Hi Gram!
I finished my drive to see David and Ashley on Thursday just in time for dinner! After a quick tour of the house, some time petting the dog, and putting my bike in their garage to charge the battery and keep it out of view from potential thieves, we all sat down to have some of Ashley’s award winning chili. It was great catching up with them, hearing about David’s upcoming trip to Europe and Ashley’s plans to meet with contractors who would update her father’s house. After dinner, we all played a few rounds of Uno before Ashley excused herself and headed to bed. David and I played a few more games, taking turns thinning our hands then having more cards piled on by “draw 2” or “draw 4” penalties, before setting the game aside and discussing life and plans. Before we knew it, it was past midnight and we realized we needed some sleep.

In the morning, we saw Ashley off then David and I headed to meet Nicole for breakfast at First Watch. It’s a chain restaurant with franchises up and down the East Coast, but they have a great menu with assorted modern options, from healthy to gluttonous. We all chose dishes leaning towards the healthier side and were not disappointed. The conversation flowed easily, switching from real estate to travel plans, investment strategies to card games, and plenty of fun stories that we each shared. Finished with breakfast, but not ready to part ways, we decided to go for a walk and continue our chat. I’m really enjoying the idea of going for a walk with friends after a meal. I think moving the body and changing the scenery provides enough stimulation to keep away the lulls in conversation and gets us a little exercise and fresh air to boot. After wearing out the pavement around the shops and parking lot, we all headed back to David’s so he could lend his car to our friend Sam and head to the airport. Ashley arrived shortly after we got there, then Sam and his girlfriend came over and we had a great time with everyone in the group laughing and recounting stories. Eventually, David had to leave for the airport and we all said our goodbyes.

Nicole and I decided to go find a trail to walk while we talked more about real estate, our FI journeys, and life. This area reminded me of Georgia in that there were plenty of trails and paths nearby. We parked the car under a tree for shade, then walked through the neighborhood and onto the path. The tree-lined path provided plenty of shade, aided by the cool breeze. We saw a few butterflies and flowers as we strolled, and I felt a thousand miles from civilization even though we were just a few hundred feet from backyards and houses. Getting a little thirsty, we headed to a restaurant to whet our whistles before heading back to David and Ashley’s to part ways and pick up my car. I learned from our conversations the past couple days that the Appalachian Trail was nearby. I’ve always pictured it as some distant destination and only meant for serious hikers. Hearing that I could just park nearby and walk a little bit of it, I decided to head there next. Google Maps told me that Front Royal was a town nearby with access to the trail, so I booked a hotel room and found my way there. The forecast called for possible rain the next day, so after settling into my room I decided to go find the trailhead and walk a tiny bit of it. Nearing sunset and cautious not to get lost out there, I strapped on my backpack to see what it would be like carrying it more than the distance from the car to a hotel room an set off. Of course, I chose an uphill portion to begin, and was weighted down by the bag, so I only walked a few thousand feet before turning around and heading back to the car. I knew that if it was raining tomorrow, I could still say that I walked part of the AT.

The next morning, I headed down to grab the typical hotel breakfast, then checked out and headed back to the trailhead. This time, I wanted to cover a little more distance so I left the backpack behind and headed the other direction, starting downhill. It flattened out pretty quickly and I ended up walking a little over two miles round trip. It felt rewarding to know that I was walking where millions of feet had walked before, even if I was taking just a short stroll. It doesn’t compare to the people who hike days, weeks, or months and cover serious distance, but it still felt good.

I headed to the library to work on my brain exercises since the hotel WiFi wasn’t very strong, and found they had a traveling art exhibit in the parking lot. I headed inside to get my work done, deciding to check out the exhibit trailer on my way out. They had a collection of portraits, ranging from centuries ago up to modern day. It was enjoyable to read the descriptions next to each painting and view the differences in the styles, colors, and detail. I exited out the other end and headed into town. My friend Tracey used to live in this town, I found out, and she insisted that I check out the frozen custard stand that she frequented as a youth. I headed over and found B&L Kustard and ordered the tropical milkshake with bits of coconut, pineapple, and marshmallow. I could just imagine the local teenagers gathering here on a Saturday night, chatting and flirting over their frozen treats.

With my belly full, I decided to drive into the downtown area to walk around a little bit. I parked the car and discovered a festival in the town square with booths of artists selling their chainsaw-carved log creations, jewelry, drawings and paintings, festival food, and drinks. A small carnival ride for the kids was busy swishing kids around to gleeful screams and giggles before turning and finding a dance demonstration around the gazebo.

The dancers, from high-school aged to retirees, flowed through their choreographed numbers, pausing between songs to change costumes and genres. I smiled and clapped along with the crowd gathered around, cheering on the participants pridefully showing off their talents. Once the dancers finished with their display, I went for a walk up and down the main drag, wandering in and out of stores to feel the local flavor and vibe.

Satisfied with my time in Front Royal, I headed back to Alexandria to visit with my friends Lucy and Cheryl Ann. I took some allergy pills to offset an potential reaction to Lucy’s cat, but I’m pleased to tell you that Lucy keeps a very clean house, free of dander, and I didn’t have any reaction. In fact, if she hadn’t told me that she has a cat, I wouldn’t have known as the cat hid away from this stranger intruding on her domain. We had a great visit, all taking turns sharing stories and ideas. Lucy, despite having just had surgery and using a knee scooter, was the ultimate hostess, serving us tea and biscuits to begin, then baking a tea cake that she served with cheese. It felt stereotypically British in the most pleasing, comforting way I can imagine. We shared laughs and happiness for hours until Cheryl Ann and I decided to take advantage of the lull in the rain. We compared notes on e-bikes for a few minutes before she rode home and I headed to the next hotel. I can’t imagine my visit to Virginia going any better than it did!