Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2016 - 47

Su ClauSon-WiCker

More Offbeat Overnights

Left: inside the 1940s-era Castaway Caboose in West Virginia.
This photo: The compact luxury of a Blue Haven airstream .
Su ClauSon-WiCker

End of the Line

Streaming Times Past

No roads lead to these remote campsites. To get into high, wild areas in
eastern West Virginia, take a daily
excursion train on either the Durbin &
Greenbrier Railroad in Durbin or Cass
Scenic Railroad in Cass to the drop-off
point, and settle into deep solitude
in your private caboose. It's you and
Mother Nature until the train huffs up
the line the next morning.

Roll into this farm off Va. 151 in Virginia's
Blue Ridge Mountains, and you'll see
them - a herd of silver Airstreams peeping from the field and forest. Blue Haven
151 Farm and Bed and Breakfast calls
the vintage camper trailers "permanent
cottages," but I call them fun. Where else
can you nest in a '70s boudoir tricked out
in chrome and pastels? Or enjoy a Caribbean vibe with mountain views?

Durbin & Greenbrier Valley and Cass
Scenic railroads have been offering
caboose overnights for several years.
Their vintage steam engines haul
overnighters to the end of the line,
where guests spend the night under
Pocahontas County's dark skies.

In 2015, Blue Haven began accommodating guests in two vintage Airstreams:
"Woody," a snug 1977 Tradewind with
avocado countertops, and "Bella Excella,"
a deluxe 1994 model done up in pink
accents. In the spring, models with a
Caribbean theme, a 1940s retrofit, and a
1950s "I Love Lucy" theme come online.
Four more are in the works, including a
tiny Curtis Wright model perched up in
a tree.

Durbin & Greenbrier's Castaway Caboose, the more furnished of the two,
sleeps up to six adults and includes a
refrigerator, range, heat, linens, utensils, DVD player, shower and restroom,
while Cass' more rustic caboose on Bald
Knob simulates early loggers' experience. The '40s-era caboose has a coal
stove, coal, bunks and jugs of drinking
water. Campers often fire up the stove
because it can be cool at 4,842 feet.
Rentals are by reservation only, and
patrons must also purchase tickets for
the train ride. Onsite entertainment is
up to the camper. A few hiking trails
fan out from the cabooses, and there's
fishing in the Greenbrier River.
Durbin Route Outfitters and Cass Scenic
Railroad State Park
Durbin and Cass, West Virginia
(877) 686-7245; 866-460-7265 or
mountainrailwv.com to book either

Airstreams are retro-chic. The aluminum
space-capsule-looking things can be
found atop a posh hotel in South Africa,
in the foothills of the French Pyrenees,
and-lucky us-south of Charlottesville
at Blue Haven. Staying in the round,
womblike body of an Airstream practically guarantees baby-sleep.
"We're sort of funky and different," says
Blue Haven owner Anne Wachtmeister.
"We're not your grandma's bed and
breakfast. Also, our Airstreams are reasonably priced to make them appealing
to families."
If you're handy with a hammer or have
gardening skills, the price could be free.
Wachtmeister offers a volunteer option

for folks who spend a day working on
the farm in exchange for a free overnight in either the Airstreams or the
farmhouse.
Whether you're working or playing,
there's lots to do around Blue Haven
Farm, with its friendly farm animals,
hiking trails, garden mazes and nearby
wine, beer and beverage trails. The farm
hosts theme teas (Caribbean, "Downton Abbey," Fathers Day), vintage auto
shows, scary Halloweens, and other zany
activities. Wintergreen Resort, Crabtree
Falls and Virginia Blue Ridge Railway
Trail all lie within 10 miles. Blue Haven is
especially popular with Festy and Lockn'
music festival attendees, who travel to
venues in style in Blue Haven's "Farmer
Wayne" retrofitted Airstream-Ford truck
combo.
But at Blue Haven Farm's Airstreams,
one doesn't necessarily feel like going
anywhere. It can seem, deep within this
metal cocoon, that everything you need
is here, including a wall-to-wall bed, and
a window to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Wining and Dining: Nelson County is
home to four brew pubs, nine wineries, Silverback Distillery,and Bold Rock
Cidery. Also recommended: Thai Siam
take-out on Tye Brook Highway; brunch
francais style at Basic Necessities or
peppery 'cue at Blue Ridge Pig, both in
Nellysford.
Blue Haven 151 Farm and Bed and Breakfast
10531 Patrick Henry Hwy/Route 151
Roseland, VA 22967
434-688-4391; bluehavenfarmandbb.com
-Su Clauson-Wicker

May/June 2016 47
http://www.bluehavenfarmandbb.com http://www.mountainrailwv.com
Blue Ridge Country - May/June 2016

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