And then came progress. The Shenandoah today is pretty much strip development along I-81, which is a bumper to bumper truck corridor. And that’s the rural parts — a quarter of the Valley has been eaten by Harrisonburg.
I-81 is certainly impacted by The Sameness — the usual fast food places and so on — but it only seems as if Harrisonburg has consumed that much of the Valley. My wife and I avoid I-81 whenever possible — we drive US 11 (LOTS less truck traffic there these days — I remember when it was bumper-to-bumper) and if there’s a way to go off US 11, we’ll take that. Much remains relatively unspoiled and there are some big tracts in strong hands. There are some pictures from a drive we took last summer in this article: http://www.backcountrynotes.com/backcountry-by-ways/2009/9/2/motoring-down-the-great-wagon-road.html