If you’re coming to Shenandoah, this is the place to stay!
Val got this great Living Social Deal to come to this Bed and Breakfast in
Standardsville, VA, just a mile or so from the entrance to Shenandoah National
Park. It’s a beautiful 5-bedroom house on the side of a large hill, with a
wrap-around front porch and a gorgeous view of the tree-covered mountains to
the west of us.
The husband and wife owners, Mike the Scotsman and Michelle
the American, actually met in Afghanistan in 2010. She’s American military,
he’s former Royal Army, and they met while they were both deployed. Before they
married, he needed a way to obtain a visa to stay in the States, so he decided
to invest in a business, and a B&B is something both he and Michelle were
interested in. Lucky for us!
It’s called the “Greene” Mountain Inn because it’s totally
green and eco-friendly (and it’s in Greene County!). They use as many natural
products and fresh foods as they can, and from what I could tell all the light bulbs
and such were the energy-efficient kind. Since Mike and Michelle are both
military, they’ve been all over the world, but Mike said Michelle spent most of
her time in South America—and that’s very apparent in their décor! The artwork
and tapestries displayed are all things Michelle had collected from her
travels, all very unique and quite beautiful! They bought and renovated the
place in 2011, and everything about it is calm, efficient, relaxing, and
comfortable.
When Val and I got settled in, we immediately found a little
nook in the corner to claim as our own; I guess we’re territorial. =) I took
over the wicker loveseat while Val claimed the corner table. I’m glad she and I
are the kind of friends who can sit together and not talk! She read and I wrote—what
a pair!
Supper was delicious, and it was nice to have that
opportunity to get to know our housemates for the weekend. This is the only
B&B I’ve been to that actually made dinner for you the first night, too! All
the guests were just friendly and happy to be there—a few were escaping kids,
and others were just there for a weekend away in the mountains! I think all of
us had found out about the place because of the Living Social Deal that had
gone out a few months before.
Val and I were both pretty pooped from a long week and
hiking around Montpelier, so we ended up getting a DVD and watching it from the
comfort of our room, snuggly in our HUGE and COMFY bed! Those of you who know
me and have seen my place know that I typically sleep on a futon. Sleeping in a
real bed is such a treat! =) It was a stormy, rainy night, which is perfect
sleeping weather.
The next morning, things had cooled off quite a bit, but the
day was turning out to be beautiful! Val and I had already decided to go to the
Shenandoah National Park and hike, so we got our snacks together and set out!
All went well until the whole bear incident. But we made it out alive! Thank
God for His protection! Looking back at it, it hit me later that the bear
incident was probably the time in my life when I was in the most danger. If we
had done anything at all differently, we very well could have been in trouble!
Once we made it back to the car and had our little picnic at
a scenic overlook, we set out for the Inn once again. Home Sweet Home! We
cleaned up and relaxed for a while before heading out to dinner. The Living
Social deal included a $50 voucher for a meal at one of two fancy restaurants
in town. We decided to go to the Standard, which we would both highly
recommend! The food was tasty, servers were friendly, and we laughed because
throughout the course of dinner, two other couples from Greene Mountain Inn had
decided to eat there, too! We really got to have fun and enjoyed the company.
When we returned, Valarie and I finished up the blog post
about the bear stuff, chatted with our companions a bit, and headed to bed! We
were both just pooped—I can’t imagine why. ;) Again—best night’s sleep I’ve had
in a while!
And Sunday morning it was time to get ready to go! I went
down stairs before Val got up and talked with Mike a while—he’s just the
friendliest person!—and had my morning coffee. The others came down eventually
while Mike prepared breakfast for us. They use REAL eggs—not from the
grocery!—and real, whole fruit in their pancakes. I think those may have been
the best blueberry pancakes I’ve ever had! He even makes his own granola. The
whole experience was just a great one!
Around 10:30, we said our last goodbyes to our B&B companions
and headed home to DC. We made a couple of stops to take pictures and have
lunch on the way, picked up Val’s dog Beaker, dropped them off at home, and
that’s that! It was a wonderful weekend, but I was glad to be able to go to
church that evening and see my Annandale family. =) I do love to travel, but I
like going “home” to DC and my church family.
Pictures, anyone? CLICK HERE!
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