Last Sunday, Nancy and I decided to celebrate Father’s Day with a Sunday Drive to the Shenandoah Valley. Nancy deviled some eggs and we stopped by the Colonel’s and picked up a bucket of Fried Chicken and we were off to Bridgewater.
Why Bridgewater? Because not far from this small college town is one of the most bucolic places I’ve ever seen. We discovered it on a random trip we made last year while visiting some wineries in that area.
We had seen a camping van advertised and thought we’d check it out. There was a small spring creek running though this farm and the man said it was full of trout.
Was it ever.
There was a private trout farm upstream, and fish often escaped and were stacked all up and down the spring creek. We explored further upstream and discovered a mill pond with hundreds of gallons a water pouring out per minute. Trout were there, too. Hundred and hundreds. What a place!
I thought I could remember how to get there and I did. Drove right to it.
Nancy and I enjoyed our picnic lunch and we shared a bottle of chilled chardonnay as we sat in the shade and watched the water gushing over the dam. I also had picked up a package of fish pellets from the pet store and the water fairly boiled each time I tossed out a handful.
There is no fishing allowed, but there is a pull-off beside the mill pond and it was not posted. Folks waved as they passed by – including an Amish horse and buggy – and we waved back.
The dam and mill pond, about 5 or 6 miles from Bridgewater, are located on Nazarene Church Road should you ever be looking for a Sunday Drive destination.
For us, it was a wonderful experience and a most lovely afternoon.