20 yr anniversary

We went to the Crozet, VA area for our 20 yr anny a few weeks ago. It's a pretty rural area near Charlottesville  that has developed quite a winery and brewery scene. The area also has easy access to some great hiking trails. 

We started the weekend with a nice dinner at Blue Mountain Brewery (https://bluemountainbrewery.com/) in Afton, near our VRBO. This place has a really great view as well as good food and beer. We both got some merch as well.

On Saturday morning, we ran a 5k (https://staceysrun.com/) in Launceston, which is about 20 minutes from Crozet. Bri said she would run with me but within 3 minutes of the start, she pulled away because she "was feeling good." She went on to win the overall female and I did something something in my age group. It wasn't a big race but it was fun to do and hang out afterwards. 

We immediately drove over to Crozet to hike in Mint Spring Valley park. This spot actually also hosted a morning 5k, but by the time I found it, it had filled, and the course had a brutal elevation profile. We did a 2-ish mile hike then went into town for a nice lunch and a little exploring. 

On the way back to our place, we stopped in at Wild Man Dan's brewhouse (https://www.wmdb3.com/wildmandan-brewery) and B&B. This is a fella and his wife who refurbished an old barn and turned it into a microbrewery. They had a bunch of vintage stuff in the upstairs game room area, very worthwhile to check out!

That evening we went to the Starr Hill Brewery (https://starrhill.com/crozet/) in Crozet, which was nice, but their food truck had cancelled. So after a couple of drinks there we went over to Pro Re Nata Brewery (https://prnbrewery.com/), a huge location with both a big stage/music area, outdoor area, and a full menu. The place was jammed, the band was pumping, and we headed home like old folks by 9pm.

Our final morning in the area included a 5 mile hike to visit Humpback Rocks (https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/humpback-rocks-trails.htm), an outcropping that hangs over a few hundred feet of Blue Ridge Mountain. The .8 mile hike up was a doozy, so we took the longer, gentler way back down.

It was a really nice getaway, and a pleasant drive on mostly small highways to get there from the Raleigh area.