7th stop: 15 south through Aldie and Warrenton VA

Tuesday, July 17 2012.  It was a very hot day (a hundred degrees!) so Eddie and I went out for another ride along 15 South.  This trip took us through southern Loudoun and Facquier Counties.  The extreme heat dissuaded us from venturing out of the air-conditioned car, but we enjoyed the scenic ride.  Route 15 has been widened in places, giving a more cosmopolitan look to small communities such as Haymarket.  A double rotary has been added, so now Gilbert's Corner has ceased to be a corner, but is now a loop-de-loop kind of thing!  In most places,  Route 15 is a busy, heavily traveled road, so we couldn't sightsee as well as we could in other sections of the route.

Tuesday was not the best day to try finding antique stores.  The antique stores in Aldie were not open. Aldie was rather a mess, due to some major construction in town.  The shops and the Aldie Mill are worth touring. Antique shops in Buckland also appeared closed. [Read the article about how the tiny town on Buckland is fighting extinction.]   However, the Fox Den Antique store in Warrenton (Rte 29 @ Waterloo Station) was open and we spent some time there.  Eddie bought more record albums.  At Waterloo Station, we also visited BJ's Books, a favorite haunt of Eddie's dad. Then we enjoyed soft-serve cones at the Carousel stand.  Doesn't my boy look good with an ice cream in each hand??

Heading into Old Town Warrenton, We discovered the Red Truck Bakery on Rt 211, where we got the cutest frosted sugar cookies, decorated as (guess what) RED TRUCKS!

On a cooler day we plan to visit the museums and attractions in historic Old Town Warrenton.  There is a lot of Civil War history to explore.  John Marshall, the famous chief justice of Supreme Court, lived and worked in Warrenton.

Several good important roads meet in Warrenton: US-17, US-29, US-15 and US-211.  Virginia is to be commended for its fine well-maintained roadways, many of which date to colonial times and have historic or cultural significance.

We passed by Oak Hill, summer home of President James Monroe, located below Oatlands.  He designed it, consulting with James Hoban, the famous designer and architect of the White House.  Oak Hill is not open to the public.

(President James Monroe, 1758-1831)

On the way back we detoured onto Rte 50W, going through Middleburg and Upperville, where the elegant people and their fancy horses hang out!

Click this link to view the video clip of The Civil War at Mt. Zion Church & Aldie Mill"  
 http://youtu.be/GzEV6E9e6lc