A very happy hello from Charlottesville VA!

As some of you know, i was just in Charlottesville in April to visit my good friend Brian Katzenberg, and it is so good to be back here on the campus of University of Virginia! Thanks to Brian, John and I are staying at his old frat house (SPE) for the night and i promise i won't let John drink too many beers! We may even hit the town tonight.....it's been a while

We arrived today off of the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is one of the most beautiful roads in the Appalachian mountains. As always in Virginia, we got rained on and it was quite a trek through the mountainous terrain with strong winds and heavy rain. The Appalachian mountains were very steep at times and offered a good challenge. As it turns out, i threw up some tomato juice as i was climbing one of the steep hills, but i made it to the top regardless(duh)....Be sure to check out the photos John puts up, they were taken right before it started to rain.....

I want to share with you another amazing story of generosity that occurred last night in Lexington Virginia. John and I had just finished our longest mileage day of the trip (116) and were sitting on the side of the road in Lexington trying to figure out where we were going to stay for the night. Before you know it, we were approached by a couple walking to dinner named David & Catherine. David is the head geology professor at Washington & Lee University and I am not really sure what Catherine does, but she was quite a cool chick. Anyways, they opened their homes to us, gave us showers and beds, and even took us out to dinner at a nice Bistro in Town!! I know i have said this before, but John and I continue to be amazed with the amount of gracious hospitality given by people all across the country. Strangers turn into people that John and i will remember forever. Moreover, John and I remain in their memories forever and the bond we shared for that one evening is what makes this kind of trip truly special and unique.....

I must say that John and I are amazed that we are in Virginia. Tomorrow we start our trek North up the Atlantic Coast and are trying to be in New York City by July 26th (My birthday by the way) We hope to see all of you soon, take good care.........


P.S. Mike---if you are reading this blog, we are taking the short cut and we printed out the route from your blog...thanks so much

---BDS-----thanks for all the messages.....we will see you in Boston soon enough...We hope you are having a wonderful summer!!!!

much love

NOah & John