Mini Adventures and New Phone

We just returned from a three day 60 mile hike on the AT in Southern VA over Anna's Spring Break. This was a section we had skipped on our thru-hike because of a knee injury and trying to get to Pearisburg in time for the ALDHA Gathering. We have decided that Spring is a very enjoyable time to hike! The weather was pleasant during the day time and a little chilly at night. We were surprised how many leaves from last fall were still on the trail as we waded through them. We met very few people along the trail surprisingly. Several early Northbounders had already beed through. the trail crossed the Blue Ridge Parkway several times and there were some nice overlooks. Our first night out there was a wind advisory. We slept in the shelter because it offered better protection. We were also afraid branches might fall on our tent.

Today, we biked our first century (100 miles) and it feels great to know we can do it before we set off and attempt to ride cross country. We rode Delaware's Route 9 Coastal Heritage Highway from Historic New Castle to the Dover Air Force Base and back. The route passed through industrial zones like around the Valero Oil Refinery, coastal marshlands, and agricultural areas. It was a perfect day for it with light wind and temperatures in the 60s. Not to mention good company, Peter, who reminds Anna and I of our friend Stretch from the AT 2006 season.

With those two excursions under our belts, I'm looking forward to my last day of work April 16th and a trip up to NY to bike around Lake Ontario (650 miles) with my college roommate Andy. I know it sounds crazy but why not give it a shot. We'll be starting from his apartment in Ithaca and riding clockwise around Lake Ontario crossing into Canada at Niagra Falls hugging the shoreline through Toronto and returning via the Thousand Islands Bridge.

By the way... This post was done on our new / used smart phone. (Thank you Anna's Grandad Blinn!) We're in the process of making sure the phone and the data plan does everything we need it to now before we get out on the trail.