The goal of this walk was for me to explore and rediscover the land I've called home for the past 30+ years. Yet, how to do so? Every region of Virginia is so vastly different from the others. From military steeped Hampton Roads to the monumented streets of Richmond, still clinging to its Confederate roots; from the marshy, oyster-dependent shores of the Chesapeake to the affluent, multi-cultured neighborhoods of NOVA; and from the agrarian fields of Central Virginia to the beautiful but lonesome mountains in the west. Each area's buildings, businesses, culture, and populace were foreign enough from the others that I couldn't hope to truly say I'd explored Virginia unless I'd visited each of them.

It would have been much easier, and shorter, to walk straight across, but I followed a circuitous route that zig-zagged across the state, carrying me through every region of Virginia. Had I straightened out the line of my route, it would have stretched halfway across the country, just over 1,500 miles.

I did not walk continuously nor did the individual legs necessarily occur in order; however, every leg does pick up where another leg finished, with all of them connecting together like links in a chain.

Along the way, I blogged about my adventures, and misadventures (mostly misadaventures) and have listed for you the various legs I walked and when they occurred. So, if you want to know how I embarrassed myself in your hometown, or how I flew in a WWII open-cockpit airplane (Sept 13, 2009), how I helped to set a world record without any clothes on (May 8, 2010), or how I stirred up a nest of bees until they stung my walking partner, Dawn, in her eye (July 9, 2011), just click on the month in which that blog entry occurred.

June 2009
June 14: Poquoson to Hampton
June 16: Hampton to Newport News
June 17: Newport News (Deep Creek to Port Warwick to Denbigh)
June 19: Newport News to Williamsburg
June 22: Williamsburg to Yorktown
June 27: Gloucester Point to Ordinary

July 2009
July 1: Ordinary to Gloucester Courthouse
July 3: Gloucester Courthouse to James Store (Mathews County)
July 11: James Store thru Soles, Dixie, & Stampers to Hardyville
July 18: Williamsburg halfway to Jamestown
July 26: Virginia Beach: Laskin Road
July 29: Chincoteague
July 31: Virginia Beach to Norfolk

August 2009
August 1: Fort Story to Virginia Beach
August 7: Norfolk: Military Circle to Waterside
August 8: Olde Towne Portsmouth
August 9: Portsmouth to Chesapeake
August 14: Chesapeake to Suffolk
August 16: Williamsburg to Lightfoot
August 17: Suffolk: Mr. Peanut Statue to New Dominion Studios
August 20: Suffolk to Isle of Wight
August 21: Suffolk/Isle of Wight border to Smithfield
August 29: Virginia Beach (First Landing State Park Trail) + Newport News (Noland Trail)

September 2009
September 4: Fort Monroe
September 6: Virginia Beach (Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon)
September 11: Hartfield to Topping
September 12: University of Virginia
September 13: White Stone to Irvington
September 18: Smithfield thru Rushmere & Poolesville to Bacon's Castle
September 19: Gloucester
September 20: Lightfoot to Norge
September 25: Elon to Madison Heights
September 25: Madison Heights to Lynchburg
September 26: Exploring Lynchburg
September 28: Norge to Toano

October 2009
October 2: Theodore Roosevelt Island, Old Town Alexandria, & Arlington National Cemetery
October 3: Alexandria to Mount Vernon
October 3: Arlington to Washington D.C.
October 4: Alexandria to Theodore Roosevelt Island
October 7: Toano to Barhamsville
October 9: A Walk Across Richmond
October 11: Sandston through Montrose to Richmond
October 12: Barhamsville to New Kent
October 20: New Kent to Quinton
October 24: Bottoms Bridge to Sandston
October 25: Ashland to Doswell
October 28: Davis Crossroads to Clintwood
October 31: Doswell to Carmel Church

November 2009
November 1: Carmel Church thru Golansville to Ladysmith
November 4: Surry to Scotland
November 6: Thornburg thru Massaponax to Fredericksburg
November 7: Ladysmith to Thornburg
November 10: Yellow Tavern thru Glen Allen to Ashland
November 14: Arlington to Falls Church
November 20: Fredericksburg & Stafford
November 21: Fredericksburg thru Falmouth to Stafford
November 21: Old Town Fredericksburg
November 22: Downtown Norfolk (Mermaid Walk)
November 25: Irvington to Kilmarnock
November 27: Stafford thru Aquia to Dumfries
November 28: Route 29 to Charlottesville

December 2009
December 3: Ruckersville to Charlottesville
December 7: Hampton to Fort Monroe
December 9: Richmond to Yellow Tavern
December 12: Stanardsville to Ruckersville
December 18: Scottsville (The Pig Walk)
December 24: Bacon's Castle to Surry
December 26: Wicomico Church to Reedville

January 2010
January 1: Modest Town to Bloxom
January 2: Jamestown to Williamsburg
January 3: Onancock thru Parksley, Greenbush, & Hopeton to Bloxom
January 5: Kiptopeke to Capeville
January 11: Nelsonia to Temperanceville
January 13: Eastville to Cheriton
January 14: Cheriton to Capeville
January 15: Eastville thru Birdsnest to Weirwood
January 17: Weirwood thru Nassawadox to Exmore
January 23: Temperanceville thru New Church & Oak Hall to Maryland border
January 24: Onancock thru Onley, Melfa, & Keller to Painter
January 28: Scottsville to Esmont

February 2010 (aka, "Snowmageddon")
February 20: Smithfield to Isle of Wight
February 26: Isle of Wight to Windsor
February 27: Windsor to Walters

March 2010
March 4: Smithfield's Windsor Castle Park
March 7: Franklin to North Carolina Border
March 9: Timberlake to Forest
March 10: Lynchburg to Timberlake
March 16: Walters to Franklin
March 17: North Garden
March 18: Shenandoah National Park to Stanardsville
March 24: Blue Ridge to Roanoke
March 25: Roanoke thru Salem to Glenvar
March 26: Christiansburg to Blacksburg
March 27: Abingdon to Bristol
March 28: Abingdon
March 31: Wicomico Church thru Kilmarnock to Brook Vale

April 2010
April 3: Shenandoah National Park + Greene County Park
April 8: Shenandoah National Park
April 9: Shenandoah National Park
April 16: Virginia Tech
April 17: Glenvar thru Elliston to Shawsville + Dixie Caverns
April 21: Windsor to Zuni
April 24: Bedford to Thaxton
April 25: Thaxton thru Villamont & Montvale to Blue Ridge
April 30: Dumfries thru Woodbridge to Occoquan

May 2010
May 1: Mount Vernon to Woodbridge
May 8: Zuni to Ivor + White Tail Resort
May 15: Freedom Park + Williamsburg Botanical Gardens
May 21: Shenandoah National Park to Sperryville

June 2010
June 3: Downtown Warrenton + Sperryville to Washington, VA
June 4: Washington, VA to Amissville
June 5: Reedville to Fair Port + Exploring Tangier Island
June 11: Amissville to South Wales
June 12: South Wales to Warrenton & Woodbridge to Potomac Mills
June 15: Newport News: Green Acres to Denbigh
June 17: Poquoson: Emmaus to Messick Point
June 18: Manassas Battlefield
June 19: Warrenton thru New Baltimore to Gainesville
June 24: Exploring possible Indian sites
June 25: Gainesville thru Manassas and Centreville to Fairfax
June 26: Fairfax to Falls Church

July 2010
July 2: Colleen to Lovingston
July 3: Lovingston to Faber
July 4: Colonial Downs
July 11: New Kent to Colonial Downs
July 17: Esmont to Schuyler + Poor Boys' Mud Bog
July 22: Schuyler to Faber
July 23: North Garden thru South Garden to Schuyler

September 2010
September 2: Maybrook thru Pembroke to Ripplemead
September 5: Scottsville to Hatton Ferry
September 10: Pembroke to Cascades Falls
September 11: Narrows thru Glen Lyn to West Virginia border
September 17: Blacksburg thru Newport to Maybrook
September 18: Narrows to Ripplemead + Newport to Sinking Creek Covered Bridge
September 21: Colleen to Amherst
September 24: Meadowview to Abingdon

October 2010
October 10: Barrier Islands: Smith Island
October 15: Brook Vale to Merry Point
October 18: South Thimble Island + Chincoteague to Wallops Island
October 22: Wallops Island to Wattsville
October 23: Merry Point to Ottoman + Edmonds Bison Ranch
October 27: Wattsville to Oak Hall

November 2010
November 5: Sweet Briar College thru Falconerville & Monroe to Madison Heights
November 6: Madison Heights to Elon + Sweet Briar College to Amherst
November 11: Downtown Norfolk
November 18: Maybrook thru Huges Chapel to Pembroke
November 19: Radford University + Radford to Christiansburg
November 20: Radford to Dublin
November 27: Christopher Newport University
November 29: Pulaski (Draper's Mtn.) to Fort Chiswell

December 2010
December 3: Dublin to Pulaski
December 4: Fort Chiswell

February 2011
February 14: Colonial Parkway (near Jamestown)
February 18-19: Colonial Parkway (near College Creek)

May 2011
May 28-29: Wytheville to Wythe County

June 2011
June 3: Seven Mile Ford thru McMullin to Marion
June 4: Meadowview to Glade Spring

July 2011
July 2: Richmond (Carytown & the Fan)
July 8: Rural Retreat to Groseclose
July 9: Wythe County to Rural Retreat
July 15: Seven-Mile Ford to Chilhowie
July 16: Chilhowie to Glade Springs + Bristol to Three Springs
July 21: Groseclose thru Atkins to Marion
July 22: Pennington Gap to Kentucky border
July 23: Pennington Gap thru Ben Hur to Jonesville
July 30: Warrenton to The Plains

August 2011
August 20: Rectortown to Upperville
August 30: Marshall to Rectortown
August 31: The Plains to Marshall + exploring Warrenton

September 2011
September 2: Bruno to Hiltons
September 3: Howard County to Bruno
September 4: Three Springs to Howard County
September 9: Hiltons thru Weber City to Gate City
September 10: Gate City to Speers Ferry
September 19: Speers Ferry to Duffield
September 20: Dot thru Woodway to Pennington Gap + Powell Mountain to Duffield
September 21: Powell Mtn to Stickleyville
September 22: Jonesville to Rose Hill
September 23: Rose Hill thru Ewing & Caylor to Wilderness Road State Park

October 2011
October 7: Wilderness Road State Park thru Wheeler & Gibson Station to Cumberland Gap, TN