Arlington, VA (USA)

[worked in DC for the day - got a late at happy hour but almost everyone I knew was there - stayed for quite a while and rang up a big bill, which I paid when the rest of the group started an argument about whose turn it was... - later, had drinks and Mexican food with Joey, Sabrina and Brandon at Chevy's (an early Cinco de Mayo!) - home on Metro very late...]

Myerstown, PA (USA)

[Up at around 0700. My old joints didn't recover as well as I'd hoped overnight but I decided to hit the trail again anyway! Drove a few miles east on I-78 (looking for breakfast but didn't find any). Used PA-183 to get to the trailhead (0730). It was colder this morning - glad I brought some warmer clothes. Saw only two groups of people today: campers early (waking up) and latecomers (parking their cars) when I finished. Otherwise, I had the trail to myself all the way to Shartlesville Cross Mountain Road and back (16 miles). Rocky again - blisters slowed me down a little. On the return leg, was able to use a state game lands gravel road (better on the feet). Still exhausted and sore when I finished (1330). Made good time on the way back (I-78, I-81, I-83, PA-581, US-15) and scored big (Saranac Beer) at the Fort Detrick BX. Rest of the drive home (I-270 and I-495) was pretty easy (no traffic, for some reason). Had a problem with my fuel tank - saw it twice this weekend (starved when I tried to accelerate when the empty light came on - at nearly 200,000 miles, this is the first time I've seen that...). Unpacked, did laundry, read my book, visited with Bob (first time in almost a month) and caught up on some blogging. It was a nice weekend - I think I will camp out next time! Total AT today = 8.00 miles / Grand Total = 412.87 miles (>400 in one year!).

Bethel, PA (USA)

[Slept in this morning and, as a result, left late (0830) again. Used I-495, I-95, I-695 and I-83 (instead of US-15). This made a difference in my arrival time at the trailhead (although I saw a lot more road rage). Filled up with gas at Rutters in New Cumberland (south of Harrisburg) at 1045 and then made my way back to Pine Grove (last visited in the snow last month) on I-81. After getting off the interstate, picked up some food (quick) at McDonalds (1130). The parking lot at PA-72/PA-443 was full - and no wonder (!) - lots of people were hiking on this beautiful day. Hiked NOBO (1100), all the way to the William Penn Shelter (a total of a little more than 17 miles with sidetracks & backtrack). After a year of hiking, I think I finally crossed I-81 for the last time (at least 4x total)! Spring is definitely here - lots of blossoms, bugs and leaves sprouting along the trail. Wore short sleeves all day! Soon, I will not be able to see down into the valley, with all the growth in the way (sad about that, actually). A Boy Scout group that I passed seemed to be shedding their personal items all day - there were several places with piles of camping equipment, clothes, toiletries, etc. Not sure who was leading their group, but littering doesn't seem to be a good lesson to teach the boys about the outdoors... Felt pretty good all day but the rocks were getting to me by the end of the hike - so I used the road for the last mile. Tried to get some dinner at Wendy's in Lickdale but they were very disorganized and slow. Ended up driving south on I-81 to I-78 and then headed east. Checked into a hotel in Myerstown (1900), so I would be hike again early in the morning. The hotel had water problems but I managed to get a warm shower and read a bunch more before falling asleep. AT Today = 8.02 miles / Grand Total AT = 404.87 miles.

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked at the office today but my heart wasn't really in it - lots of meetings and day dragged on until I couldn't take it any more - fortunately, got rescued by my friends (an early happy hour!) - took the Metro to Capitol South station and had dinner and drinks with Stephanie, Joe R., Joe B. and Jens at Tortilla Coast - headed home around 1930 - packed up for my weekend hiking trip and read more of my book before heading to bed]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked from home in the morning - went to doctor's appointment before noon - returned to apartment for more afternoon telework - just as I was sitting down to dinner (1800), got a call from Kelly that several of our friends were hanging out in the city at Vie de France - drove into DC via I-495 and I-395 - met up with friends and hung out until around 2030 - headed home (no traffic) and did some errands on the way - bed around 2300]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[worked a full day - wanted some margaritas, so I headed over to Chevy's with Joey for dinner and drinks - finished at 1900 and then headed home]

Springfield, VA (USA)

[spent the morning with Mollie, watching movies at apartment - ate lunch (leftovers) and then fixed the memory on her (made CDs) - around 1330, I drove Mollie over to CCD at St. Bernadette's (a little late for traffic) - while she was at her class, I walked on Accotink Stream Cross Country Trail, adding to previous sections (one hiked during CCD in FEB 2015 and one hiked during Mollie's field trip earlier this month) and making it to the Lake - saw lots of little league games going on at little parks - at 1500, I returned to pick up Mollie - we then went to a park on Sidenstricker (near Pohick Library), where we played basketball and catch (baseball) - on the way to drop her off at her mother's, we checked out Wegman's (to see if it was open yet) - stopped at storage building to drop off some things - went shopping at Walmart, picking up some hiking supplies - visited the post office - finally dropped Mollie off (sad) - ended up spening the rest of the evening in more conversations with Nicky (uggghhh...) - took care of bills and other paperwork (with a little reading and TV) - bed close to midnight]

Washington, DC (USA)

[the morning began with an early (0730) call from the Cox Cablevision installation team - while the kids were sleeping, I got wireless internet and DVR setup at the apartment (!!!) - had some trouble with the old technology... - Mollie and I made breakfast and the Twins woke up around 1100 - while I was getting a shower, they called their Mom and she came to get Erin and Brenna (dang...) - on the phone for a bit with Nicky before I decided to leave the house with Mollie - first (1320), we dropped off the Blue Ray player at Best Buy (return) - we then drove to Huntington Metro Station (put some money on Mollie's card at 1335) - made good time on the train into DC - got off at L'Enfant Metro Station and made our way west on the Mall (towards the Washington Monument) - with some roads blocked, it was hard to get close to the action in the fenced-in area (set up for the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day Celebration) - eventually, I found a good place on Independence Avenue to watch the live bands perform - Mollie enjoyed Mary J. Blige before we walked over to the Constitution Gardens to rest in the shade - Mollie was picking up some water at a nearby concession stand when "Fall Out Boy" began to perform - we nearly ran back to our viewing location and she happily filmed around 20 minutes of the concert - she was very happy! - after listening to a few "Greenies" describe the plight of the planet, we walked east towards Archives/Navy Memorial Metro Station - we passed a huge amount of garbage strewn carelessly in front of the EPA (ironic) - glad we got on the Yellow Line where we did, since the Nationals Game was also just ending at that point (1600) - Metro was packed by the time we rolled out of L'Enfant (we had seats, though) - at the car, we called Erin and Brenna to see if they wanted to join us for dinner at the apartment - they did, so Mollie and I set up a good spread (rice and meat/potatoes) - as always, it was fun to cook with the kids and eat dinner all together - we had great conversations - afterwards, the kids and I watched YouTube videos and Netflix for several hours - Nicky came to get the Twins around 2100 - after that, Mollie and I watched "Die Hard" (her request) - got to bed very late (tired)]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked late and originally planned to head home early - but I got a lot of pressure from co-workers to join them at the big happy hour planned for Chris' birthday - eventually gave in and walked to Penn Quarter with Joey around 1800 - the weather was nice enough for us to enjoy several hours in the courtyard at Poste Brasserie - bought a few rounds of drinks and stayed there until around 2100 - Chris was hungry, so Joey and I walked with him to Fuddruckers (2130) - had a good time after it was all over - it took a long time to get home on the Metro - started reading before bed (woke up a few times in the middle of it) - fell asleep very late (2345)]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[good day at work - took the Metro for dinner and drinks at Chevy's with Stephanie, Joey, Sabrina (who showed up in her sweatpants - must be nice to work from home every day!) - finished up at 2030 and Metro'd home - read some more of my book before bed]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[normal day at work - Joey and Stephanie asked me to go with them to dinner at RedRocks on Columbia Pike - finished at 1930 - took the bus and metro home, arriving at 2100]

Bethel, PA (USA)

[Up around 0730. Got packed up quickly and hit the road. Had to drive for a bit to get to the trailhead this morning: I'm now working a section along I-78. Started hiking around 0900. After months walking on flat and smooth trail south and west of this area, the rocky terrain took all day to seem normal. I hiked on both sides of PA-501 (between William Penn Shelter and an overlook two miles east of the Showers Steps. It was downright hot (my whole body was covered in salt from the sweat...). I got plenty of sun and great views on either side of the ridge of Blue Mountain. Started out the morning with my new Osprey overnight backpack (carrying around 30 pounds). It took some getting used to and I found several previously unused muscles... In the afternoon, I returned to the car and switched back to my ND backpack so I could finish with a lighter load. After hiking out to my turnaround point, I ended up taking the Showers Steps back down to PA-501 so I could backtrack on the road (instead of the rocky AT). The steps were so steep - glad I only used them going downhill! Even with the detour, I still ended up putting in 19 miles today. Lots of people were on the rocks, enjoying the weather and the views. Used I-78, I-81, I-83, PA-581 and US-15 to get to Frederick. I saw lots of police (speed traps) - still made good time, though. Tried to get my rum and Saranac Beer at Fort Detrick but figured out they have changed the schedule for the gates (and opened a new gate off Opossumtown Pike). In the end, I was too late for my BX run, unfortunately... Continued home on I-270 and I-495 (lots of traffic). Arrived to a stack of bills and other mail - really unmotivated and procrastination is becoming even easier. With that in mind, I'm really glad I made the trip this weekend... AT total today = 9.23 miles / G.T. AT = 396.85 miles.]

Duncannon, PA (USA)

[Woke up late this morning - unmotivated. Got myself psyched up for hiking, finished laundry and assembled my gear. This time, I packed my new backpack (really full). Got on the road late (0900). Escaping NOVA, I used I-495, I-270, US-15, I-81 and US-322 to get near the AT. Explored the area near Dauphin (trying to find a back way to the trail but all the dirt roads had gates across them). Backtracked to US-322 and then drove north. Weather was even nicer by the time I parked at the trailhead on PA-225 (the place was packed - wow!). I rode my bike 12 miles to another trailhead on PA-325 and then hiked (SOBO) back to the car. What a difference four weeks makes: not a trace of snow! Made great time, with very few stops. Saw a lot more people (and talked to a few) - happy to share the enjoyment of the Spring weather... It was very pleasant on the ridge of Peter's Mountain and the views down to the valley on both sides were tremendous. Couldn't ask for a better day to get back into the trail groove! After finishing for the day, I picked up snacks at Sheetz off US-15 (1830) and enrolled in their rewards club (why didn't I know about this before?). When I tried to cross the Juniata River to Duncannon, found the road was closed because the "subway" was flooded. Had to take a detour around the north side of town to get to my favorite hiker lodge. Checked into The Doyle and got dinner (1920). Food was good and I enjoyed a conversation with several kindred spirits. Found out (from the proprietors) that the loud siren I've been hearing when I visit is the volunteer fire department alarm. Hope it doesn't go off again while I'm here this time... Read in my room until around 2200 and then got to sleep. More hiking tomorrow (strange to think it has only been a year since I decided to make my dream of hiking the entire AT a reality...)! - AT today = 9.6 miles / Grand Total = 387.62 miles]

Washington, DC (USA)

[normal work day, but feeling stir crazy all morning - decided to get away from the regular lunch choices - headed to Gallery Place for lunch at Chinatown Express with Stephanie - it was a good meal - back to work and headed home around 1600 - wanted to pack for the hiking weekend but wasted most of the evening watching TV - reading in bed - fell asleep late...]

Springfield, VA (USA)

[because Mollie had asked me to chaperone a field trip today, I got permission to work from home - round 0800, I picked up some breakfast at McDonalds - it was raining bit by the time I arrived at Mark Twain Middle School - checked in and found the cafeteria, where Mollie and her teacher were waiting - the room filled up soon after that (LOTS of middle schoolers - yikes!) - I ended up with about 10 kids in my group - I had forgotten about what it was like to be in middle school but their behavior brought it all back quickly (especially when we got on the bus) - part of me was afraid to lose any of the kids (especially when they wandered off every time there was a chance) - eventually, I gave up and Mollie helped me whenever roll calls were required (it all worked out) - the busses took us to Accotink Lake Park, where we met up with several George Mason University students - they took us through a series of science stations - at each one, the kids were supposed to fill out a worksheet with information that was discussed (e.g., water quality from measuring equipment, types of aquatic macro-invertebrates, geo-caching, biodiversity, trees/leaves, etc.) - some of the instructors were real characters (not sure if the kids could tell) - I enjoyed my time with the kids and was pleased to discover another park to hike in (with the Accotink Stream Cross Country Trial - see FEB 2015) - fortunately, the rain held off for the whole field trip - rode back on the bus and said goodbye to Mollie - got a haircut (first in three months) at 1345 - headed back to the apartment to finished up my telework day - around dinner time, I got a text from Erin that she wanted to go to the movies to see "Insurgent" - picked her and Mollie at around 1900 and went to the Regal Cinemas in Kingstown around 1945 - they treated me, actually (nice!) - finished up around 2200 and dropped off the kids - what a good day!]

Washington, DC (USA)

[got an early start to my work day - at lunch at the DOE cafeteria with Tim - back to the office for a few more hours - then headed to Vie for happy hour with Sabrina, Kelly, Stephanie and Frank - walked with Stephanie to watch her and some of my other friends (Joe R., Joe B., Wendy and Gary) play softball on the Mall (near the World War II Memorial) - walked back to Metro and headed home (2000) - watched the Notre Dame / UCONN Womens National Championship game (basketball) with Bob - bed around 2230]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[worked regular day - rode the Metro with Stephanie to Pentagon station - bus to her apartment and then we drove over to Maruko (sushi restaurant on Columbia Pike) - it was a good dinner - went shopping with her at Giant before she dropped me off at Pentagon City (1930) - after I got home, I walked for a few miles near the apartment - watched the Duke / Wisconsin Mens National Championship game (basketball) with Bob - bed around 2330]

Reston, VA (USA)

[slept very late - did some laundry and unpacked - wasn't even planning to do anything, after the great trip with the kids, but I eventually motivated myself and left the house - stopped off at Nicky's to give the kids their Easter gifts - then drove to Huntington Metro Station (with my bike) - took the Yellow Line and Silver Line to Wiehle-Reston Metro Station, where I intercepted the W&OD Trail - this was a repeat of a ride I previously did when the Silver Line debuted (see July 2014) - rode eastbound towards Arlington (to the end of W&OD and then picked up Four Mile Run Trail and Mount Vernon Trail), finishing on King Street - got nearly 25 miles on my bike (felt great - passed almost everyone else I encountered - Ol' Reliable still going strong at 20 years!) - ended up talking to the kids near the end (some kind of drama at the house) - took the Metro back to my car - got a call from Kelly, who told me she was at Sabrina's house for an Easter Party - ended up joining them (about 10 friends) and had dinner (Sabrina made some good stuff! Mmmm...) - left around 1930 and drove to Kim & David's - talked to Dad on the way and ended up turning the wrong way on I-66 - when I finally was headed back towards the city again, arrived in time to watch the "Mad Men" premier with them - stayed until around 2230 - drove home and got to bed very late...]

Spring Break Trip - Day 8

[everyone slept in (except me - I finished my book!) - Lynne made us a nice breakfast and we visited for a few hours before we confirmed that Nicky was actually on her way back from Mississippi - we said goodbye to Lynne around 1130 and drove out of town on I-75 - we didn't have any traffic and the weather was great - near Findlay, Ohio, we got off the interstate and used US-68 to continue south - I let Brenna drive for most of this part of the trip (first time for her on a four lane and out of Virginia) - I would have let Erin drive too, but we couldn't find her learner's permit... - switched to OH-31 in Kenton and then US-33 nears Marysville - Brenna was a champ (nervous but driving all the way) - we got a gas fillup at the GetGo in Dublin at 1510 and then ate lunch at the Burger King next door at 1515 - there was so much traffic on I-270 that we took some back roads to get back on the highway - Erin liked the Dublin city emblems we saw... - decided to stay on I-70 to continue east (I was driving again) and the girls rocked out to Rhianna - traffic wasn't bad but I was getting tired of driving and longed for a break... - we switched to I-79 after entering Pennsylvania and took it all the way to Morgantown - switched to I-68 and headed into the mountains (it was nice to be back - and it was warmer!) - stopped for a rest at Deep Creek and saw some amazing views - the sun started to go down and the girls and I had some amazing conversations (hard to believe there was much left to talk about, after all the days we've spent together!) - stopped for dinner at Chick-fil-A in Cumberland at 2000 - later (2110), got gas fillup in Hagerstown - no issues on I-70, I-270, I-495 (all the way home) - dropped the kids off at their Mom's and then drove home - missed them immediately! - unpacked a bit and then started a new book, reading until very late - bed around 0100 - what a great trip!!!!]

Spring Break Trip - Day 7

[up around 0800 again - breakfast at the hotel - explored west of town, along Lake Michigan - the view was a lot different than it was in Chicago: the entire ice floe from the lake was forced (by wind?) up against the eastern shore - it looked more like winter on this side than we had imagined after our warm walk on the other side... - explored several stops near Saugatuck where Mollie and I clambered down boardwalks to see the ice and dunes - eventually, we got back on I-196 and drove to Holland, a place I'd heard about when I used to go to Notre Dame but had never visited - the Twins were not really in the mood to explore very much but I drove them into town to see a Dutch windmill in the middle of a tulip field (none were blooming, but we could imagine them) - Mollie and I spent some time walking around in the old village, enjoying the quaintness and looking for a good place to pick up lunch (while the Twins "moped" in the car) - we ended up getting lunch at Cranes in the City at 1255 - they had good sandwiches and apple flavored donuts (food passed muster with the kids) - made a small mistake and found myself going south on I-196 again - stopped for a gas fillup at Shell in Saugatuck (1345) - turned around and headed towards Grand Rapids - we ended up in a traffic jam east of that city (I-96) and watched a (clearly drunk) driver hit other cars as we inched along - when it was clear he would get in trouble, he made a 180 on the interstate and headed back along the shoulder until he could wrong-way exit (!!!!) - glad to get away from him... - we made good time, all the way to Lynne's house in Huntington Woods, arriving around 1600 - we hadn't been to her house in many years (see JUN 2004) but it felt and looked familiar - she enjoyed a nice (homemade) dinner with her, her boyfriend (Gary) and her mom (Leslie) - afterwards, we all played games (Dirty Uno, Sequence and ping-pong) - what a great evening!]

Spring Break Trip - Day 6

[up at around 0800 - ate breakfast at hotel (mmmm...) - after checking out, I tried to find an ITT office at Great Lakes (for the Field Museum or Shedd Aquarium) but had no luck - then drove south in the mist (not quite rain) on US-41 until we reached I-94 (LOTS of traffic - dang) - took the Adlai E Stevenson Expressway to the Lake and used US-41 - parked at Soldier Field (1130) - got tickets at the Field Museum (1315) because the Shedd Aquarium was too crowded (sad, actually, since that would have been fun) - when we finally reached the front of the line to get our tickets, we figured out that the machines were broken - so we settled for a tour of the main exhibits (nothing else) - that didn't disappoint, though - it had been nearly 25 years since I toured the Field Museum and I was amazed at all of the permanent exhibits - highlights included a display on the evolution of life, the Lucy skull, a lichen display and various displays of world culture (some that give the Smithsonian Museums a run for their money) - we were already pretty tired from walking when we finished our visit - I wanted to show the kids a little more of Chicago, so I convinced them to walk to the Navy Pier (visible from the Field Museum but probably about two miles away - it was a LONG walk but the kids were good sports as we made our way up the lake in improving weather - the kids were intrigued by the Chicago River and tall buildings - and Navy Pier wasn't a disappointment for the views and shopping - ate lunch (Mexican) at Twisted Lizard (1515) and visited the rest of the building for another hour or so - we started back for the car around 1630 - the weather was even better and there were lots of people along the lakefront - we watched regatta sailors practicing, ferry boats coming and going, lots of seagulls (loud!) - Erin decided that she needed a bathroom at that point, but (by then) everything with a bathroom was closed - we walked all around looking for one before we finally gave up and got in the car - we left Soldier Field at 1800 - we drove back out of the city at the height of rush hour (uggghhh) - Kelly, Sabrina and Stephanie called me from Happy Hour in DC (I had them on speaker phone and the kids were laughing for about 30 minutes afterwards) - we finally found a bathroom at a Walmart on the outskirts of Chicago (a place that seemed safe) - we continued east (avoiding toll roads) until we were back on I-94 - continued driving as it got dark, all the way through Indiana and into Michigan - stopped for gas and snacks for a late dinner - the kids started to nap as it got later and I started to wonder where we should stop for the night - got on I-196 and continued north along the coast of Lake Michigan - after reaching my limit for driving in the dark, we stopped for the night at Courtyard in South Haven (MI) at 2155 - reading and some TV before sleeping (everyone getting tired and fell asleep quickly)]

Spring Break Trip - Day 5

[breakfast at the hotel around 0830 - slow packing and frustrated kids (due to uncertain schedule for meeting up with their friend at Purdue - we finally departed at 1020 - after driving around the campus again, we finally found a parking lot - we walked around near the Student Union and asked for maps and directions there - eventually, we located the Admissions Office - after a brief wait, the Twins got to talk to a counselor - Mollie and I waited for them outside and I looked into tours of Marquette Campus (the next planned visit) - like Purdue, there were no available tours this week, though... - when the kids were done, we walked a short distance to wait for their friend, Connor, at the clock tower - when he arrived, Connor took us on a tour of the campus - he really knew a lot about the place (it is his first year) and the Twins asked him a million questions - Mollie and I tagged along, saying almost nothing - after about an hour of walking, we ate lunch at Pappy's Sweet Shop at the Union Commons (1300) - the food was great and the shakes were the highlight - we said goodbye to Connor and walked back to our car - left West Lafayette around 1330 - drove out of town on I-65 (north) - staying off toll roads, we switched to I-94 and continued west - got gas at TA near Gary (IN) at 1445 - traffic wasn't too bad, but it got worse quickly as we approached Chicago - the kids got a great look at the skyline of the Windy City (amazing weather provided amazing views) - stayed on US-41 after I-94 turned to toll roads and made pretty good time to the WI/IL border (just lights and traffic kept us from getting through quickly) - back on I-94 after reaching Wisconsin, drove into Milwaukee - Brenna guided us to a stop at the Marquette Campus (1700, with the time change) - we parked on the east side of the interstate before realizing the campus was on the west side - found a dorm building and some students directed us towards the main buildings - we had a nice walk around the rather urban campus - still, the school had everything and some areas of calm and green inside the asphault jungle... - we finished exploring at the Union around 1830 - drove south again after taking the scenic route to the Lake (and using I-794 and WI-32) - drove east on Drexel Avenue and then got on WI-38 - ate dinner at Sonic in Oak Creek (WI) at 1855 - it was a fun evening after that: Brenna's GPS kept telling me to turn east to I-94 but I just continued south on various county roads (with letter-names) - the midwest roads didn't let me down and we eventually reached IL-131, which we followed until reaching Waukegan - we stayed the night at Ramada (2030) - it was a bit rainy by that point and we were all exhausted from our road rally to visit two campuses - read and watched some TV before going to bed...]