wild ponies!

And we're home. So glad to be here! And I'm so exhausted from our long day of driving that I'll keep it brief. We left Ruby's Rest this morning and had breakfast in Damascus before driving to Grayson Highlands State Park. There we hiked up the Rhododendron Trail to the point where it crossed the Appalachian Trail. David and Brother Larry stopped well short of the AT--they could look and see it, but they were not anxious to set foot on it again today. We looked all around the meadow and saw evidence of recent visits from wild ponies, but we saw no ponies. We turned back. We saw one running in the distance and stopped to admire it only to see it circle back and walk on the AT right in front of us. It stopped and looked at us, whinnied, and raced on down the trail. We were enchanted, glad we'd hiked the half mile incline to see it. We were halfway down the trail, stopping to take pictures of the mountain views, when the same pony poked her head out of the brush right beside us. She walked right into the group of us and we fed her the apples we'd picked from a tree by the Creeper Trail. Dennis LOVED this. We all did! After she'd eaten the apples, she gazed at us as if to confirm that was all we had, then turned, snorted (as Gran tried to pet her) and trotted back up the hill. We were almost all the way back down when two more ponies and a foal came trotting up to check us out, but they didn't stay too long (we were out of apples). Back in the meadow at the base of the trail, Dennis befriended a very young colt standing beside the gate, offering his hand for licking (and laughing delightedly when his offer was accepted). He asked me if we could come back and see his new pony friends someday--he said "I'm sure going to miss them--and I bet they'll miss me, too."

So, we hit the road after this for a very long drive south, stopping to eat at the same soda shoppe in Abingdon where we ate before (the hiker guys were very appreciative and our meals and Coke floats were again super-delicious). Aside from various bathroom stops and food stops (the last a run to Krystals for sackfuls of miniburgers), we drove straight home. What a wonderful trip, so adventure-filled, such breathtaking scenery... I don't think we're done with the Virginia Highlands--we might indeed go back one day in the not-so-distant future (especially if the weather in July is always that pleasant!).