Bounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains on the east and the Allegheny Mountains to the west, the valley's southern entry point begins where the headwaters of the Shenandoah River form near the historic college town of Lexington.

From there, the rolling, fertile fields stretch northward to where the Shenandoah joins the Potomac above the fragrant apple orchards of Winchester. The heart of the valley is split lengthwise by Massanutten Mountain, with each side drained by a fork of the river the Indians called "Sherando -- Daughter of the Stars."

Interstate 81 runs through the main valley, carrying commerce and tourists between the Sunbelt and the Northeast. During the Civil War, this region was dubbed Stonewall's Valley, honoring Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who ably defended it against a succession of Union invasions.

There is a Civil War battlefield or museum at nearly every I-81 exit. But by venturing off the concrete corridor, I found culture and kitsch and sports and adventure, as well as history and Route 11 Chips.

A canoe lazily skims across the Shenandoah River. (Photo by Bob Dart)