The Blue Mountains of Virginia
The “Blue” Haze: The famous bluish hue of the mountains is caused by isoprene (C₅H₈) naturally released by the dense oak forests, which scatters light and creates a distinct, rolling mist.
There was a lot of construction and detours on the Blue Ridge Parkway so we had to skip that part of the drive.
Shenandoah National Park, Virginia
When we arrived at the Harry F. Byrd Sr Visitor Center in Shenandoah National Park it was closed because the power was out. The rangers were set up outside the building just wanting to go home (which they did early when we stopped back in to get Isla her Jr Ranger badge).
We went to an evening Ranger program at the Lewis Campground. It was about segregation within Shenandoah National Park. The National Park Service was against segregation in 1940’s but Virginia demanded segregation so Lewis Campground was only for black guests.
“Shenandoah National Park operated under a system of racial segregation from its establishment in 1935 until 1950. Under local Jim Crow laws, the National Park Service (NPS) maintained segregated facilities across the park.”
“Desegregation
Sparked by federal pressure from the Department of the Interior to align with civil rights and boost African American morale, Shenandoah officially desegregated all of its facilities by 1950. This made it one of the very first public facilities in the state of Virginia to desegregate.”
