Washington, DC (USA)

[work - Yappy Hour at Dirty Habit (finished at 1830) - headed home (via Branch Avenue) to pick up Mollie]

Washington, DC (USA)

Customer meetings cancelled this morning so I took advantage the fact I was already in the city and attended the "Infinity Mirrors" (by Kusama) exhibit. I arrived for the ticket line at 0800 and had to wait until they opened at 1000. It rained on the heart band of eager early birds and we had to take shelter under the awnings (making our own lines). Only 800 tickets were available all day and I was pleasantly surprised to get one for 1000! Immediately entered the exhibition and navigated a series of queues to be able to view the mirror effects in six separate rooms. We got 20 to 30 seconds in each room. Pictures don't do the display justice... In the end, I missed one piece of the exhibit (line too long) but spent more than an hour enjoying the experience. Definitely worth the wait!

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - met up with Drew at RFD in Chinatown (finished at 1815) - later walked to Izakaya Daikaya for Japanese "Old Fashioned" (finished at 1900) - walked back to Metro through a large Jewish Convention (heavy security) - home via Green Line]

Alexandria, VA (USA)

[met with Sandy, Sabrina, Kelly and Emmy for brunch at Red Rocks in Old Town (1145) - parking meter drill (1150, 1448, 1800, 2000) - done eating at 1315 - moved to Mackie's - Sandy went home to check on her dog (she returned later) - moved to Light Horse and met Duncan (finished at 1815) - Kelly left - moved to Don Taco - finished quickly, at a high cost (sheesh) - moved to Rock It Grill (lots of drama from people that Sabrina knew) - I ended up getting stuck with the bill when the rest of our group deserted me (2110) - found them at O'Shaughnesy's - left Old Town (with Sabrina) at 2200 - dropped her off and headed home]

Warrenton, VA (USA)

Left my house early this morning to work in Chantilly and Warrenton.  Highlight of the morning was to get a tour of the FAA Command Center and Potomac Consolidated TRACON with Mahmoud and Temnite.  After a great morning with the team, I headed home.  Got a gas fillup in Haymarket (1210) and teleworked after arriving at my apartment.  I picked up Mollie and Rano at 1450 and took them to the George Washington Presidential Library for a tour.  We'd first learned about this when we visited Mount Vernon in February.  It was very special experience and the girls learned a lot about history and one of our greatest Founding Fathers.  We got a very personalized tour of the research library, thanks to our gracious guide, Samantha (Access Services Librarian)!  The whole activity was only open by appointment. Among other things, we got to see our first President's personal collection of books.  Of course (as Mollie would say), I "nerded out" with all the great things we saw...  We finished the tour at around 1630 and I took the girls home.

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - Grand Opening of Shake Shack at Navy Yard with Eric T. and James L. - work - happy hour at Gordon Biersch with Greta - took Metro to Gallery Place to meet up with Chris and Jenny - too crowded at Clyde's (Caps Game) so we moved to Bar Louie - had a good time (until 2015) and then moved to Clyde's after the game - Chris left and I stayed a bit longer with Jenny - Metro to Branch Avenue - home very late]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - met up with Atousa, Sabrina, Kathy T at Penn Social (drinks on me until 1900!) - Metro to Branch Avenue - home by 2030]

Washington, DC (USA)

I woke Mollie up at 0630 and we got ready for our day in DC.  We stopped for breakfast (donuts) at Dunkin Donuts and then picked up Rano and Rachel (0745) for their first trip to the National Mall.  We arrived at the Tidal Basin and explored the FDR and MLK Memorials.  It was cold and rainy but we enjoyed the cherry blossoms.  I moved our car so we would be closer to the Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans and Korean War Memorials.  We also visited the WWII Memorial and then I parked at L'Enfant Promenade so we could visit the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum.  We wanted to see the Infinity Mirrors exhibit but the line was too long.  There was an extremely off-putting painting at the exit for the elevator there (ouch!)...  We then walked over to the Smithsonian Freer-Sackler Museum and saw a good exhibit about pottery, wood and carpet art from Afghanistan.  Our day in the Smithsonian was completed after we stopped in at the African Art Museum and did some crafts.  Before leaving the city, we got hot dogs from a lady vendor at L'Enfant Promenade (1330).  We took the George Washington Parkway and stopped for some walking at Jones Point.  The "Fantasy Club" (i.e., elves, jousting) was there again.  We then drove by Mount Vernon - during the ride, all of us talked about volunteering, jobs and getting ready for college.  We also discussed a return visit to the George Washington Presidential Library.  I was going to take the kids home but Rano had never seen a Wegmans so we went to the one at Hilltop.  Rachel bought food and we had a nice time exploring.  We ran into Steve and his kids (who called our happily to Mollie).  I dropped Mollie's friends at their homes by 1430.  Back at my apartment, we watched Netflix shows and I hooked Mollie's computer up with the printer so she could finish her homework.  We ate an early dinner because I needed to walk to the service station to retrieve my car.  I left Mollie at the house at 1630 and Nicky picked her up at 1715.  After I had my car, I drove to Dave & Busters (Springfield) and met up with Kelly and her kids.  There was a fire "drill" and Emma got lost.  I found her for Kelly and then we played games and had dinner.  The kids borrowed my game cards because they "lost" theirs.  I was home by 2030 after another busy day...

Stephen's City, VA (USA)

I ran some errands and then called Mollie (0900) to wake her up.  When I got home, we had breakfast and I took her to the Buddie Ford Nature Center at 1000.  It was very busy and Dave and Coleen helped Mollie coordinate her day (because Kali was on Spring Break) while she was working (four more volunteer hours).  I did more errands and worked around my house until I picked Mollie up (1445).  We then drove to Woodbridge to pick up Kelly, her kids and several friends (seven total in our van).  We left for Gainesville at 1545 and stopped at the new Cabellas.  Mollie and I were a bit disappointed at the smaller size and larger crowd.  After exploring for a bit in the store, we then continued on I-66 to I-81 and US-11.  It was pouring for most of the drive and I had trouble with the wiper blades.  On the way, I had a funny conversation with Mollie about "missing" M&Ms in the trail mix (that I'd really eaten).  When we arrived in Stephens City at the drive-in movie venue (1815), everyone else in our group attended the "Beauty and the Beast" Ball (all dressed up for it, too!) but Mollie and I  bought dinner (chicken strips, cheeseburger, fries) and ate in the car.  As it got dark, we met back up with our friends and had some cake from the Ball.  By the time the movie began, we ended up having eight people in the car for the movie "Beauty and the Beast" (it started at 1945).  Mollie enjoyed the whole experience tremendously.  When the movie was over (2200), I drove everyone back to Woodbridge via I-66 and I-495.  After the detour, Mollie and I arrived at my apartment at 0030.  We went to bed immediately.

Woodbridge, VA (USA)

I woke Mollie up at 0645 but she didn't get out of bed until I reminded her at 0705.  As a result, we were racing to get to school on time.  After I dropped her off (0745), I went to my doctor's appointment and then teleworked the rest of the day.  I picked Mollie up from school at 1500.  We drove to visit my friend (Reza) and his wife at Mason Neck.  They had a kayak and canoe they said we could use.  After a nice visit, we drove to Woodbridge.  We got to Brew Republic at 1745 and Kelly and her kids arrived just after we sat down.  We ate dinner (St. Patrick's Day, shepherd’s pie, brisket stew) and watched March Madness basketball until around 2000.  After that, we went to Kelly's to watch a movie ("Moana").  Drove home at around 2200 and went to bed soon afterwards.

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - March Madness Young Professionals event - stayed until 2000 - Kelly drove me to Branch Avenue Metro - Mollie waiting at my house when I arrived]

Daleville, VA (USA)

Well, it only took 25 years but I managed to finish hiking all 101 miles of the AT in Shenandoah National Park! My day started in Troutville (gas fillup - 0805) and I got a late start because of the shift to Daylight Saving Time. Ate breakfast then drove over an hour to the trailhead on Skyline Drive near US-33. I started SOBO at 1000 and began a climb up Hightop Mountain. I saw a deer near the trail and enjoyed some tremendous views of the Shenandoah Valley, including Massanutten. It was another clear and cold day. Temps were in the low 30s and my beard froze a few times. The evidence of snow increased as I climbed. When I reached the top of the ridge, I encountered a hiker (Bob) who was on his phone at an overlook. We talked for a bit and I learned that he was very worried about an incoming blizzard. He asked if I could take him to Thornton Gap. I agreed - but first continued south to the Hightop Hut. I then backtracked to Skyline Drive and walked back on the road to my car, completing my nearly seven mile day at 1245. Bob was waiting and we headed for the hiker hostel shuttle pickup point. On the way, I learned that my passenger was making his fourth attempt at a through hike. He was raised in East Tennessee and worked in the Chemistry Department (as a contractor) at Notre Dame while I was there. Small world... He described how he'd managed to get a little bit of the AT done each year (since 2014) while dealing with multiple surgeries and family crises. Interesting guy! After stopping at Big Meadows to get my SNP AT Hiker Patch, I dropped Bob off on US-211. Then headed to Warrenton to visit my friends, James and Renee. It was a great weekend - lots of sections tied together... AT Today = 3.40 miles / G.T. AT = 893.46 miles

Daleville, VA (USA)

What a beautiful, cloudless day! I had a big breakfast and then ventured out into the 20 degree weather. It was a short drive to the parking lot for the Andy Layne Trail (yellow blazed) and I left my car at 0815. From the rudimentary map I found when I hiked in the area last year, it looked like a useful path to reach the middle of this 20 mile section of AT. But it was 3 miles, almost all uphill, so I wasn't going to be able to count much of the miles of my day... Oh well - it was worth it! I made it to the ridge and AT at Scorched Earth Gap after about an hour and encountered a huge group of backpackers. Fortunately, they headed SOBO while I started NOBO to connect to the turnaround west of Daleville (from my trip to the area in late February) - a distance of 3 miles. I passed two hikers who were leaving a campsite and, when I backtracked later, I noticed they hadn't doused their fire. Without any cups or containers, I had to use water in my reservoir to put out the flames. SMH about their carelessness, especially with all the fire danger and last year's massive fires on the AT. I wore gloves and earmuffs almost all day and my water tube froze over completely before noon. But it did get a bit warmer by the end of the day... After reaching the Andy Layne Trail again, I decided to hike up to Tinker Cliffs (one of the "Big Three" must-see AT spots in Virginia). It definitely lived up to the hype! Stunning views from many overlooks all afternoon. There were a lot of people who were also enjoying the trail. I continued SOBO until I reached Brickeys Gap. At that point, I was concerned I didn't have enough gas in the tank for all the climbing so I used the Lamberts Meadow Trail (blue blazed) to head back to my car. This seemed like a good plan, at first, and I got a view of Scorched Earth Gap immediately. But the trail started taking me too far to the east and I decided to bushwhack. With my eyes on the Gap, all went well until I realized that the steep rolling hills were obstacles (and additional climbing was required). One of those life metaphors, I guess: going in a straight line isn't always the best path... There were three deer watching me as I slid down leave-covered slopes. They moved a bit at a time and I actually followed their footpaths (helpful). But the going was very slow and, despite the fact that I hit my orienteering target within 50 yards, I was exhausted by the time I was following yellow blazes again. I encountered a few hikers who were just heading up to the Cliffs - even with the cold it would be a great night to camp. Finished my 17.7 mile day by 1600 - feeling worn out but not beaten. Dinner at Wendy's in Daleville (1625). Hoping that food and lying completely still will help to tee up another good trail day tomorrow! AT Today = 5.40 miles / G.T. AT = 890.06 miles

Daleville, VA (USA)

Had another chance to work in Warrenton today and made the best of it! I almost didn't go anywhere this weekend because the forecast had initially called for snow in Southern Virginia. By this morning, though, all that remained that might cancel my plans was the cold temperatures. The day started very early and I finished work by 1100. Drove through Charlottesville on the way to Christiansburg and took US-460 to Newport. Retraced my tracks to the trailhead on VA-621, arriving at 1445. Headed SOBO towards the top of Sinking Creek Mountain. It was brisk and I wore my coat the whole time, adding a hat and gloves by the top of the ridge. The section was uphill almost the whole way but the incline was gradual (there weren't even any switchbacks). Didn't see any people or animals all afternoon. The turnaround point was the Eastern Continental Divide - had good views from the top but brrrrr! The hike back to the car was pretty easy and I finished almost 8.5 miles by 1745. For once, recently, it wasn't even dark... Headed back to Daleville to set up for another day on the trail tomorrow! Checked into Howard Johnson Inn and ate dinner at Pizza Hut (1930).  AT Today = 4.10 miles / Grand Total AT = 884.66 miles

Chantilly, VA (USA)

[work - in Chantilly all day for PM Forum]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work - happy hour with project team at Scarlet Oak - Metro to Branch Avenue - home very late]

Washington, DC (USA)

[SafeTrack started the previous week, so I had to drive to Maryland to ride the Green Line (to avoid major delays during my commute) - work - went to happy hour (1600) with Sabrina, Marquita and Phil at Penn Social - finished at 1900 - rode Metro to Branch Avenue with Marquitta]

Washington, DC (USA)

[work late - dinner at Subway at Navy Yard (1830) - watched ND-BC Basketball game with Tim F. at Tunnicliff's Tavern in Eastern Market (left at 2120) - home late]