Burke, VA (USA)

[woke up at Ali and Monica's - she drove me back to my car - then I headed back to Kim's (Arlington) to get my folio - went back to my house and rested for several hours - eventually headed out again - picked up drinks for the cookout at Ali and Monica's - met their friends, Kevin and Becky - watched College Football games with them for several hours before heading home - finally feeling normal again...]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[after work, met up with Kelly and her kids at Vie - met Monica, her friend - after several hours of happy hour, headed with them to Kim's - enjoyed a nice evening with everyone (also met Jeff and Kim's kids) - lots of fun and some Naked Pizza - later headed to Ali and Monica's - stayed up very late and ended up staying over night]

Washington, DC (USA)

[after work, headed over to Navy Yard and met up with Drew, Kaitlin, Brian, Adam and Lizzie - had drinks at Bluejacket for several hours - then walked to Drew's apartment near the Nationals Stadium - he ordered "We the Pizza" and we enjoyed the rest of the evening on the roof - Drew drove me and Adam back to our homes/cars - at the house around midnight]

Front Royal, VA (USA)

[up early - drove out to hike on Appalachian Trail at Chester Gap (US-522) - got there by driving out on I-66, VA-55, VA-638 out to US-522 - first hiked north to Denton Shelter - saw lots of people with dogs - encountered one SOBO hiker - after resting at my car, headed south - saw a few other hikers SOBO - 2 deer, owl, bear - hung out at Floyd Shelter with "Tin Can" - hiked back with Anthony (training for hike around Mount Rainier) - Smithsonian animal preserve - gas in Front Royal - then back to Alexandria (1700) - bought new hiking boots and then went home - 8.42 miles / 112.92 total]

Harpers Ferry, WV (USA)

[got up early - rain was threatening, but drove out to Keys Gap (I-495 and VA-7 all the way to WV-9 - hiked from Keys Gap to High Street in Harpers Ferry - it was misty and cool - it was also pretty easy downhill, comparatively speaking - rested in town (a little snack) - hiked up the hill to the A.T. Conservatory - registered as a Section Hiker (1200) and joined the ATC - stayed inside after it started to pour - hung out until I could get a ride back to my car (from Darlene) - headed home in the rain (it took forever) - 6.28 miles / 104.5 total]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[worked late - met up for happy hour at Vie (Kelly, Jan, Stephanie, etc.) - stayed for several hours and then went to Chevy's for late dinner and margaritas - ride home from Joey]

Warrenton, VA (USA)

[drove to Warrenton at 0600 - worked for several hours at our site - drove over to Wegmans for an interview with Jackie (Jim) - ate lunch before driving back to the city - stayed late and then went to happy hour - left for home after 1900 - no problem getting there]

Crownsville, MD (USA)

[up early - drove into city to get my computer from the office - then used US-50 to get out of town (PITA) - got breakfast at Burger King and then drove to Annapolis (Crownsville) to visit Chris - (gas fillup to make it there) - arrived at 0900, used Chris' kayak and went swimming off his boat (with his 2 daughters) - hung out for about six hours - drove to Beltsville via MD-32 (1500) - met up with Brother Jim (visited for around three hours - had dinner with him) - drove back home late in the evening]

Purcellville, VA (USA)

[drove out early - lots of cops on the way - rode rest of W&OD Trail from Purcellville - started at end of trail and then rode out to mile marker 36 - felt good (some slow-downs) - talked to lots of people - after about 18 miles, explored downtown - picked up "The A.T. Guide" at Appalachian Outdoor Readiness and Essentials - drove over to VA-7 and VA-679 (parking lot full) - parked on south side of highway, walked back and then hiked about 0.6 miles to Bears Den Rocks - explored the Trail Center - hiked back down (met nice family) - got in my car and hurried home - 0.6 miles / 98.22 total]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked late - went to baseball game (stopped by M Street Office before hand) - Kelly and her kids, Sabrina, Phil, Bob, etc. - fireworks afterwards, walked back to cars - dropped off Sabrina and Bob - home after midnight]

Warrenton, VA (USA)

[left for Warrenton at 0600 - arrived on site at 0700 - fit in a couple of hours of work (meetings with Jackie and Kelly - customers) - then drove into the city for several hours - worked late and then happy hour - home in the late evening]

Purcellville, VA (USA)

[I set my alarm for 0600 so I could get some Appalachian Trail in today - made it out to US-15 and got some gas - continued north until I located VA-7 - followed it out past Purcellville until reaching the area near Bluemont (Snickers Gap) - found a parking spot on VA-679 - the map said the David Lesser Shelter was around 10.5 miles away but I was not worried, figured I had it in me... - left my car around 0830, headed north - I found the Virginia / West Virginia border about two miles into the hike - everyone I saw this morning was SOBO (2 solos, 1 couple) - the terrain went up and down so many times that I lost track (crucial later) - when I finally got to a flat area, I encountered a sign that warned everyone that they had just left the "Roller Coaster" - I'd heard of this before but had thought it was between US-50 and VA-7 - hmmm.... - kept going through rocky woods - pretty flat - passed Blackburn Trail Center without stopping and walked another three miles until I reached my turn-around point from July 6 - I was still feeling good at this point, just a little tired and dehydrated - had more water with me, so I figured I was OK - on the way back towards my car, I chased a fast hiker headed SOBO but he soon left me behind - I eventually caught up to a family on a day hike and was tempted to see if they would drive me back to my car - kept going, though - I was definitely walking more slowly on the way back - I met up with several folks walking NOBO whenever I got "near" civilization - I even saw some rappellers on the rocks - it looked like fun - I reached about mile 18 for the day and I was pretty much spent - I was also out of water - as I pushed over at the top of the "Roller Coaster", I knew I was getting myself into some trouble but hoped for the best - it started out promising, with a huge downhill section - thought I would be OK but came to a large uphill - every step was painful and exhausting - I was winded and sore, even lightheaded - I would walk about 100 yards and stop for a rest on a big rock or log - I wanted to stop for good, but knew I had to make it back to the car - daylight was becoming an issue with every minute that I waited, so I kept going - eventually, I reached the top of what I thought was the last uphill climb - just then, I met up with a hiking couple who informed me there was still one more uphill to go - first, I headed down to the bottom of a ravine where a creek trickled through - by now, I was so thirsty that I filled up my bottle and drank tons of mountain water - I really needed that - the most interesting part of this last few miles was the fact that I was hungry but couldn't bring myself to eat - the last several hundred miles of the hike were only possible because I could hear the VA-7 traffic by then - when I finally saw my car again (1700), I knew I was lucky to have made it - 21 miles kicked my ass! - I drove back via VA-7 to Purcellville and got a big McDonald's drink before getting back on the road - also explored the end of the W&OD Trail - to get home, I used VA-7 all the way back to VA-28 - I had a good talk with the kids as I drove - made it to the house around 2000 and relaxed for a bit before bed - had no problem falling asleep - 10.57 miles on A.T. / 97.61 miles total]

Leesburg, VA (USA)

[after taking some time this morning to get my finances in order, I went to get my bike from the storage building - prior to my ride, I took a detour with Mollie to celebrate her birthday (belated) with lunch at TopGolf - I had thought about possibly playing, but it was really crowded by that point (1230) - we had a nice time and then I took her home - I headed out on I-495 and I-66 (traffic jam again) - it was nice to have my clutch working normally after the car repair yesterday... - worst part of the drive, though, was a huge backup at VA-28 - once I got by that, it started to rain... - I didn't give up, though, and found Hampshire Park again (after exploring the area nearby) - when I got on my bike near mile marker 26 on the W&OD Trail (1430), it had finally stopped raining - I had a great ride through Ashburn, rural Loudon County and through Leesburg, all the way to mile marker 36 - the weather was great by then (still not hot - what a Summer!) - on the way back, I encountered several Loudon County Sheriff assets (looking for someone, with helicopter support) - I made it through several places where the cars drove on the trail but I kept going - before I made it back to my car, I took a detour at Two Creeks Trail Area to do some mountain bike trails - they were pretty rough, but I made it through unscathed - finished up around 1800 after roughly 22 miles - felt good - drove back to the house via the High School (shot some hoops) and the grocery store - relaxed for the evening with some movies]

Washington, DC (USA)

[Brenna and Mollie took the Metro into the city to meet me this evening - we took the Green Line to Navy Yard / Ballpark station - it was another nice Summer evening (it was so nice, it didn't seem possible that it was August) - we found Canal Park around 1900 and set up in the grass to wait for the start of the Thursday Night Movie ("Rudy") - there was a nice crowd and everyone got into the spirit of the movie - we all enjoyed the classic Notre Dame story until around 2215 - we walked back to the Metro and made our way home - I was able to get to sleep by about 2330]

Washington, DC (USA)

[I had a chance to go to the Nationals-Orioles Game after work today (second time - makeup game after the July 8 rainout) - after work, I walked over to the Park from my office - it was a nice evening - the game was close and there were some great plays (home runs, put out from center field) - Bob showed up around the middle of the third inning - just before the Race of the Presidents - eventually, the Os started to pull away - I made it to the middle of the seventh inning before I departed for home - Bob decided to stay until the end - my decision to take the Metro turned out to be a huge mistake: I had to wait for the train to leave Navy Yard / Ballpark for what seemed like forever and then had to wait another 20 minutes for a Yellow line train - by then it was packed - didn't get home until around 2300 - still, it was a great evening at the ball game!]

Sterling, VA (USA)

[tried to fix car early (need major clutch repair at mechanic...) - a little bit of rain - took my bike out I-495 to I-66 to VA-28 - got off at Sterling Avenue - found a place to park (a business closed for the day) - rode east through Sterling, Herndon and Reston all the way to Wiehle Road - turned around and rode back west - passed my car and continued until reaching Smiths Switch Station (near mile marker 26) - got a drink and took a break - then rode a bit farther to explore Hampshire Park (possible parking spot for next ride?) - headed back to car after around 18 miles of biking today - tired - backtracked to VA-28, I-66 and used Fairfax County Parkway to get back to my storage building - worked on car again, just temporary fix - drove over to high school and played a little basketball before heading home - worked on the kids' computer]

Old Tavern, VA (USA)

[took care of paperwork in the morning - started to rain around noon - undeterred, drove over to Burke Lake (west of Springfield) on the Fairfax County Parkway - parked in a neighborhood on the edge of the park - first rode north on the Fairfax County Parkway Trail until I figured out that it was taking me away from the park - then backtracked south until I stumbled across a sign that said "FBT Bike Hike" - intrigued, I took the gravel/dirt trail into the woods - entered Burke Lake Wilderness Area and eventually found a dirt trail that ringed the lake - it was nice to use my mountain bike in the right terrain, for once - there were lots of people walking and riding on the windy, hilly trail (it reminded me of Mariocart because I never knew what I would find around the corner...) - a light rain still sprinkled out on the lake, but I didn't get wet - eventually, I had completed the entire 4.5 mile trail and I rode back through the woods to the FCPT - rode for a few more miles to the south before backtracking to my car - probably finished around 10 miles - I went back to the house to take a shower and then drove over to get some supplies and cash before picking up the girls for our night out at the Twilight Polo match! - we drove via I-495 and I-66 (lots of traffic, some rain too) - stopped for dinner at Chick-fil-A in Manassas and then got back on the road until we got to Old Tavern Road - just a few miles south of the interstate, we found the Great Meadow Park (and Longhorn cattle!) - parking cost just $30 and there was no other entry fee - we went inside (1845) and found that a polo match had already begun - the girls and I set up our blankets on a tarp I brought and we watched for a bit until all of my other friends (from work and competitor companies) showed up - there were tons of kids and every time a polo ball left the playing field they got candy if they returned the ball to the announcers - the weather was great and there were very few bugs - the kids ate fried twinkies and oreos! - we saw huge flocks of birds rising into the twilight sky (what a view!) - we ended up seeing three matches and then watched all the little kids in a big tug of war (with ice cream afterwards) - many of the kids played in a nearby field until well after dark - when the matches were over, everyone went up to dance to 1980s music - the twins watched some of my friends' kids - Kelly, Jason, Laura and Sandy were so hospitable (they brought extra food and drink) - everyone was having so much fun and nobody wanted to leave! - we stayed until around 2230 and then drove home (no traffic) - the girls and I got a lot of quality time this evening (nice, it has been a while since I got to see them for so long on the same day) - I headed home and watched some TV before bed (late)]