Shenandoah National Park open to visitors, waiting for fall

Dimon Kendrick-Holmes

Bess and I have mastered the art of the incredibly short vacation.

Two weeks ago, we drove to the Outer Banks and stayed there for two nights.

This weekend, we took another incredibly short vacation, spending two nights in Virginia checking out Shenandoah National Park. We stayed in what we thought was a garage apartment in somebody's farmhouse, but when we arrived we learned that in Virginia it's called a carriage house, which sounds more dignified, worthy of a commonwealth.

When we planned the trip this summer, we figured the second week in October would be a good time to see some fall color.

Bess' brother and his wife are summer park rangers at Shenandoah, and to show how important fall color tourism is in Virginia, the summer at Shenandoah National Park exten