Mason Neck (VA)

[visited Tamarack Stables with Mollie (1100) - later, we went kayaking (in a double) at Pohick Bay Regional Park (finished at 1300) - back at home, ate lunch - then read, talked, rested and relaxed all afternoon; went to Mass at 1700 - ate dinner and watched movies all evening - bed at 2300]

Alexandria, VA (USA)

[worked in DC all day - went to Vie happy hour with Jim R., Kelly and Stephanie (finished at 1815) - Kelly drove us to Old Town so she could get inducted into the Eagles Club - I walked from Cameron Street to King King and found a place for (late) happy hour: drank margaritas at Don Taco (finished at 2000) - walked back towards Metro but Kelly and Sabrina said they would meet me - ended up eating dinner at Vermilion (scallops, rissoto, chocolate cake) and having drinks with Kelly (finished at 2230) - went home and spent time with Brenna (studying)]

Chantilly, VA (USA)

[had to drive to our company headquarters in Chantilly - worked there all day - ate lunch at Applebees with Diane and Tamara (1235) - left for home around 1530 - got a call from Sabrina around 1700 and we ended up meeting for dinner at Rustico in Alexandria (finished at 2045) - I went home and spent time with Brenna (studying again)]

Bethesda, MD (USA)

[Mollie had a doctor appointment at Walter Reed, so I checked her out of school and drove her to Bethesda - pretty uneventful, but we found out that we'd need to return again soon - after I dropped Mollie off at home, I teleworked the rest of the day - late in the afternoon, I got a call from Jim R. - ended up taking the Metro into DC to meet with him at Vie de France (we finished at 1800) - by the time I got home, I found out that Brenna was at my apartment studying - visited with her and then took her home]

Madison, VA (USA)

I was wide awake at 0415 this morning and decided not to stay in bed. Instead, I got in my car and headed to SNP for the last day of National Park Week. Got gas in Madison, VA (0645). I entered the park at Swift Run Gap again and parked in the Lewis Mountain area. I then rode my bike about 5 miles north and started SOBO on the AT from Milam Gap (0810). The weather was brisk at first but it warmed up nicely. There were lots of day hikers out and I found myself wishing for the solitude of the winter months... One really nice discovery today was that the Bearfence Boulder Scramble was optional - for once, the AT went around the obstacle. On the way down from the summit, I encountered a female flip-flop hiker who'd just come through the South District and the forest fire that recently closed 17 miles of AT. Got some good trail intel and some good escapist vibes from her! Finished up at my car around 10:30 - it was definitely a short trek but I actually hiked around 6.5 miles because I also covered the first section of AT I'd ever really hiked (in 1992). Best news of all, though: I completed the AT in the SNP Central District! Picked up my bike again and then drove north on Skyline Drive to US-211 (out of SNP at 1110). Made good time on the return trip (home by 1300) and ended up with hours of afternoon to recover from the busy weekend. As always, the early bird got the worm! Glad to have a chance on the trail again before all the thru hikers arrive on the Blue Ridge... AT Today = 5.40 miles / Grand Total AT = 685.50 miles

Mason Neck, VA (USA)

[got up early and Katie's family arrived at my apartment at 0900 and we drove over to Mason Neck to attend the Eagle Festival - just like my first visit (2012), this was a great experience (even with the nasty, rainy weather) - we actually saw eagles through a telephoto lens - afterwards, Katie dropped me off at home and I figured that would be it for socializing with our large family group - instead, though, my cousin (Kathy) called me to tell me that I should meet up with Chuck at National Harbor for happy hour - I found him (happy) at the Public House - we enjoyed ourselves tremendously and ended up seeing all the rest of the family around 1800 - after making arrangements to meet up with Bonnie again, we ate dinner at the Steakhouse in the Hotel (finished at 2145) - drove home late]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[I arranged to telework because of all the festivities related to Mollie's Confirmtion - in the afternoon, I took care of (hopefully the last) legal issues at Hoffman Center - around 1630, I got dressed up and headed to the Red Hot and Blue (BBQ) restaurant, where I'd made reservations for 20 people - my cousins arrived soon after, along with the kids and Katie's family - we had a great time and finished at 1845 - drove to St. Bernadette's (found shortcut - Rolling Road), arriving around 1910 - Bonnie had saved us a pew where everyone could sit - Nicky came much later and sat elsewhere with her friend - the service was excellent and was over by 2045 - we attended a reception afterwards (lots of food and pictures) and everyone was tired by 2130 - I drove over to Arlington (near Clarendon) so I could attend Levi's Farewell party (lots of my younger friends there) - left around 2300 and drove home (maze in the dark and with construction) - home after midnight]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked in city all day - met Katie's family near the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (1630) and then we walked to Hill Country to have dinner - Brenna, Erin and Mollie started asking where we were just before we arrived and they later caught up with us - we finished at 1900 and the twins took Aria to meet up with some of their friends - the rest of us walked to Chinatown and then over to Union Station - shopping for souvenirs - on the way back (2100), we got in a HUGE traffic jam about a mile away from Van Dorn Street - I found out that the older girls were at my apartment, so I got out of the car and walked to the exit - no cars were moving AT ALL (later found it it was a four hour bomb scare and that the interstate was completely closed) - Erin picked me up and took me to my car at Huntington Station - I waited with the kids at my apartment until Katie arrived (after midnight) - bed]

Alexandria, VA (USA)

[worked in the city all day - had a nice lunch with James L. at Bluejacket (1200) - after work, took Metro to King Street - walked to Pauline Bookstore (shopping for Mollie) and then walked to Sabrina's (1705) - had a short "happy hour" at her house while we waited for Joey - then we went to Del Rey and had drinks and dinner at Los Tios (finished at 2030)]

Arlington, VA (USA)

[after work, I texted Joey to see if he was up for a happy hour - he told me that Kelly and Chris were meeting at Bar Louie in Crystal City already, so we took the Metro there to meet up with them - had a fun time, catching up with old friends - took Metro home afterwards]

Woodbridge, VA (USA)

[worked in DC all day and left around 1600 - met Randy at Reagan National Airport and he drove me to the marina in Woodbridge so we could launch his boat for the season - we washed the bottom (and gave it an undercoat) before the Marina dropped it into the river (just before they closed at 1800) - we then headed north to the Mount Vernon Marina (what a beautiful day on the River!) - we cleaned the boat up a bit more and ate dinner (Chick-fil-A) - Randy dropped me off at Huntington Metro Station around 2000]

Manassas, VA (USA)

[It was another fee free day at SNP and Mollie asked if we could go hiking (!!!). We left home at 0600 and were in the Central District by 0800. We explored the roughly eight miles I still had left to the north of Swift Run Gap, trying to figure out the best section to hike. Along Skyline Drive, we saw several fearless deer and an owl perched high above us as we drove by. In the end, we settled for a section between Lewis Mountain Campground and the Pocosin Cabin, with a backtrack on the road. Never saw any other people. Was going to use Ol' Reliable to squeeze another couple miles in but Mollie was tired. Settled for nearly four miles on the trail. We retrieved the bike and headed to Big Meadows, where we explored the visitor center and wayside. Heading north, we visited the Skyland stables and petted pretty horses. No chance for a trail ride because there was a massive missing-person police search of the mountain going on (complete with police helicopter). Will have to try another day... Exited at Thornton Gap around noon. Weather was awesome all day - was very glad to have a hiking buddy for once! We got gas in New Baltimore (VA) at 1230. On the way back, Mollie and I decided to visit the battlefield in Manassas (AKA Bull Run). She completed another Junior Ranger workbook and got a badge for her efforts. We walked a lot in the beautiful weather and then I drove her back to Alexandria. We played catch at Clermont Elementary School before I dropped her off at her mother's house (1700). AT Today = 1.90 miles / G.T. Total = 680.10 miles]

Woodbridge, VA (USA)

[Brenna and I ate lunch at Noodles & Company (1430) while Mollie attended a production of "Seussical" at her school - after we discussed college plans, Brenna also went with me to pick up her sister - on the way home, I got a call from Kelly, asking if we could come down to Woodbridge to eat dinner with her and Emma - after we picked up groceries at Giant (1700), we headed south on US-1 and I-95 (lots of traffic) - Kelly cooked up a delicious pork loin for us (and ground cauliflower, like mashed potatoes) - she had a "random housegues" (moocher) - afterwards, we all watched (and then participated in) "Lip-Sync Battle" - Mollie and I stayed until round 2230 and then drove home]

Alexandria, VA (USA)

[because of Metro issues and traffic, I arrived home at 1702 and Nicky had already dropped Mollie off - we had dinner at Baja Fresh (1745) - afterwards, we went walking at Huntley Meadows, finishing at 1930) - on the way home, we went shopping at Giant - we watched DVDs until bed time (2230)]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked all day in the city - after walking to L'Enfant (it was brisk, but pleasant), I ran into Sean G. - I had been planning to go to Happy Hour in Chinatown anyway, so we went to Poste and hung out there for several hours - it got much colder and I was very happy that I'd brought a coat! - met Sean's friend, Ohmid (1900) - took Metro home (very late)]

Washington, DC (USA)

[Mollie slept late - after we ate breakfast, Mollie made cookies and did homework - we ate lunch at my apartment and then (1230) we drove into DC to visit the Botanical Garden and National Gallery of Art - a highlight was sketching, copying still life) - the weather was great and we had some great conversations throughout the day - we left the city around 1415 and, after using the George Washington Parkway to get to Alexandria, we ate some ice cream at Slater's Market (1435) - after that, we went on a nature walk at the Dyke Marsh Wildlife Habitat - we still had some time left together, so we decided to go to Fort Belvoir and explore the PX - we also visited Wegmans - I dropped Mollie off at her mom's house at 1700]

Washington, DC (USA)

[I teleworked in the morning and then woke Mollie up at 0615 - we ate breakfast and then I dropped her off at school (0715) - at 0800, I arrived at Mollie's school so I could be a chaperone for the Newseum field trip - by the time we left on the bus, Mollie and seven other kids were in my group - we went into the city and spent several hours on a scavenger hunt inside the Newseum - I had lots of interactions with teachers and parents - we finished up at 1230 PM and then rode home on the bus (during the ride, we learned that there was a kid who got on the wrong bus with us...) - after we arrived back to Mark Twain, I checked Mollie out of school and we went home (1445) - I teleworked some more until about 1800 - we cooked dinner and watched movies - bed around 2230]