On the Road Again

Memo to self -- never leave for a trip without a map and charging the cell phone. Recently, I traveled to Roanoke to attend a meeting of the Virginia State Reading Association. On the way I visited Glasglow Public Library, passed by a Natural Bridge and got lost on my way to Lynchburg Public Library. I called Terry and he pointed me in the correct direction, but I missed a turn off and called Terry again to help me out. I missed another turn off, but by then I knew where the library was and called Terry from the library parking lot. I had a wonderful visit with Lorry Risinger and learn about I-Van, their mobile library that puts books into home, no library card needed. The child simply borrows two books and when they are returned borrows two more. We talked until 5:30 p.m. and Lorry had me follow her to the highway. I was off again, but this time pointed in the direction of Roanoke. When I stopped for gas I discovered the cellphone needed recharging. I arrived at Roanoke, via Highway 460 where I followed the signs to I-81 through the back roads to US 11, then to I-81 and then to the Doubletree Hotel where the Virginia State Reading Assoication meeting was being held. I charged the cellphone and checked in with Terry. I found the exercise room and had a very long workout session while watching "What Not to Wear." The next day I met up with Sasha Matthews, Virgina Library Assoication Youth Services Chair. We shared some of the thing libraries are doing in Virginia. They were impressed. The trip home was thankfully uneventful.

My next adventure was back to Roanoke for the Fun and Facts of an Early Literacy workshop by Saroj Ghoting on May 23. In an attempt to be more efficient I combined the workshop with visits to a few libraries. This time Terry went with me. On Tuesday we left at 7:00 a.m. and drove to Grundy with the expectation that we would arrive around 2:00 p.m. We were told not to go by VA 16! After looking at the hairpin turns on Google Maps we found an alternate route. We got lost. This is because Goggle Maps was misinformed about the location of the library in Grundy. We found the correct location of the Buchanan County Public Library in Grundy. Although parts of the town are moving due to frequent flooding, the Buchanan County Public Library has stayed in the same location for the past 47 years. They did add a new children's wing, which is quite delightful.

One of the feature is paw prints on the ceiling. The story is the Clifford the Big Red Dog helped with the construction of the new wing and "left his mark" on the building.

The night was spent in Abingdon and then we traveled to Marion, birth place of the drink "Mountain Dew" and then to Saltville with a stop at the Chilhowie Branch Library. The mural below was created for the Marion Branch of the Smyth-Bland Regional Library.

Saltville is nested between two mountain ranges and has producing salt since 1780s. Union and Confederate troops fought for civil wars battles here for the salt. A woolly mammoth was found in Saltville for it somehow got trapped in a salt pit. Yet following directions from Google Maps I was able to get lost in Saltville by heading the wrong way on VA 91 and then once I was turned around I missed the library not once, but twice. But once I did find it, I met some very nice people. And as you can see, the small town is also nice to look at.

Technically, It's not my fault

Technically, It's not my fault: Concrete Poems by John Grandits is a title of a book I purchased for the Hibbing Public Library a while ago. I had a reference question about concrete poems and this title caught my eye, and so it was added to the collection. The title of this poem has become my mantra when I travel. I recently went to Front Royal via Interstate 95 and then U.S. Highway 17 and then Interstate 66. The trip took about three hours and I arrived in time to attend a preschool program, lunch with some very nice people, and a tour of the library. I learned about the new library being built with a plan of opening the summer of 2009. It was so nice talking children's books and programs with the staff that I left later than planned. "The traffic will be bad, here is a better way to go" I was told. With less then a half a tank of gas I took the backroads back to Richmond. I saw delightful towns, some gift shops I have to find again and a place that offers glassblowing and another that offers homemade jams and baked goods. It was wonderful to be off the highway and travel up and down the hills of Virginia. Then I met some construction and got turned around. Technically it's not my fault. I challenge anyone to read a map while nagivating the turns and twists in the Shenandaoh Mountains. Besides, the back roads in Virgina require commitment. There are very few places to stop or turn around. A few hours later I was once again headed towards Richmond with the gas tank quite a bit lower. I did find Culpeper, but not Highway 615. Lucky for me, I saw a sign for the Culpeper Public Library. I quickly turned around and with map in hand I went to the reference desk and got directions to a gas station and Highway 3. With a full tank of gas I then set off again. This time to Fredricksburg with a phone call to Terry when I got off the wrong exit, then back to Interstate 95. The three hour tour was completed four and half hours later when Terry picked me up at the Enterprise car rental office at 8:00 p.m.