Letters from Redskins Training Camp: Day 1

Adam Himmelbach’s letter home from Redskins training camp

View bonus images from training camp

Date published: 7/21/2008

DEAR REDSKINS FANS,

Remember in the “Peanuts” television cartoons when adults would speak to Charlie Brown and the words would sound something like this: “wap-womp-womp-wap-wap”?

Wow, I just realized that if you’re under 20 years old, you might think a Peanuts cartoon has something to do with almonds and cashews.

Anyway, when I looked at the Redskins training camp schedule, I felt like Charlie Brown reading an adult’s writing.

This is what I saw:

Monday: punch in the face. Tuesday: punch in the face. Wednesday: punch in the face.

Last season, Joe Gibbs sprinkled late-afternoon practices with occasional early-morning sessions.

This season, first-year head coach Jim Zorn has scheduled enough two-a-days to make it tough to get through-a-day.

The first practices come at 8:30 a.m. The second practices come at 3 p.m., when the July sun is just beginning to lace up its boxing gloves.

But I’m not complaining to make you feel bad for me. (Well, maybe a little.) Mainly, I feel bad that it could be tough for you to see the Redskins.

All 10 of the practices open to the public are at 8:30 a.m. And one of them was yesterday, which was probably your last day off until the weekend.

And taking the standard route—Inter-state 95 north to Interstate 495 west—during rush hour will be as productive as running barefoot on a porcupine farm.

But that’s why I'm here. Just call me Backroad Mapquest. (Actually, don’t call me that. That would be like the dumbest name ever. Seriously.)

Anyway, try this route and obey the speed limit and you should get to Redskins Park in 70 minutes:

Take I–95 north to Exit 160B Occoquan, onto State Route 123 north

Go 9 miles to Va–7100 N—Fairfax County Parkway

Go 8 miles to U.S. 50 west

Go 3 miles to State Route 28 north

Go 7 miles to Waxpool Road exit on left

Go about 1 mile and veer right onto Loudoun County Parkway

Go 1 mile and turn right on Redskins Park Drive

Now I'm going to call VDOT to see if you guys can get a free pass onto the HOV lanes with a Redskins car flag.

Will write more soon,

Adam

P.S.—Does S.P.F. stand for stupid painful flame?

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Date published: 7/21/2008