Hiking Around Lake Rural Retreat Outside of Rural Retreat, Virginia

October 15, 2023

On September 28 (Thursday), I looked for some hiking trails nearby. Lake Rural Retreat came up and I liked the idea of hiking around a lake.

We geared up and rode the motorcycle out to the lake, with the GPS (Google Maps) providing wrong directions. Bruce made the turn and he stopped the motorcycle since it looked like a private drive. I pointed to the sign that said in large letters, “Turn Around! Your GPS is Wrong.”

I told Bruce we passed a sign on the road that pointed to the lake. Off we went and I was able to point the road out. It might be easier to set the GPS to the fairgrounds that are across from the lake.

We arrived at the park. We stopped at the Angler’s Lot, which was a small gravel circle parking lot. We didn’t see the trail that went around the lake, so we continued to the boat ramp. The office and toilets were closed.

We continue into the park.

We rode slowly past a flock of geese on a low bridge. We parked at the end of the road, near the picnic pavilion. The trail was easy to see and we headed down it.

The path was mown once we came out of the woods. We hiked through the Angler’s Parking Lot and could see the trail once we knew what it looked like. We had been expecting a gravel or dirt path.

The last bit of the walk was along the road. We had to walk around and past the geese. We kept a close eye on them as we walked passed.

Once we were back at the motorcycle, we geared up and rode out slowly past the geese on the road.

I asked Bruce to stop in Rural Retreat at the Dutch Pantry. I had noticed it on our way to the lake.

We stopped in at The Dutch Pantry. The Dutch Pantry was a fun stop. They have a deli and a creamery. They sell all sorts of bulk foods. They had a large variety of flours, spices and candies.

We sat outside on the rocking chairs, enjoying a snack.