Tuesday, April 26, 2011
I was up at 6, courtesy of a wake-up call from Rita. Because of the long day yesterday, and up late working on the blog, figured it wouldn't hurt to have a little help.....and I needed it. By 730 or so, we were on the road heading back to the 7-11 in Herndon, where we stopped yesterday. Today was supposed to be a shorter day, thanks to the 24+ miles yesterday. According to our info, we have only 21+ miles to complete the walk. Although both of us are a little sore from the long walk yesterday, we are also ready to get going again. Baring unforeseen incidents, we should complete the walk in 2 days.
Jon's wife Laura dropped us off at the 7-11 around 815, and we set out toward DC. We walked through Herndon, and on to Reston. Although we're walking through one of the most congested areas in the USA, much of the time the trail seems far from civilization. We came to Reston, and passed a large Oracle office building, a golf course, and then stopped at a 7/11 to pick up a couple of items. As we walked on, we climbed a short, but steep hill, called Buckthorne Hill. It was significant only that most of the trail is relatively flat. At the top of the hill is a bench called Papa's Bench, dedicated to a father, and for resting after the climb.
We passed by Hunter's Station, designated as a flag stop along the railroad. We came into Vienna, and passed the Freeman House and Museum. It was getting near lunch time, and the map indicated there was a McDonald's at Mile 11 on the trail, so that's where we planned to go. We asked a biker about McDonald's, and he said there wasn't one. We looked around town and found the Vienna Inn, and stopped there for lunch and resting. After a lunch of hot dogs and clam chowder, we went to the register to pay. The young woman asked about our walk, and remarked that she hated to walk. "If I could get a Segway in my house, I would use it to go room-to-room!" There was no mistaking how she felt about walking.
We walked outside and rested a while longer, then set out for Arlington. We had about 7 miles to the beginning of the Martha Custis Trail. We passed through Dunn Loring, VA, which I had never heard of, but it has an interesting history. The trail through Arlington was a little confusing.....not so well marked for a stretch. After a couple hours of walking, we reached the intersection of Washington & Old Dominion, and Martha Custis Trails. We rested for a while and started out on the final 4+ miles of the trip. This trail shadowed I-66 most of the way into Washington, and the closer we came to the city, the busier it became. Mostly bikers, and they ride about as crazy as auto drivers! This trail was well marked and rolling, but nothing extreme. After an hour or so, we reached the end at Theodore Roosevelt Island.
But, the Washington Monument was still in the distance, so we set off for that. After crossing the Potomac, we could see it in the distance, but weren't sure how to get there. We walked toward the Kennedy Center, and asked a woman directions. She sent us back the way we came, around the Lincoln Memorial, past the WWII memorial, and finally at the monument around 7pm. Lots of people playing softball and kickball on the lawn, but we were happy to just stand there, rest, and watch them. Our walk today ended up being longer than yesterday, about 25.5 miles. After a few pictures, we walked to the Metro Station and took the train to W. Falls Church. It was nice to be moving and not walking.
Jon Jr. met us at the station, and before long we were sitting around the table recapping the day, and having a nice dinner prepared by Laura and Anya. We completed the walk in 2 days, our goal, but maybe it was a 3 day walk. But, we have lots of time to rest, and think of other places to explore at 3mph.
About the pictures:
Jon at Herndon Station;
Entering Reston;
Marker at Hunter Mill Road Crossing;
One of only a few animals we spotted;
Finally at Washington Monument.
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