January 12, ’20: From home to downtown Roanoke’s Berglund Center and back. About 6.5 miles.
So Blue Ridge Country’s sister magazine, The Roanoker, was a sponsor of the 11th Annual Home & Garden Show at Roanoke’s civic center, and The Greatest Day Hiker Of Them All was kind enough to share my shift of Sunday, 2-5.
But of course there were conditions. One at either end in fact:
For the walk there, we left home early enough to have time to stop in at Beamer’s 25—namesake restaurant of former Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer—for a nice salad before heading on the our duties.
Which were borderline enjoyable . . . giving away magazines, talking about The Roanoker’s 45-year history, seeing a few old friends and acquaintances.
Then, soon after 5 and into the dusk, we were back outside. But not without another downtown stop—this time at 202 Social Club—where we both enjoyed a plate of chicken piccata before the rest of the walk home.
But hey, six and a half miles is six and a half miles.
January 18, ’20. From the base of Roanoke’s Mill Mountain’s Star Trail to Monument Trail to downtown Roanoke’s Athens Grill and back. About 5 miles.
So it was rainy, see, and cold, and The Day Hiker registered a strong enough protest that we did not pursue a walk to an Appalachian Trail shelter, for cover from the rain.
Instead, an over-the-hometown-mountain to a favorite restaurant for lunch. Well, over part of it and around the rest, as the Monument Trail, about halfway up the Star Trail, skirts around the side of the mountain instead of climbing all the way to the Star.
And Athens proved itself once again as home to the best Greek Salad in this town. Exquisite.
And at least, in fully retracing our steps precisely on the return walk, we walked right by Blue Cow Ice Cream with little more than a passing yen.
