Last day with the girls (sad). I was awake by 0600 and packed up the car. Next, I got an early breakfast, did some reading and then did some walking near the hotel to pass the time. I let the girls sleep in until about 0800 and, after they’d gotten some breakfast, we departed the Best Western (0900). The girls had hoped to see Ellen and Robert one more time but got texts that said the rendezvous wouldn’t work. Instead, Brenna got the rest of her leftovers from The Albemarle and we left Asheville. We used I-26 to reach I-81 and had some interesting talks (mostly about the family, Bear’s health, Brenna’s December plans and other news discovered during Thanksgiving). After a mostly uneventful drive, we reached Blacksburg by 1215. We stopped at Mollie’s apartment and I got to see her place for the first time. After she’d unpacked a little bit, we drove down the street to eat lunch at the Cellar Restaurant (arrived at 1240). We had some good food and more conversation before I took Mollie back to her apartment. I left her some Wilson Creek and requested she figure out how to return one of my old Virginia license plates to the DMV (she said she would). Back on I-81 by 1345, I had a nice talk with Brenna. Meanwhile, we made good time for a while until we arrived at the I-64 merge. After that, the traffic got so bad that Brenna suggested we “take the scenic route”. I agreed and we drove on US-11 almost all the way to Harrisonburg. After reaching Brenna’s apartment (1600), I got to see inside (she almost didn’t let me) and helped her unpack the car. I left her a bottle of wine too and then said goodbye. It was hard to believe that my visit with the kids was over - hope it isn't long before I see them again... After getting gas at a nearby Exxon (1620), I got on I-81 and headed north again. About three hours later, Brenna called to talk to me some more about our trip. We were on the phone for about 30 minutes and it was a great way to end the day. During my drive to the north, I only stopped once (took a bathroom break just after passing I-80) and listened to several hours of audiobooks. I arrived at my hotel (Quality Inn) in Binghamton just after 2200. In the room, I organized my bags and did some reading. After a busy day, I went to bed at 2330. Looking back on the week, I was glad to recall how my daughters and I had a great time visiting with everyone and making some awesome memories. Highlights included: sampling brews at New Belgium, Wicked Weed and Thirsty Monk; learning about ciders and meads at Noble Cider Downtown; gorging ourselves at a Thanksgiving feast held at Isa’s Bistro; driving along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway; hiking part of the Mountains to the Sea Trail; visiting a chocolate factory and a honey store; savoring delicious North Carolina BBQ at Bear’s Smokehouse; playing all sorts of crazy games in the cozy common area of The Albemarle; and visiting for hours on end with so many of our relatives. Very glad we live close enough to join in the fun and festivities and look forward to more family gatherings like this!
