Massanutten

A Virginia Road Trip in Late May (2025) /  by Todd Henson

Today I don’t have any standout artistic photographs to share, but instead wanted to take you along for a Virginia road trip my father and I made in late May of 2025. I tried to capture moments on the road that appealed to me, perhaps because of a curve in the road, hills or mountains in the background, or just about anything else of interest. The photos begin on Sperryville Pike (522) after leaving Culpepper heading west and end on John Marshall Highway (55) east on the way towards Haymarket. I hope you enjoy this little excursion

Click on any of the photos for a larger view.

West Towards the Blue Ridge Mountains

We began the day by taking a left at an intersection where we’d only ever taken a right, with no idea what to expect. After passing through some rolling hills with plenty of farm land and taking a few more turns we found ourselves in Culpepper. Instead of hanging out in town we ended up on Sperryville Pike heading west towards Sperryville, and from there heading west on Lee Highway (211) over the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Heading west on Sperryville Pike after leaving Culpepper

The closer we got to Sperryville the more hilly it became

Between Blue Ridge and Massanutten Mountains

After we passed over the Blue Ridge Mountains and through part of Shenandoah National Park we continued west on 211 through Luray (known for their caverns), past Cooter’s Place (for any Dukes of Hazzard fans out there), and then over Massanutten Mountain which bisects part of Shenandoah Valley.

Driving 211 west past Luray and towards the mountains

Continuing west on 211

West on 211 approaching the mountains

Taking 211 over Massanutten Mountain

North Through Shenandoah Valley

Once we hit New Market we headed north on Route 11, taking a brief detour onto Caverns Road to stop by the Route 11 Potato Chip factory. From there we returned to Route 11 by way of Wissler Road which took us through the historic Meem’s Bottom Covered Bridge. Once back on Route 11 we headed north through Mount Jackson and eventually got on 55 heading east through Front Royal.

Passing the 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment Monument on Route 11 north

Driving on Cavern Road over 81 and looking south

Approaching Meem's Bottom Covered Bridge from the west

Main Street (Route 11) heading into Mount Jackson from the south

We saw this old Texaco pump in Mount Jackson

East on John Marshall Highway

After leaving Front Royal, instead of taking 66 back east, which would have been faster, we opted for the smaller John Marshall Highway, 55. There’s generally a lot less traffic and just as much if not more scenery. It also passes through several towns, such as Marshall (originally Salem) and The Plains, though I didn’t capture any decent photos of these towns on this trip. But I did slow down the shutter speed for a little fun with the final photo.

Heading east out of Front Royal on Route 55

The Barn off Grove Lane (55), approaching Marshall

Driving on 55 somewhere between The Plains and Haymarket, with a slower shutter speed to show some motion

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Roadtrip from the Blue Ridge to Mount Jackson in the Rain /  by Todd Henson

Towards the end of April my father and I went for a day trip in Virginia. We’d visited a hamfest in the morning, then drove along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and found some white trillium flowers closer to noon. Just after photographing the trillium it began raining and it continued for some time as we drove out of Shenandoah National Park and along Route 211 west towards Luray. I was the passenger on this trip and had kept my camera out as we drove so I decided to create some “from the road” photographs to capture some of our trip and show what the roadside scenery looks like in a storm.

Route 211 From the Blue Ridge to the Massanutten

Route 211 between the Blue Ridge and Massanutten mountain ranges can be a beautiful scenic drive. These two photos were created past Luray as we approached the Massanutten. You can see the same house and barns in them both. As beautiful as this area is, I felt it was even more beautiful on this rainy day, and I even enjoy the spots of rain on the windshield, something I most often try to avoid by clicking the camera shutter just after the wipers clear the windshield.

Route 211 west towards Massanutten

Raindrops on the windshield while riding towards Massanutten on Route 211

Route 11 from New Market to Mount Jackson

From Route 211 we turned right and headed north on Route 11, leaving New Market and heading towards Mount Jackson. This is another beautiful stretch of road that parallels the Massanutten mountain range. I found several scenes I thought were worthy of photographing, with various buildings set off against both the Massanutten in the background and the clouds in the sky.

A farm house, clouds, and Massanutten

A church and the Massanutten range along Route 11

Farm land and the Massanutten range

Tips

So often on these trips I see what I believe would make wonderful compositions while in the car, but seeing them and capturing them while the car is moving are two entirely different things. Everything is in motion, the car, me within the car, the camera within my hand, and other cars on the road. I’ve shared some techniques in the past to help with photographing from a moving car, such as raising the ISO and shutter speed and turning on vibration reduction, and to add to those suggestions, keep your arms and body slightly flexible so they move with the movement of the car. This might help reduce the harder vibrations of the vehicle moving along the road, similar to how moving video cameras are sometimes mounted on stabilizers to smooth the motion.

Photographing from the road is a lot of fun and something I highly recommend if you’ve never tried it yourself. It gives you the chance to realize some photos you might not otherwise be able to create. Just be sure you’re a passenger if the vehicle is moving.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!