Hall of the Mountain King Ch 7

Fredericksburg, Virginia is nestled along the Rappahannock River, with some beautiful views of the wilderness beyond, depending on where you lived. Fitz’s apartment was relatively small – a two bedroom, but it looked out over both the river and the historic district and cost him a pretty penny.

The city was located 50 miles south of Washington, D.C., and 58 miles north of Richmond, Virginia. A relatively small city – only about 20,000 people, it is a bedroom community – most of its inhabitants commute by car, bus or train to Arlington, Washington or Richmond.

Fitz was an archivist for the Smithsonian Institution, and he had asked a few favors in order to get the rest of the week off so he could travel with Michele through the limestone cavern country of Northern Virginia. He’d have his work cut out for him once he returned, but…. He rolled over in bed and looked at Michele’s sleeping form. It’d be worth it.

Fitz rolled out of bed and padded into the bathroom, where he took a shower, shaved, brushed his teeth, and felt ready to face the day. When he came out, he found Michele up, dressed in the sleeveless grey t-shirt and men’s grey pajama bottoms that were her sleeping attire. She was seated in front of her laptop, busily printing out driving directions.

“Feel like breakfast?” he asked her.

“Scrambled eggs and sausage would be great,” she said.

“Eggs mixed with cheese and onion, right, and maple syrup for your sausage.”

“You’ve got a good memory, Fitz.”

“Of course.”

After printing out the final set of instructions, Michele walked into the kitchen and watched while Fitz busied himself with frying pans.

“I love your cooking,” she told him, giving him an appreciative hug, from the back of course so it wouldn’t distract his attention from the food.

“Thank you,” he said, “I love that you love my cooking.”

After breakfast, Michele did her part, loading the dishwasher and getting it started.

“Do you want to wait until these are done, or are we ready to start now?” she asked.

“Sure, let’s head on out.”

Five minutes later, suitcases were stowed in the trunk of Michele’s car, and they set out for their first destination, Skyline Caverns, Virginia.

“Would you mind driving, Fitz? I want to be able to take notes and photograph all the scenery that we pass.”

Fitz, who commuted to the Smithsonian via train because he didn’t have a car, agreed with alacrity.

It was an hour and a half drive from Fredericksburg northwest to the Skyline Caverns in Front Royal. They traveled in relative silence….Fitz turned on a soft rock station that played music from the 60s through the 80s, and this helped while away the time while Michele concentrated on the scenery through which they passed and took photos of interesting signs.

“Why’d you take a picture of that?” he asked curiously, as out of the corner of his eye he saw her take a photo of one of the blue signs they passed. It had once informed travelers of what kind of food they could find on that exit, but now there were only four bright blue spots surrounded by faded blue.

Michele shrugged. “ I’ve passed quite a lot of these signs in the last few months, and it’s just so tragic. For decades travelers knew there’d be food there….some mom and pop restaurant, you know? Or some tourist stop…some museum or something…closed now because tourism is down…what, like 50%?”

“You’re the travel expert,” Fitz said.

“Yes, well, tourism is down 50%.” Michele said. “Who can afford to travel these days? Oh, the bigger attractions continue to get their visitors, but the sites on the way…the ones people would stop off at because of a whim…they are going under. It’s just sad.”

Fitz nodded grimly. “And probably going to get sadder still.”

“So I’m going to do what I can. Write a few articles about the places that have gone out of business, just to document that they once existed, and hopefully more articles about those that are still in business and deserve a visit.”

Fitz nodded again. “Sounds good.”

As he drove, Michele reflected that she was glad that she’d asked Fitz to accompany her. She was a loner by nature and enjoyed going places by herself, but when it came to collecting information for travel articles, someone to drive the car while she worked was invaluable. She’d never have been able to drive and take photos of things she’d been passing at the same time!

And although she enjoyed traveling alone, it was going to be nice to have someone with her to share the experiences they’d be having. To appreciate the beauty they’d be wandering through. And last but not least, there’d be some cuddling and kissing and probably at least one night of good sex.

Michele chuckled.

Fitz looked over at her. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I’m just glad you’re with me.”

He smiled at her, then returned his attention to the road.