Farmland sits in the Genesee Valley and is bordered by the Genesee River (House Hearing, 113th Congress)

To me, the Fourth of July means freedom -- from obligations. For the week of Independence Day, we liberated ourselves to enjoy some family time in Ohio followed by fun in the Finger Lakes. The region of New York has a lot to offer, including cooling weather and warming wine, but we picked the area because of the potential for a 50-mile training run.

Yes, I realize how crazy the phrase "50-mile training run" sounds, but you see, TJ has decided to participate in a 100-mile race. In August. In Cleveland. And according to his preparation schedule, he needed to hit the halfway mark by early July. (This is not at all unthinkable, considering he has already completed 50K and 50-mile races.) He had hoped to run in the Finger Lakes Fifties, but by the time we got our plans in order, there were only spots remaining on the wait list, which was closed. So TJ devised his own route along the nearby Genesee Valley Greenway instead.

Of course, I wasn't going to spend my week off just taking in TJ's stride, so sight-seeing had to be incorporated into the trip. On our way to our campsite, we took a spin by Lake Chatauqua, home of the scholarship- and philanthropy-promoting Chatauqua Institution. After all, the town topped Smithsonian magazine's list of small towns to visit in 2014. But idyllic idle comes at a cost: at least $14 for daily admission plus $8 for parking and even more for performances and classes. Not willing to drop so many dollars for so short a visit (besides, we couldn't get Sage past the front gate), we headed down the shore to Stow, where we had a picnic next to a very patriotic lighthouse (left). On weekends, it guides in 19th-century ferries bisecting the lake from the waterfront retreat of Bemus Point (right).

After cruising by Allegany State Park, we got to our campground at Letchworth State Park with just a little light left in the day. I didn't get to explore the park, oversold as the "Grand Canyon of the East," until the next morning, after TJ took off on his training run. I took in Upper and Middle Falls from Inspiration Point (top left), then took a hike to see Lower Falls as well (top right). The waterfalls break up the Genesee River on its way to Mount Morris Dam, where it is blocked to protect the downstream watershed from floods (bottom).

From the dam, I headed to the eponymous Mount Morris, birthplace of Francis Bellamy, a minister who wrote the "The Pledge of Allegiance" -- sans "under God" -- in August 1892 (top left). The town wasn't much to look at, but it was a good meeting point to replenish TJ's supplies a third of the way into his run. I replenished my own supplies at the Abbey of the Genesee, where I bought two loaves, rye and sunflower, of regionally famous Monks' Bread (top right). Then, I collected some more carbs, a half-dozen apple cider donuts, from the farmer's market in Geneseo (bottom left), home to a lovely historic district set across Main Street from a SUNY branch (bottom right).

I swung by the small town of Avon before my second pit stop with TJ. After ensuring that he was shipshape to finish the final stretch, I navigated 15 miles on the Erie Canal by car. My first docking was in scenic Pittsford, where only ducks were sailing the waterway (top left) in front of charming homes set canalside (top right). Two guard gates down the canal, Fairport featured similarly quaint buildings and structures (bottom left), including a lift bridge for vehicles and pedestrians alike (bottom right).

Before getting in lockstep with TJ at the terminus of his 50 miles, I had a little time to tour Rochester. I rubbernecked at the mansions along East Avenue, including the George Eastman House; the company Eastman founded is still based in the city. Kodak's main offices are across the road from High Falls. Water from the falls was diverted to create Brown's Race, once used as hydropower for nearby mills (left). Nowadays, the biggest business in the area is Genesee Beer, situated on a hill across the gorge from the falls (right).

I passed by Mount Hope Cemetery, the final resting place of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, on the way to Genesee Valley Park, where TJ arrived looking fully fresh yet smelling fairly ripe (left). We concluded the day by celebrating with beef-packed meals at MacGregor's Grill and Tap Room (right). With more than 100 taps, it was hard to find the right hydration, but in the end, both of us chose regional Southern Tier Brewing Company beers that were on special. The $3.50 pints were a tasty and thrifty way to toast TJ's achievement.

Breezed out of town, leaving Washington ... right before Memorial Day (143Cong.Rec.S5220)

I guess we've fully incorporated ourselves back into U.S. culture because for Memorial Day weekend, we did what apparently every other American did: We got out of town. In hopes of avoiding traffic, we waited until Saturday morning to take off. Even though we didn't book a campsite, we weren't worried about our delayed start because we figured something was bound to be open in one of the campgrounds within George Washington National Forest. After all, about a month ago, we had few neighbors in a free campground in West Virginia. 

To make a long story short, we were wrong. North River Campground in the Todd Lake Recreation Area was overrun for a mountain-biking event, and Brandywine Recreation Area was booked, probably because of its tempting lake beach on a warm and sunny weekend. We didn't find a spot until our third try, albeit surprisingly at another free campground (I guess people think you get what you pay for). Camp Run Campground was remote and primitive, but it was a perfectly suitable jumping-off point for touring the Virginia-West Virginia border area.

With our mislaid confidence, we took a leisurely route to the campground. We got Sage out of the car for a short walk in front of Edgar Allan Poe's dorm room at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (left). I had a few more lingering worries about having to sleep in a Walmart parking lot than TJ, so I pushed us forward pretty promptly. (Luckily, on our way back to the DC area on Monday, we were able to actually linger in the college town of Harrisonburg, where we joined summer-session students from James Madison University for breakfast at The Artful Dodger.) We managed to pitch our tent and cook a campfire dinner before dark Saturday night, so I was relieved and rested when we started our explorations on Sunday. We enjoyed the nice weather with a stroll beside Jackson River in Hidden Valley Recreation Area in Monongahela National Forest (right).

Hidden Valley is just west of Hot Springs, which is home to The Homestead, a resort I could probably never afford (nor want to). But I would be willing to shell out the cash for Jefferson Pools, named after the third U.S. president, who visited the 18th-century springs during a three-week stay in Warm Springs in 1818 (left). Unfortunately, I didn't bring a bathing suit, and although you can take a dip in your birthday suit, it was a little too hot to leave Sage in the car while we soaked. Unique octagonal structures still cover the natural sulfur springs, which were originally discovered in the 1600s before becoming a spa destination (right).

On our loop back to our campground, we headed to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, where you can ride on steam locomotives once used to transport lumber to the mill in Cass. We were too late to take a train trip, but we stopped in the old company store and cruised by the company houses, which can be rented for vacations. Many cyclists take advantage of the cottages at the beginning or end (or both) of a trip on the 78-mile Greenbrier River Trail.

After breakfast in Harrisonburg on Monday, we took the long route home through Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. We only drove a fraction of the road, but there are so many roadside scenic overlooks that even our 30-mile portion (from Swift Run Gap to Thornton Gap) took a good couple of hours (left). Plus, I had to spend some extra time tempting TJ to come back to the car and not head off into the great beyond on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (right).

Unlike our campsite hunt on Saturday, we had some good luck on Monday because we managed to see Massanutten Lodge, which is open only a couple of hours a day on the weekends. The mountainside vacation home was built on land purchased in 1910 by Addie Nairn Hunter, who then a year later married the seller, George Pollock, owner and operator the adjacent Skyland resort. Pollock nee Hunter was an environmentalist of her day, once buying 100 hemlocks to prevent them from being logged, and remained an advocate throughout her life; she helped lobby for the area to become a national park.

West Virginia’s mountain region is the last best place in the mid-Atlantic (Serial No. 110-59)

One Stateside habit we were happy to get back into was camping. So we decided to spin through the state and national forests of West Virginia on our way to our place in Virginia. But because the winter had been so untrustworthy with its high precipitation and low temperatures -- and because my blood had become so thin from half a year of 100-plus sunny and humid days -- we weren't ready to pitch tents (which were in transit or in storage, anyway).

So we settled for and into a "modern" cabin at Lost River State Park (left). "Modern" apparently means central heating, which I didn't mind, considering the misty cold that rolled in the same time as I did. Sage didn't seem to mind either. We went for a chilly hike, but afterward, he appeared more than content to keep watch through the window from the comfort of the couch (right). 

The area, in the eastern handle of the state, was designated as a park because of Lee Sulphur Springs, which smell exactly like what you would expect (left). Despite the odor, people used to flood into the area to soak in the springs at Howard's Lick retreat, which was owned by the family of Gen. "Light Horse" Harry Lee, father of Gen. Robert E. Lee (right).

TJ and I decided to bask in nature instead. As John Denver sang, West Virginia's "mountains, growin' as the breeze" are "almost heaven," as we saw while riding down some of its "country roads" (left). For the most part, we traveled along the Potomac River branches more than the Shenandoah River, but even the roadside "cricks" were spectacular (right).

With such pleasant weather, we got out of the car and onto our own two feet. Obviously, we hit up the trails at the state park (left). We also strolled along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal to see the Paw Paw Tunnel, a 3,118-foot segment along the towpath (right). I don't really like dark and damp places (and neither does Sage), so I was happy to double-back to the car. 

Another place where we turned around early was at Seneca Rocks. There is a trail to an overlook all the way at the top, but we only hiked about a mile in to some stairs, at which point I claimed the dog couldn't make it any farther. In actuality, I was happy to view the astounding quarzite crags from the North Fork River valley (left), from the daffodil-filled grounds of the former Sites Homestead (right).

In our wandering back to our cabin, we passed through Oldtown, Maryland, a former Shawnee village that was founded as a trading post by Thomas Cresap, infamous for evicting settlers under the auspices of Lord Baltimore. A famous landmark south of Oldtown is the Historic Toll Bridge crossing the North Branch Potomac River into West Virginia (left). The toll taker was a little worried that the driver wouldn't be able to steer his cotton-candy camper across the bridge, but luckily, he made it (right).

There are definitely characters to be found in West Virginia. We met a very welcoming crew of them at Steve's Broken Spoke near Baker, where we stopped looking for some dinner. We left with a dozen wings and a half-pound of steamed shrimp -- after witnessing a great deal of good-natured, sarcasm-laced sniping. For another meal, down the highway corridor in Moorefield, we had French-dip brisket and pulled-pork sandwiches at Blues Smoke Pit (left). Perhaps our coziest dinner was a humble affair of meat, cheese, bread, and wine next to our cabin's fireplace (right).

We were in West Virginia during the week, so we didn't get to try out Lost River Brewing Company, which is open only on weekends. But we made up for that oversight when we headed back to the area for a Saturday-night camping trip. We set up our tent -- for free! -- at the Hawk Recreation Area campground (left). Then we headed into Wardensville to sample the brewing company's pale, amber, and black ales along with some lumpy crabcakes and glazed duck breast. The next morning, we drank in the view of late buds along the trails within George Washington National Forest (right). It was equally delicious.

We engage in a process of enculturation (S.Hrg.105-20)

Department of State employees in between overseas assignments benefit from mandatory home leave, in order to "undergo re-orientation and re-exposure in the United States." The prefix re would indicate that this time would be spent doing things you've already done before. Well, not afraid to stick it to the man, TJ and I used most of our home leave to try new things instead.

After getting our fill of 'Merica with visits to Walmart and Big Lots, we took our consumer ways to Ohio's Amish Country. We started by attending the Kidron Livestock Auction to scope out some potential pigs for a friend (below). Despite their cuteness, we managed not to pick up any porkers for ourselves. We did pick up some things from the outlet section of Lehman's, which is a hardware-store day-trip destination. Indeed, we re-exposed ourselves to livestock and lumber shopping as a traditional family outing.

On our loop back to suburbia, we swung through Millersburg, one of the bigger commercial centers in Amish Country. It is also home, perhaps unexpectedly, to a high-quality microbrewery: Millersburg Brewing Company (left). We had a flight of four tastes in the brewery's tap room (right) before heading next door to Bags Sports Pub, which had its Lot 21 Blonde on tap. This partnership was interesting considering the proximity -- but also because the sports-bar owner is the son of Amish parents. The owner has obviously maintained a connection with the community because there is a special room in the back for the Amish to be separate from the happy-hour heathens, and it was packed.

We had some deliciously greasy all-American burgers at Bags. And we continued to re-orient ourselves to U.S. cuisine during outings that included drinking in public, something we hadn't done in a while. Nobody seemed to gawk when I sipped a glass of La Crescent at Maize Valley Winery in Hartville (left). And of course, we had to wash down our hearty Polish fare (chicken paprikash for me and pork with pierogis for TJ) with mugs of beer at Sokolowskis University Inn in Tremont (right).

Pork played a big role in many of our activities, including one that had been hanging out and waiting for us -- literally -- the whole time we were in ham-free Pakistan. TJ had tried his hand at home curing, and we armed ourselves with hand tools, a hacksaw, to see the fruits of his -- and his family's -- labor (left). The inside marbling looked lovely (right), but the outside moldiness looked suspect, so TJ had some hunks of meat tested. Although no botulism was detected, high bacteria levels indicated a possibility of contamination. So now, unfortunately, we are the proud owners of a pig-leg doorstop. (Personally, I would've preferred a cute little piggy.)

Of course, I also had to re-acquaint myself with my hometown, where there are still plenty of unexplored corners to visit. I played tourist by finally seeing Mansfield's most famous point of interest, the Ohio State Reformatory. TJ and I took advantage of a discounted self-tour during a home show on its grounds and in its warden's quarters. The grounds, quarters, and cellblocks have been filmed in scenes for such American classics as Air Force One, Tango & Cash, and Lil' Wayne music videos (left). Oh, it's also one of the main stops on the Shawshank Trail, a driving tour of 14 filming locations for The Shawshank Redemption. The institution has been featured in many TV shows about the supernatural (Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, etc.) and offers occasional ghost hunts. I didn't see any ghosts during our visit, but still, I found the old toilets plenty scary (right).

Some people consider Downtown Mansfield pretty scary, too. But I was happy to see it coming into its own. In our continuing celebration of the States' culinary ethnic diversity, we ate a Hungarian hot pepper salad at Uncle John's Place on the square (left). While we dined, the flakes started falling (right), so we ducked into Relax It's Just Coffee in the Carrousel District for an after-meal drink. We would've preferred to warm up with a drink from the new Phoenix Brewing Company around the corner, but it hadn't quite opened for business yet. Like with everything else, I blame the long winter for the delay.

By the time we got to the DC area, where we will be for a while for training, winter seemed to be gone. If the pink buds weren't proof enough (left), then the huge crowds at the National Cherry Blossom Festival definitely were. In case you can't tell, there are lots of blooming branches behind those teeming throngs (right). Despite the years we've lived in the area on and off, this was the first time I braved the crowds to see the trees, and it was worth it. 

To be honest, the blossoms were just a small side trip on our way to a different festival. Surprisingly, the crowds at the DC Beer Festival at Nationals Park were thinner than those in the Tidal Basin (left). I would've thought that unlimited tastes of beer would've been a bigger draw. After even small mugs of beer (right), it was nice to be able to take the Metro and bus home. One aspect of U.S. culture that I was reminded of too late is the lack of public toilets within public transportation. Sadly, I forgot that begging to use the bathroom can be a first-world phenomenon.