I had left Buena Vista early in the morning while Beth slept, coming east a bit to knock out a couple county highpoints, a short muddy hike up Kyles Mountain in Appomattox County, and an easy liner for Prince Edward County. From Appomattox, I continued southeasterly toward the highpoint of Prince Edward County, the optimistically named Lyle Mountain located on its western boundary with Charlotte County. From Appomattox I followed US-460 to Pamplin City, then south along VA-47 to local County Roads 691 and 662 to the highpoint. The road bisects the “summit”, on which sits the Lyle Mountain Baptist Church. I parked near a tower pull-out and walked back to a small hill near the church entrance. And on that hill, believe it or not, is a benchmark! I’m sure the church people get a kick out of it, too. There is a small sign for "Lyle Mountain Church" on VA-47 just before the first turnoff.

There was some slight drama: I had pulled onto a side road to snap a photograph but had inadvertently parked right near what I thought was a side gravel road but was in fact someone’s driveway. They came out to go about their business for the day in their truck, but stopped to watch me, wondering what I was up to. They didn’t get moving until I did, so I drove away in the wrong direction for a few minutes until I knew they were gone, then drove back. I returned to Buena Vista arriving back at the hotel about 10:30 a.m., with Beth still fast asleep. She never had a clue I was gone, other than I told her the night before! Good idea, I thought, so I lay down and caught some extra shut-eye myself.