Adventures in Virginia

In October we had the opportunity to attend the Homesteaders of America conference at the Warren County Fair Grounds in Front Royal, Virginia. The Homesteaders of America is an organization that brings together like minded individuals who want to live a simpler and more sustainable life. Day one of the conference was a beautiful day and we enjoyed listening to speakers like Cassandra Daniel ( @BecomingaFarmGirl ), Ruthann Zimmerman ( @Ruthannzimm ) and Eustace Conway ( @turtleislandpreserve6704 ). There were also lots of vendors to visit and plenty of good food to eat.
Day two was threatening rain so we decided to explore the area instead of going back to the conference. Our adventures took us the Route 11 Potato Chip factory where the friendly staff explained the manufacturing process from beginning to end and gave us samples to try. Kevin fell in love with these kettle chips when he visited their original location in Middletown, Virginia in the early 90s.
On our way to the potato chip factory we happened to drive by Cooter's Place in Luray, Virginia where we saw several General Lees and other cars parked out front. We decided to stop on our way back to camp and were surprised to find Cooter's Garage Band warming up for an afternoon show. Even more surprising was an appearance by Ben Jones aka Cooter, who joined the band to sing and reminisce about his time on the Dukes of Hazard TV show. We're so glad we decided to stop.
During our time in Virginia we stayed at the Shenandoah River State Park campground just south of Front Royal. It's a picturesque and quiet campground located along the South Branch of the Shenandoah River.