I got up early and ate breakfast in my room before checking out of the BOQ (0700). Leaving from Alexandria soon afterwards, I used US-1 to drive all the way onto I-95 (headed south) and followed it (with light traffic) all the way to I-295 on the north side of Richmond. I followed this highway to the west until I was on I-64 and then drove to one of the Goochland exits. From there, I followed Google Maps recommendations until I found myself on US-522 (I crossed the James River along the way). Along the way, I listened to an audiobook. Used several other back roads and eventually found a sign for Powhatan State Park (0845). It wasn't raining yet, so I detoured into the park (and got free entry with an old REI receipt). After parking, I spent the next hour exploring the park (trails, boat launches, etc.). Frankly, I wasn't impressed - even though there were a lot of trails, boat launches, picnic areas and campsites, there weren't really any landmarks (historic, scenic, biological or otherwise). Seemed like it's really only a place for getting away from the city... After feeling like I'd seen everything important, I got back on the road (0945) and continued driving (via many farm and back roads) until I located a trailhead for the High Bridge Trail State Park (River Road). This state park unit was much more impressive than Powhattan had been. The old railroad bridge over the Appomattox River has to be seen/walked to believe - amazing feat of engineering! From the parking lot (1000), I walked to the old railroad trestle and crossed it to the south side of the Appomattox River. It was misty but pleasant and I saw a friendly dog. The foliage was nice too. I was wearing my "Hokie Dad" hat an several people told me "Go Hokies" in preparation for the ND-VT game later that day (little did they know who I was really rooting for). Overall, I logged about three miles between the River Road parking area and the south end of the bridge - a great walk! Got back on the road at around 1130 and drove west into Farmville. From there, I got on US-460 and took it all the way to the south suburbs of Roanoke. Mollie and I talked on the phone a few times (updating my progress) while I was driving. At around 1200, Brenna called and I tried to talk her through getting her car towed. I also listened to another book on tape. After getting on I-581, I intercepted I-81 and found myself within a huge traffic jam (between Roanoke and Salem). Despite this, I still managed to arrive at Mollie’s apartment in Blacksburg by 1445. I dropped off all the bags and boxes (hers) that I’d brought from New Hampshire (she was really happy). We then drove around in her neighborhood until I was able to find a visitor parking spot (yay!). We walked back to Mollie’s (saw lots of partying students on the way) and she showed me around her apartment. Because the Lane Stadium seating areas had specific shirt color recommendations, Mollie let me borrow her “Otter Sandman” (maroon) shirt (it actually fit!). I decided (reluctantly) not to wear ND colors and this made Mollie happy. At 1530, we walked down to the bus stop and waited for a ride to campus. Unfortunately, the only bus of the hour was too full to stop and we ended up walking over a mile to campus (but we had a nice time talking on the way). We explored tailgaters, visited some classroom buildings of Mollie’s (including the Library) and stopped at two stores that sold T-shirts (I bought a couple of them at the University Bookstore at 1700). We then went next door and ate lunch (Chick-fil-A with Mollie’s dining card). I changed into a new Hokie sweatshirt I’d bought (Mollie and I matched!) and, at 1745, walked to the stadium. Before going inside, we spent some time visiting the tailgater tent area and the Hokie Village (Mollie liked that too). Eventually (1825), we went inside the stadium and explored the area. Anticipating long lines later (this ended up being true), I got two Devil's Backbone IPAs. We made it to our seats as all the pre-game festivities were just beginning and, surprisingly, found ourselves in an area with lots of Notre Dame fans. During the game, we had some fun talking to them - it was a nice area to be sitting. Mollie had made some comments during the week about how she didn’t like football (I always pretended to be upset about her not wanting to go with me) but I believe she really enjoyed the band displays, fireworks, cannon firings, fireworks, Growly demos, tailored cheers, Hokie gobbling noises and Corps of Cadets marching. I was very impressed with the noise when “Enter Sandman” was played, just before kickoff. The game started at 1930 and was very entertaining. Erin texted to say that she was watching the game on TV and Mollie tried to explain where we were sitting. A surprise: the weather was good - a bit of mist only). Mollie and I stayed through three quarters. With VT winning the game at that point, we headed to the bus stop. However, no buses were there so we walked towards Mollie’s apartment. It was at that point that I remembered I had a reservation at a hotel in Pearisburg - fortunately, I was able to cancel it without penalty (since Mollie said I could stay at her apartment). Before heading home, Mollie picked up a late snack at the dining hall. On the way back to The Retreat, we could hear lots of crowd noise and soon it became clear that the game wasn’t going Virginia Tech’s way. When we reached Mollie’s (2315), I found out (online) that Notre Dame had come back to win the game. Mollie was sad but told me she’d really enjoyed going to the game with me (she even posted photos on Instagram with a caption “I’m back together with my travel buddy”. We read for a bit and then went to bed (2345). Mollie was worried that her neighbors would be really rowdy overnight but we didn’t end up hearing anything. Overall, a fun-filled, amazing day outside and watching at great football game!
