6 Dec Set out early at Daylight Breakfast at Rockfish gap and stayed all night at Mrs. Marks Gov Lewis mother she was not at home. The family much Distressed- Showed young Mr. marks all the letters I had about his Brothers situation. And told him my opinion on that subject. He distressed-

The December trip from Staunton to Ivy would have been difficult in any season of the year over Rockfish Gap. The elevation increases from present-day Waynesboro, at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to Rockfish Gap is 617 feet in only 6 miles. This is a very considerable climb for a horse and rider. The bigger burden that William Clark would have carried that day was anticipating the emotional meeting with the Meriwether Lewis’ mother, Lucy Marks. Meriwether’s mother was not at home and the discussion was with John Marks, Meriwether Lewis’ half-brother. We only have Clarks limited comments about the evening and the conversation but the fact is clear, the Lewis and Marks family was very distressed about the death of Meriwether Lewis. 

During the day of 6 December 1809, Willian and Scott had traveled the Three Notch’ Road first marked in 1740 from Richmond to the Shenandoah Valley. The Corridor today is US 250 and I-64.⁽¹⁾ 

The entire region surrounding Rockfish Gap is unique in scenery and provides recreational opportunities on the water and trails. The Rockfish Gap is the head water for the north branch of the Rockfish River that drains into the James River and Atlantic Ocean. Before dams were built on the James River, Atlantic Rock Fish would spawn in the head waters of the Rockfish River, like the salmon that Lewis and Clark found on the Columbia River drainage. Today the Rockfish River is a recreational paradise for fishing and canoes or other light water craft, though dams have prevented the Atlantic Rock Fish (Striped Bass) from returning to the headwaters of the South or North Fork of the Rockfish River.⁽²⁾ Hiking and bicycling sports in the region of Rockfish Gap include the Appalachian Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, the Skyline Drive, and the Blueridge Tunnel Trail which accommodates U S Bicycle Route 76.⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾ Where the George Washington National Forest recreational opportunities ends just south of Rockfish Gap the Shenandoah National Park starts.⁽⁵⁾⁽⁶⁾ All of these natural resources explain why the Monacan Indians lived and thrived in the region for thousands of years before the American Colonial Period.⁽⁷⁾⁽⁸⁾