Almost Heaven

Mile:5,545

       The Nation's Capital was great.  My musher buddy let me and the dogs crash for three nights, all while his girlfriend was studying for med. school exams.  Minutes from downtown Washington, Sean and I traveled and did the typical site seeing that we all did when we were young.  We popped our heads into the Capitol Brewing Company for a sampler of some really well made brews.  I highly suggest you stop in if you have the chance; the mixture of Christmas songs and brass stills is a must see!  Though the traffic was unbelievable I managed to escape the city in a snowstorm that lasted until I got out to Woodstock, VA.
       Woodstock is a quaint little town along I-81, and has a great camping site in the National Forest just west of the highway.  Climbing up to the Virginia/West Virginia border, I was tucked into the mountains for a two day camp out with the pooches.  The next two days were filled with wood gathering, hiking, and even lots of campfire guitar sessions.  The temp was around 10-15 at night, which made for very fast and not so intricate playing.  I did however record some new songs on my iPod, and as soon as I figure it out, I will post recordings on the blog of my music, yay!  I ate tons of food, experimented with corn beef hash and beer(delicious), and watched Tut and Ketza run mile after mile after squirrels.  After not seeing a soul for two days, I packed up my tent and sleeping bag, cleaned up the site, and headed 20 miles south to New Market, VA to spend the weekend with Erin and her Family on their farm.     
       The amount of history in Virginia is amazing.  Civil war camps, old forts, battlegrounds, you name it.  I was lucky enough to be on a fifth generation farm of about 500 or so acres just outside of town.  They had thousands of chickens, a couple hundred cattle, and bale upon bale of hay.  We rode four wheelers, keeping up with Tut when we could, and took a beautiful drive around town to a covered wood bridge from 1892.  This area is another great stop along my journey, and want to thank Erin's family for having me, and for suggesting the Blue Mountain Brewery outside of Afton, Virginia.
       So now I eagerly await the holidays, and am stocked with Magic Hat, Blue Mountain Brew co., and Yuengling to help keep the family sane!  I am currently in Cary, NC at my brother Jeremy's, getting ready to surprise my mother and father with my visit.  They think I am in Connecticut blowing them off for the holidays.  Hopefully my stocking will be extra full this year. 
       So in the upcoming entries, I am introducing audio clips with music and more rambling for y'all to enjoy.  I am about half way through the Winter, and have nine States to go.  If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail me or post on the blog, I am very pleased with the amount of traffic the blog is receiving, and I couldn't even do this trip without your support, so THANK YOU! 
       I also want to thank those of you who have donated to me.  It is very expensive traveling around the States, and even though I have camped out 24 of the 56 days I've been on the road, it does cost a lot to maintain this whole operation and keep it running smoothly.  The money you donate will go towards publishing my book, which is going to be spendy, but all the money I earn in the Summer in Alaska is what supports this trip currently.  So thank you again to past, current, and future donations, they will help me accomplish one of my many life goals.  I also want to plug my crocheted hats.  If you want something physical for your donation, I will send you a Joey P. crocheted hat for $15, I'll even ship it for free!  Just click the Donate button at the top of the page, and I'll get your shipping address from there!  Happy Holidays everyone, and please have a great week and be safe!


JWP