Distance: 19 Miles
I returned to and followed the W&OD trail to its terminus in Purcellville, VA.
I did that twelve miles in one shot, found a Greek restaurant, ate a gyro, and continued west on US-7. The trail was great: well-built, shaded, picturesque, popular, and lovingly maintained. I do suspect that someone's brother-in-law is now enjoying retirement, as a small fortune was spent posting signs all over the trail. All over. It's a soccer mom's safety fantasyland. This one, however, was my favorite.
A lovely bridge:
Trail's Emblem
Off of US Highway 7 I found Bear Den, a hostel set just off the Appalachian Trail. It was quite special and reminded me of the Stone House at the Cora Hartshorn Arboretum nestled in my neighborhood back home in Short Hills.
[Taken the following morning]
Sunset from US-7
The lit rooms were crawling with brown marmorated stink bugs and the caretaker would vacuum them up every half-hour. I did laundry, ate a pizza, watched 50 First Dates (bad), and went to sleep.
[http://www.bearsdencenter.org/]
It's great to read your blog entries and be able to mark you progress, and your commentary is a delight.
ReplyDeleteI, too, like the tank crossing sign; is that what it's supposed to signify? Army or National Guard base nearby? DAD
Anxious to know total miles you walked so far and the location reached.Happy Easter. Grandfather
ReplyDeleteHi Dan - I read about your encounter with brown marmorated stink bugs so I was interested in learning from yesterday's paper that those bugs have become a significant problem in the Middle Atlantic states. They ruined alot of crops last season and are also a household pest. Worse, they are headed north. Hope you have seen the last of them, however.
ReplyDeleteYour public is eager to read about your further progress and your observations on where you have been; we'd love to see a new blog post. DAD
ReplyDeleteHey Dan, just wanted to let you know I'm thinking about you and hope the trip is going well, stink bugs and all.
ReplyDeleteWatch out for those stink bugs! I hope you are out of the paths of those tornados too! Love the pictures! Have you met any interesting people along the way?
ReplyDelete