Nomad Life - Day 203

Last full day with Brenna (tears)...  As usual, I got up at 0630 (with alarm) and started teleworking.  Brenna joined me in the living room at 0715 and it was nice to visit with her (and make plans for the evening).  My daughter departed at 0815 but, meanwhile, I kept working.  Along the way, I ate breakfast (snacks) and, later, lunch (leftovers).  Through the full day of telework, I never left the apartment - this really sucked because the weather outside was wonderful (60s, sunny) again.  At around 1630, I wrapped up my work week and ate an early dinner (leftovers).  I had just started working on a photo backup project when Brenna arrived home.  I'd thought we'd be getting ready to go out for our afternoon activity but she decided to take advantage of leaving work early to focus on some personal business. Meanwhile, I kept working on my blog, photo storage and later watched a new episode on my streaming services.  Finally (at 1730), we departed (in Brenna's car) for the Sentara RMH Wellness Center.  Brenna has been raving about the facility and asked (nearly every time I've visited) if I would like to have a workout with her.  Today was the day!  We arrived at 1745 and I had to agree with my daughter - was a VERY impressive facility, with a fitness track, extensive equipment, lap pool, children's pool, lockers, etc.  After registering as a guest and getting a tour (from my daughter), I began walking with Brenna on the large indoor track (1800).  It was nice to exercise with Brenna but she didn't stay with me for long.  For my part, I kept moving for about forty minutes - by the end, I'd completed two miles (20 laps).  Along the way, I encountered a man (with noise canceling headphones) who was loudly singing songs as he walked along, seemingly oblivious to the rest of us.  When I finished my step goals, I moved on to a nearby stationary (recumbent) bike.  Between 1845 and 2025, I rode 8 miles in 40 minutes.  For some reason, I had to work very hard to reach my cycling goal.  During this time, I also watched CNN, which had non-stop live coverage of the approaching Artemis II landing.  At different times, Brenna came by to check on me and, at one point, she gave me a towel to dry off the sweat.  She also texted me several times, updating her own workout progress.  With my biking complete, I got ready to go swimming in the lap pool.  Unlike what was required (a lap lane reservation) when I visited the Upper Valley Aquatic Center in Vermont, I was able to just chose a lane and get started.  I then spent 45 minutes doing laps and managed to complete 48 lengths (0.75 miles).  This was a drop off from my old 50+ stamina but I was pleased to have been able to get through an entire workout of the pre-Nomad Life variety.  When I was finished working out (2015) and quickly got changed so I could meet Brenna in the lobby (2030).  When we departed, I thought we were going straight back to her place.  However, Brenna mentioned that Jesse had driven down to eat dinner in Harrisonburg.  He had already arrived at a nearby Cook Out restaurant and we joined him (2045).  Since I'd already eaten dinner, I only ordered a milkshake, which turned out to be more of a thick ice cream - I could barely drink it!  Armed with some good food, we visited with Jesse until almost 2200.  As we were wrapping up, there were suddenly LOTS of college kids arriving to quench their munchies.  After saying goodbye (because we were all tired), Brenna drove me back to her apartment.  After arriving (2215), we immediately said goodnight.  However, I did some light reading and Duolingo before finally heading to bed at 2245.  Feeling very good about my workout at Brenna's wonderful gym!

Nomad Life - Day 202

Before I arrived in the Shenandoah, Brenna had asked if I could chaperone a Field Trip at her school.  Of course, I eagerly accepted!  Today was the day for the event and I was up at 0630 (no alarm required).  Unfortunately, I had a very fitful sleep overnight.  I believe the temps in the apartment (and the clothing I'd wore the night before), along with the couch I was sleeping on, created the issue.  Regardless, I started teleworking as soon as I was awake.  Brenna woke up shortly after I did (0700) and got ready for work.  She gave me more details about the Field Trip and then departed for the school (0815).  Meanwhile, I continued teleworking (meetings).  At 1045, I took a break from my job and headed to a nearby Walmart for a gas fillup (1055).  Immediately after that, I picked up lunch (to go) at Wendy's (1100) and then drove to Brenna's school.  Starting at 1115, I spent nearby four hours volunteering with Brenna's class.  After I joined my daughter, we (along with nearly 25 students, four teachers and the other chaperones) got ready to head to the nearby Harrisonburg Children's Museum.  Once again, it was a wonderful day of weather (high 50s, rising into the low 60s, and sunny).  Through each step of the Field Trip, the kids were very enthusiastic (singing songs at times).  We walked about a mile from their school to the museum and then had a wonderful time exploring the exhibits.  Brenna assigned me to shadow three young people through the Theater Room, Arts & Crafts Room, Airport Room (complete with control tower, regional jet and TSA screening area), Hospital Room, Farm/Barn Area (crops and Farmer’s Market), Kitchen Room and assorted other locations.  I was very impressed with the way the kids played with all the “Grown Up” tools!  Most of them seemed to enjoy my presence, with some trying to validate my identity as the dad of their teacher.  On the way back to school, we had to climb a big hill and the kids all started singing "Golden" (from the "KPOP Demon Hunters" movie, with it's "Up, Up, Up!" lyrics).  Soon after that, I got the most hilarious image of Brenna that I’ve ever seen (sadly, no camera ready).  During a shortcut through a city park, the kids broke into runs, rolls down hills and unbridled exuberance,  My daughter was an island of calm stability amid the chaos!  It was clear that those kids love their teacher and I could tell that the feelings are mutual.  After saying goodbye (and getting hugs from) the students, I departed for Brenna's apartment at 1445.  On the way, I bought snacks at Walmart (1500).  At the apartment, I resumed teleworking.  Brenna got home at 1730 and we talked more about the field trip - I told her I hoped we could have a relaxing evening in the house and she agreed.  For some reason, though, Brenna then went into her room to "rest" and I didn't hear back from her for a while.  To pass the time, I watched a new episode on my streaming services.  Since I'd already gotten nearly three hours from walking with Brenna's class earlier in the day, I only had one mile left to reach my step goal.  For this reason, I went walking in Brenna's apartment complex parking lot (1910).  In the end, I got the last mile completed (10K step goal achieved).  Meanwhile, Brenna texted to ask if we could get takeout from Vietopia and I agreed.  Soon after that (while I was still walking), she went to pick up the food.  She returned home at around 2000 and I joined her at her apartment soon after that.  I found her watching an episode of "The Rookie" but, before long, Brenna asked if we could watch a movie.  I suggested one called "As Luck Would Have It" that I thought she'd like.  For the next few hours (with minor interruptions for other conversations, eating and Brenna's calls with Jesse), we enjoyed the film.  One minor interruption was when Brenna and Jesse laughed at me because I seemed to be a huge fan of Hallmark Movies.  I replied that I had been doing "research" on so I would know what to share with my daughters when I visited.  The movie finally wrapped up at 2215 and I said goodnight to my daughter.  For the rest of the evening, I did some more reading and checking on the news.  It was finally time for bed at 2315.  What a great day of volunteering with Brenna's class!

Nomad Life - Day 201

Another day in Harrisonburg with Brenna!  I was up at 0630 (alarm required) and started teleworking immediately. Brenna came out of her room at 0715 and we talked for a bit while she got ready.  For breakfast, I ate snacks and leftovers - I then said goodbye to Brenna when she departed for work (0815).  For the rest of the morning, I teleworked and then ate leftovers for lunch.  Along the way, I did another load of dishes for Brenna and folded some more clothes.  At 1345, I left Brenna's apartment to do some errands.  Outside, it was pleasant (50s) and sunny.  First (1400), I topped at Home Depot to get items (trash bags, fabric softeners).  Next (1410), I dropped off items (including Brenna's wiped iPhone) for recycling at Staples.  On the way back to Brenna's, I took a call from Viking (Ezra) and ended up creating a new itinerary for Egypt and Jordan in late 2028 through early 2029 - we'll have to see if anyone wants to go with me!  I arrived back to Brenna's before 1430 and resumed teleworking.  During one brief break, I set up a shade (curtain) for Brenna's back door.  When Brenna got home (1645), I stopped teleworking and thought we'd be departing for Edinburg (where Jesse lived).  However, she told me she didn't feel well and went into her room to rest.  During this unexpected break, I thought about going for a walk but wasn't sure how much time I had.  My hesitation ended up being a mistake because there was never another opportunity (and I never got anywhere near my 10K step goal).  At 1745, Brenna told me she finally felt well enough to depart for Jesse's home.  Prior to that, though, she insisted on stopping at McDonalds (so she could get a soft drink).  Once we finally got out of Harrisonburg (US-33), we used I-81 and, eventually, US-11 to reach Edinburg.  As usual, there was lots of scary traffic for Brenna to contend with - this was probably even more exacerbated because I was her passenger...  When we arrived at Jesse's 1815), we discovered that he wasn't home and I thought about taking a walk nearby with the remaining sunlight.  However, he drove up just as I was lacing up my hiking boots.  For the next 30 minutes, we toured Jesse's home - he (and Brenna) had made lots of changes since I visited the last time.  Along the way, I helped Jesse move some furniture (yard, patio, side tables, etc.) he'd picked up from Facebook Marketplace - he knew just where to put these items and it improved the home even more.  During this work, we got into an interesting conversation about a wall hanging related to the local area.  At a local yard sale, he'd found a map which had a small note about "George Washington surveying the Fairfax Line".  This led to me looking up (on Wikipedia) information about the Fairfax Line and the discovery of the Fairfax Stone (located in West Virginia).  This inspired me to go looking for more slices of Americana on my Nomad Life.  Brenna talked again about how she didn't feel well but, with hydration, she eventually felt well enough to depart for dinner.  At 1915, we rode with Jesse to a much anticipated restaurant (Brenna and Jesse had told me it was "the best") - it was called Pizza Bella and it was located in a strip mall in Edinburg.  Despite this inauspicious start, the the food ended up living up to the hype.  We ordered a large garden salad, 10 boneless wings (teriyaki), a gyro (with fries) and a "meat lovers" pizza.  Initially, I thought this was too much food.  However, we somehow ate all of it.  Along the way, we had more great conversation, mostly about the future, and I told some funny stories related to my work.  When it was time to go, there were no leftovers!  Afterwards (2130), we headed back to Jesse's home; Brenna wanted to stay longer but Jesse admitted that he was tired and had been planning to go to his parents' home for the night.  Reluctantly, Brenna steered us back towards Harrisonburg (2145).  Like we'd seen on the way north on I-81, the traffic was just as frustrating and scary.  Happily, Brenna made the roughly 30 minute drive without incident.  After we returned home (2230), we said goodnight and I spent time reading and doing Duolingo exercises.  I finally went to bed at 2330.  Very glad to visit with Jesse at his home and adopted town!

Nomad Life - Day 200

Brenna woke me up with bright lights and coffee making at 0630.  Since I'd gone to bed so late (due to getting carried away with a good book), I hadn't even set my alarm...  As a result, this was an uncomfortable awakening.  Reluctantly, I started teleworking and did my best to continue the small talk until Brenna departed (0715).  In my unusually tired state, I still managed to power through the whole day teleworking.  Meanwhile, I ate a light breakfast (snack foods) and lunch was a short stack of pancakes I made in Brenna's kitchen.  At times through the day, I did chores (laundry, dishes, minor household repairs, etc.) for Brenna.  After getting done with my work day (1645), I worked on my blog and caught up on reading and puzzles.  Brenna got home at 1715 and seemed glad with the work I'd done around her apartment.  Like me, though, she was also very tired.  Despite the fatigue, she started making dinner (ground turkey burgers) in her air fryer - I tried to help her (in improving the consistency) and we were mildly successful.  Jesse arrived at 1750 and showed a lot of concern for the cooking of the poultry (because he is always in Ultra-Run mode, he is very knowledgeable about food).  We all talked for a while about their upcoming (pre-engagement) couples counseling and I wished them well.  At 1715, Brenna and Jesse departed to meet with the counselor.  Meanwhile, I worked on my blog a bit longer before departing myself - I wanted to find a good place for a walk nearby.  I should note that I'd been procrastinating all day about doing errands Brenna had mentioned - with the decision to seek out some steps towards my daily goal, I had (once again) postponed the shopping trip.  Recalling a walk I'd done (with Brenna and Jesse during my last visit to Harrisonburg) at Lake Shenandoah I drove to the nearest parking lot for the trail system.  The weather was still very pleasant (temps in the 50s but clear and sunny).  The parking lot had signs about paying a fee for activities on the property but I checked all the other cars - no one had any indications they'd followed the parking rules.  With the remaining light I had, I ended up completing two full circuits of the lake.  Along the way, I encountered lots of birds and a few deer - only a few other people were nearby.  I was finished with my walk at 1945 and made my way back to Brenna's house (arrived at 2000).  Discovering that my daughter and her boyfriend weren't back yet, I thought I had correctly predicted 2030 as the time that their counseling would end.  While waiting for them to return, I worked some more on my blog, did some reading, Duolingo and puzzles.  Jesse and Brenna returned at 2015 and were laughing when they told me their counseling had ended about 45 minutes earlier.  They confessed they'd been "watching me" (using the "find my phone" app) and knew that they had time to go grocery shopping without me realizing that they weren't still with the counselor.  Excitedly, they showed me their bags of groceries (they'd had time to shop while I was walking) - My daughter informed me that I would need to judge two different dessert offerings they planned to make for me: Brenna would make low sugar brownies from a box and Jesse would create homemade healthy "cheesecake".  At first, I told them I was uncomfortable being the middle of such a competition but Brenna insisted.  In the end, I admitted that both offerings were really good and told them it was too tough to find a winner.  In passing, I did note that Jesse had to come up with his own combinations of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, graham crackers (etc.) - "Giddy Brenna" was definitely on display after this - she joked that she'd worked hard too.  Later, we sat together on Brenna's couch and watched YouTube selections (mostly from "Wreck it Ralph").  Meanwhile, I drank a few of Brenna's old "Twisted Teas" (they were VERY old).  We had lots of laughs but the tiredness from the morning wasn't getting any better...  Jesse finally departed at 2215 and Brenna said goodnight to me soon afterwards.  Before calling it a night myself, I read some more but finally went to bed (on Brenna's couch) at 2330.  Feeling good about the opportunity to help out my daughter, get to know her boyfriend better and spend time in cooler spring air!

Nomad Life - Day 199

After a night on Brenna's couch, I woke up early (0630 with alarm) and started teleworking.  I got to spend a little time with my daughter before she left for work (Teacher Work Day) in Harrisonburg (she departed at 0815).  Meanwhile, I stayed at her apartment to continue teleworking.  My breakfast was snacks, which I used to power through several meetings.  It was actually a rather slow work day after lunch time - I made a "Nomad Life" meal with food from my car that I prepared in Brenna's kitchen.  Despite the slowness, I continued working, with no breaks until 1700, when Brenna arrived home.  After she got ready, we departed for Shenandoah National Park (with a quick stop for gas) at 1745.  To reach the hiking trailhead I had in mind, Brenna drove east (via US-33) until we could enter the park at the Swift Run Gap entrance.  We used my lifetime "America the Beautiful" pass to get inside and then drove about 10 miles north of US-33.  We ultimately stopped at the Appalachian Trail parking lot at Milam Gap.  While exiting the car, I noticed that Brenna hadn't worn good shoes and had no coat, which was kind of surprising (because of the lower temps).  Undaunted, we left our car (1815) and started hiking towards the southeast.  Initially, this took us from the trailhead, across Skyline Drive and onto the blue-blazed Mill Prong Trail.  The whole area yielded some good memories (it was one of my first-ever AT hikes), birding opportunities (so many Eastern Towhees!) and funny photo opportunities (Brenna almost fell into a creek we crossed).  We didn't see another living soul (or animal) but continued to be mindful of the decreasing daylight.  Through it all, we got some exercise and good Daddy-Daughter time.  After turning around at the beginning of a large descent (about one mile from the car), we re-crossed Skyline Drive and walked towards the northwest on the AT.  On the west side of the road, we passed a rocky outcropping that allowed for some great sunset photos and selfies.  We ended up walking nearly another mile before turning around; we reached the car (after about 3.5 miles of walking completed) at 2000.  By then, it was nearly dark and the presence of a lot of deer nearby made both of us nervous about potential animal encounters during the return drive to Harrisonburg (this was, after all, where Brenna had actually hit a deer a few years ago).  As a precaution, Brenna drove VERY slowly on Skyline Drive, much to the chagrin of several other guests to the National Park.  Since I'm her dad, though, I was glad that she was being careful - we avoided catastrophe and were able to turn our attention to dinner plans.  This ended up being a difficult conversation because of the lateness.  Brenna insisted that we shouldn't stop anywhere that was within 30 minutes of closing (to avoid being rude to the staff) and that ruled out a lot of restaurants.  At one point, I just pointed to some fast food locations we were passing (near US-340) but Brenna rejected them ("not healthy").  Eventually, we stopped to check on a Brewery and Burger joint but learned they'd already closed (at 2000).  The place that I'd been wanting to visit (an Italian Restaurant, located near Massanutten, we'd patronized before) was actually open but the debating and (stopping at other places before we finally reached it) soured both of us on the place.  Instead, we drove into Harrisonburg and stopped at Applebee's for dinner.  We arrived at 2045 and were both relieved to find that they stayed open until 2300).  Once seated, we looked over the menu and it started yet another debate - luckily, I was able to convince Brenna to order from a "Two for $25" menu.  Despite my daughter's report that this wasn't going to be a good deal, in my opinion, the food (salads for both of is, rice and "Mexican" chicken for me, cheeseburger for Brenna) was very good.  I even had a "Hurricane" drinks (Brenna thought that was funny).  After our walk, it was nice to relax and keep talking together.  We were finally done eating at 2155 and made our way back to Brenna's apartment.  Both  of us were very tired by then so didn't linger in conversation for long.  We said goodnight at 2230 but then I got very caught up in a book I'd been reading ("Shaman") while laying on Brenna's couch and didn't actually go to bed until 0030.  It was wonderful to spend so much time with Brenna this evening! 

Nomad Life - Day 198

Another weekend day!  This morning, I was awake at 0630.  Sadly, it was raining outside and I (again) had to give up on ideas of walking on the nearby New River Trail.  Instead, I spent time reading and working on Duolingo and puzzles.  At 0745, I went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Super 8 (Fort Chiswell).  Beyond that, I worked on my blog and updated information related to the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (recorded my miles and was impressed by the results).  After packing up my car, I left Fort Chiswell at 1015.  By then, the temps were 55 F and it was raining steadily,  Armed with research I'd done earlier, I drove north on I-81 (lots of crazy drivers and heavy truck traffic) until I was able to exit on to VA-177.  This route allowed me to arrive at St. Jude Catholic Church by 1100 - just in time for Easter Sunday Mass!  The church parking lot was packed and I felt very fortunately to find a seat in the back of the sanctuary (outside the glass doors).  The service featured a very young priest, lots of young families, pretty piano music (although it was unfamiliar music for each prayer), lots of altar boys and deacons, very few icons/statues.  Overall, I was impressed!  I left the church at 1200 (even though the service was still wrapping up) so I could continue north to Brenna's home.  I used VA-177 to get back to I-81.  By then, the rain had stopped while I made my way (with lots of traffic) through Salem and Roanoke.  As usual, there was the regular (annoying and nasty) truck behavior - I haven't missed this drive...  Fortunately, the number of vehicles thinned out to the north of Daleville and I had a rather easy drive (with good speeds) as I drove towards Lexington.  Even better, the sun came out from behind the thick clouds.  After a LOT of effort, I made it to an area near the I-64 merge (Staunton) that featured a lot of speed cameras.  Feeling quite hungry by that point, I stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel (1340).  Because it was Easter, there was (understandably) a long waiting list.  When I told Brenna I might be delayed (and gave my location), this led to some funny phone calls - she thought I was at the same Cracker Barrel as she was (in Harrisonburg).  I eventually got to sit down (1350) but there was a long delay for the food to arrive.  Despite these (First World) frustrations, I enjoyed a delicious meal of Hash Brown Shepherd's Pie (with a hash brown crust, pot roast meat, fewer potatoes than usual).  I also had some nice (very warm) biscuits.  The food was very rich!  Finished with my meal 1500, I drove north on I-81 until I could exit the Interstate to the south of Harrisonburg - from there, I drove a short distance (via back roads) to Brenna's.  When I arrived (1530), I found Jesse waiting to greet me (along with my daughter).  We did some visiting for a little while and then got changed and left to visit the nearby Cross Keys Battlefield.  Neither Brenna or Jesse had ever been there and I was glad to see that they enjoyed this first site contained within the Harrisonburg, Cross Keys and Port Republic Battlefield parks.  From signage nearby, we learned that an important battle was fought in the area on June 8, 1862.  This conflict had significant repercussions for the Shenandoah Valley and the Peninsular Campaign (to the east).  We were treated to lots of walking on some well maintained trails - we also got pretty views of Massanutten and Shenandoah NP.  It was breezy and cooler (50s).  More importantly, though, Jesse was recovering from a long distance race (he'd competed the day before).  He was uncomfortable but was a trooper!  Next, we moved our car to the little hamlet of Port Republic, where another battle took place the following day (June 9, 1862).  In this area, we found the site of a covered bridge (burned during the battle), a cemetery that included a stone marker for a CSA soldier who died in 1862 (perhaps during the battle?).  Eventually, we moved to the area near the "Coaling", which was a tall hill that sheltered Union cannon emplacements until the guns were overrun by persistent Confederate soldiers.  We climbed to the summit of the ridge and got some very nice views of the Shenandoah Valley (and City of Harrisonburg) below.  At the base of the hill, we found a historic Episcopal Church that featured pretty Easter Decorations.  With our outdoor time completed, Jesse drove us back to town, where we visited the Capitol Ale House for dinner.  After arriving (1945) we ordered appetizers (salads, pretzel, artisanal cheese, sausage) and began to have a rather entertaining conversation about things that made Brenna laugh.  I got some local beers and later ordered a brownie dessert (Jesse and Brenna shared it with me).  We were finished at 2100 and returned to Brenna's apartment.  After a bit more visiting, we said goodbye to Jesse (he had to drive back to his home about 30 miles to the north).  In all the excitement, I  never made my step goal for Sunday (dang).  With the day coming to a close, I spent time reading and talking with Brenna.  Bed time (on Brenna's couch) finally arrived at 2330.  What a great Easter Sunday - excited to spend the week with my daughter!

Nomad Life - Day 197

After a busy work week, it felt great to have a full day to explore and get some outdoor exercise.  In anticipation of the adventure, I woke up at 0615 (no alarm clock required).  Before getting ready, I spent time reading, doing puzzles and completing Duolingo exercises.  Because it was raining, I looked for breaks when it might be possible to load up my car.  I found such an opportunity at 0820 and, afterwards, went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Super 8 (High Point).  Due to yesterday's "Lenten Friday Reset", I made sure to avoid meat.  Once I finished my meal, I returned to my room and spent time researching the MST online, figuring out how many miles I'd previously completed and planning out my drive for the day.  I finally departed the hotel at 1000 - by then, it was partly cloudy and 74 F.  Hoping to resume my Mountains-to-Sea hike from the previous day, I began driving (via NC-68) back towards the town of Oak Ridge.  Suddenly, I started thinking about how close I was to some counties where I hadn't done any birding (the eBird website keeps track at the county level).  For this reason, I made a small detour (via I-73) to NC-65, where I was able to reach a corner of Rockingham County (1010).  Almost immediately, I saw several species of birds - the detour was worth the effort.  Following NC-65 for a bit longer, I intercepted NC-68 (from the north this time) and made my way to Haw River Road.  This reminded me that I'd wanted to research a nearby track (Haw River Trail) I'd seen on maps and road signs...  Before long, I reached Goodwill Church Road and this led me to the parking lot for the Cascades Preserve (arrived at 1025).  Like the parking lot I'd found the previous evening (on the "Beaver" side of the local trail system), the trailhead gave me access to a "walking section" of the MST.  Blessed with beautiful weather, I geared up and headed into the woods ("westbound").  There had been several cars in the lot so I expected to see a few folks out for walks and I encountered some almost immediately.  By then, I had started to wonder at the term "Cascades" because there was almost no water in the little stream along the trail.  Oh well...  A bit later, I came to ominous warning signs about a local shooting range and, right at that time, heard the sounds of loud gunfire.  Obviously, I stayed away from that area...  Instead, I walked all the way (following signs that kept me on the MST) until I reached the point on Pepper Road where I'd started my backtrack from the Oak Ridge side the day before.  There were SO many birds!  From there, the heat started to bother me a bit and I hurried from the main roads and back into the trees.  After a mostly uneventful walk of nearly two miles, I finished up my morning walk (1145).  Very glad I completed the entire trail section!  Just about that time, I heard from Brenna (she had questions about some outdoor activities of her own) and, moments later, I learned about the arrival of a new (grand)-nephew: Baby Levi!  Knowing I would soon lose cell signal, I was careful to take care of all communications and business before starting the next phase of my day: logging as many MST "road sections" as I could!  Initially, I drove west on Goodwill Church Road, which soon became Freeman Road.  I entered Forsyth County at 1215 (birding checkpoint).  At Pine Grove Road, I turned north and followed the pavement until I was able to turn west at NC-65.  During this window, I entered Stokes County (1225).  Otherwise, I continued on NC-65 until I reached the town of Walnut Cove.  At that point, my map and "reconstructed reality" (major rerouting of the road) caused some issues but, fortunately, I was soon able to use South Main Street and First Street (became Old Town Road) to reach US-311.  After a short jaunt back to the east, I was headed north on Tuttle Road, which I followed all the way to the Hemlock Golf Course.  At that point, though, the road turned to gravel and I clearly had entered a more remote area - the road was lined with log cabins and ground hogs.  I completely lost the use of my online MST map and was forced to use my own intuition to keep following the trail.  Fortunately, I made good decisions, including turning right (onto Dodgetown Road) just after the Meadows Baptist Church and then following Pitzzer Road along the Dan (after my first crossing of that river).  At Priddy's General Store, I had to think very hard but, ultimately, chose correctly in following Sheppard Mill to the town of Danbury.  Once again, I crossed the Dan and then got on NC-89, which took me (and lots of motorcycles) to Hanging Rock Park Road.  As the name implies, I soon found myself near the entrance to the eponymous State Park.  The trail disappeared ("walking section") into the woods as I was approaching Moores Spring Road - this terminated a long, frustrating "road section" that measured about 31 miles!  Feeling a bit relieved that I no longer had to track the trail, I drove to the Visitor Center area of Hanging Rock State Park (arrived at 1315).  Almost immediately, I was completely turned off from the HUGE mobs of people in the area.  There was a bathroom shortage (only two for what appeared to be close to 1000 people within line of sight!  I picked up a paper map and looked around nearby.  Sadly, I was feeling overwhelmed by all the people and almost gave up any thought of exploring further.  However, when I moved to a nearby lakeside parking area, I found far fewer folks.  In the end, I actually did a bit more walking on the MST near the (closed for the season) bathhouse - I logged 0.1 miles there.  I encountered some serious birders and then used the limited Internet I had to confirm their suspicious with the Merlin App.  I found some completely ignored (and empty) rest rooms in that area too - whew!  Before long, I was ready to depart and backtracked (on the pavement) to Moores Spring Road, which I used to cross the park (following my paper map) until I was on the western boundary (Mickey Road).  After locating the parking lot for Troy's Falls & Den Cave (on Charlie Young Road), I started measuring a new "road section" of the MST.  This time, the constant "in woods / out of woods" nature of the MST nearby only yielded 2.1 miles but I was happy to be able to track the trail all the way tot he Heaven-in-the-Hills Campground on NC-66).  Once it was clear that I'd be chasing the trail a lot more than before, I only made small attempts to track it.  In the end, I got 0.5 driving miles on Rockhouse Road, visited the historic Rock House (1430), logged 0.2 driving miles on Old Mill Road near Flat Rock and then finished 1.3 driving miles near the town of Volunteer (Bradley Road to Coon Road to Volunteer Road).  Throughout this timeframe, the rock formations on the surrounding mountains were very interesting, as were the many farms and homes that I passed.  Eventually, I started seeing evidence (from signs and certain vista angles) of something called Pilot Knob - this gave me one more chance to finish (driving) a short section of the MST (1.9 miles on Pilot Knob Park Road to Old Winston Road).  Note that some of these descriptions are listed in "reverse direction" (west to east) for the MST.  The ultimate goal of my efforts was the entrance of Pilot Mountain State Park.  When I arrived at the Visitor Center (1500), I lost the MST (did it turn up the mountain?).  Any thought of climbing (by car) the landmark was dashed when I saw signs that the Summit Lot was closed (too many cars).  I did look around in the VC and talked to the ranger but, otherwise, decided to resume my search for the MST again.  The good news about this idea was that there was another unit of the State Park in the vicinity of the closest "road section".  In search of this, I drove into Surrey County at 1520 and started driving on Perch Road.  Along the way, I passed the Home Creek Living Historical Farm.  At 1545, I arrived at the Yadkin Section (Bean Shoals) of Pilot Mountain State Park.  There were a few views from the parking lot there) of the Yadkin River and the MST passed through the park boundaries.  By that point, it was 81 F and I had miles to go before I slept.  After exiting the park, I located the nearby Corridor Trailhead (on Hauser Road) at 1555.  From that point, the MST had great signage and I ended up driving for nearby 30 miles (eventually ending up on NC-268) while only encountering two "walking sections".  Along the way, I encountered heavy (but intermittent) rain.  In the end, I only made one stop - at Friendship Trailhead (at 1640).  When I drove into the town of Elkin, I lost the signage for the MST and had to give up on logging mileage.  But I felt pretty good about what I'd seen and done through the day.  With my MST exploring complete, I headed towards the northwest on US-21.  I'd thought I'd find a good place to turn east to get on I-77 but that didn't happen.  Part of the problem was that I wasn't using any maps because the weather was so nice and I was tired of staring at online information.  With the compass in my Subaru showing that I was heading further and further to the west, I eventually (at the Wilkes County Line, near signs for Stone Mountain State Park) gave up my non-App driving and followed Google (via back roads) to the east.  The route to I-77 took me past a significant number of chicken farms/homes.  Once I got on the Interstate (still in NC), it was only a short drive to the Virginia State Line (crossed at 1745).  By then, I was pretty hungry so stopped for dinner at McDonalds.  Even with my aging mind, I successfully completed my "Lenten Friday Reset".  While eating in the car, I made hotel reservations.  At 1820, I got back on I-77 and headed north.  Brenna called again (making plans for the following day).  As I approached the I-81 merge, I exited the freeway and got on VA-69.  Because it was still raining, I didn't make stops at New River Trail parking lots that I passed.  Just before 1900, I reached my hotel, a Super 8 in Fort Chiswell (located on US-52).  After quickly checking into my room, I got a shower and spent time on the phone with Eileen.  For the rest of the evening, I spent time catching up on eBird entries and doing some blogging.  There was just barely enough time for some reading before I went to bed (2330).  It was a great day in the Tar Heel State and along the Mountains-to-Sea Trail! MST Today = 67.1 miles / Grand Total MST = 109.3 miles

Raleigh Trip - Day 5

When I woke up this morning (at 0615), I was reminded of the fact that it was time to move on from my trip to North Carolina.  Before thinking about leaving my comfy hotel room, though, I started teleworking (in attempt to complete a work day as early as possible).  At 0800, I took a break and went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Staybridge Suites (Morrisville).  With my meal completed, I went to the Fitness Center and spent 40 minutes on the stationary bike ("spinning machine"); in the end, I logged 8 miles!  The cute little boy I'd earlier seen at breakfast (and his mother) reappeared during this window (doing laundry in the adjacent room) - he wanted a fist bump and was very interested in the fitness equipment.  Once I was done with my workout, I went back to my room to keep teleworking.  For the rest of the morning, I only took short breaks (to do my own laundry and to pack up my car).  Meanwhile, outside, there were some sprinkles and nasty looking clouds.  It wasn't nearly as warm as the previous few days had been.  At 1245, I logged off my computer and finished packing up my car.  I felt confident logging off of my computer for the day because my work had allocated 3.5 hours for travel today.  After I checked out of the hotel, I stopped by the Business Center one more time to print out a few more items - the nifty printer they had was a really great amenity this week!  By1300, I departed Morrisville and the Raleigh suburbs.  By then, the temps were at 76 F and the sky was really sunny.  Initially, I used I-40 (waving goodbye to the Raleigh Durham Airport on my way past) and then got on I-885.  Before long, I reached NC-147 and it later became I-40, which I followed that all the way to the Greensboro suburbs.  Upon reaching NC-68, I got off the Interstate and drove south.  I arrived at my hotel, the Super 8 at Highpoint / Greensboro, by 1415 but didn't immediately check into my room.  Instead, I stopped at a nearby Sheetz (first time in a while) and filled up my (nearly empty) gas tank.  Somehow, I made a mistake and added E15 fuel, which is not intended for my Subaru.  It will be interesting to see if there are any negative consequences...  Next (1430), I went next door to a place called City BBQ and completely forgot that it was Good Friday (even though I'd remembered at breakfast time).  Oblivious to this, I ended up ordering and then enjoying some brisket and Texas sausage (with mac & cheese and green beans with bacon on the side).  It was nice to to try some delicious Carolina barbeque before I departed the Tarheel State!  Only after my plate was completely cleared did I realize, to my horror, that I should have had been fasting for a Lenten Friday.  As had happened before in these situations, I immediately "restarted the counter", vowing to do better until the end of the next day.  Fuel and food needs met, I drove across the street to my hotel and quickly checked into my room (1505).  Even though I probably could have stopped working for the day, I logged on to my computer again and was soon caught up on a work project that probably could have waited until Monday...  At 1445, I forced myself to end my work day and switched up updating my Nomad Life blog (I am so far behind at this point...).  More importantly, I began researching the route of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.  (Note - the entire reason why I chose the hotel was so I could explore this icon of North Carolina more fully.)  During this process, I discovered that there were several places (e.g., GSMNP, Asheville, etc.) where I'd already hiked sections of the trail system.  This encouraged me to take full advantage of the nice weather and closeness to a "road section" of MST - I can get a lot of miles during the next 24 hours!  Finally, at 1745, I departed my hotel for an afternoon hike.  My first stop was a park in the nearby town of Oak Ridge that appeared to be located along the trail through town.  I arrived at Town Park by 1800 and was greeted by 83 F temps and sunny weather.  While there, I found plenty of MST signs but also learned that I actually on a "road section" (meaning that the trail only follows the pavement) and that a hiking section was another mile to the west on Linville Road.  With that new information (and a photograph of a map on a billboard), I repositioned to the Beaver Trail parking area and geared up for some hiking (1810).  There were only a few cars in the lot and the weather was perfect for some miles in the woods!  Along the way, I encountered plenty of birds (including some brand new species for my eBird "Life List") and enjoyed walking behind lots of fancy homes.  Overall, I had a very pleasant walk and, by the time I was done, had logged 1.2 miles of MST (2.5 miles total).  Once I was back in my car (1910), I started following the MST ("road section") from the parking lot to the east.  Initially, I used NC-150 and ended up driving through an interesting place called the Oak Ridge Military Academy.  Switching to Bunch Road, I continued east until I could get on Brookbank Road and head north.  The MST then proceeded north until it rejoined NC-150.  Before long, I drove through a little town that identified itself as Historic Summerfield.  I then traveled south on Summerfield Road until I reach the parking lot for the "AYG" trailhead (at US-220).  My MST "road section" ended up concluding at 1935 after 10 miles on pavement).  From this location, my map showed a longer hiking section that followed the shoreline of Lake Brandt - I'll save that for a future visit to the area!  Hoping to locate a place to get some local beers, I drove south on US-220 and soon encountered a Tap Room called Craft City Sip In.  After arriving at 1945, I ordered a flight of beers and then enjoyed some live music (mostly '80s covers).  The venue was very loud and, even though the beer was good, I didn't stay as long as I sometimes do.  Instead, I departed at 1820 and returned to my hotel (via I-840 and I-40, then back roads).  Once I was in my room again (1840), I spent the rest of the evening watching streaming services (new episodes).  Before bed time (2330), I also updated my MST Tracker with all my pre-2026 miles - it turned out I'd completed 31 before I formally started trying to "finish the trail" today.  More tomorrow!  Mountains-to-Sea Trail Today = 11.2 miles / Grand Total MST = 42.2 miles

Raleigh Trip - Day 4

With the Technology Refreshment at Raleigh Durham Airport in the rearview, like almost returned to "normal" Nomad Life.  However, I was still supposed to stay in town to make sure that the site was satisfied with our work yesterday.  With that in mind, I got up (with my alarm) at 0630 and started teleworking.  During the morning, I only took one break, at 0800, for breakfast in the Lobby of the Staybridge Suites (Morrisville).  After that, I stayed online until 1300, when Stacy (colleague from the Installation Team) dropped off some pizza that she'd brought from Tony Baloney's in Atlantic City.  I enjoyed it as a delicious lunch - what a treat!  Meanwhile, outside, it was in the low 80s and very sunny - once again, I was tempted throughout the day to depart for some non-work adventures.  At 1515, I knocked off for the day and drove a short distance to hike on the Shiloh Greenway.  This trail, which I'd noticed on Google Maps, was a 1.7 mile trail in a neighborhood to the southwest of the airport (and my hotel).  Once I found a convenient trailhead (1530), I started walking and, eventually, completed the full trail (birding along the way).  At the end of my time in the outdoors, I also walked around in the sports fields - there was a cool Cricket Pitch nearby (it appeared that lots of folks with Indian heritage lived nearby).  During the whole time, the weather was hot (80s) and it was very sunny.  The silence was often broken by aircraft flying low overhead (departure pattern for RDU).  When I finished my walk at 1700, my pedometer said that I'd reached four miles (and my step goal for the day).  Hoping to enjoy some more of the local Craft Brew scene, I drove a short distance to a place called Hoppy House Taproom.  Inside, I found a wall of beer, wall of wine and a wall of cocktails.  Wow!  I started sampling at 1720 and soon filled up the "Untapped" board with my own entries (and cleared everyone else off).  Along the way, I got a free beer (the staff had just installed a new keg) - Nomad Life is good!  While I was trying the different drinks, I did a lot of texting and messaging with my friends.  The venue was very pleasant and I enjoyed everything I sampled. More surprising, though: I got away (tip included) for less than $11!  At 1825, I drove back to my hotel (via the Interstate) and was back in my room by 1840.  Even though I'd already completed my hours for the day, I did a bit more admin stuff for my job before transitioning to personal business.  For the next few hours, I worked on my blog, ordered gifts for friends and coordinated my upcoming travel schedule.  At 2115, I grudgingly changed into workout gear again and went to the Fitness Center to ride the spinning machine (bike) again.  This time, I wasn't trying to add to my step count, only work on my Prouty Cycling goals.  As a result, I logged four miles in 20 minutes and immediately returned to my room.  For the re3st of the evening, I watched a new episode of a streaming service series and then switched to old familiar movies.  When I finally went to bed (2315), I felt pretty good about how I'd spent my week day.  I'll depart Raleigh tomorrow but it's been a good visit!

Raleigh Trip - Day 3

Day two of the Installation Project - where the "rubber meets the road" - in Raleigh!  In anticipation of an early start, I was up at 0600 (with alarm again) and immediately got ready to depart (I wore my "Prouty" jersey).  At 0700, I went to breakfast in the Lobby of the Staybridge Suites (Morrisville).  Nearby, there was a friendly little boy (he kept waving and wanting to give hugs) and his patient mom.  Meal completed, I departed for the Raleigh Durham Airport at 0715.  After joining the rest of our Installation Team (0730), I worked with everyone to swap out old (2010 timeframe) equipment in the Tower and Approach Control.  It was warm inside the building because the temps outside were in the 80s and the sunny was beating down on Raleigh.  Along the way, we skipped lunch (I ate snacks) and we employed some good teamwork.  Even though there was a truck breakdown SNAFU, it didn't hurt us.  One of the highlights of the day was when we went to a section in the Tower Column with a gantry area - from there, the view was spectacular.  Throughout the building itself, there was training going on everywhere.  Our "hands on" work was completely finished by 1415 and we'd even wrapped up all the paperwork by 1530.  The Contractor Lead (Stacy) agreed with me that a job well deserved a celebration.  By general consensus, the entire team drove (in separate cars) to a nearby Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (arrived at 1600).  Once we were seated, I convinced the staff to give us the happy hour specials away from the bar area ($6 wine glasses).  Only about half of the team (including me) took advantage of this offer, though.  When it came time to order, I requested the three course combo for my dinner: Caesar Salad, Grilled Chicken on mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and strawberry bread pudding ala mode.  The Team members were in good spirits and the excellent food made things even better.  Since our project is taking a break (for software patches) until June, everyone was very glad to be finished in Raleigh so they could return home for family time.  Our fun time of camaraderie was finished at 1730) and, after saying goodbye to everyone else, I returned to my hotel (arrived at 1745).  In my room again, I did some more telework until 1900 (I skipped the hotel's "Social Hour").  I probably should have headed immediately to the Fitness Center but then I got distracted by some planning for my upcoming trip to Europe.  So it was very late (2115), before I got around to my daily workout.  In the end, I completed a 1 mile walk on the treadmill (20 minutes) and and then got four miles of cycling done (20 minutes).  By 2200, I'd returned to my room.  Instead of turning on a movie or getting distracted with something else, I did some reading and finished up some notes until I was ready for bed (2245).  Feeling very good about a job well done!