What’s up with the weather?

By Frank Whitman

Mr. Pinky

We were on a driving trip to Georgia and the South Carolina coast to visit family and friends. It’s a trek we take every spring, so that Mr. Pinky can come along.  1000 miles in two days is pretty heavy lifting, but if it goes well, the drive takes us from dreary late-winter Connecticut, through the phases of early spring to full-blown cherry tree and daffodil exuberance at the end. 

This year, on departure day, the winter’s hefty snow had been reduced to a few icy heaps, and a scattering of cheery, yellow, early crocus were poking up through the south-facing lawn in our front yard. The signs were promising for a drive out of winter.  But with reports of two rainy days, our departure was moved up a day early. One dry day was better than none. 

As hoped for, spring began in the mid-Shenandoah Valley. Around Harrisonburg, the first daffodils bloomed roadside. A pear tree dressed in white bloom decorated the next rest area. From there on, the pear trees were prolific, magenta cherry blossoms were mixed in and bright forsythia cascaded in an occasional waterfall of yellow. Spring at last!

Hotel Roanoke

School and business closings crawling across the bottom of the hotel-room TV in Roanoke, VA were a rude shock. How could this be?  What’s up with the weather? A cold front pushing high winds, heavy rains, intense thunderstorms and possible tornados was headed our way on day two.  On the back side, temperatures were forecast to be in the 20s.

What happened to spring? Pity those poor flowers!

Heeding the warnings, we booked a second night and prepared to hunker down. Surprisingly, after a few showers and one thunder rumble, the weather cleared so we went exploring. 

Railroad Hotel elegance

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the southern tip of the Valley, Roanoke is a bustling city of 100,000.  The charming downtown, packed with restored buildings, arts attractions and public parks is surrounded by historic neighborhoods, suburbs and a busy outdoor mall. Our destination was the Hotel Roanoke, recommended by Marsha’s sister.  

We were wowed.  

Opened in 1882, the hotel is now a fully-restored monument to Roanoke’s history as the headquarters of the Norfolk and Western Railroad and the glory of the Railroad Hotel era. Inside the Tudor style exterior, there are 330 newly-restored rooms, award-winning restaurants, a luxury spa, and a fully equipped conference center.  The hotel, refurbished with community pride, is a destination in the region.  

Hotel Bar

Across the street is the restored train station. Behind that is the Taubman Museum of Art designed by architect Randall Stout.  His time with Frank Gehry early in his career is obvious.  The building design evokes the surrounding mountains in a free-form, eye-catching style.  The museum, with a permanent collection numbering 2000, hosts world-class exhibits. Coming this fall – American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection featuring more than 100 works of art by renowned American artists including John Singer Sargent, Elizabeth Catlett, Mary Cassatt, Robert Henri, Sarah Miriam Peale, Thomas Cole, and Charles Alston.

The Virginia Museum of Transportation looks like a winner too.  Exhibits include, railroad, African American heritage, cars, planes, model trains, and the powerful, enormous, streamlined Norfolk & Western J Class #611 steam locomotive. Ahh, the good old days. 

The Regency Room

A drive around town revealed lots of restaurants, pubs, breweries, and other enticing opportunities to eat.  Roanoke has all the hallmarks of a great food town. 

We continued south after the storms for middle Georgia’s, meat and three restaurants, famous cafeterias, and authentic barbecue. Then on to the Carolina coast for local seafood, shrimp and grits, and low-country cooking. All this and warm weather too. 

But thanks to the crazy weather, Roanoke has exerted some pull. Next Spring, we’ll have to plan a stop here and hope for better weather.