Warrenton, VA (USA)

[left house at 0600 - errands (library, ATM, post office) before hitting I-495 - used I-66 and US-29 (new exit!) - drove to Warrenton to meet up with project team (arrived around 0700) - worked there until close to noon - drove to nearby Wegmans for lunch (1155) with everyone - left and met up with Kim (1300) at a Starbucks in Gainesville for my Executive Coaching session (in person for once) - then drove home (via I-66, I-495) - legal stuff at the house, packing for weekend with kids - problems with Nicky on the phone - left for Fort Belvoir (for hotel check-in) without knowing if the kids were coming - there from 1700 through 1830 alone - Erin showed up and we went to dinner at the Rice King Cafe (1915) on post - then she headed to a funeral home viewing for a school friend who passed away - a short time later, I learned that Nicky was at the hospital with Brenna down the street (!) and I drove over to find out what was happening - spent some time with them until I had to go back to meet Erin at the hotel - spent about an hour with her, talking - left to pick up Mollie (returning from field trip to Hershey Park) - on the way, stopped for gas (2230) when my car acted up again (fuel pump?) - arrived at the Middle School to parking lot chaos - Mollie arrived on the last bus and we drove back to Fort Belvoir, arriving just after midnight - got Erin and Mollie settled for bed and then read until 0100 (awaiting news about Brenna - got none) - finally fell asleep very late]

Washington, DC (USA)

[long, busy day at the office - went to happy hour at Capital City Brewing Company (Metro Center) with Sabrina, Joey, Kathy, Ashley, Janet and several other former co-workers (fundraiser for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) - stayed until around 1930 and then walked to W Hotel and went to the top to have drinks at P.O.V. (view of White House and the Mall). Stayed there until around 2000 and then walked (with Joey) to see the White House on the Pennsylvania Avenue side (his first time there!) - took Metro to my car (switched trains twice after getting on at McPherson Square) - exhausted when I got home (Bob there) - didn't pack for the weekend or work on any legal stuff - finished my book (need to return to library) and then went to bed around 2230]

Waynesboro, VA (USA)

Didn't sleep well (a lot on my mind lately)... Left the hotel around 8:00, entered SNP (fee free day) and parked at the AT trailhead (Beagle Gap) within 30 minutes. Headed north until reaching Little Calf Mountain Shelter. Saw lots of wildlife (deer, rabbits, birds, snake) and amazingly beautiful flowers. Heard loud bird calls, buzzing swarms of flies and running water. The air was thick with pungent smells of spring (luckily, no allergies). When I backtracked, I encountered what appeared to be the front end of the first NOBO bubble. I met Neon, who warned me about a bear on the trail (never saw him, though). The trail back to the park entrance was rocky and hilly but was also well shaded. I was very happy to reach the park hiker registration station (connecting to another section I hiked in February) and I headed down to Skyline Drive. Walked about 4.5 miles on the pavement (in the hot sun) back to my car to finish up around 14 miles. It took me several hours to get back to civilization (used US-33, US-29, VA-231 and US-211). Stopped to visit my friend, James, west of Warrenton on the way - it was a nice way to finish my weekend! Miles of AT today = 6.73 / G.T. = 226.9 miles.

Waynesboro, VA (USA)

Some medical issues sidelined me most of the month - but doctor cleared me for hiking (minus backpack) this week. Obviously, I jumped at a chance to get back on the trail! Woke up at 4 AM this morning (no alarm), on the road by 5:45 (I-66 and US-29). Stopped for breakfast (McDonalds) in Gainesville and continued south - all the way to Charlottesville. Used I-64 west (stopping at a rest area on the way). Arrived at the trailhead (Humpback Gap on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of I-64) by 8:30. Plan when I left the car was to climb Humpback Mountain and connect to a section (near Rockfish Gap) that I hiked in February. ...Succeeded on both counts! First, I headed NOBO (part of it on the Albright Loop Trail) until I arrived at the Paul Wolfe shelter. What a difference the arrival of Spring made on the experience: leaves, flowing water, much warmer, lots of people... Chatted with Scarecrow and Pattern (LASHers = Long Ass Section Hikers) - they wanted intel about trail conditions to the north (and I had it). After that, I backtracked on AT - all uphill. Encountered lots more people, including a group of 28 people, lost on the mountain. I think I helped them (?)... By the time I reached a sign for the Humpback Rocks, I decided to skip them (hikers I passed said it was packed). Instead, I tagged along with two new friends (Greg & Susie) for several more miles up the mountain and found a spectacular view (with no people) at the end. After we backtracked, we used the access trail (VERY well traveled) to the car instead of the AT. When I checked the map and pedometer, I found I'd hiked more than I intended (planned to cover around 12 miles today but ended up completing around 14.5). End result: I depleted the few bottles of water I had before I was done. I will need to manage this better as the weather gets warmer... Drove a short distance to the west and got a room at a place I used previously (Colony Motel - see FEB 2015). Found a rather large stowaway (insect) when I unpacked... Actually took a nap before dinner (!). My car has been having trouble with fuel starvation when I'm nearly out of gas and on a steep downhill stretch, so I drove to a gas station in Waynesboro as a precaution (1805). Looked around in the "downtown" (and south towards I-64) and then stopped to eat dinner (Mexican food) at Mi Rancho (finished at 1845) then read some more before bed. A great day - and another expected (in SNP) tomorrow! AT Today = 7.30 miles / Grand Total AT = 420.17 miles.

Annapolis, MD (USA)

[legal stuff all morning - left the house around 1130 and drove (via I-495, US-50) to Annapolis to see Chris and Bridget for lunch at Rams Head Roadhouse (on Generals Highway) - enjoyed a nice meal until around 1300 - afterwards, went to their dock on the Severn and watched Chris inflate new two-person kayak - left around 1600 - drove back the way I came - did errands (shopping for the kids' party, trying to part at TopGolf), finishing around 1730 - drove over to the kids' house and helped them set things up for their party - Nicky wasn't there initially, so I greeted a lot of Erin and Brenna's friends - eventually, we went out back and played games, took lots of pictures and talked - I stayed for about three hours, with Nicky coming and going sporadically - on the way home to my apartment, I stopped at TopGolf again (finally, there was parking!) - didn't feel like packing or doing much of anything when I arrived - fell asleep quickly (2200)]

Washington, DC (USA)

[Mollie woke me up on the way to Disney World! - work - Vie until 1800 - Poste (inside, because of rain) - Eileen called from Alaska - lots of farewells (more company "alumni" - stayed at pub until 2115 - Shake Shack (strawberry milkshake) with Ian, Sabrina and Joey - back to car via Metro - home very late again - some reading, then sleep]

Woodbridge, VA (USA)

[work - Vie until 1815 - Kelly drove me to Travinia (Woodbridge) - called my kids on the way - stayed for several hours - lots of drinks and dinner (celebrating Andy's birthday) - departed around 2200 - used an Uber to get back to Huntington Station - got home very late - bed immediately]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[normal work day - went down to Ballpark/Navy Yard - took tour of our new office building on M Street (SW), walked there and back - lunch with Eric at DOE - worked late - took Metro and bus to RedRocks on Columbia Pike with Joey - stayed very late (had a good time) - Joey drove me back to Huntington - got home around 2200 - bed]

Falls Church, VA (USA)

[with kids - cooked breakfast (eggs, bacon and fruit) - baking red velvet cake with Mollie - kids mostly doing homework - took Mollie to CCD - went walking on Accotink Cross Country Trail again - drove back to house and spent a few more hours with the kids - Erin drove them home a little before 1700 - drove to Falls Church for dinner at Kim's (with David, Fred and Evelyn) - stayed until around 2000 - drove home - reading until bedtime (early - 2145)]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked all day - around 1630, I walked east to SW Capitol Metro Station and took the Blue Line to Eastern Market - walked down the avenue (a place I visited before - see SEP 2013) to learn more about what kind of places they had for happy hour - stopped at Lavagna (Italian) and entered the bar (empty) - had a few local beers and tried the ravioli frito (ok) - eventually, the place filled up with some more people - by then (1800), though, I was getting tired - headed home via Blue Line to L'Enfant and then got a Yellow train to my car - got mail - after arriving at the apartment, I went out again to finish my 10,000 steps for the day - bed around 2200]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked all day - happy hour at Vie - walked with Sean to watch "Out of Controllers" play softball on the Mall near the World War II Memorial - then walked back to L'Enfant - Metro home - paperwork at home - reading until bed (late)]

Beltsville, MD (USA)

[slept later than I usually do and took my time getting ready - headed up to Beltsville to visit Brother Jim (arrived at 1000) - stayed to chat with him for about an hour - then drove back via I-495 (north side of city), George Washington Parkway and I-395 (with mix up that required me to use Glebe Road to pick up Stephanie) - I wanted to thank her for helping me during my recent surgery - we first went to lunch at Bangkok 54 on Columbia Pike and had a good meal - then (1230), we drove (via I-395 and New York Avenue) to the National Arboretum - it was packed when we arrived (around 1330) - we found a place to park near the Conifer Collection and also visited the Fern Collection, the Asian Collection and various other flowering tree areas near the Anacostia River - before we left, we stopped at the old columns from the Capitol - I walked over to get close up views of the azaleas while Stephanie rested - the funniest part of the day was when I listened to what I presumed to be an Italian family (the father was fussing at his children because they wouldn't speak Italian, only English) - after that, we left the partk drove east on US-50 and took the Beltway back to US-1 - we stopped for ice cream at Baskin Robbins (1600) - after that, I dropped her off and drove home via I-395 - more walking at the apartment (to achieve 10,000 steps for the day) - TV with Bob - bed late]

Eastport, MD (USA)

[up early - texted Chris at 0700 - paperwork in the AM - he didn't get back to me until around 0945 - left the apartment and drove to Edgeport (via several unmarked back roads) - found Chris and Bridget at the Marina (1115) - examined "Banshee" and "Little Banshee", played with marina dog and looked at other people's water toys - then followed Chris to Eastport and ate lunch at the Boatyard (good gumbo) - nice food and a good visit - finished around 1300 and then walked over to see Ashley at Charthouse - walked to the other end of the boatyard area and had some drinks at the Davis Pub (1405) - enjoyed the nice weather on the patio and along the waterfront - then followed Chris through downtown Annapolis (uggggh) and visited for awhile at his place on the north side of the city - left around 1700 and drove back via US-50, I-495, I-95 and US-1 - arrived at Kelly's around 1830 - visited with Emma and Aidan before all the rest of the guests arrived - it was a pretty fun party (crab legs and other good finger foods) - the highlight of the evening for the adults was when I volunteered to take all of the kids (seven!) to the playground for about an hour - they weren't the best behaved, but didn't make me run a lot (after my surgery, that was a relief) - spent a bit longer with the grown ups before heading home on I-95 and the Fairfax County Parkway - arrived home around 2200 and went right to bed]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[first day back at the office after my surgery - worked a relatively short day - took Metro to Pentagon City - walked around for a bit and then stopped at Costco to get a gift for my friends, Jimmy and Mary, who will be married in a week (1800) - considered getting a drink but headed home instead]

Springfield, VA (USA)

[Mollie made us breakfast this morning (pancakes) - watched some movies, read some books and did some other paperwork while the kids did homework - later (1230), Erin drove us over to Huntington Metro Station to move my Explorer (I left it over the weekend) - once that was done, we stopped by Nicky's house to pick up some items for the Chrysler - after that, we headed to the Springfield Mall to go shopping at Forever 21 - I had a nice time with the kids, walking around in the improved mall (first time ever for me) - I also got lots of birthday ideas and we chatted about the summer and future weekend visits - we ate a snack/lunch at Auntie Anne's (pretzel shop) - when we finished, Erin suggested we go visit the Accotink Lake Park (Mollie and I had told her about it) - we drove back into the neighborhood where it is located and couldn't find the entrance - we parked at Brookfield Park and walked around for a bit until we found the access road - returned to our car and then drove to the parking area near the dam (where Mollie's field trip had been in April) - as we walked up to the levee, I had no idea what we'd see at the crest - it turned out to be a real lake with paddleboats, canoes, lakeside carousel and mini-golf course (!!) - we were all very impressed and decided we'd need to return for a weekend of fun - we called Brenna after that and told her we were on our way to pick her up - arrived at her home around 1645 and went to Mass at St. Lawrence - afterwards, we ate at Magic Wok again (mmm...) - after a nice dinner, we dropped Brenna off so she could study some more (for big tests in the coming week) - then the rest of us headed back to the apartment - we watched movies for several hours before bed]