2025 Late-Summer Road Trip - Day 33-of-35 - September 15, 2025

Monday, Sept. 15, 2025 - Finished Great Museums, Finished Fun Friends and Family. Only thing left to do is "go out and Look For America"! 283 miles ending up at La Quinta Inn, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. I originally had TWO MAPS to show all the Post Offices "I was going to get today" - ha ha ha. My plan is to make my way north (not on 81), travel the "blue highways" and grab my Post Offices, and structure the trip so I can get to the hotel at a "reasonable hour". This is what I did:

Norm and Peggy had been told by the Electric Company that there would be a blackout/power-outage from 2 AM to 5 AM (Sunday night/Monday morning). I didn't think anything of it until my head hit my pillow. "Once Upon A Time", if you had a blockout, your internet-connector-box would have to be reset (identified/password/etc) - I did not want to encounter that at 6:00 AM, when I usually send out my Thursday Men's Breakfast emails. So I hopped out of bed and sent the emails out Sunday night.

It turns out that in 2025, our internet-connector-boxes are smart enough to just reconnect themselves after a blackout, so everything would have been fine.

After a Great Breakfast, I hit The Road. Virginia countryside sure is pretty at 8:08 in the morning:

My first stop was 22920 - Afton, VA:

COOL Views going up and over the mountains:

Wall-art down in Waynesboro:

Heading up 340 in Virgina:

At one point, there was Road Construction (meaning traffice backups). So I turned right into Cross Keys Battlefield:

At one point I crossed over the South Fork of the Shenandoah River:

Driving through Berryville, Virginia:

I entered West Virginia just after 1 PM:

Driving through Williamsport, Maryland:

YES, at some point my route has me following a School Bus in the afternoon:

At one point in Northern Maryland, a deer ran across the road. I took 6 pictures, but it just DISAPPEARED into the woods:

I checked into the La Quinta Inn, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania just before 7 PM:

Not only was it one of THE BIGGEST ROOMS I have ever had:

BUT THERE ARE TWO TVS (Football AND a Brad Pitt movie - AT THE SAME TIME):

283 miles today (and 42 Post Offices) - This is what they looked like:

I actually have 2 Favorites today: 22650 - Rileyville, VA - cute and cozy:

and 25441 - Rippon, WV - the flowers are a GREAT Touch:

WOW - Thank you God for another Great Adventure Day, winding my way through America!

Music for today:

Pat Metheny Group - Speaking Of Now, 2002 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 9/25/2018 - They won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album for the album in 2003.

Pat Metheny Group - Travels (live) (2 cds), 1983 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 5/01/2025 - It won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. I'm listening to "Phase Dance" right now, and so much of his music evokes "moving forward", therefore it is GREAT Driving Music!

Lianne La Havas - Is Your Love Big Enough?, 2012 debut album, last heard (on a Road Trip) never:

The Rolling Stones - Shine A Light (2 cds), 2008 double live album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 10/04/2018:

2025 Late-Summer Road Trip - Day 32-of-35 - September 14, 2025

Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 - I PROMISE I'm going to see some GOOD MUSEUMS TODAY! 298 miles ending up at Peggy and Norm's in Nellysford, Virginia:

So, at 6:50 AM, I decided to see what would happen if I "opened that door"

Looks Pretty Cool - I stepped out and turned to the right - HEY, stairs I can go up:

Let's go see what The Ocean is like!

Looking back at the hotel:

Soon it was "time for church":

The day was overcast and cool, and I made it back to The Mainland at 10:47

I crossed over into Virginia just before noon:

I reached the Chrysler Museum of Art at 12:42

I have been here 4 times before: 2015, 2016, 2019, and just last year (2024). I have always enjoyed myself here, and the art never fails to please.

Chauncey Bradley Ives - "Undine, Rising from the Fountain", modeled ca. 1880-82 marble (with Thomas Cole's "The Angel Appearing to the Shepherds" in the background):

Thomas Moran - "Salvator Rosa Sketching the Banditti", 1860 oil:

William Stanley Haseltine - "View of Taormina", 1871 oil:

Charles-François Daubigny - "The Beach at Villerville at Sunset", 1873 oil:

Pierre Patel the Elder - "Landscape with the Journey to Emmaus", 1652 oil:

They do have some lovely spaces in The Museum:

That was a Fun Hike:

After leaving The Museum, they have a funky way to get up to 64 to get to Richmond. They have you go west, then through a long tunnel (I'm not used to having tunnels be so well-lit:

Something exciting was going on on a Sunday afternoon in Richmond, but I was able to get through the traffic:

I reached the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts at 3:10

I have been here 3 times before: 2014, 2015, and just last year (2024). I have always enjoyed myself here, and the art never fails to please.

William Bradford - "Scotch Whaler Working through Ice", ca. 1878 oil:

Winslow Homer - "Girl Seated in a Garden", ca. 1878 oil:

Edward Hopper - "House at Dusk", 1935 oil:

Julie Mehretu - "Stadia III", 2004 ink and acrylic on canvas - really like the energy! I hope to see her exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Friday, October 24, 2025:

Jan van Goyen - "Thunderstorm Near Haarlem", 1644 oil:

I found myself wandering around, before I located The Monets:

Claude Monet - "Field of Poppies, Giverny", 1885 oil:

Edgar Degas - "At the Races: Before the Start", ca. 1885-92 oil:

Isn't this a NICE PLACE to see The Art:

This hike was almost a mile - I sure am getting my steps!

I made it up to Norm and Peggy's in Nellysford, Virginia at 5:34

Look who said HI to me in Nellysford!

And YES, it was a cool sunset:

298 miles today (and 15 Post Offices) - This is what they looked like:

My Favorite today is 27956 - Maple, NC - It says what it needs to say, and I like the elevation (we all need to get our steps):

WOW - Thank you God for a Great Museums/Adventure Day!

Music for today (after churchy church church):

various - WOW Gold/Green/Cyan, worship music, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/10/2022:

various - WOW Worship: Blue, 1999 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/10/2022:

various - WOW Worship: Orange, 2000 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/10/2022:

various - WOW Worship: Yellow, 2003 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/10/2022 - all the WOW cds/songs - trim if it doesn't give me chills (or at least puts a smile on my face):

Lianne La Havas - Blood, 2015 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) never - I like it, even with window down

Hound Dog Taylor - Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers, 1971 debut album, last heard (on a Road Trip) never - I Really like it, especially with window down! Sounds like George Thorogood stole EVERYTHING from Hound Dog Taylor, although I'm sure he gives credit where credit is due.:

The Doors - L.A. Woman, 1971 album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 8/19/2025 - lyrics "The WASP (Texas Radio and the Big Beat)":

I want to tell you 'bout Texas radio and the big beat
Comes out of the Virginia swamps
Cool and slow with plenty of precision
With a back beat narrow and hard to master

and this song also has one of my favorites lines in all of rock 'n roll:

No eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn

Joe Walsh - Look What I Did!, 1995 compilation double-album, last heard (on a Road Trip) 10/24/2018 - I love his first 2 albums with James Gang:

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/