Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #9
Back in Falls Church, VA - Tue, 26 Nov 2024, 11pm

As I write this I'm back at our hotel in Falls Church, VA. I'm even back in our room. You'll see why that matters in a moment.

After meeting one of our nieces for lunch and then going on an impromptu road tour along the Skyline Drive this afternoon, we met my cousin, ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #8
Linden, VA - Tue, 26 Nov 2024, 4:30pm

After visiting my niece Mattie and her boyfriend Kai over lunch in Front Royal today we refined our plans for the rest of the day. We already had plans to meet my cousin Matt and his family for dinner 30-45 minutes east, but Mattie needed to leave for work by 1:30 so several hours ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #7
Front Royal, VA - Tue, 26 Nov 2024, 1:30pmWe're still in northern Virginia, still visiting with relatives. It's a stretched out process because many of my relatives we're only able to see one or two at a time because they're a) spread out and b) still working this week so we have to fit things around their schedules. ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #6
Falls Church, VA - Tue, 26 Nov 2024, 9:30amThe hotel we're staying at for our 4 nights in Virginia, the Hilton Home2 Suites in West Falls Church, is new and overall pretty comfortable. One thing a lot of travelers like about hotels such as this is that a breakfast buffet is included in the rate. Before you European ( Read more... )

Thanksgiving '24 Travelog #4
Martinsburg, WV - Sun, 24 Nov 2024, 5pmThis morning we got in the car at our hotel in Falls Church, VA and drove out to Martinsburg, West Virginia. Yes, it's a bit of a haul; about 63 miles by shortest route. While that would be a terrible commute it's fine for a day-trip. We made the drive out there in 90 minutes even ( Read more... )

Blue Ridge Trip '24 #12
Afton, VA - Tue, 3 Sep 2024. 4:15pmI've mentioned the Skyline Drive in my past few blogs. I should describe what it actually is, for those who don't know. The Skyline Drive is a mountaintop road that traces 105 miles through the length of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. In the north the road starts in Front Royal, VA ( Read more... )

Blue Ridge Trip '24 #11
Afton, VA - Tue, 3 Sep 2024. 3:30pm

Today we're hiking the Doyles River Falls trail, an "upside down" trail where we started at the top, at around 3,000' elevation, hiked down past the falls, and then back up to the top. In part 1 of this hike I shared photos from a small unnamed falls and Upper Doyles Falls. Not far below ( Read more... )

Blue Ridge Trip '24 #10
Afton, VA - Tue, 3 Sep 2024. 1:30pmToday we've driven up to the Skyline Drive northwest of Charlottesville, VA. We're not here just to drive the Drive, though that is a worthy thing to do on a pleasant late-summer day. We're going hiking on the Doyles River Falls trail in Shenandoah National Park ( Read more... )

Blue Ridge Trip '24 #9
Lexington, VA - Mon, 2 Sep 2024. 10:30pm

We're back at the Hampton Inn & Manorhouse in Lexington, VA tonight. Except as I noted last night, we're not in the manorhouse but rather in the walk-out basement level of the institutional building behind it.


( Read more... )

Blue Ridge Trip '24 #8
Buena Vista, VA - Mon, 2 Sep 2024. 5:30pm

Today's a two-fer of hiking and waterfalls. After a steep hike at Crabtree Falls that mostly tired us out we found we still had energy left for a short hike somewhere. And fortunately "somewhere" was close by and kind of on the way back to our hotel. We drove up the ridge to the Blue ( Read more... )