4 hrs, 8 kms

After the sprawl of Wincheseter finally fades, there's a short stretch of countryside, and then my first small town of this stretch: Stephens City .

Next to Stephens City was an anomally in the pre-Civil War South: a town of free blacks. Unfortunately there's not anything left of it today. But the town does have a number of log cabin houses--I choose one as my video backdrop.

Glancing in the window of one, I have to do a double take--those look like pioneer era utensils on the rough kitchen wall. A museum? Nope. That's just somebody's kitchen. On one side is your regular stove and fridge, and on other side the kitchen looks like a kitchen would look back when the first Europeans settled here.

It seems to be a feeling a segment of American culture still feels--this desire to still feel connected with our rugged pineer past. The feel that we could still rough it and live off the land...

Just a small village feel to the Main Street--but it still has that feel of the Main Street of yesteryears...