- Thursday, September 11: I headed out around noon, with the idea of arriving at the Vining Cabin between 2 and 3 (picking up lunch and beer en route). I got to the gate on the access road around 2:30 and fumbled with the lock for a while (badly rusted), and as I was pulling the gate open, Mike showed up. The access road was badly overgrown, but still easy to navigate. We opened the cabin, and unloaded our stuff. Pete and Bruce had rendezvoused at the Blue Ridge Tunnel, and were planning to get to the cabin around 4, but both got a little lost on the way, and arrived around 5. We had a few beers, then went to Hank’s in McGaheysville for dinner. After dinner, we played poker for a few hours, then hit the hay.
- Friday, September 12: Mike, Pete, and Bruce left early to get breakfast at McDonald’s and then do a hike in the South District of the Park. I slept in for a while, then drove to the the Blue Ridge Tunnel in Afton (breakfast at McDonald’s en route). The hike from the Afton parking area through the tunnel and back was a little less than five miles, but since I hadn’t been hiking for a while (health issues), it tired me out. After the hike I drove back via Skyline Drive, stopping at the Loft Mountain Wayside for a blackberry milkshake on the way. I visited the Food Lion in Elkton to pick up some supplies for the weekend, then headed back to the cabin to read and rest. The other guys got back around 6, and after they showered we went to Sal’s in Stanardsville for pizza. More poker after dinner.
- Saturday, September 13: On Saturday, Mike, Pete, and Bruce did a circuit in the Central DIstrict of the Park. After eating some leftover pizza and reading for a while, I drove into Stanardsville to visit the cemetery. I stuck around there for a while, doing my daily puzzles and chatting with Susan, and then walked up to Main Street to have lunch. I ate at Los Robles Pupuseria, which was very good. After lunch I stopped at the grocery store in Stanardsville, then drove back to the cabin, where I had a beer and read. Bruce had done a shorter version of the hike, and he arrived back at the cabin around 4, with Mike and Pete following around 5. Mike found out that a close friend had died, and had to leave. The rest of us went to Ciro’s in Elkton for dinner.
- Sunday, September 14: Up early on Sunday. We cleaned up the cabin, packed up, and were on the road in time to get to Rylie’s Diner in Ruckersville when they opened at 8. We wrapped up, said our goodbyes, and were on the road home by 9. Unbelievably, I got back to College Park around 10:30.
Kerry Snow's Travel Blog (and other stuff)
