waited for him to turn around. “Holy moly! There is a bear!” he said seconds later.

“I won,” I said as I smiled to him.

With my new title, “Winner,” we traveled back toward downtown. We toured Stonewall Jackson’s house and garden. Naturally, we made our way to his Memorial Cemetery afterwards. We marveled at his monument and visited his family’s lot. Many soldiers were buried in the cemetery, and their markers were engraved with symbols that indicated his service in a war. It didn’t take long for us to get in the mood for a ghost tour. Unfortunately, half way through the tour, we got rained out.

So we drove back to our inn and drank sherry on the porch while we watched the storm. Since the inn was hidden from the city, the night sky was almost pitch black. When lightening struck, we got to glimpse the trees swaying with the wind. We agreed—it was far better than a ghost tour.

The next morning, we enjoyed our last, tasty, homemade breakfast, and packed up. We said good-bye to the residing Sheppard puppies and thanked the inn keepers. We drove back downtown and dropped by the local farmer’s market. Next, we made our way to Washington and Lee University to visit Lee Chapel and Museum. We paid our respects to Robert E. Lee and his loyal companion, Traveler.

In the afternoon, we started back towards home. For lunch, we had a picnic at Lexington Valley Vineyard. Three dogs and a couple of hummingbirds kept us company on the patio. We also stopped by Barren Ridge Vineyards and listened to the story of the winery that used to be an orchard. The wineries were the closing act of our trip.

In no time at all, we were back home in Richmond. Our trip to Lexington was perfect.

Historic old houses? Check.
Unique natural formation? Check.
Monument/memorials? Check.

I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Oh, and I won the wildlife game.

So, Winner? Check.