Thursday, June 17th.
Quite a Journey From the Beltway to the Byway
Leaving the warm and comfy cocoon of Andy and Ruth's home was
a little
difficult, as we felt so nurtured by them. The sky was overcast
and
the roads filled with D.C. traffic..ugh.
We drove to Arlington to the bike path where I left Brian at
the
McDonalds. It's amazing what hunger will do to a former vegetarian.
Guess they call them Happy Meals for a reason, as he devoured
his big
Mac, large fries and coke and set on his way. The bike path offered
a
haven from the treacherous traffic encountered in and around the
Beltway. In all of the driving and cycling we have collectively
done,
we have never encountered anything like the aggressiveness and
danger we
experienced here.
Once the bike path ended, Brian proceeded on some busy 4 lane
highway
type roads which made him reconsider his route for the upcoming
couple
of days. In addition to the annoyance of the busy highway, it
showered
off and on all afternoon. As Brian approached the Candy Hill Campground,
it poured once again. He found little humor in the liquid soap
I
presented to him as he arrived at the door to the RV.
The campground was immaculate and filled with silver topped
retirees and
their "rigs"...as I approached the campsite, I was enthusiastically
greeted by 3 of them who helped plug me in and get me settled
in. The
next morning, one offered Brian a much needed lesson in "dumping".
The
RV community is quite friendly and helpful, and many of them ask
about
our "retired" license plate that proudly adorns the
front of our RV.
|
Andy Weissel, a close friend join Brian and Joan.
Washington and Old Dominion Trail that runs from Washington to Purcelville, VA
|
Andy and Ruthie Weissel with Joan. After a long day, Andy and Ruthie treated Joan and Brian to a gourmet meal at their home.
The trail is mostly flat traveling through urban, rural and forested areas. Total length is 45 miles. |
On the way a saw a fox carrying a meal. The weather was cloudy
with occasional
drizzle. The last 30 miles was on primary state roads. The last
3 miles
was under medium rain. The skies started to clear as I entered
camp.
Beautiful wheat fields were seen. The wheat was whitish compared
to the
dark gray sky.
On day one, we traveled past recently cut hay fields and corn
between knee
and waist high. The old saying that "knee high by the fourth
of July"
doesn't apply here or new hybrids are faster growing. I also passed
chicken farms under contract to Perdue. One truck passed me full
of
chickens and some stuff blew off of it into my face, yuk. I also
past a
bison for meat farm.
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