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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 7 – Manassas, Shenandoah // Maryland/Virginia 2023

Isaac Church — Fri, 17 Nov 2023 23:00:52 +0000

Today marked our final morning with the Pinkertons (and in Maryland), after a very fun and eventful week in Havre de Grace.

Breakfast // Goodbyes

We woke up, ate some homemade “Egg McMuffins” for breakfast, and said our goodbyes to the Pinkertons. After loading up the car, we hit the road, headed south for the next leg of our trip.

Rock // Wegman's

We didn’t make it but a few miles on I-95, when a HUGE rock flew out of a dump truck in front of us and hit our windshield. Thankfully, it just barely grazed the glass, and only left a superficial scratch. Even so, we were both pretty shaken, so we decided to pull off, get our composure, and check for any damage.

Rock damage

Just off the interstate in Abingdon, MD, we made a bit of a spontaneous decision to stop at Wegman’s, a privately owned supermarket chain known for its giant stores. It was truly a grocery store unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. The flower department alone was larger than our home in Boone. There was a second section of milk, as big as you’d see in a Food Lion in NC, by the checkouts in case you didn’t want to walk all the way to the back of the store to get some.

We got a cheese, fruit, and nut snack tray from the deli department (which was larger than our local grocery stores in Boone). I was particularly attracted by the Beecher’s cheddar, which was of course excellent. Resuming our drive, we ate our snack tray as we drove through Baltimore and DC – thankfully, rock-free.

Baltimore, MD

Manassas National Battlefield Park

Just south of Washington, we stopped at Manassas National Battlefield Park in northern Virginia just off I-66. Also known as Bull Run, this was site of two Civil War battles, including the first major battle of the war. We walked through the visitor center, browsing the small but interesting selection of exhibits.

Visitor Center

Uniform examples

Uniform display

Faith and I grabbed the stroller for Walker and walked around the battlefield for a while, enjoying the scenery and reading the signage while we stretched our stiff legs.

Manassas National Battlefield Park

Front Royal

Back on the road, we headed to the small Virginia town of Front Royal, and stopped downtown to pick up a couple coffees from Main Street Daily Grind CAFÉ. We walked around downtown, but had to get back on the road soon in order to stick with our timeline for the day.

Front Royal, VA

Main Street Daily Grind CAFÉ

Front Royal, VA

Shenandoah National Park

Just south of downtown Front Royal is the northernmost entrance to Shenandoah National Park. We paid a day’s admission fee at the park, and began driving south on Skyline Drive, the park’s famous scenic road. The road is akin to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and offers beautiful views of the Shenandoah Valley and surrounding mountains.

Shenandoah National Park

Skyline Drive

Skyline Drive stretches 105 miles from Front Royal to Rockfish Gap, where it connects with the northernmost point of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We didn’t have time to drive all of it in one day, so we just drove from Front Royal down to Thornton Gap.

Skyline Drive

Not far from the entrance, we pulled in the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center to grab a magnet to add to our collection. In the parking lot, a young woman was having car trouble. The park rangers didn’t have any jumper cables, so I took my battery jump starter pack and helped her get back on the road again. (P.S.: I would highly recommend getting one of these instead of jumper cables – many modern cars won’t easily jump off with traditional jumper cables anymore.) It was very smokey from some wildfires, but we still could enjoy some great views from the road, and we occasionally pulled over to snap a picture of a particularly compelling vista.

Skyline Drive

At Thornton Gap, we exited the park and headed west on US-211 to Luray and White House, VA, where we turned south on US-340 and drove south to our lodging for the next few days.

Massanutten Rendezvous

Mom’s birthday was Saturday (it was now Friday), so we met up with her and Dad in Massanutten, VA, where we’d rented an Airbnb for the rest of the weekend. We unloaded our cars, settled into the house, and then loaded up again to head to dinner.

Hank's Grille

We drove a short distance to Hank’s Grille & Catering, a place Mom had spotted on the way in. For an appetizer, we ordered KC-style burnt ends, and got a selection of grilled and smoked meats, plus some southern-style sides. The food was all good, but not exceptional. The only thing we didn’t really enjoy was the burnt ends appetizer – they came doused in an espresso barbecue sauce that was a little strange. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our meal and the time together.

Hank's Grille

Kline's Dairy Bar

After dinner, we headed over to Kline’s Dairy Bar, a short drive down the road from the restaurant. Kline’s, which has multiple locations in the area, specializes in homemade custards, and has just a few flavors each day. We got all four flavors they had that day: pumpkin, chocolate, vanilla, and chocolate brownie batter. All were very good, and were a great way to cap off the evening.

Kline's Dairy Bar

Massanutten, VA

Great custard, with a small selection of rotating flavors. [By custard standards, it’s excellent, but wouldn’t rank as highly if compared to all types of ice cream.]

* – 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.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “Skyline Drive and the battlefield in Manassas”.

The best thing I ate today was… “Kline’s Dairy Bar”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “Skyline Drive”.

The best thing I ate today was… “Kline’s”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “the drive up to Harrisonburg”.

The best thing I ate today was… “Kline’s Dairy Bar”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “the drive up to Virginia”.

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

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, Dad and I will watch the football game, while Mom, Faith, and Walker explore the Harrisonburg area.

– The Churches

The post Day 7 – Manassas, Shenandoah // Maryland/Virginia 2023 appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Pennsylvania Day 1

Isaac Church — Sat, 01 Sep 2018 01:50:22 +0000

Dad picked me up at work in Wilkesboro early this afternoon, and we began our journey to Pennsylvania. We headed up I-77, and after surviving several traffic jams near Roanoke, and stopping once for gas, we finally made it to Harrisonburg, VA, where we stopped for dinner.

Shenandoah Valley

Dinner - Bella Luna Woodfired Pizza

We stopped at Bella Luna Woodfired Pizza in downtown Harrisonburg, and enjoyed an excellent meal. We split an antipasto platter (with cheese, meats, bread, and various pickled fruits and vegetables) for an appetizer, and then split two small 10″ pizzas (a sopressata and a meatball).

Bella Luna Woodfired Pizza

Harrisonburg, VA

A great pizzeria with a small but creative menu. Great place for a pie!

* – 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.

Krumpe's Donuts

After dinner, we hopped back on I-81 and drove the remaining portion of the never-ending Shenandoah Valley. We stopped in Hagerstown, MD at a small donut shop called Krumpe’s Donuts. The shop has very bizarre hours (only 7pm-2am, and not open on Saturdays), and a very strange location (in a back alley in a neighborhood), but it was extremely crowded. We got a half-dozen donuts, and then headed slightly north of Hagerstown to our hotel. At the hotel, we ate a glazed donut each, and then headed to bed.

Up Next

Tomorrow morning, we’ll make the ~2.5 hour drive to State College, PA to Happy Valley/Beaver Stadium–home of the Penn State University Nittany Lions. Hopefully, we will cheer the Mountaineers on to victory!

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