Smokies Hiking Trip - Day 2

I was awake by 0530 and started teleworking.  After taking a break to get breakfast (0615), I was back to teleworking in my hotel room soon afterwards.  At 1000, I checked out of the Comfort Inn and got on I-81 again, bound for Baltimore.  Traffic wasn't too bad, fortunately.  I called Erin to finalize arrangements.  On the way, I joined two different telcons from my car, covering about 1.5 hours of the two hour drive.  I arrived at Erin's apartment complex just before noon and was able to park easily.  After getting a visitor pass, I managed to find my way up to Erin's unit.  After a bit of visiting, we then walked down to Pickles Bar (right next door) to eat lunch.  We had a nice meal and visited for about an hour there (done at about 1255).  Afterwards, we walked around in the area near Camden Yards.  It was clear, sunny and warm (50s) - perfect Spring weather!  We returned to her apartment and had a nice talk before I had to leave for the next phase of my journey (1430).  Just then, I got a call from my AT Shuttle Driver (confirming arrangements).  I used I-95 to reach Beltsville and spent an hour (1500 to 1600) visiting with Brother Jim at LaSalle House.  It was great to spend time with him after all the precautions taken during the COVID-19 era.  On the road again, I used I-495 (going around the north side of DC) to reach I-66.  Traffic wasn't good but it really didn't get frustrating until I reached the newly rebuilt section of I-66.  What used to be about 10 lanes of Interstate Traffic for everyone had been converted to six lanes for "non-payers" and four lanes for HOV payers.  The speed disparity was huge (35 mph for us and 70 mph for them).  As a result, I got stuck in horrible traffic (major accidents) for a LONG time.  I had to stop for some gas in Fairfax (1700) but eventually managed to get back on I-66.  From there, I struggled my way west until I was finally able to drive the speed limit again - whew!  Overall, the delays probably added almost 1.5 hours to my trip...  Audiobooks kept me sane. Mollie checked in with me via phone and we chatted briefly.  I called Brenna to let her know about my delays and she told it was OK.  The traffic on I-81 wasn't too bad (LOTS of trucks, as usual) and I arrived in Harrisonburg at 1915.  I met Brenna at El Charro and we had a nice meal and good conversation until about 2015.  I then followed her to her apartment complex.  After unloading and finding a visitor parking spot, I was able to visit her unit and see how she'd been living since she'd finished school the previous year.  I spent about an hour (2100 to 2200) doing some more telework and then spent the rest of the evening reading and getting organized for my next day of travel.  I went to bed on Brenna's couch at around 2230.  Despite the difficulties in getting around today, it felt good to have managed to see so many people on the way!