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Published: February 2nd 2011
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The art of travel is a vibrant, ever-present necessity that I need to make it through my current life situation. It’s also something that I think we all need to embrace. I have allowed my blog to go untouched and stagnant, but like an upcoming trip or promise of a new home, the travelogue won’t stay down forever. I managed to visit a new state in 2010 as well as return to Disney World (and I do not plan to do that in the summer for anyone for a while!). My last real adventure was a road trip in mid-October to Virginia.
My plans were really to visit the campuses of Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. I was drawn to these college towns and I secretly (well, not so much now since nothing has come of it) thought about what it would be like to re-locate to a welcome place. I wanted to take in some true fall foliage without a plane ticket and an investment for a New England trip; maybe those things will pan out for this fall. I went over routes with my trusty travel companion and made the familiar arrangements of days off from
my retail job (yep, still there) and a strategically placed test during the semester for my mom’s college students. We decided to leave out of Augusta and took about five days for our route to Virginia and back. Our first stop was Blacksburg and a stay at the Clay Corner Inn. The B&B was a good choice and allowed me a room to myself and a place to write at the sewing desk! The food in the student- friendly downtown and back at the Inn was one vital part of my enjoyment from the start. For one, there were little signs around the Clay Corner Inn claiming that guests simply had to ask if homemade cookies were what they desired.
My mom and I took our homemade cookies as we drove around Virginia Tech in the rain. I took a few minutes to visit the April 16th Memorial; that day has significance for me in that I knew Ryan Clark. The marching Virginian was a high school classmate of mine, and I wanted to take some photos of his Hokie Stone for those friends who also remembered his engaging personality and giving spirit. The same day we went over
to Charlottesville and toured what we could of the campus with a relation on my mom’s side of the family. Without meaning to, I had picked the Homecoming weekend for the major schools and their fans. We avoided the campus on the Saturday we were in town, but that Friday night was special in that we were in the vicinity of the UVA marching band. The sun had begun to set and I had just seen Jefferson’s Rotunda up close. The symbol of the university was impressive but not as special as previously seen from the road in our car. We managed to set the car in a place that would likely be free to park and roamed about the campus a little bit, hiking back towards the bookstore and down some big hills and across a bumper-to-bumper road of traffic to see the band in their practice sections and formations.
Our accommodations for the remainder of the time in Virginia were in Staunton. This town didn’t offer all that much in the way of charm, but we had some distance between us and the cloud of Cavalier fans that were sure to be in Charlottesville the night we
left the campus and went in search of a Cracker Barrel. The Woodrow Wilson boyhood home is in Staunton, and his presidential vehicle and other attractions were a hit (to me, anyway) in the way of historical points of interest. The second half of the day was to be spent at Monticello, so while the tours were strict and left at certain times, my mom and I viewed the screen presentation and walked around the new-to-us visitors’ center. I had seen Thomas Jefferson’s home before, but from what I told, I was one years old at the time. Our third President’s architectural wonder was still as it was then, I imagine, but my experience as a reader, traveler and decent U.S. history student made this visit quite exciting and memorable. I gained insight into the skills, hobbies and sheer genius of Mr. Jefferson, and I recall spending several hours without a single worry or moment of boredom. I had an escape within an escape, really. The weather was cool but very moderate and comfortable. The crowds weren’t oppressive and I managed to wander the grounds where I could take pictures and photograph some of the house without lots of people
wandering into the shot. A friend of the relation we visited with in Charlottesville also gave us a special behind-the-scenes look at parts of the house—I won’t go into much more detail so as to honor this once-in-a-lifetime sort of favor!
For Sunday, the drive ahead was vast. I had wanted to cross West Virginia off of my list, and the most direct way to do that was to drive over into the state and take a moment or two for the Greenbrier, an opulent resort and keeper of underground bunkers. The object was not to look like mere tourists, and after looking at indoor pools, gourmet restaurants, tapestries and carpets and the shops for the elite, we looked for regular food. After that it was a bit of a rough go for me, for we could not reach a family friend for a last stop going south. I worked through a sort of nausea from riding in the car and the need to just rest my head, I think. By mid-evening we were in Durham, North Carolina. I felt more like myself after settling in a bit and getting to bed before I normally do at home. As
we began the steady descent through the Carolinas and back to Augusta on October 18th, it seemed right to take in a view of Duke University. This required a fee to park, but I got out to look at the Chapel while mom initially (and kindly) drove the car around. It was a perfectly bustling day for the students and regular life of the campus, and before we left town it was discovered that a student recital was going on inside the Chapel. The Duke Chapel should indeed be called a cathedral, for it leaves a first-time visitor in the same sort of awe reserved for those cathedrals several decades its senior. After a few pipe organ pieces and a fill-up of the tank, we were heading through some upscale-looking suburbs and familiar territory.
I have since thought about North Carolina for my “need to gain back some sanity and start again” move. And possibly for another master’s degree…I’ll plan to visit later this month for the latter. I wanted to mention that my parents are taking a 15-day trip to Israel with a guided group starting February 15th. If anyone has stumbled across this entry or has come
With a Jeffersonian instrument
I really loved the stories about his library and his reading habits. He knew all about things like weather and time...this is some device outside and above the cellars. to the page (surprised to see an entry, aren’t you?) after a long hiatus, please do keep this particular tour group in mind. I know this experience will enrich my parents’ lives and make for some fabulous stories and experiences to relay to me; I am preparing to call them from the states and look after our kitten of seven months. Honestly, that will be an adventure as well. I hope to do a little writing on a tour I’m not participating in as I pray for this group in Israel.
And while I do not do resolutions, I am determined to go places further than the southeast this year, chronicling trips and writing as I always know I should. We’ll see what happens, but this entry is officially in for 2011!
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