father-daughter time

As I mentioned in my previous post, my dad flew out to go to the marathon with me. Then we did some other fun stuff, too.

After the race we went back to the hotel so I could shower and take a nap. My legs were sure ready to be horizontal. Finally I was able to venture out again in time for dinner. A couple weeks before the marathon the nice race folks had a live Q & A session online, and I asked where I should eat dinner. They said The River and Rail because it was close to our hotel, so that's where we went. And it was so good. It was a somewhat upscale place that mixes Southern and French dishes. We started with a goat cheese appetizer, had celery root soup with a fried oyster, I ate chicken and Dad ate pork, and then we ended with an amazing banana pudding dessert. It was the perfect marathon-celebration meal.

Banana pudding with cornbread crispies, topped with jalapeno coconut ice cream. YUM.

Sunday I slept in a little, then we checked out of the hotel and went downtown to find some lunch. After that we drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway the same way I'd run the day before. That way Dad could fully appreciate how far and high I went.

Top of Roanoke Mountain!

That's Roanoke down there.

Then we drove to the top of Mill Mountain to check out the Star. (And also so Dad could see the other mountain I'd run up the day before.)

Dad and the Star.

And on top of the mountain, not too far from the Star, there happens to be a little zoo. So we went there, too. My favorites were the wolverine and the red pandas.

A red panda! So cute!

After we left the zoo we headed back toward Charlottesville. We took the scenic route though, and stopped at the Peaks of Otter Winery. Not gonna lie, it wasn't my favorite. But they let us taste over twenty wines (yikes) and the tasting came with a little stemless wine glass that doesn't tip over. When we finally got home we relaxed in front of the tv and ate popcorn.

Monday I went to work while Dad walked all over the place. (I offered him use of my car, don't worry, but the guy likes to walk.) After work we went out for Chinese and Sushi. Then we ended the night with a beer at the C&O, where we happened upon a couple of nerdy DJs playing old synthesizer music on a turntable. It was a fun time.

Tuesday I took off of work, and we went for a hike! (Yes, a hike, three days after "America's Toughest Road Marathon"! Maybe if the hike was possible it means I should have run faster?) We drove about an hour out of town and hiked 1.7 miles up along Crabtree Falls. Here are lots of pictures:

After the hike it was time to eat. (Of course.) So we went to the Wild Wolf Brewing Co. It was just barely warm enough for us to sit outside, so that's what we did. It was nice. Later that night we saw the movie 42, about Jackie Robinson.

Dad says thumbs up for beer! (He would probably also like it clarified that he had the single 8oz. glass while I had the six tastings.)

Wednesday I went back to work and Dad walked around some more. Only this time he used my car to drive part-way. Then he was supposed to fly away, so I left work early to get him to the airport. Except that was back when sequestration was wreaking havoc on flights, so he ended up not leaving. Instead, we went to eat again! This time for pizza, followed by a walk around UVA. He was finally able to get out early Thursday morning.

Thanks, Dad, for coming to visit! I had fun.