Day 254

June 14, 2018                                                                                                     Day 254

The alarm sounded at 04:40 am.  By 05:00 am I was in the house taking a shower and going back and forth on what shorts to wear.  Have I mentioned I hate shorts? By 05:40 am I was in my vehicle headed to East Falls Church metro station.  On pulling in and parking I grabbed my day pack full of my things for my airbnb stay and my water bladder.  Walking into the dark metro station was nerve racking and figuring out the card/pass machine was interesting.  Once I deposited $10.00 on the card I took the escalator up and ended up asking a lady what side I was suppose to be on.

Thankfully I hoped on the right one and got off at the Foggy Bottom Station where I then walked to the Fat Tire Rental Shop which wouldn't open until 09:00; it was now 08:00.  While I sat and waited a homeless man with a mental disability came up to me and sat down and started talking to me and himself.  He kept commenting on my looks and I felt super uncomfortable so I got up and walked away.  I feel bad for them but they make me so uncomfortable.  Finally, 09:00 came and I was able to get with my bike tour.

It was a three hour bike tour and we hit a majority of the sites I wanted to see such as: The White House,  Lincoln Memorial, Court House, Washington Memorial, The Capitol Building, Smithsonian Castle, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, World War II Memorial and the Old Executive building.  The tour cost $39.00 and I think it was well worth the money.  It was fun and relaxing to tour on a bike and the pathways were beautiful, the grass bright green and not too many people working/biking around.  The White House was okay but for some reason it was not as big as I thought.  My favorite stop was the Lincoln Memorial.  It was breathtaking.

When the bike tour was over I walked and navigated myself to the National Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to end my day within the city.  After passing through security I was inside and surrounded by people.  I walked first thru the ocean section and though I thought it was a great museum there seemed to be no rhyme or reason to the displays so therefore I could not pick a good path that would allow me to see everything.  Also people were everywhere and a lot of them stood right at the display just talking about something else instead of moving away.  I did get a really good laugh when I was in the area with all the animal skeletons.  I was looking at an alligator skelton with its' dried skin above it when a woman asks, "Oh, is that its' exoskeleton?" HAHA.  Like really how stupid are some people!

Eventually, my feet were so sore I just could not walk anymore and Iw as acquiring a huge migraine from not eating.  I left and walked to the metro where I took it back to my vehicle. By now its as a little after 17:00 soI paid for parking and drove to Wendys to get fast food to hopefully help my migraine.   I talked with Jason for a little bit and then drove to the airbnb place  where I rented a room for an evening at $45.00.  This was my first airbnb and it was a success!  The bed was super comfy and the shower was fancy and modern with six knobs and it had a padai.   I showered and was in bed by 20:00.

The White House

The FBI Building

The Hope Diamond

The Natural History Museum

Day 253

June 13, 2018                                                                                                    Day 253

I slept quite well last night and was up around 05:00 am due to the birds singing around me and the sunlight streaming in from my windows.  Inside the house, Janet (my friends mom) had made me coffee which was super nice; especially, since I live on coffee. :) When she retired from our conversation to get ready I headed back outside to get a workout in.  The workout didn't go as well as I had planned for I was tired from my hike the other day and weak from not having breakfast.  I find it interesting how our bodies change with time.  It used to be that if I ate breakfast I would be sick in the morning and now if I miss it I have no energy and develop a bad case of hangriness.   So I stopped my workout and made eggs, spinach and toast.  By this time I was sweating profusely and worked in my camper on my computer with the fan going trying to cool down some.

Around noon I ran into Gainsville, VA to look for new workout spandex since mine were literally from my high school volleyball days.  Inside the store I talked on the phone with my friend Stacie and ended up buying things I needed but still should not have spent the money on.  Leaving Gainsville, I headed back to Ashleighs parents place.  Originally, I was going to go up to Great Falls national Park but all the trails I wanted to do were closed due to flooding.  I didn't like sitting in my camper outside someone's house but I really had nothing else to do.

At 18:30 my friend showed up and we went out to eat.  The conversation went smoothly and it is hard to believe that six years has passed since we last hung out.  We reminisced about the days working at the rehab center and the things we did after work while hanging out.  Most of the conversation situated around the center and my upcoming trip into D.C..  Her and her parents were super helpful in planning my trip to D.C. and offered a lot of great advice.  I am so thankful for them and that after so much time we were able to meet again.  I only hope the next time we meet won't be so far in the future.

Day 252

June 12, 2018                                                                                                                Day 252

Last night I tossed and turned but overall I slept well and when my alarm sounded at 04:30 am  I was just being lazy and didn't move.  It wasn't pitch black out but it was dark with a mist that seemed to cling to everything.  I began with boiling water for coffee and then made some eggs, spinach and toast.  It wasn't a very tasty breakfast but then again I wasn't really trying.  By 05:30 am I was on the road to Old Rag Mountain.

The drive was about 1.5 hours long and a peaceful one although by the time I reached the parking area I had to pee so badly.  As I was hoping with an early arrival there were only a handful of vehicles and plenty of space for me.  I parked the farthest away so as to not be in the way and ran to the porta-potty.  Once my pack was ready I headed up the paved road to the trailhead.

The hike was steep and I was breathing hard.  I hate how every time I workout and hike I breathe like I have asthma.  This time I worked on focusing on controlling my breathing...in through my nose and out through my mouth: I actually think it helped some.  After multiple switchbacks and a trail shrouded in mist I made it to the rock scramble area.  Boy what a scramble it was too!  I should have had gear such as gloves.  At some parts I was wedging myself between rocks to get up or leaping down into crevices.  It was fun but quite the workout!  When I made it to the false summit the view was of a deep dense forest of green, blue skies and a white fog that still clung to some of the mountain tops.  I threw my pack off of my sweat filled shirt and ate an apple while sitting over the edge taking in the view.  Then I continued to the real summit where I couldn't see anything due to the fog.  Another 5.2 miles saw me down at the parking lot with sore feet and knees.  I did it.  I FINALLY hiked Old Rag Mountain (10.2 miles 2,508 ft elevation in 3.44 hours) after six years!

Afterwards, I ate yogurt and fruit juice while I drove back to Sparryville to try and get cell service.  That didn't happen so I continued on to Front Royal, VA where I bought a bag of ice and went to a Starbucks.  There I messaged many people, tried to plan D.C. and answered messages for work.  With no real advancement in the D. C. planning I left at 17:30 and began the 24 minutes drive to a friends parents house in Marshall, VA.

Her and I used to work together at the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center six years ago and got along well; however, due to time and life itself it had been six years since we last met.  Thankfully, her parents were letting me stay in their yard and were very accommodating and sweet.  An odd feeling came over me as I drove to their place for I was remembering the roads and turns it took to get there.  Like a floodgate memories were released.  Her mom and I talked for some time and then I let her be for I didn't want to be in the way.   I love reconnecting with people and am so thankful that they let me crash at their place but no matter where I am or who the people are I always feel like I am intruding or am an inconvenience.

 

 

Day 251

June 11, 2018                                                                                                      Day 251

Yes, you read that correctly the days went from 215 to 251.  Since I was staying in one place I saw no reason to write in my journal every day due to nothing too exciting to report happening.   It has been over a month since last I wrote in here...my how time flies by.  I ended up staying with Jason the entire time which was amazing.  I was surprised at how well we get along and how quickly I became comfortable around him.  He was gone most days until the evening so it was like having an entire house to myself and allowed me to get caught up in my business and other things.  It has also been nice to have someone in which to commerce with in the evenings.

Last night was my final night at Jasons and I feel as though we barely spent any time together yesterday.  Was it due to both of us not looking forward to saying goodbye or were we both just busy. I spent the majority of my day meal prepping and packing things up while he did laundry and worked on his RV.  By the time we had dinner we were both tired and called it a night without watching a movie or really talking.

When morning came it was a dismal one.  The weather was conveying how I was feeling for it was raining out and humid.  I was excited to be getting back on the road again for I really do not like staying in one place very long; however, I will miss the company greatly.  It took me awhile to get up for I was procrastinating but finally at 07:30 I decided I needed to get up and get on the road.  Delaying the inevitable will do no good.   I made myself eat something for breakfast although I was not hungry for I knew I would be hungry later in the day.  I also got a workout in.

Around 12:30, I had called my mom and told her I was leaving and then I slowly pulled out and away from Jason's house as the rain came down all around me.  My camper rode well with the addition of the spacers which he had added to my vehicles springs.  My destination was about five hours away at Wolf Gap Recreation Area in Woodstock, VA ($0.00).  The drive there went smoothly and thankfully I did not fight falling asleep like I usually have to.  It rained almost the entire way and I was only on the Interstate for about an hour or so; therefore, my speed was quite slow.  I listened to a Podcast about crazy ants and electricity which was interesting.  I also stopped at a scenic overlook and ate some carrots and humus on the drive.

I pulled into site #1 around 18:00 and just barely fit in the parking spot due to my length which just shows you how small the spot is since I am not very long at all.  I messaged Jason and after a I heated up a meal I sat at the back of my camper and spoke to him.  Afterwards, I brushed my teeth and crawled into my camper to write in my journal and call mom.

Day 215

May 6, 2018                                                                                           Day 215

Today I turn 28 years old.  How the time flies by without one really knowing or should I say realizing.  I am almost to 30 and almost half my life is over, depending of course on how long I live.  I always find birthdays somewhat odd for I never really feel older; it is just another day going by in my opinion.

After Jason had already gone to work and I had slept in a bit more than usual I got up in a chipper mood.  As birthday music blasted through a bluetooth speaker I made myself a breakfast of bacon, eggs and mixed vegetable that included: red bell peppers, onions and mushrooms.  The day outside was gloomy with rain threatening every minute that went by.  After eating I began watching episodes of Lucifer when my older brother called me to wish me a happy birthday.  He was currently in Boston, Massachusetts looking at a semi truck for his job.  I told him and his wife that they should check out some whale watching and do the Freedom Trail for those were things on my list to see when I get there myself.

When we hung up I decided to drive the 30 minutes into town to buy myself some wine and ice cream.  By now it was pouring rain outside and as I was putting on a jacket I remembered that I needed to install a headlight in my vehicle.  So I stood in the pouring rain for about ten minutes trying to open up the area that contains the bulb.  After I finally got it open with my wet hands and installed the light I sat in my vehicle soaking my seat with all the water that was pouring off of me. The drive itself was not bad and as I pulled into Walmart my grandma Hoefferle called me to wish me a happy birthday.  I was in a good mood when I hung up with her until I went to go checkout and found out that apparently in West Virginia one can not purchase alcohol on Sunday until 13:00!  This I find to be completely insane and stupid.  Needless to say that instantly put me in a foul mood since that is the only reason I drove all the way into town.  As I walked glumly back to my vehicle my mom called me.  I tried to be happy but I was just upset and sad now at being alone.  In either case, we talked for some time as I sat in my vehicle in the pouring rain in the Walmart parking lot.

Back at Jason's house I talked to some more people and once the rain stopped and the sun came out I went and laid out in the hammock.  Jason was able to get off of work somewhat early which was nice so he got back at around 19:00.  Upon which we ate pasta and watched a TV show before we both decided to call it a night.  I was not even close to being tired but there was nothing else to do so I just went to bed too.