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Day 8 – App State at JMU, Harrisonburg // Maryland/Virginia 2023

Isaac Church — Sat, 18 Nov 2023 23:00:28 +0000

We all slept in this morning, which was quite welcome after our week-on-the-go parading around Maryland and the surrounding states/commonwealths.

Moxie33

Dad and I drove down from our Airbnb to Moxie33, a local bakery and coffee shop right next to Kline’s Dairy Bar, where we visited last night. We got a few flavors of sweet rolls (one caramel pecan sticky bun, one peaches and cream, and two browned butter cinnamon rolls) and some coffee to bring back for breakfast. Mom and Dad got mochas, Faith got an Americano, and I got black coffee. Everything was very good, and gave us a much-needed jump start to get us moving; we were all very tired.

Moxie33

App State at James Madison

Dad and I loaded up my car and drove into Harrisonburg to the campus of James Madison University (JMU), to tailgate with some friends and see some of the campus. JMU (ranked #18) was hosting ESPN’s College GameDay, which had been in Boone last year after our monumental victory over Texas A&M. The Dukes boasted an undefeated record for the 2023 season, and our Mountaineers hoped to spoil their chances at a perfect season.

Bridgeforth Stadium

App State at JMU

JMU’s stadium, Bridgeforth Stadium, is very nice (other than being purple), but is strangely lopsided, with most of the stands in one large half-bowl on only one side of the stadium.

App State at JMU

Meanwhile...

While Dad and I were at the game, Mom, Faith, and Walker spent the day shopping, browsing a large bookstore, and relaxing at the Airbnb.

Bridgeforth Stadium

Green Valley Book Fair - Crawford, VA

Harrisonburg, VA

7Brew

Sunset

Victory

The game went into overtime, but the Mountaineers managed to secure the victory with a goal line touchdown pass to Kaiden Robinson to end the game. There was a sizable crowd of App fans, up in the nosebleeds and the celebration was a lot of fun. It had gotten quite cold by the end of the game, but there was plenty of standing and jumping around to keep us warm.

App State at JMU

Here are some highlight videos from the game, and a recording of the entire TV broadcast.

Romano's // Kline's

After the game, we drove back to Massanutten, picked up dinner from Romano’s Italian Bistro, and took dinner back to the Airbnb. We got a bacon/pineapple and a meat lover’s pizza, and two Caesar salads. After scarfing down the pizza, Dad and I went back out to Kline’s Dairy Bar to get more soft serve, per Mom’s request. This time, we got two pints to go: chocolate and chocolate brownie batter. It was a very good meal, and we were happy to finally have some hot food after a very tiring and cold day.

Romano's Italian Bistro

Mom enjoyed her birthday dinner and dessert, but she especially enjoyed spending the day with Walker (and Faith)!

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the victory celebration”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the browned butter cinnamon roll”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the book fair”.

The best thing I ate today was… “custard”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “an App State victory”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the cinnamon rolls”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “the giant bookstore”.

The best thing I ate today was… “cinnamon roll and pizza”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’re headed back to North Carolina via Roanoke.

– The Churches

The post Day 8 – App State at JMU, Harrisonburg // Maryland/Virginia 2023 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 3 – Yorktown, Norfolk // Colonial VA 2023

Isaac Church — Sat, 21 Oct 2023 22:00:54 +0000

Today (Saturday), we spent the day exploring the Yorktown area, and trying to battle a nest of wasps that were somehow making their way inside our Airbnb.

Yorktown Market Days

After a fairly early start, we drove around the embankment down to the Yorktown Riverwalk Landing. Much to our delight, we discovered that the local farmer’s market, Yorktown Market Days, was set up for the morning. Abandoning our original plan of going back to Mobjack Bay Coffee for breakfast, we decided to get breakfast and coffee from the food trucks and vendors and eat by the river. It was very cold, but bearable on a sunny morning.

Yorktown Market Days

Cody and I got some pastries from Diana’s European Delights, a German bakery. We got a lemon curd roll, a poppyseed roll, a pumpkin muffin, and a slice of German apple cake. Meanwhile, Morgan and Faith got coffee (for all) and breakfast (for them) from the Coastal Thirst food truck.

Breakfast burrito - Coastal Thirst

Pastries - Diana's European Delights

All the food was good, especially Faith’s breakfast burrito. I was impressed by the selection at the market, particularly for such a small town. We took our food to a bench down by the river and ate, enjoying the view.

York River

Beach

Yorktown Market Days

Yorktown, VA

A farmer’s market with a surprising selection of items for such a small town. A great place to get some food and stroll along the York River to enjoy the scenery.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Yorktown

After a brief stop back at the Airbnb to locate the wasp nest (our host was very helpful, and quickly got someone over there to take care of it), we went back to the riverfront, and started our walking tour of Yorktown. We started along the York River, where Cornwallis was forced to move his headquarters during the final bombardment of Yorktown. The location made me realize what dire shape the British were really in during the siege.

Cornwallis's Headquarters

Continuing along the walking tour, directed by Cody with an app on his phone, we headed up the hill to the Yorktown Victory Monument. The monument to the last major battle of the American Revolution was authorized by the Continental Congress in 1781, but wasn’t constructed until 1881-1884.

Yorktown Victory Monument

Next, we strolled through some of Yorktown’s historic houses. Some of them still have holes in the brick from cannon fire. We were very disappointed to learn that the cannonballs implanted in the sides of the homes are not original, and were added to help tourists spot the holes. It was amazing to see how the shots came from every direction.

Yorktown, VA

Lunch

After another quick stop back at our Airbnb (verifying that the wasps were now gone), we headed out for lunch. I selected Chung Oak Korean Restaurant as our destination, which was somewhat on a leap of faith, as the reviews were very good but the place was definitely a hole-in-the-strip-mall-wall.

Chung Oak Korean Restaurant

We ordered egg rolls, beef bulgogi, rice, and dumplings. The seasoned, shaved ribeye was extraordinarily tender and flavorful. I wasn’t particularly hungry after our pastry-full breakfast, but still very much enjoyed the meat.

Chung Oak Korean Restaurant

Newport News, VA

Excellent beef bulgogi. Don’t be fooled by the rough exterior and interior.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Colonial National Historic Park

After lunch, we started our driving tour of the Colonial National Historic Park. First, we made a quick stop at the visitor center to check in with our pass, get some stickers and tags for our car, and get a map of the park’s weaving roads. There was a museum inside the visitor center, so we browsed through for a while. The two most interesting exhibits they had were George Washington’s tent and a recreation of a ship like the ones used to blockade Yorktown.

Visitor Center - Colonial National Historic Park

We began the driving tour around the “Red Loop” portion of the battlefield. The stops on this tour included the British Inner Defense Line, Grand French Battery, Second Allied Siege Line, Redoubts 9 and 10, Moore House, and the Surrender Field.

Dinner

Cody and I drove under the tunnel to Norfolk, and navigated to A.W. Shucks Raw Bar & Grill for a semi-quick dinner before the football game. For an appetizer, we split a half-dozen “Oysters Romano” with fresh greens, bacon, and Italian cheeses. I got a crab cake sandwich with a tomato salad as a side, and Cody got some buffalo wings with a very tasty basket of fries on the side.

Oysters Romano

Crab cake sandwich and tomato salad

Wings and fries

A.W. Shucks Raw Bar & Grill

Norfolk, VA

Solid seafood in a casual setting. The Oysters Romano are worth a visit.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Meanwhile, back in Yorktown, Faith and Morgan went toy shopping for the kids, walked along the river, got a pizza to go from a local restaurant, and played games at the townhome to round out their evening.

App State @ ODU

We finished up our dinner and drove over to Old Dominion’s campus. They have a ton of commuter students, and thus a ton of parking, so parking is free for football games. We parked in a parking deck, and walked through the heart of campus towards Kornblau Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. ODU’s campus is pretty nice, with a mix of older and modern buildings. It reminded us a lot of a flat (and less scenic) version of App’s campus.

Fountain

The game was yet another disappointment for the Mountaineers. ODU had a pretty good band, the stadium was clean and new, and there was a great sunset, but otherwise it was another frustrating away game. It was also quite cold up at our seats, especially with the wind blowing steadily.

S.B. Ballard Stadium

After the game, we attempted to stop at a Wendy’s to get a Frosty, only to find out their machine was down. We tried again at the next Wendy’s we came to, but it only had pumpkin spice Frostys. We reclutantly ordered a couple, and ate them on the rest of the way back to Yorktown. They were mediocre at best, but they kept us awake.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the sunset in Norfolk”.

The best thing I ate today was… “beef bulgogi and oysters Romano”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “walking along the York River”.

The best thing I ate today was… “beef bulgogi”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll head back to Colonial Williamsburg to finish up our visit there.

– The Churches and McKinneys

S.B. Ballard Stadium

Yorktown Victory Monument

Dead wasp

Wormley Creek

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