We first went to Pandapas Pond, a day use area just north of Blacksburg. It appears to be a prime fishing location. It’s a man-made lake that has a beaver dam and lodge on one end and a fairly deep pool at the other. The Forest Service stocks the pond with various types of fish, and there are plenty of nice places along the shore to try to catch them. The area is also a starting point for several trails through that section of the forest.

Unfortunately, there was only one grill at Pandapas Pond, and it was occupied. So we drove up to the Cascades, about which we have written before. The parking lot was packed, but it appeared that most of the people there were actually up the trail at the waterfall, presumably to swim in the 40-something-degree water. We easily found a nice picnic table with a grill. After reading next to the stream for a while, we made our dinner and enjoyed it just as the clouds started to gather. It didn’t really rain us out, but there were a few drops as we were leaving.

It was nice for both of us to have the day off and to be able to relax (and eat good food).