College Visit Trip - Day 2

[up early (0600) - the kids and I ate breakfast at the hotel - sunny and clear but brisk - left for Virginia Tech (0800) - drove south on I-81 to US-460, then to campus - found Undergraduate Admissions Office and attended an info session (0900), despite not having an online reservation - after that was over, took a tour (1030) with Melanie (student volunteer) - after that was over, drove around the edge of the school (part of Blacksburg) - parked and then ate lunch at the Owens Dining Facility (1215) - enjoyed some more of the campus experience before heading back (on US-460) to I-81 - drove south to I-77 - eventually intercepted I-40 and drove east - filled up the gas tank in McLeansville, NC (1510) - continued east to Chapel Hill (got off at NC-86) - headed into town and through the University of North Carolina campus - eventually located US-15 (south of time) - started looking for a hotel - found a Days Inn north of town - got our room and cleaned up - headed over to St. Thomas More Catholic Church for Mass (1715) - when it was over, drove into Chapel Hill and looked for parking near Franklin Street - it took awhile, but eventually found somewhere to leave the car - ate dinner (Chicken & Cheddar Biscuit) at Time Out, a restaurant that Brenna had read about before our trip - then walked around for a bit (including a short walk across the UNC campus) - drove back to our hotel - watched "Non-Stop" (movie) - later, the kids did their homework while I took care of business online - went to bed around 2330]

College Visit Trip - Day 1

[left for work very early (0530) - loooong day at the office - on the way home, encountered broken Metro train, a traffic jam, lights that were not working, etc. - after all the obstacles, I picked up girls at 1800 (after they said they couldn't be ready at 1700) - drove them back to my apartment - got packed for a college visit trip! - all afternoon, but especially as we were leaving, it started getting very cold... - on the road by 1900 - used I-495, I-66 to I-81 (luckily, traffic not too bad) - we had a great talk while we were driving and I was able to keep going, despite being tired - stopped for gas at Love's in Toms Brook, VA (2020) - ate dinner at Arby's before we hit the road again (2045) - continued south on I-81 - still enjoying the conversation along the way (kept me awake) - eventually stopped at Dalesville, VA, where I had stayed during my Appalachian Trail hiking trip (see MAY 2014) - stayed at the Howard Johnson Inn (2300) - finally got to bed (2330)]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work - heading home but heard from Stephanie - diverted to Pentagon City - took cab to Redrocks on Columbia Pike - had dinner there with Stephanie and Joey - took bus back to Metro Station - home around 2100]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work late - drove (with Kelly) to have dinner at Bar Louie in Crystal City - Dan met us later - metro after long walk through mall - got home very late (2230)]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[work late - went to Chevy's for dinner with Stephanie - nice time - home around 2100]

Carlisle, PA (USA)

Up really early at the (110 year old, under renovation) Doyle Hotel. Great pit stop for hiking weekend & will use again. Drove south along the river and took I-81 west to the Carlisle area. Started at Scott Farm (turnaround point from several weeks ago) and hiked NOBO, all the way to PA-850 (starting point yesterday). In the process, finished Cumberland Valley and summited (2x) North Mountain (far less impressive than South Mountain). Actually caught up to a couple of "t...rack-makers" (people with dogs) and didn't have to create the path in the snow like yesterday. It was nice to have company... Overall, a good (12.5 mile) day - warmer than yesterday (high 30s). Managed to overcome snow, rain, sleet, wind, ice and slush and get some endorphins circulating - all before 2 PM. Next time I hike AT in PA, I will get to cross the river! Next, I headed to Mechanicsburg to visit friends from Notre Dame - had a long visit with Kara & Caleb and their son, Sterling - stayed for dinner and talked for hours - left their house around 1900 - drove back to PA-174 - gas fillup at Carlisle (1925) - then used PA-74 to get to US-15, I-270, I-495 - made lots of phone calls on the way - got home very late (2130) and began recovery... AT Today = 6.2 miles / Grand Total = 331.32 miles.

Duncannon, PA (USA)

After my trip last weekend (FLT and ADK), I've discovered that the weather won't prevent me from achieving most of my hiking goals... When the forecasted winter storm never hit DC, I decided to drive up to the Harrisburg area to hike some more AT. Left the house around 0800 (used I-495, I-270, US-15, PA-94, PA-34 and PA-850. Parked at the trailhead on the last road (about 9 miles west of Duncannon) at 1030. Provided a jump start to a hunter in the parking lot right before leaving (felt good to help someone) and then proceeded up into the snowy woods on Cove Mountain (NOBO). I saw several kids sledding near the road but no one at all while I hiked on AT. Observed lots of animal tracks and pretty vistas of the snow covered farmland below the ridge. It was cold and my clothes got wet very quickly. Stayed pretty warm with my layers, though. Turned back at Hawk Rock - just as the sun came out and started to melt everything. Actually made the return trip harder (slippery) and I found myself practically running at the end. There was about 4-6 inches of snow but I didn't let it deter me. As a result, I ended up fitting in 15 miles today! Finished at 1630 and drove east to US-11/15. Turned north and followed the Susquehanna River until I found a hiker lodge (Doyle Hotel) in Duncannon (1730). Had dinner there (jambalaya & salad and Troegs beer). Worked on my computer for awhile and made some phone calls in the drafty old place (fun with the space heater all evening). Went to bed around 2200. Looking forward to taking another crack at the trail tomorrow! AT Total today = 7.11 miles / G.T. = 325.12 miles.

Washington, DC (USA)

[Hill Country BBQ lunch - "farewell" for Gerry (just moving to Texas, not leaving our company) - walked back back to the office with Sean - dinner after work (McDonalds near office) with Stephanie - home around 1900]

Canton, NY (USA)

[up at 0600 - used the internet for awhile - it had snowed a good bit - packed up and cleaned off my car - then headed into the restaurant ("The County Seat") at my hotel (Canton Best Western) - worked on the crossword puzzle while waiting for Eileen (she arrived at 0745) - had a nice breakfast together - see OCT 2014)! - said goodbye to her around 0900 and left town on US-11, headed west - felt very happy to have spent so much time with Eileen but it also made it hard to go home... - listened to CBC (show on therapeutic, platonic cuddling) for several hours - used I-781 and I-81 as I made my way south - made good time, despite some weather - it was snowing for some of the drive but mostly stopped before I arrived in Binghamton - filled up with gas at Manley's there (1215) - texting with Eileen while stopped - continued south on I-81 - phone calls to my friends all the way - had almost no traffic or weather to contend with through Pennsylvania and made the best speed ever! - stopped near Frederick at Fort Detrick to get some "adult beverages" (1615) but found the place wasn't open (MLK Holiday) - instead, got gas for car and then drove home - haircut in Alexandria (1830) - stopped off at the post office and storage building - went shopping at Giant for groceries and a birthday present for Carolyn (1930) - arrived home to find Bob at the house, playing a State of the Union drinking game - did laundry and then went to bed - very tired, but contented...]

Utica, NY (USA)

[up at 0600 - ate breakfast at hotel with Eileen - left around 0830 - took (what we thought was) I-790 but ended up on NY-49 - in Rome, saw Fort Stanwix - decided to double back to NY-635 - that worked and we found NY-28 - continued into Adirondack State Park and drove to Old Forge - worked on a crossword puzzle together (fun!) - got gas in Thendara at 0815 - saw lots of snowmobiles driving along the roads and on trails in the woods - continued east toward Inlet and parked at trailhead for Black Bear Mountain (near Eagle Bay on Fourth Lake) - got started around 0900 - hiked in 4-6 inch snow up the "blue trail" - it was steep and slippery and I almost lost my step several times - Eileen was a jackrabbit and didn't seem to be having any trouble (old hat for her) - eventually, we came to a place on the trail that was so steep and icy that I could not find a way up (despite Eileen already making it up there) - I was not sure what to do but, luckily, I got some unexpected help from three snow shoe friends who came up right behind us - Eileen scouted out the trail from above and they doggedly walked around the narrow ledge until we all made it up the hill - I was very relieved - the top was well worth the climb! - we found a peak (around 2600 feet) with great views of all the lakes around (for miles) - Eileen pointed out all the portages and places she'd paddled through the years in the annual 90-Miler race - I was glad to be up there with her (it was a happy day)... - took lots of pictures - we proceeded down the hill via the "yellow trail" - it was a lot less steep and we didn't see any other people - talked a lot more on the way down and made good time - probably got around six miles in (round trip) and finished at around 1300 - decided to go back into Eagle Bay for lunch - shared a meal again (that has been fun on this trip) at the Hard Times Cafe - it was getting overcast when we finished but we didn't want give up on hiking - so we drove back east along the lakes (NY-28) and turned west on South Shore Road - found another place to hike: Fern Park (1500) - it was actually a cross country skiing trail park - we spent around two hours there, probably finishing another two miles on the well-packed trails - it was much easier than it had been earlier and we talked a lot more - eventually, we ran out of trail and time (plus, the weather was turning wetter) - we actually sat in the car and talked for another hour or so - when it started to rain, we headed east again on NY-28 - Eileen pointed out the same 90-Miler portages we'd seen from Black Bear Mountain (from ground level) - it got darker and wetter as we drove east but we continued on NY-28 through Blue Mountain Lake and then took NY-30 to Tupper Lake - ate dinner at Little Italy restaurant (cash only) there until 2000 - it started to snow while we were eating - as we walked to the car, Eileen saw one of her friends drive by... - headed north again (via NY-3 and NY-56) - it was a scary snowstorm all the way to Canton - I remembered some trips like this with Eileen from long ago (glad we made it safely again...) - icy at SLU but got Eileen to her car OK - she showed me where the Best Western University Inn was in Canton - said goodbye to her and checked into a room at 2115 - bed around 2230 (exhausted)]

Binghamton, NY (USA)

[up at 0800 - breakfast with Eileen at hotel - it was VERY cold (3 degrees F) - this made it hard to get started for the day - map printing and planning in the business center - left Binghamton around 0900 - drove north on I-81 to NY-26 in Whitney Point - continued northeast to South Otselic - got off the main road at Stage Road - found trailhead around 1100 (parked on a snowy road) - started south on the Finger Lakes Trail, bound for the Waterfalls of Pharsalia - hiked in knee deep snow up a big hill - had a hard time following the trail - got lost several times but found it again with our rudimentary map - once, we got so sidetracked, we simply trailblazed up to the top of a big hill and had to search a road for a long time to find the trail again - as a result, we missed the waterfalls - undeterred, we kept going south - I had fun hiking with someone else - of course, Eileen is much more experienced at this type of hiking - I was feeling pretty lucky to be able to keep up with her and was amazed at how my two layers of socks, regular hiking boots, three layers of leggings and two layers of shirt, gloves, etc. held up - my beard had icicles in it and my water bottle kept freezing whenever I didn't drink regularly - we hiked until we couldn't find the the trail markings anymore - after that, we doubled back on our trail (headed north again) - Eileen pointed out evidence of a porcupine and I spotted him (balled up) in a tree - we also saw lots of other amazing images of the winter wonderland but never saw any other people - talked again for hours: it was great - on the way back, we diverted to the Perkins Pond Shelter and rested for a bit (using the privy was interesting - very cold) - we found the Waterfalls on the way back, so we felt like the hike had been a success - arriving at the car (1600), I was soaked and covered with ice - overall, I felt so exhilarated from this day - saw beautiful views all around - after we were done, we decided we had probably put in around 10 miles - warmed up in the car, we drove north on NY-26, following it all the way until we switched to NY-5 - headed east into Utica - found an Applebees in Utica - got drinks at 1830 - ate a great meal until 2000 - more great conversation - made a reservation with my phone again at the nearby Holiday Inn Express - we then had some "fun" getting turned around by the difference between Wells Road and Wells Avenue (goose chase) - stopped for the night at 2100 - spent the rest of the evening reading and playing on the internet - bed around 2230]

Canton, NY (USA)

[up at 0500 - finished packing and departed Alexandria - used I-495 to get to I-95, then took I-695 to I-83 - made it to I-81 without much trouble - lots of pretty farms, covered with snow - still a pretty clear day, considering the ominous weather forecasts - eventually paid for this thought when it started snowing just south of Binghamton - actually started to worry when I realized the snow was sticking to me while I pumped gas at Great Bend, PA (1030) at the Pump & Pantry - also got "lunch" (actually snacks) before heading north - the snow increased in intensity all the way into Syracuse and I wondered if I would have trouble getting to Canton - luckily, the sun came out soon after that and the weather improved all the way through Watertown - got off the Interstate and used surface streets to get to US-11 - stopped at Walmart in Evans Hills, NY and looked for winter hiking gear (1345) - ended up buying ear/neck warmer, windshield wiper fluid (go through that fast) and a birthday card for Carolyn - continued east towards Canton - listened to the CBC, an interesting broadcast about a book called "Sapiens" (will need to find that later!) - arrived at SLU around 1445 - Eileen recommended I wait for her over at the Brewer Bookstore while she finished up her work for the day - I got hot chocolate - I watched all the college kids in their natural habitat and had some hot chocolate - Eileen showed up around 1530 and we relaxed for a short time - we then got her equipment, moved her car to another lot and then packed up everything in the Explorer - left town around 1545 - we talked all the way down to Binghamton - I actually lost track of time and distance (luckily, this was the reverse of my drive north...) - stopped for gas in Homer (1745) - it didn't seem like a long time later when we arrived in Binghamton - we stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel (1830) and actually shared an entree - we talked even more: it was great! - made a reservation at the Fairfield Inn next door and checked in (2100) - got cleaned up and figured out that there was a Regal Cinema right next to the hotel - walked over (cold!) - arrived right before the 2140 start time of the movie "Unbroken" - it went very late - headed back to the hotel (freezing) - got to bed very late...]

Merifield, VA (USA)

[up early again (0600) - got breakfast in the lobby with the kids - worked on my blog a bit before going to the pool with Mollie again - set up a late checkout - worked out in the gym (treadmill) with Mollie - cleaned up the room and then got ready to leave the hotel - we all drove over to St. Bernadette's so we Mollie could go to CCD (1330) - after dropping her off, the twins and I went back to a shopping plaza off Old Keene Mill - we explored an old K-Mart and other stores nearby - it was cold but we had a nice time walking and chatting - later (1500), we went back to get Mollie and then we drove to Fort Belvoir - shopped in the Exchange and had fun looking at the Valentine's Day presents and other fun gift items - around 1630, I drove the kids back to their house - it was sad to see them go inside but they waved goodbye - looking forward to the next time! - did laundry and prepped for work before heading to bed (2200)]

Merifield, VA (USA)

[up very early (0500) - it was VERY cold - I ate breakfast in the lobby and picked up food for the kids, who stayed in bed for a lot longer... - drove my car over to pick up drycleaning and get an oil change - when I arrived back at the hotel, I hung out with the kids again for a few hours - went swimming with Mollie before lunch - tried to pick up Chick-fil-A for lunch (long drive) but the line was huge - headed back towards the hotel and checked out the mall across the street (adjacent to US-29) - messy parking lot but interesting (for warmer weather, perhaps) - found an Arby's and picked up "equivalent" lunch - back in the room, the kids powered through one more stretch of homework and I took care of blog, finances and website business - around 1645, we headed over to St. Thomas Cathedral for Mass - we arrived early (my fault) but we waited inside and enjoyed the pretty Christmas atmosphere - the young priest had fun splashing us with holy water and then gave a good homily - the kids were happy - on the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a huge Giant (supermarket) and picked up some groceries for taco night - back at our hotel, we cooked in the room - it was fun to make dinner with them - we then ate together and talked for hours before cleaning up - the girls went to check out the gym but came right back - we had hot chocolate and watched the movie "Gravity" - stayed up later than the night before but still dozed off before the kids (2300)...]

Merifield, VA (USA)

[drove to work early - left around 1600 and drove out of the city on I-395, then took US-50 all the way to I-495 - set up at the hotel in Merifield (Homewood Suites near Gallows Road and US-29) - took care of work emails while waiting for the kids - Nicky dropped them off around 1730 (after they finished track practice) - we got settled for a bit and then walked next door (brrrr - cold!) to the Silver Diner - it was fun to spend so much time with the kids while we ate dinner - later, we headed back to the room and spent the rest of the evening watching TV (the kids did a little homework) - I got tired early and actually went to bed before them (2200)...]

Alexandria, VA (USA)

[work - got to Vie very late but found that Kelly and Sabrina had been there for hours - was going to go home but Sabrina wanted me to visit a restaurant we frequent (where an "admirer" of hers works) - we took the Metro to Braddock Road and had several drinks at Dos Amigos - didn't realize how late it was until it was nearly 2300 - got home much later than normal but it was a fun evening!]

Boiling Springs, PA (USA)

Started 2015 on the AT today! Checked the weather reports all weekend and still gambled when I made the two hour drive this morning (via I-495, I-270, US-15, PA-74). It paid off (arrived 1000) and I spent a nice day in the Cumberland Valley, southwest of Harrisburg, PA (between PA-74 and Scott Farm Trail Work Center). Was surprised at all the noise near the trailhead - skeet shooting ranges appear to be everywhere... Terrain was extremely flat and prone to puddling - mud was tough - and most of the trail crossed huge cornfields (barren, but for the leftover husks). Crossed three major highways during my 16.5 mile hike: I-76 (PA Turnpike), US-11 and I-81. Hoping the AT's proximity to these roads will now make it easier to squeeze in miles whenever I go to/from the northeast! Only saw a few people - also enjoying the 40s/50s weather before the Big Chill arrives... it was foggy & misty all day but it only rained on me when I was driving to/from (lucky). Drive home (left around 1600) was earlier than normal - made good time (US-15, I-270, I-495). AT Total today = 8.27 miles / Grand Total = 318.01 miles.

Rockville, MD (USA)

[woke up early and drove up to Rockville (via I-495, I-270 - there was actually an accident on the Beltway...) to visit Aileen and Pat (1000) - it had been a really long time since I saw them - we had a great time, discussing genealogy discoveries and family news - stayed with them until around 1400 - then drove to Kim's house for a New Year's Party in Falls Church (couldn't get off on VA-7 like I wanted, so had to backtrack at US-50) - this was my second visit with Kim, David and Jeremy for this holiday in three years (see JAN 2012) and it was just as fun - we had kielbasa and porkloin, good dumplings and lots of other trimmings - enjoyed several hours of conversation and comraderie - afterwards, Kim asked me to drop off her friend, Greg, at his home near the National Cathedral - it was a tough drive (I-66, then Wisconsin Avenue - lots of crazy drivers, drinkers and red-light cameras) - relieved to make it to his place, actually, and vowed not to backtrack - instead, drove north through Bethesda and located the Beltway - it was probably a farther drive but there was less trouble - for the second time in the day, drove back around the west side of DC on I-495 and made it to my house very late - not convinced I want to go to work tomorrow...]