Walks with Bear the Dog

We decided to try something a little different and go tubing on the Shenandoah River. We used Downriver, which is just outside of Front Royal. They offer several different ways to get out on the river, but we went with the tubing trip because we were looking for something easy and relaxing.

Downriver says the float takes about three hours, although ours was closer to two and a half. I’m not sure if the river was moving a little faster that day or if we were just moving along pretty well, but two and a half hours felt like plenty of time. It was a very leisurely trip. There are a few tiny rapids here and there, but nothing remotely scary. Mostly, you’re just sitting in your tube and letting the river carry you along.

What really made the trip, though, was how quiet it was. We went in the morning, which I’m sure helped, but we were surprised by how few people we saw. In fact, we didn’t see anyone else on the river. We were lucky and had the whole river to ourselves.

That made it feel like we were getting a completely different experience from what you might expect from a popular tubing trip. We could just float along and enjoy the river without having people all around us. There were lots of birds, too. I’m not even sure how many different kinds we saw, but there was always something flying over the river or sitting along the shoreline. It was a really nice way to spend a morning.

The scenery along the Shenandoah was beautiful, but this isn’t one of those trips where you’re constantly doing something or stopping to look at an attraction. The attraction is really just the river itself. You float, look around, talk, watch for birds and occasionally go through one of the little rapids. It was exactly the kind of low-key outdoor activity we were looking for.

After we finished tubing, we headed into Front Royal and stopped at Vibrissa Beer. This was a good choice after spending the morning on the river. We had some beer, which was good, and settled in for lunch.

I ordered the fried green tomato BLT, and this ended up being my favorite part of the whole day. I wasn’t expecting a BLT to be particularly memorable, but the fried green tomatoes made it really good.

The beer was good, too, but I’d definitely go back for that sandwich. It was the perfect meal after being out on the river all morning.

Overall, this was a really fun day and probably one of the more relaxing outdoor trips we’ve done. The tubing itself wasn’t difficult or particularly adventurous, but that’s part of what made it enjoyable. We got to spend a couple of hours outside, float down the Shenandoah, see lots of birds and, best of all, have the river almost completely to ourselves.

Going in the morning may have been the secret. If you’re planning to do this trip, I’d probably recommend an earlier start if you want the quieter experience. We didn’t have to fight crowds or dodge other tubes, and the whole thing felt much more peaceful than I expected.

Then we finished the morning with beer and a fried green tomato BLT at Vibrissa. Not a bad combination at all.

And no, Bear didn’t come with us on this trip. This one was just the humans.