Dismal Falls

Although Dismal Falls is only about an hour from my home, I had never been there. So last Sunday, a friend took me to visit the beautiful water fall.

Along the way, we stopped at a swinging bridge that is part of the Appalachian Trail. We walked along the bridge, took photos, and I carved my name into the wood beside a lot of other names.

After we had both taken a bunch of photos, we got back into the car to head to the falls. To get to the falls, we drove up a gravel road and parked behind other vehicles at a guard rail.

From the guard rail, there is a path to take that leads to the falls. I could hear the water from the top of the path and the air seemed more pure.

The falls were low but still beautiful. There were different paths to take to get to the top of the falls with stone steps to lead us up. We had gotten a late start so I didn't get in the water other than my feet.

There were several people that dived and jumped from the top of the falls into the water. There were lovely places to pitch a tent if one wanted to camp there.

Further up the gravel road, you can drive to a campgrounds where campers were set up and a place to pay for guided horseback rides. Leaving the falls, we stopped at a little country store called Trent's Grocery.

The top of the falls was breathtaking. We watched from the top as some brave people swam below. At one point we seen a snake that I couldn't identify which cleared the water pretty quickly.

We walked along the trails and took photos for a couple of hours before making our way back down to the bottom of the falls. Crossing a stream of water, I slipped and fell on my behind. It was hilarious other than my pack of cigarettes were in my back pocket.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best, I'd rate Dismal Falls a 9. My friend and I plan to go back before summer ends to spend the day swimming and tanning. We've also decided to pitch a tent for the night so we can explore some of the trails.

The phone reception isn't very good and there were times when I had no signal at all. This is part of the appeal for me. I love the idea of being surrounded by woods, nature, and a waterfall that's gorgeous.

I've lived in the same small town in Virginia for over 43 years so when I've went on vacation throughout the years, I've always went to another state. It's only recently I've come to realize that Virginia has a lot of beautiful places I want to visit. I've always known the Appalachian Mountains hold an unique tranquility but I figured I lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains so I needed to see other places.

It was during a field trip with my youngest daughter to the Wolf Creek Indian Village in Bastian, Virginia that I realized Virginia is rich in history and full of natural wonders. It was at The Wolf Creek Indian Village that I seen a LOVE sign for the 1st time.

I snapped a photo of it but at the time I just thought it was something unique to the village. It turns out that there are LOVE signs all over Virginia for the LOVE Works project. Of course, the slogan Virginia is for Lovers plays a part in the project. So now my goal is to visit all the signs and take photos with them.

For anyone who hasn't been to Virginia, I'd recommend putting it on your bucket list. There are so many places for people to visit and stay. That's another story though.