Snowy Day, Fiery Run.

Today was a nice day for getting some winter pictures. I decided to drive down a country road and see if I could get some farm pictures. I chose Fiery Run Road because I recalled that it circled around and came back out on Route 55. I'd seen the signs several times but I had not idea how large that loop was.

I saw a sign marking the Appalachian Trail. This trail runs from Maine to Georgia and a long section of it is in Virginia. The were multiple prints of boots, so hikers had been through there.

I did see some nice farms.

 Here the road turned left and got more narrow, but it looked clear so I continued. Soon I questioned that decision because after the road entered deep shade, it was covered in packed snow, although it had been plowed. I passed several farm lanes but could not turn around because they were not cleared and were still covered with at least 8 inches of snow.

I knew not to stop while going uphill and continued at a decent pace on the quiet road. But then a car appeared as I went up a hill on a single-lane stretch of road. There was a ditch on my right and not enough room to pass without getting stuck, so I had to stop. He stopped. I tried to inch forward but my wheels spun on ice. Uh oh! He was not backing up.

I decided to talk to the young man who was driving. He said he had 4-wheel drive and could possibly get past me if I drove in the ditch. Uh, no. Then another vehicle drove up behind me. It was a modest-sized delivery truck with chains on his big tires. He said the road gets worse before it reaches the main road. He offered to back up so that I could back up to a better spot. Okay, thanks!

The other driver said there was a place to turn around just past the top of the hill. So that was the plan. The truck backed up, I backed up ... slowly and very carefully. The other driver flashed his lights when he saw I had reached a place where he could easily get past. He did, after cautioning me to stay on the gas pedal to get up the icy hill. I did, and soon found a clear place to turn around at an intersection. After turning, I took a picture of a red barn from a safe spot at a stop sign. The truck caught up. I waved and turned back the way I came. It was much easier going down frontwards! Soon I was back on clear pavement. 

I hope Tom appreciates my efforts today to get Backroads pictures!