AS if out of a movie scene, a bald eagle soars through the clear blue sky and circles over our heads.
In front, a group of chipmunks scurry across the road and nearby some locals are barbecuing on the roadside by their parked-up trucks, listening to baseball games on the radio.
This was the beating heart of Virginia. And it was exactly the USA I’d come to see.
I’d been touring the Capital Region by car, hopping from one quaint town to the next, rolling along Skyline Drive and through the breathtakingly scenic Shenandoah National Park.
In six action-packed days, I’d sipped on home-made apple cider, tucked into doughnuts from a local farmer’s market and soaked up views of rolling hills and dirt roads from the back of an SUV.
That’s the beauty of travelling on these country roads – you can make a pit stop anywhere you like and the scenery in these parts is like nowhere else in the world.
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We were thrown straight into the fun from the moment we left Washington, driving through immense parkland and along endless winding roads. Soon I was 1,300m up in the clouds, looking out at the vast open space.
“Over there is the Blue Ridge Mountains,” our tour guide helpfully pointed out. “And that body of water flowing through it is the Shenandoah River. Sound familiar?”
It did. Bruce Springsteen fans may recognise the flowing waters from the lyrics of his country hit, Shenandoah.
But it’s not just the mighty river that stands out, these country roads in the national park were the most beautiful I’d ever seen – rugged landscapes surrounded by lush tall trees and craggy rocks. The park seemed so rural, it was hard to believe all this was only an hour’s drive away from the bustling streets of Washington DC.
The first stop on our All-American experience was Winchester, a small city tucked away in the valley and surrounded by vast apple orchards.
The town is so quaint, it’s easy to see why George Washington chose to spend more than a decade of his life here.
We headed straight to the main street, once a native American trading route, but now known for its proper American restaurants.
We stuffed ourselves to the brim with everything from Jamaican jerk chicken to Bavarian hot dogs before washing it all down with home-made cider by the gallon.
If there’s one thing I can guarantee, you won’t go hungry in Winchester.
And you’ll be grateful for all this fuel when you venture further south, to Luray.
This town is home to a 400-million-year-old cave network formed by crystals of natural acid and water. You can spend hours clambering along the magnificent walkways through mighty rock caverns, and that’s exactly what we did, rewarding ourselves at the end with a tipple at the historic Mimslyn Inn.
The Inn itself was opened by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt in 1931 and now it’s the perfect pit stop for travellers, with a huge outdoor deck where you can sip on cocktails as you watch the sun go down over the mountains.
It’s worth heading elsewhere for dinner though. About 40 miles north is Schaffer’s BBQ, an absolute must-try for any foodie wanting the full American experience, with BBQ brisket, pancakes with bacon, biscuits and gravy and pumpkin pie.
From here we headed east on a loop known as the Chesapeake Bay circuit to the real hidden gem of this region of the US: Maryland’s state capital, Annapolis.
About 40 miles north is Schaffer’s BBQ, an absolute must-try for any foodie wanting the full American experience, with BBQ brisket, pancakes with bacon, biscuits and gravy and pumpkin pie.
This nautical playground is not to be missed, with many scallop and lobster restaurants — check out Carrol’s Creek Café which serves up generous portions.
Make sure to book a boat trip on the Woodwind II too — it’s the same yacht that transported Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn to the Cleary family’s Maryland home in The Wedding Crashers.
As we watched the sun set behind the blue horizon, it felt as if we were truly living the American dream.
If you‘d rather stick to dry land, then Havre De Grace, just over an hour’s drive north, is a smaller and quieter version of Annapolis.
While it may not have been on my bucket list, stumbling across Washington Street Books & Music was a delight.
Despite it’s name, there’s not only books and music up for grabs here. The shop is a self-professed film nerd’s paradise with authentic costumes from films including The Hunger Games and Star Trek.
We ended our road trip with a landmark visit to Washington DC where we whizzed through the city in a day on a guided bike tour, passing key landmarks, including the White House.
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Yes, DC is a bucket list destination, but much to my surprise this wasn’t the main attraction of the trip.
It’s the long country roads with dreamy views and delicious crab cakes we had at the seaside that will leave me dreaming of the Capital Region.
GETTING/STAYING THERE: Six-night trip with two nights in DC, two nights in Maryland and two nights in Virginia costs from £1,749pp, including flights from Heathrow on October 20. Call Purely America on 0800 0336 335 or see purelytravel.co.uk/usa.
OUT AND ABOUT: For more information on Capital Region USA, see capitalregionusa.org.
