Blogs from Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, North America

It was an easy drive out of North Carolina. And traffic was sparse. However, once we were in Virginia the pandemic reared its ugly head. There was no indoor dining at the McDonalds where we stopped for lunch. Luckily though, we were still able to order inside the restaurant and use the bathrooms. We were left however without a place to sit down and eat our food. I always refuse to eat in the car whose seat I am trying to get relief from after sitting in the same position for hours. So I just drove. I had no idea where I was going, but I was convinced that there was going to be somewhere ideal to eat the burgers and fries we had just purchased. I barreled ahead, although my search was proving unsuccessful. Mom ... read more

Today was a scheduled and welcome day off. The forecast was rain most of the day, so I wasn’t anxious to get back on my bike anyway. My host family JoAnn and David Dalley were a delightful couple. My downstairs arrangement was perfect and I very much enjoyed their company. JoAnn is a Master Gardner and avid bird watcher. David is a bicycle nut like me. Thank you both for such a wonderful stay! Montpellier was where I had planned to go but between my legs asking for rest and the rain I decided on plan B. Thanks to their sweet and helpful daughter Rachel’s guidance, I set out exploring the city. I must say that Charlottesville is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited. Homes were built here between the trees and ... read more

We left Pennsylvania and headed south to Virginia. First stop was at Misty Mountain Campground outside of Greenwood which was close to Charlottesville. While in this area I visited Highland which was the home of James Monroe. They are doing archaeology digs to further study the area. The tour guide provided interesting information regarding Monroe, his life at Highland and especially about his 40 year friendship with Thomas Jefferson who lived just down the road. I then went down the road to Monticello which was much grander than Highland. They give a guided tour of the house with interesting information and his life at Monticello, It was sad to learn that both Jefferson and Monroe had financial difficulties through their lives and both had to sell many of their possessions to pay their debts. I tried ... read more

My travel plans were slightly altered this weekend. I planned on leaving Ohio Saturday afternoon in order to make it to Charlottesville by evening. However, do to a recent illness, I decided it was better for me to rest up and leave Sunday morning instead. So, I departed this morning bright and early, and without much traffic, arrived in Charlottesville by early afternoon. Charlottesville has been a great time, per usual. Caitlin and I had a fun packed day including a local winery and birthday party, local coffee stop, hike at Monticello trail, and craft tacos. Tomorrow I depart for Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Stay tuned. ... read more

We drove to Charlottesville through the Shenadoah National Park. The route we took is called the Skyline Drive and it takes you right down the ridges of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We heard the views were spectacular, and even though it was lashing rain we decided to still go for it. We arrived at the park gates and the ranger told us it was pretty foggy but we said we'd go anyway. We couldn't see a thing on the drive but we imagined the views would be nice! We saw a few deer and Eagles on the drive. We arrived at Charlottesville around 7pm. Our motel was right beside the practice pitches for the University of Virginia. The college brass band were practicing, and they played Beyonces 'put a ring on it'. It was brilliant! We ... read more