me, of course, is the scenery outside the windows as she works. I agree with her. That scenery is magnificent. On my first ride, aboard the Alleghany Special, the train heads west towards North Mountain. The landscape gets more rugged as we travel. First, we pass a neighborhood of Sears and Roebuck kit houses on the south side of Staunton which gives way to large generational farms. These shrink in size as we approach the dark mountains and we turn around in a tiny town tucked at the edge of the looming wilderness. On the second ride aboard the Blue Ridge Flyer, we chug east across the Shenandoah Valley to the Blue Ridge Mountains. We climb to the top of Afton Mountain and rumble through two tunnels emerging into the foggy middle of a cloud before turning around and heading back. CAN YOU FIND 'EM ALL? CENTER: The Alleghany Special approaches from the west beneath an iron truss bridge built in 1905. FAR RIGHT: Balancing plates on a moving train requires balance and confidence. On the Alleghany Special (headed west) Can you spot... * The place where the streams switch from flowing east to flowing west? * A silhouette of Big Foot hiding behind a big blue house? * At least seven different farm animals? On the Blue Ridge Flyer (headed east) Can you spot... * A llama guarding a flock of turkeys? * A mural of a girl playing the violin? * At least five different colors of cows? -GN Your BEST mountain vacation starts right here... MOUNTAIN CABINS acreage & * Meadows of Dan, VA * 23.2± Acres * Two Cabins * Fully Furnished * Rolling Hills & River Frontage $ 549,000 | # 45048-02371 EscapetoBlueRidge.com | 855-885-4894 *Mention this Ad and receive a special promo discount off your next reservation. 26 BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM For more mountain & lifestyle properties visit UCMountainHome.com | 800.999.1020http://www.EscapetoBlueRidge.com http://www.UCMountainHome.com http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM