One Of My Favorite Vistas

[Jay Markanich]

I drive a lot as a home inspector.  Most weeks between 1200 and 1500 miles!  One of my favorite places to traverse is Faquier County.  Pronounced FAH'-keer, it is located in Northern Virginia, just west of my county of Prince William.  It is not very populated and quite rural.

Driving through it brings many beautiful views.  One of my favorites is a little valley called Crooked Run.

This is the view as you cross over the mountains, just above the intersection of Virginia Routes 17 and 50.  It is one of my many favorite vistas in the state.

Traveling here I often stop and just see what I can see.  The different seasons bring different views.  The view changes the higher you go up the mountain.

Crooked Run Valley is an historic valley, full of farms and very old estates.  There are two state parks here as well.  It is said to have changed little in the last two centuries.  It was designated "the quintessential Virginia vista" by Scenic America in 1999.

It is beautiful!

On this trek I am on my way home, to turn left just about at those far purple peaks in the distance.

Fauquier County was established on May 1, 1759, from Prince William County. It is named for Francis Fauquier, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia at the time, who won the land in a poker game, according to legend.  I don't know if it's true, but what a great story!

Another thing that lends charm to driving throughout rural Northern Virginia, and in Crooked Run itself, are the stone walls.  The more established properties all have their own stone walls, constructed of rocks and stones found on the properties themselves.  There is no mortar to hold them together.  Only gravity and clever placement.  Now and then you will see a section that has collapsed.  It doesn't take very long to make the repair.  These walls have been there for a long, long time.  I take pictures of them often.  Each interesting wall has its own personality and appearance.  These walls help to make for a very fun and picturesque drive.

[David Macy]

Nice!!

Thanks for sharing!!

You live an interesting life!!

I enjoy your posts!!

[Jay Markanich]

I stop to smell the stone walls...

[Dominic Maricic]

Those walls remind me of my trip to Ireland. I saw them everywhere to help control where the sheep went.