I woke up to the rain this morning so I was not in a hurry to get on the road.. Setting the GPS for Charlottesville, VA, I scrolled down through the route and noticed that it was taking me on a path other than straight down 81. I was in no rush so I did not even check the map, electing to trust Mr. Garmin.
There were no Harley Riders waving at me today, it was wet and foggy. My 53 has vacuum powered ( read weak ) wipers and equally weak defrosters so I did take the time to apply Rain X to the windshield last night. At highway speeds the water will roll off, if you are going slower, it doesn't. You can see what I saw in the picture below, not much..
I rolled along through some pretty farmland. At times there were houses that spoke of real poverty, then in another mile there would be a group of affluent homes. I did stop at one point to look at the map but could not pick out my location so I just followed the GPS. It accurately predicted my turn onto 211 West , which I could see on the map, so I kept following it...
I stopped to pick up some groceries and beer, but the store looked like it was closed today.
Passing through the Town of Sperryville, Mr. Garmin told me I was on a road called the Berryville Pike. When I finally exited to civilization, I was in Madison County. I drove over a few bridges, but there was no sign of Meryl or Clint.
I arrrived in Charlottesville around noon and was glad to hear I could check in early at the Hampton Inn right down the street from the University of Virginia. After getting settled in the room, I worked on my truck a bit. I thought I had the oil leak slowed down but it is still leaking. It is more of an annoyance than a real problem, but I spent some time under the hood and will see what it looks like tomorrow.
After lunch I took a ride around town to get my bearings. UVA is in walking distance, so I parked back at the hotel and took my camera for a walk. Thomas Jefferson founded UVA as his retirement project, so my friend Professor TIm told me I should take a walk through the original rotunda section. It is quite an impressive collection of buildings. The shot below is the street side of the Rotunda, and is undergoing renovation.
I walked around to the other side and found myself in a huge courtyard area. I asked 5 or 6 students about the history of this set of buildings and got a few shrugs and a couple of I don't knows. Finally an older gentleman came along and was quite pleasant, telling me this was indeed the area designed by Jefferson. The courtyard in the middle is known as The Lawn. At the head is the opposite side of the Rotunda.
Lining each side of the Lawn are a long line of buidlings with a lot of doors.
My new UVA friend told me the doors are to coveted dorm rooms. It is considered prestigious to get a room there. You have to be a senior and nominated to be placed in one..
I asked what they were like inside because I didn't notice any windows. My friend thought they were kinda small and did not know about the windows. He said students who live here are called " The Lawnies".
Along with this original section are a lot more beautiful brick buildings, it's a gorgeous campus. Adjacent to it is the UVA medical area, it looks as big or bigger than a lot of Boston Hospitals..
I am getting ready to take another walk for a beer and some dinner. With the large student population there are a lot of places to eat on the Main Street across from UVA. When I get back I still need to plan out my Wednesday and Thursday travels..
You know, you really make me miss my road trip days...of many moons ago.
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