| Just after exiting from Route 81N onto Route 66E, large fields to the south (right) provide an unobstructed view of Richardson and Signal Knobs, the two highest points visible, respectively, from this vantage. These ridges protrude as the northern terminous of the Massanutten Synclorium. In these early miles are some of the last views of the Valley and Ridge Province.
That Richardson and Signal Knobs are of similar heights is a clue into the underlying anatomy of the mountains. Mile marker 247 details the folding of the Massanutten strata into a syncline. In Harrisonburg, only the core axis of the syncline is visible, and the Massanutten ridge is a singular stretch. In this northern portion, Signal and Richardson knobs reveal a view of the limbs of the syncline, which are parallel and of equal size. Between the ridges is the synclinal Fort Valley, accessible from Front Royal.
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Dominant discharge relates the ability of rivers to carry water. As elevation and
gradient increase, dominant discharge decreases. That is, rivers tend to carry less water in steeper and more mountainous places. But why? As the diagram illustrates, steeper slopes means fewer meanders, less room for large volumes of water1. Also, the treelike, or dendritic, pattern in higher elevations shows how several small streams converge to form fewer but larger rivers. Boaters looking for challenges in the spring flood months often raid the rivers and streams in higher elevations. Watch for their summer migration, though, to lower elevations where they can play in the large discharges provided by rivers like the South Fork of the Shenandoah.