It Looks Like Stonehenge
It looks like Stonehenge — from a distance and even up close.
But the fact that this one is located on the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia is a large clue that this cannot be the real thing.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire.
This landmark is located on the edge of the Appalachian Mountains on another continent.
Taking a closer look, the casual observer (who missed the sign offering the true name) will notice that these stones are … well … not made of stone.
This is Foamhenge and is a creation of local Mark Cline who considers it his greatest artistic triumph.
It also serves as a virtual cache that if visited can transport you back in time and across an ocean if you are of such a mind.
A couple of weeks ago, I packed up my littlest daughter, and we set off in search of the circle.
I have to say, I am really looking forward to watching my toddler grow up as I see her becoming my sidekick adventurer who can help me with exploring the world and seeking out those elusive caches.
For now, I am content to still have her with me, but smile patiently as instead of being awed by the splendor of the “stone” circle, instead has more fun with playing with the white pebbles kept under two different benches, one on either side of the path leading up to that circle.
Sitting behind the bench, she had a blast picking up the small rocks and placing them on the bench seat, coming at it from the gap between the seat base and the bench’s back.
Once she had several strewn across the wooden bench, she would spend time leveling and spreading the out, showing amazement as they would occasionally trickle between the slats in the wood only to fall back to the place where she first found them.
This is not to say we did not make our way all the way to the top of the hill and step between the towering stone behemeths.
Inside the circle, Abi had fun climbing all over the rocks that had formed naturally on the hill top, not those created and brought there by Cline on an April Fool’s Day several years ago.
For me, I ventured among the stones and wondered what it would be like to walk among the real ones so many miles away.
It became easy to envision the real thing and not just the foam replica before me.
Halfway back down the hill, we stopped again for Abi to play with the pebbles at the benches.
A passing visitor said it well when she said, “What would the world be without pebbles to play with.”
Abi and I both enjoyed being among the stones that day, although hers were slightly smaller and more real than the ones that caught my eye.
