Taking A Walk

by Dwayne Phillips

Today we walked through Wytheville and near Rural Retreat, Virginia. The weather was lousy most of the day. Really warm, foggy, and sticky in the morning. The afternoon threatened rain. We covered about 15 miles again.

The big pencil – this is in front of an office supply store on Main Street in downtown Wytheville. I love stuff like this. It makes stores and towns look different. Funny how the golden arches look the same worldwide. Boring.

By the way, as far as I can tell, Wytheville is pronounced to rhyme with the word “with” not the word “white.” Actually, most locals call it “wee-ith” (two syllables).

I put a photo of the Wytheville courthouse on the Wikipedia page for Wytheville.

Wytheville has a good downtown area – a nice mix of 1800s and 1900s. If you are on I-81 or I-77 in the area, hop off and spend an hour there. They have several interesting local restaurants.

The big bird – this bird was standing in a pasture with some cows just off Route 11. Karen came along and took this photo. I have no idea why such a bird is in a pasture with some cows. I think it is an ostrich. Karen thinks an emu. Does anyone out there know how have a guess? And yes, if you click on the photo and look at it closely, I am watching the bird out of the corner of my eye. I didn’t need it to reach across the fence and, well whatever these things do to people who aren’t looking.

The big screen – yet another drive in movie theater that appears to be in operation. This is the Hiland Drive In established 1952 (older than me). It is on Route 11 near Rural Retreat. What is fascinating here is that a house is built into the back side of the screen structure. Look at the photo closely and you will see the house. This is one of those “buy the house and a business at the same time.” I have never seen a design like this before. Great stuff!

A word about Rural Retreat. Route 11 doesn’t go through it. Most of the day I-81 was 200 yards to my right as I was walking down Route 11. Rural Retreat is off a couple of miles to my left. There were several businesses and churches on Route 11 at this crossroads.

A pretty place – one final photo for the day. This is just another farm house on Route 11 south of Wytheville. A lush green pasture, a brown house, a red fence, and several trees turning fall colors. It looks better in person. I wish I were a better outdoor landscape photographer.