tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27195031157857913292024-03-13T09:22:21.079-04:00Traveling When We CanDocumentation of our travels and adventures - usually in our Sprinter Van.Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.comBlogger333125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-14226208359205867532023-10-15T17:09:00.003-04:002023-10-15T17:09:38.598-04:00Safely back at Rambling Road <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><b>Saturday September 30, 2023</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Up and out to find breakfast since our Quality Inn had
none.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">There was a spot nearby with good reviews, so we ate an OK breakfast and were soon on our way. We had an uneventful
trip on north quickly passing from Alabama into Georgia for about 20 miles and we were back in Tennessee.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Quickly on through
Chattanooga and Knoxville eating lunch somewhere along the way.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">When we reached the Sevierville exit on I 81
we thought we would try visiting “our” Buc-ee’s.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">It was now midafternoon on a Saturday.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> <b>Big Mistake</b>. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">The traffic just to get off the main road into the road to drive up to
the Buc-ee’s we waited through 2 red light cycles.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Long drive and a circle to get into the
parking lot - it appeared every gas pump area was full – traffic in the parking
lots terrible – people driving around waiting for someone to leave a parking
spot.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Needless to say, we were not going
to wait on a spot to battle through crowds of people when we really did not
want anything!</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FEVEnEyAprCe97_xD3lvka-9A9fCcZ6rRuF02vFJyU_rk8qmZROJJPpDDkDjTWnNfoshf3B2K3ltnSKsnfyAPXQErvwtVeZw8oTfj1uXDw5PJpllygXu-UC7zzVz2r5VahXDj4BU7MRnzwwLyWvRri-L4F_m22MidpxhH6bQ1_V2VMAGI3drJOeMaOc/s4032/25%20buc-ee's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FEVEnEyAprCe97_xD3lvka-9A9fCcZ6rRuF02vFJyU_rk8qmZROJJPpDDkDjTWnNfoshf3B2K3ltnSKsnfyAPXQErvwtVeZw8oTfj1uXDw5PJpllygXu-UC7zzVz2r5VahXDj4BU7MRnzwwLyWvRri-L4F_m22MidpxhH6bQ1_V2VMAGI3drJOeMaOc/s320/25%20buc-ee's.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYwz7XAmgFoY_gpSvjCJiq20NCB-z2U6953Y8T29w0uCktutNoBoPQd6N0WXv4poTOBqhhH8dm06uzJvsmR64C693KBUuNWTdYjecve09f1TxIw7-2t82Ya47xEKBzTfYsB2u1EGb_oXPIam7mgYmgt10aIFyJc57UhoJ_8wWChhbzZjsu-eYwbBMQcQ/s4032/26%20buc-ee's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYwz7XAmgFoY_gpSvjCJiq20NCB-z2U6953Y8T29w0uCktutNoBoPQd6N0WXv4poTOBqhhH8dm06uzJvsmR64C693KBUuNWTdYjecve09f1TxIw7-2t82Ya47xEKBzTfYsB2u1EGb_oXPIam7mgYmgt10aIFyJc57UhoJ_8wWChhbzZjsu-eYwbBMQcQ/s320/26%20buc-ee's.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI4U3GvFFMNRFgyZ2FdBjkZ8J2xdr2C3MDVIY7U1umTOoiXiHOCsDheFfXZIHAwMOG1qhpp7KoujODX3Yr34yTtM2RGUU7CMEt1eedRYaLM3lmrs5G9K_jgaQ8Hto5Q0TvsGG_1zWnOzSPFGslR-FB5jZSvzdpF3PXYgdOrmRw-oWpFpW0c3eKek2RYA/s4032/27%20buc-ee's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPI4U3GvFFMNRFgyZ2FdBjkZ8J2xdr2C3MDVIY7U1umTOoiXiHOCsDheFfXZIHAwMOG1qhpp7KoujODX3Yr34yTtM2RGUU7CMEt1eedRYaLM3lmrs5G9K_jgaQ8Hto5Q0TvsGG_1zWnOzSPFGslR-FB5jZSvzdpF3PXYgdOrmRw-oWpFpW0c3eKek2RYA/s320/27%20buc-ee's.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Back on the road for us
and we got home late afternoon with no incidents.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Jane feeling less than optimal and less good weather than we
expected made for a less than perfect trip.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">However, it was nice to get away from home for a few days and after
the medication had time to work Jane was back to feeling good in a few
days.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Not our best vacation but no major
incidents. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-40316360772588577122023-10-15T17:06:00.001-04:002023-10-15T17:06:21.159-04:00Heading Home<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Friday September 29, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We were up and headed north by 9:30. We retraced our drive back
to Montgomery but there continued on I 65 north towards Birmingham and then Chattanooga
on I 59. Going through Montgomery and Birmingham was a great choice over
Atlanta on a weekday.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">One thing about the drive north through Alabama - boring. Trees grown along both sides of road make you feel you are driving in a tunnel. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttjt-Roh0D5f9Ashv7p8F4QQU8LUf9hbTwM9vL-Jelzzfg9RhzxAWBVmpYV2BFs7oYPMjb0yTzRbwxVfnpwsrVb_nEh7lM7E9Pzmko3D2g2bXcoqRUH_aqCqvdwNj74xXt4C1IDXZAl_mhzr6C2KaaenvBh5fXUlVgHd5pob1yrcF6E25Pz6-_5fm0zY/s4032/24%20boring%20drive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttjt-Roh0D5f9Ashv7p8F4QQU8LUf9hbTwM9vL-Jelzzfg9RhzxAWBVmpYV2BFs7oYPMjb0yTzRbwxVfnpwsrVb_nEh7lM7E9Pzmko3D2g2bXcoqRUH_aqCqvdwNj74xXt4C1IDXZAl_mhzr6C2KaaenvBh5fXUlVgHd5pob1yrcF6E25Pz6-_5fm0zY/s320/24%20boring%20drive.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We made a stop at
the Priester’s Pecan location, but Jane still was not feeling like shopping
after we got inside.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">She sat in a
rocking chair on the porch while Ben looked for just the right pralines to
match with what we had bought at Buc-ee's.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We continued on from Birmingham to our stop near Gadsden AL where we would
spend the night in a less than wonderful hotel.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We settled for a Quality Inn because it was a big race weekend and all the other hotels were booked.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Clean and bed fine but nothing to write
about.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We had dinner at a nearby Cracker Barrell.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-29729704893613057172023-10-15T17:02:00.005-04:002023-10-15T17:02:55.794-04:00Visit to Urgent Care<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Thursday, September 28, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Jane continued to feel bad so chose to visit an urgent care
office to seek additional medication since she was now having sinus pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wait was not long and the doc chose to
prescribe an antibiotic instead of an oral steroid to ensure she was not
getting an infection that could spread to her lungs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The visit and the trip to the pharmacy took most
of the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited a nearby Jersey
Mike’s for a sandwich and chips which we enjoyed on a table near the pool back
at our hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jane really did not care
where we ate dinner so Ben chose what he remembered was a favorite from a
previous visit – the Crab Trap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
drive took us to the east into the very tip of Florida -Perdido Bay. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regretfully this ended our vacation on a bad
note – Jane ordered Redfish which she had enjoyed on previous visits to this
area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had a Captain’s Platter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Neither was good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grilled Redfish was too thin and small a
piece to grill – if I got 3-4 bites that were not crispy tough, I would be
surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben did not enjoy his dinner
either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we spoke to the manager as
we left – she offered us a certificate to come again which was useless as we
were leaving the next day…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>won’t go back
there!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Driving back to our hotel we stopped to gas-up for the trip home. Beautiful sunset. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO7nOBjm3Em81_LgP6alNzIMHz3pBNNtJbUcnK43i5FfldXXlLiiNm7WsiFjEX9UG0zUshA7p9rBmpjF5HBaUtXRkgKL_b1VK6PsUhsmBpC0hlb2CFHKhyphenhyphenbDC0qXYhWZzUkRCBiw71OW4and2lapmiL9hI_bV9mucn9r4nePlKhyphenhyphenC_QkA8i8iatKuR30/s3513/23%20sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3513" data-original-width="2983" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhO7nOBjm3Em81_LgP6alNzIMHz3pBNNtJbUcnK43i5FfldXXlLiiNm7WsiFjEX9UG0zUshA7p9rBmpjF5HBaUtXRkgKL_b1VK6PsUhsmBpC0hlb2CFHKhyphenhyphenbDC0qXYhWZzUkRCBiw71OW4and2lapmiL9hI_bV9mucn9r4nePlKhyphenhyphenC_QkA8i8iatKuR30/s320/23%20sunset.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">A word about our hotel in case we ever look back to return here
again.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">It was a fine Holiday Inn.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">The access to the beach was good, the pool
area very nice and it was clean.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Our
room was right beside the elevator and while I thought this was great at first
– the constant dinging of the elevator bell was not a plus.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">We made the reservation late and did not have
a beach view room.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">We might ask for that
in the future.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">After 4 mornings the
Holiday Inn breakfast was a bit old.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">While the cinnamon rolls were great the first day – I did not want one
the last!</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">They changed the hot offerings
a bit but mainly it was the same every day.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">The prices of all hotels have gone up over the last year – I did not
feel it was worth nearly $180 a day.</span></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-46101701733091883542023-10-15T17:00:00.001-04:002023-10-15T17:00:22.948-04:00The best Filipino food in 50 years<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Wednesday September 27, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Jane was not feeling 100% with her head and asthma beginning to
bother her - blaming it on the air conditioning in the hotel in Newman.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">We chose to drive west on the main road to
visit Fort Morgan.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Ben wanted to see
what some of the non-commercial beach looked like.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Nothing much to see down that way – there was
quite a bit of housing but little in the way of commercial establishments. </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">The weather was a bit iffy too – calling for
rain which never came. We visited Fort Morgan which was a bit of a restored
fort.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">This Fort was in active use from
the 1800’s until the mid-1900’s.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">So very
important for actual defense in both the War of 1812 and the Civil War; it served as costal defense during the Spanish American War. Even during WW 1 and 2 it was used both for
training facility and defense.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> The fort w</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">as
finally decommissioned and is now a state park.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">As we drove back towards Orange Beach we
stopped at the Sunliner again and had the onion rings we had admired the day
before.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">This time we had salads and onion
rings.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Both hit the spot.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We selected our 1<sup>st</sup> choice for dinner tonight –
Stephi – a new restaurant for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What piqued
our interest were the Filipino dishes on the menu.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Located in a strip mall the restaurant was
unexpected very upscale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were
indeed the go-to Sushi restaurant in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We had crispy lumpia and it certainly hit the spot – 5 stars for
sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could have eaten two orders!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jane had the Seafood Pancit stir fry with snapper,
shrimp, and veggies with rice noodles and Ben had the Caribbean Bowl with
shrimp, coconut rice, pineapple salsa, sliced avocado, smoked corn and black
beans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both of the main dishes were
excellent and certainly met our expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The sushi we saw being prepared and served looked good if you like sushi
– we don’t. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvW9F3paVW3FwRgP8Dg-6uiAKR1zyyvu5nxiyyRBMOT7Rlj_N4_oyE7XAjgvp1qXfek6hxBQg2qLJfDDxuOD_1-VuE-bkgRdKFcbOIiaAKyUwKd5FL1V-IBjYKVfaknN5m7U1muUaXmG4TopMVIXoLJhrcUGY3-EHEZh3cDViYEYq52kN06WJ4L1tpRM/s4032/16%20Stephi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAvW9F3paVW3FwRgP8Dg-6uiAKR1zyyvu5nxiyyRBMOT7Rlj_N4_oyE7XAjgvp1qXfek6hxBQg2qLJfDDxuOD_1-VuE-bkgRdKFcbOIiaAKyUwKd5FL1V-IBjYKVfaknN5m7U1muUaXmG4TopMVIXoLJhrcUGY3-EHEZh3cDViYEYq52kN06WJ4L1tpRM/s320/16%20Stephi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmApzy3Jy-NT6bIre4Xjt7QChXKhCQJ8gTUofQ5Tp3XwQBYMXyLUZFkjsbRy3__bGt-Rc269xR72-d0tS77Ys1cv5njo1OR5_5nww7zDYRunY1XUpPZlm7341RO2JR0sTRMpMajDRZASOtUDJlpedmhUwCDnRDDo15Z8qSfDoflhgGHVRjOs_HeX9Iasc/s4032/17%20sushi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmApzy3Jy-NT6bIre4Xjt7QChXKhCQJ8gTUofQ5Tp3XwQBYMXyLUZFkjsbRy3__bGt-Rc269xR72-d0tS77Ys1cv5njo1OR5_5nww7zDYRunY1XUpPZlm7341RO2JR0sTRMpMajDRZASOtUDJlpedmhUwCDnRDDo15Z8qSfDoflhgGHVRjOs_HeX9Iasc/s320/17%20sushi.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Example for Sushi lovers to view.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3UV8aQaDuA7fGfW2nMxqAjmWxqdwi9YohyBvh7jeLJzr_Itul_G-HYZkiawyklyTdsGQ0vOr7y6Jr9slTszqYaSvihN7G2FFPRQPQ-AngLwMHqo_AHoZ6B4pGnZe1zT44NmVvIumcBNHXZ6_Y9bSAxniSs8-y9f6EN_WPs3_0s3dh2r9wIU-5iIc2Gg/s4032/18%20Lumpia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3UV8aQaDuA7fGfW2nMxqAjmWxqdwi9YohyBvh7jeLJzr_Itul_G-HYZkiawyklyTdsGQ0vOr7y6Jr9slTszqYaSvihN7G2FFPRQPQ-AngLwMHqo_AHoZ6B4pGnZe1zT44NmVvIumcBNHXZ6_Y9bSAxniSs8-y9f6EN_WPs3_0s3dh2r9wIU-5iIc2Gg/s320/18%20Lumpia.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lumpia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFlYeKhNgN5aBBmWD-Uoba7Sgsn5SxPptuxaVf7Kd0CI22Uoy1f66qycEbm17A7_DQz2eKuaKqMSoSGLbQ0O2Awt-GG1CKGBkhKBeC7YXJ8IFsZiQ0b2b0p184PoRXrdQcWfXMFNaIzahv6zRLKovWpcOWoiyxrwGIphmvBSy0spWN5aC1l0jmvoYZ-E/s4032/19%20Seafood%20Pancit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFlYeKhNgN5aBBmWD-Uoba7Sgsn5SxPptuxaVf7Kd0CI22Uoy1f66qycEbm17A7_DQz2eKuaKqMSoSGLbQ0O2Awt-GG1CKGBkhKBeC7YXJ8IFsZiQ0b2b0p184PoRXrdQcWfXMFNaIzahv6zRLKovWpcOWoiyxrwGIphmvBSy0spWN5aC1l0jmvoYZ-E/s320/19%20Seafood%20Pancit.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood Pancit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0856lIamMikuYUuRZFmR16LtwImLU1ok7KIsYjrT4RT1skJY9Y3y6F9AuyyfAFdma-wjrGLIwpsWvRsX3WOmFGGf-mzgjHnbA2K81L5eJ_SeI_b0HEm145bweorU-4UHEoNSLbaXfvduVQCP59BDO_1zLYWwuUF_ftYC6fx18iRWgVXOmLXIToshTv-8/s4032/20%20Carribean%20Bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0856lIamMikuYUuRZFmR16LtwImLU1ok7KIsYjrT4RT1skJY9Y3y6F9AuyyfAFdma-wjrGLIwpsWvRsX3WOmFGGf-mzgjHnbA2K81L5eJ_SeI_b0HEm145bweorU-4UHEoNSLbaXfvduVQCP59BDO_1zLYWwuUF_ftYC6fx18iRWgVXOmLXIToshTv-8/s320/20%20Carribean%20Bowl.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carribean Bowl</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgCd5ezyFlTd0dopJzwbqZP_QzktT7smQk45bEKV-5Qezjhyphenhyphen68_03EDmsZqYJXb2sdqV_MiNZ2OnW7EX6BMnh0q5U1MUO_StgABIiWQ-80Stvdpw6I88NhxFvsjZxnra8hMDrfWOdn_8C9ToY4CxJctRKEbnLB5N-tREVAgvCciTW5QqXBOWnH1NRu5o/s4032/21%20Stephi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCgCd5ezyFlTd0dopJzwbqZP_QzktT7smQk45bEKV-5Qezjhyphenhyphen68_03EDmsZqYJXb2sdqV_MiNZ2OnW7EX6BMnh0q5U1MUO_StgABIiWQ-80Stvdpw6I88NhxFvsjZxnra8hMDrfWOdn_8C9ToY4CxJctRKEbnLB5N-tREVAgvCciTW5QqXBOWnH1NRu5o/s320/21%20Stephi.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View in Strip Mall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span><p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-84609845311512062542023-10-15T16:53:00.003-04:002023-10-15T16:53:47.315-04:00Do Nothing Day<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Tuesday September 26, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We sat outside by the pool and enjoyed the sunshine – only
staying about an hour afraid we might get too much sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got cleaned up and headed towards Gulf Shores
looking for somewhere to eat lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
ended up at the Sunliner Diner a place we had enjoyed in a previous trip this
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We split a club sandwich and
fries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJld4ihiOjlwaCMlEna_aGJpzqGay-EFz3LbDvfjS5UyyvX8PEO_bxZ15z9emdm8EeYW5o7X62AJ8fl-lXisPShAXE8UtweqeLbQgHRS46mpEYfKvkWlWoNvveTk00eDzqRcUMYXLDeZSD3O5_5eYbq9bzp7Hckn5XuiXMKER5Lj8fNQkurIH5S-gpB0I/s4032/15%20Sunliner%20Diner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJld4ihiOjlwaCMlEna_aGJpzqGay-EFz3LbDvfjS5UyyvX8PEO_bxZ15z9emdm8EeYW5o7X62AJ8fl-lXisPShAXE8UtweqeLbQgHRS46mpEYfKvkWlWoNvveTk00eDzqRcUMYXLDeZSD3O5_5eYbq9bzp7Hckn5XuiXMKER5Lj8fNQkurIH5S-gpB0I/s320/15%20Sunliner%20Diner.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would be fun to eat at this table! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Plenty for us and it was quite
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the life of me I do not recall
what we did that afternoon but we at dinner at Wolf Bay which had very good
reviews on Trip Advisor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We again split
a seafood platter which was mostly good – fish, scallops, and shrimp all good, but don’t order oysters grilled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
gouda grits and grilled veggies were very good.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-33438070277853337862023-10-15T16:52:00.000-04:002023-10-15T16:52:03.147-04:00Newman GA to Orange Beach AL<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Monday September 25, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">Up and on the road continuing south on I 85 crossing into
Alabama just above Auburn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had been
watching the signs for Buc-ee’s and decided it would be our first stop of the
day. We have a new Buc-ee’s in Sevierville just opened in the last few months
but we had not visited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This store in
Auburn had just opened Spring of this year – so very new. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQSn3nTQSVmy9SoqUtx2h3oGjAS8F_DKgauvYl2Uj0LhqP0V6oqcZZp5FBbg6DNxlh8lmEX97pibG82mfbEa0RIF_h_18plGVyMUntwTLj6gcRhRZ5wZ9B1x-hEki-ai1Xee4vLTeBGV1jHC2_SsVimLEEfxGvs5if21sko74W02FPG13kPv_0erikWc/s4032/8%20buccee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigQSn3nTQSVmy9SoqUtx2h3oGjAS8F_DKgauvYl2Uj0LhqP0V6oqcZZp5FBbg6DNxlh8lmEX97pibG82mfbEa0RIF_h_18plGVyMUntwTLj6gcRhRZ5wZ9B1x-hEki-ai1Xee4vLTeBGV1jHC2_SsVimLEEfxGvs5if21sko74W02FPG13kPv_0erikWc/s320/8%20buccee.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMyc4TJ2E9seCcX2Cqw6UhkC5t7TgTH8li24_RZS-TSr90apvixDe-xNuUxF7XQ3Q7hi7ZLIBeaD4lwCS3fbeoim3bcm-OldSf5lR2S-RbzwEiu-6kg_gdjbFugfByRxaSdJBGTvmPvJtvjoWB4sg6CW-5z0xyvI9dr9TI9jX8dM6LKR-cqPOBrQzr6c/s4032/9%20buccee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMyc4TJ2E9seCcX2Cqw6UhkC5t7TgTH8li24_RZS-TSr90apvixDe-xNuUxF7XQ3Q7hi7ZLIBeaD4lwCS3fbeoim3bcm-OldSf5lR2S-RbzwEiu-6kg_gdjbFugfByRxaSdJBGTvmPvJtvjoWB4sg6CW-5z0xyvI9dr9TI9jX8dM6LKR-cqPOBrQzr6c/s320/9%20buccee.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMSsci992Xa_VdbPEPU3UyJXbK2XU0sgYAm3N04POx7MkR4Cmn53EiTuyCyFnvChv8ezsOSJYyYAiDfsw75tlYHQRwLQUE5rW-CArJ9m68iuLpEBGHRRYDuIIRJrdREhlAum8aaoHfd_0D4mUcgdI27g4F7EB9a1DGdx6hSHsPsOMUTmW0vGKZ46QI9g/s4032/10%20bucee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMSsci992Xa_VdbPEPU3UyJXbK2XU0sgYAm3N04POx7MkR4Cmn53EiTuyCyFnvChv8ezsOSJYyYAiDfsw75tlYHQRwLQUE5rW-CArJ9m68iuLpEBGHRRYDuIIRJrdREhlAum8aaoHfd_0D4mUcgdI27g4F7EB9a1DGdx6hSHsPsOMUTmW0vGKZ46QI9g/s320/10%20bucee.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees beginning to turn color.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlQraHSvwlvhT6Q33E_ny3D1pJMPN8dsMFkCJiN54fRDmR7xOfrxIP1Qci88YzbDEq75ao9Tuf9hf6mc7OiC1Ah9a_MrEweaizndnTpzoe2VreP9w_6Tq5VBf_A9iKaHQw6W_hmTIeIP1xM4a_99p54rQMpzst1ayzXyP7-_OLoJWMRKSS4-8r_Z3oBw/s4032/11%20bucee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlQraHSvwlvhT6Q33E_ny3D1pJMPN8dsMFkCJiN54fRDmR7xOfrxIP1Qci88YzbDEq75ao9Tuf9hf6mc7OiC1Ah9a_MrEweaizndnTpzoe2VreP9w_6Tq5VBf_A9iKaHQw6W_hmTIeIP1xM4a_99p54rQMpzst1ayzXyP7-_OLoJWMRKSS4-8r_Z3oBw/s320/11%20bucee.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben was surprised less than $4.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGGMqKJaWEc5J_1EYzfUr_ndvmvBbYQ0DjOebIsJ-tMhGbw42vRIO5ZdLbxqkgTXEV6ZC2mAL3qS6lIQ7laqAmjN8xMW-2qm009iTTDC340I1DYh3k6_Kq-Jbo8qMAZ2toqUjRffGIX5iYBnfI70Sk71socfsIBW-Zj2S04pGx5Q8nmgmAVnXhF5N148/s4032/12%20bucee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRGGMqKJaWEc5J_1EYzfUr_ndvmvBbYQ0DjOebIsJ-tMhGbw42vRIO5ZdLbxqkgTXEV6ZC2mAL3qS6lIQ7laqAmjN8xMW-2qm009iTTDC340I1DYh3k6_Kq-Jbo8qMAZ2toqUjRffGIX5iYBnfI70Sk71socfsIBW-Zj2S04pGx5Q8nmgmAVnXhF5N148/s320/12%20bucee.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">We were there mid-morning
before a crowd arrived, so we enjoyed looking around without a lot of
people.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Very clean bathrooms, lots of gift
items and lots of food items.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">We bought
brisket sandwiches, drinks, some Bucee nuts and some pralines.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Continuing down I 85 to the next rest area just
past Gadsden and enjoyed the brisket sandwiches.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">They were pretty good considering.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIJpEsrK3PtCHBv4oZcBY_hmS-cgGFWe0FePXsi_4PN6CJoaZtdQAMW5GoKgqBlabJmB6Sh1rH8HkDokJZYSca-AVrIO7pv6oxl9pb66g-XbIPJqUU6nrycMRVEh71mqjDb3L1WfP8pCr7IDv8f7ZcYbs-xb_0qxZRFVFdO1Yqu33ctcR6NWNvOxvx64/s4032/13%20lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzIJpEsrK3PtCHBv4oZcBY_hmS-cgGFWe0FePXsi_4PN6CJoaZtdQAMW5GoKgqBlabJmB6Sh1rH8HkDokJZYSca-AVrIO7pv6oxl9pb66g-XbIPJqUU6nrycMRVEh71mqjDb3L1WfP8pCr7IDv8f7ZcYbs-xb_0qxZRFVFdO1Yqu33ctcR6NWNvOxvx64/s320/13%20lunch.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half-eaten lunch! Very tasty.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Continuing we passed through Montgomery which was a breeze after
Atlanta.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">We picked up I 65 in Birmingham
and continued south until we reached the Bay Minette exit which goes directly
south to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">We arrived at our Orange Beach Holiday Inn Express late afternoon and chose to
drive just across the road to Bubba’s Seafood where we split a broiled combo
dinner.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Perfect amount of food.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jUHpqm6ieoC5Vgpa6p6GeHo4yRQy9-VxCpKG7jQDL6tcwXYE5QbhTz9_SjD2I3768Zq4BIy1aa97oQvMSu-99mven9DKSwbE_MOD3Rn3DgwZsx3tl5EhYkiq-9vV-DH-Qzewq-GZwwz03Huv-z36pwqN93hK2S9xDzAz_mf4TI1BcH5DlMQojaSxLaE/s4032/14%20BUbba's.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jUHpqm6ieoC5Vgpa6p6GeHo4yRQy9-VxCpKG7jQDL6tcwXYE5QbhTz9_SjD2I3768Zq4BIy1aa97oQvMSu-99mven9DKSwbE_MOD3Rn3DgwZsx3tl5EhYkiq-9vV-DH-Qzewq-GZwwz03Huv-z36pwqN93hK2S9xDzAz_mf4TI1BcH5DlMQojaSxLaE/s320/14%20BUbba's.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plenty of food for two. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">Our Holiday Inn is right on the beach and has
a pool area and direct access to the ocean.</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f; mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="color: #7f7f7f;">After dinner we walked to the beach area, but the wind was blowing so we
did not stay long.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-53774912486472678592023-10-15T16:46:00.002-04:002023-10-15T16:46:29.240-04:00On the Road South <p> September 24, 2023</p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #7f7f7f;">It should be noted here that Jane was not 100% for a good bit of this trip. She took few photos and since she is writing this blog 3 weeks after the trip it is short on detail! </span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We left home headed towards Asheville on our way to the Alabama
coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> We</span> had not driven this way in
some time but decided to give it a try since we would be driving
through Atlanta on a Sunday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped
at the NC visitor center for a bathroom break before heading around Asheville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were lots of the flowers blooming there
that we had been seeing this morning. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: left;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMTJys9YevKu8G8IiS4YhaT53AFg1JoZlyhvSQ7Dgdo42NQzbKOFk0lDpp1NblpUJKOqOiYcuSmH-6_fWerBqN5LlnLoIVp9UJT-9NALtdcJnuOP3ae8XoFJeLlmDSOQkoq-fMmS1Ql4usjWrOKoY0llGqrwytYaeeraF4_DiuGYry62BZ4kY0c5euyQ/s4032/5%20grass%20nc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMTJys9YevKu8G8IiS4YhaT53AFg1JoZlyhvSQ7Dgdo42NQzbKOFk0lDpp1NblpUJKOqOiYcuSmH-6_fWerBqN5LlnLoIVp9UJT-9NALtdcJnuOP3ae8XoFJeLlmDSOQkoq-fMmS1Ql4usjWrOKoY0llGqrwytYaeeraF4_DiuGYry62BZ4kY0c5euyQ/s320/5%20grass%20nc.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Grass along I 26</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIcHWjO3bU5nRYI4nxE1MnHF42DOl2VCG7HsPGFeVQ2dOLIQ97QvJ0H9ytUmPBDtlcqfMnhqr5DGI3ocga9XVlM0n_cCDI9r8cciE33ZKegRYl1OeaMYOXKsj3pCaI5n74USC3CT4mU0YiKRJT6OnFAK6TBrjynzkSB8ToEZFfHkOJuy2Ft7cMI5YtDk/s4032/4%20flowers%20nc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVIcHWjO3bU5nRYI4nxE1MnHF42DOl2VCG7HsPGFeVQ2dOLIQ97QvJ0H9ytUmPBDtlcqfMnhqr5DGI3ocga9XVlM0n_cCDI9r8cciE33ZKegRYl1OeaMYOXKsj3pCaI5n74USC3CT4mU0YiKRJT6OnFAK6TBrjynzkSB8ToEZFfHkOJuy2Ft7cMI5YtDk/s320/4%20flowers%20nc.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ragweed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmksS6c1N7nBHZ-B_DakzL_ZZnSfLO_7BTMIDITxxFroNZSj0hKueAkUXl8qqemj52wjoRBSStCHYSuJeaP6yJRsq4P-k5cpRjimWkf5PRbnkfeSwX4azvjdCnlfSK9NrmLZpTl_PUX6bv1gW3LNMwmNT7OQ08bvG1jM2bKjdaEOvE-q69hzXQ0sqgKwA/s4032/3%20flowers%20NC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmksS6c1N7nBHZ-B_DakzL_ZZnSfLO_7BTMIDITxxFroNZSj0hKueAkUXl8qqemj52wjoRBSStCHYSuJeaP6yJRsq4P-k5cpRjimWkf5PRbnkfeSwX4azvjdCnlfSK9NrmLZpTl_PUX6bv1gW3LNMwmNT7OQ08bvG1jM2bKjdaEOvE-q69hzXQ0sqgKwA/s320/3%20flowers%20NC.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Butterfly Weed seed pods</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRG5uon1L6x7UMJXbFvThlBsRERtNoHWPwo-Z-4yHGX4iGDLF6RdlC17KADbJesnl3MAbj4zA_4rsFMJ37XJsfl_TjcoVtpzLyORCGqGgGWQxH4F_aFLxnIlusLHjA4kGIbHjZni5TQ6WgBmCxhM0-ieHVkx4JeYQ4KiXDs0J-d71ETc3774NiYVU8j0/s4032/2%20flowers%20NC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKRG5uon1L6x7UMJXbFvThlBsRERtNoHWPwo-Z-4yHGX4iGDLF6RdlC17KADbJesnl3MAbj4zA_4rsFMJ37XJsfl_TjcoVtpzLyORCGqGgGWQxH4F_aFLxnIlusLHjA4kGIbHjZni5TQ6WgBmCxhM0-ieHVkx4JeYQ4KiXDs0J-d71ETc3774NiYVU8j0/s320/2%20flowers%20NC.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New York Asters</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq25Bjm6f4FTbVbGPEFzmEVnynDlzxRDQ-sRfhaeCz6Rhy4VJmlMHyo82IeVQRDdkeEtB2C9F-DEQ4xFGHy2N4zAag-a-J_2-Qfo4KL6POxTn-ST3G4TV2BFYmrwqBBb-iN3oZYSxU4Uzur6dRk4i-bvFsqNRtVBR4Zdp3C6E7UiTKgwFP2pGvkLUJ4PE/s4032/1%20flowers%20NC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq25Bjm6f4FTbVbGPEFzmEVnynDlzxRDQ-sRfhaeCz6Rhy4VJmlMHyo82IeVQRDdkeEtB2C9F-DEQ4xFGHy2N4zAag-a-J_2-Qfo4KL6POxTn-ST3G4TV2BFYmrwqBBb-iN3oZYSxU4Uzur6dRk4i-bvFsqNRtVBR4Zdp3C6E7UiTKgwFP2pGvkLUJ4PE/s320/1%20flowers%20NC.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Eye Susan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">We then headed on 25 towards Travelers Rest and around Greeneville
SC to hit I85 towards Atlanta. Although we had not been on this road for some
years it was quite familiar. We stopped for lunch and managed to hit the
outskirts of Atlanta about 1 PM. I can’t imagine what the traffic would be like
on a weekday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i9aN5pyw35fn86BF01ldNyTf1pA10L-No9gHws_rqz-fyi7f2Td6kkNf91YTJpTtvkuMySaZtYy3Cin65aX-IzKMe3-qnavhNDmtrlNqbsjv8DjivkN8kZaFFaw_6WBL0cQuiY-KaJsOpzSqDBD73Ywenxq1kEf7CJwk13-gaVy9esKqsAUZdQfMIQc/s4032/6%20atlanta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0i9aN5pyw35fn86BF01ldNyTf1pA10L-No9gHws_rqz-fyi7f2Td6kkNf91YTJpTtvkuMySaZtYy3Cin65aX-IzKMe3-qnavhNDmtrlNqbsjv8DjivkN8kZaFFaw_6WBL0cQuiY-KaJsOpzSqDBD73Ywenxq1kEf7CJwk13-gaVy9esKqsAUZdQfMIQc/s320/6%20atlanta.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of MANY interchanges in Atlanta area</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;">There was an inner lane you could pay extra to drive in that had
very little traffic today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While there
was not bumper to bumper traffic there were so many lane changes that it took
both of us and Waze to keep us in the right lanes – on to I 285 and back on to
I 85 headed towards Newman GA and our stop for the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZYYbShoBsD4g9YIXhJBHO87UH_2_pAlHqtpDhDwJOSRhk8yLP9BtO76yNJEXzdINVAev_a8mnow6V9TPs91wq8COtwUChUtZRwYMnGzeukzOpQitMsG9CuBXD58gHDarlkKRQRzPTNsdCOUXcRhamYdKGDIcTf6k4oYFYrn-wUDj47PiZ0P2fnT6NfM/s4032/7%20factory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZYYbShoBsD4g9YIXhJBHO87UH_2_pAlHqtpDhDwJOSRhk8yLP9BtO76yNJEXzdINVAev_a8mnow6V9TPs91wq8COtwUChUtZRwYMnGzeukzOpQitMsG9CuBXD58gHDarlkKRQRzPTNsdCOUXcRhamYdKGDIcTf6k4oYFYrn-wUDj47PiZ0P2fnT6NfM/s320/7%20factory.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of numerous factories along this route</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #7f7f7f;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>We made it and were very glad to be out of
the car and settled into our room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben
wanted to order Chinese food and have it delivered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jane did her first online order to be
delivered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It arrived as promised and
she picked it up in the hotel lobby. Probably not the best Chinese food we have
ever had but it was hot and tasty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-73874745613354817442023-05-16T11:50:00.000-04:002023-05-16T11:50:21.056-04:00Durham NC to Kingsport TN<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Saturday May 6, 2023<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before we left Jane enjoyed viewing Sara’s flowers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sara is quite the gardener and has a huge
garden mostly in pots in both the front and back of her townhouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had a good breakfast, stopped at Jeff’s to
say a quick goodbye and were on our way home before 10.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We made a stop at Trader Joe’s and got gas
somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lunch in Mount Airy and home
by 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Great short trip – a bit of
touring, great family and friend visits, and some good food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did
not do very good job on taking photos or posting blog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am posting it after being home for more
than a week! <o:p></o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-55379204820093113852023-05-16T11:48:00.000-04:002023-05-16T11:48:19.189-04:00Nags Head NC to Durham NC<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Friday May 5, 2023<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We got up to another bright sunshine day. Had breakfast, gathered up our gear and
headed out about 10. O’Neal’s Sea
Harvest opened at 10 in Wanchese. We purchased
steamed shrimp, plain shrimp, red drum, and grey fish. Got them all packaged up for cooking at home
and put them in the freezer and right under the freezer for the trip home. This has worked well in the past.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Headed towards Durham on Route 64.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A drawbridge across the Alligator River
stopped us for a few minutes as a boat passed through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJ6v4-_85YuYOo9n7aPbaxvmQtumgeXX9avVmTWKDCl2SPNUjZrFU3l49oD5YrU6xz2mWr7HbCLHwooiHe2JG0cbsQslCOOpigb0PZHmNzIRY9IFmIwKFN-rDyyTrDxNzkoUa6g53-Fmk1sx3dBOY07VSA8bf8eM5_9Yns4Xb_F8wMKkU5bx99ib2/s4032/IMG_0444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivJ6v4-_85YuYOo9n7aPbaxvmQtumgeXX9avVmTWKDCl2SPNUjZrFU3l49oD5YrU6xz2mWr7HbCLHwooiHe2JG0cbsQslCOOpigb0PZHmNzIRY9IFmIwKFN-rDyyTrDxNzkoUa6g53-Fmk1sx3dBOY07VSA8bf8eM5_9Yns4Xb_F8wMKkU5bx99ib2/s320/IMG_0444.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drawbridge </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We had an uneventful drive west with moderate
traffic. The road is 4 lane most of the
way with a couple sections of 2 lane. About
noon we began looking for a BBQ location for lunch. We stopped at Shaw’s in Williamston. It was quite different – not really shredded
or chopped – it appeared to be ground on a very large size grinder. The sauce was traditional vinegar based. It was super great. We both had a pork sandwich – Ben had fries
and Jane had okra. The okra was
fantastic!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74VO-eXp88sCaNHI4Xt-gDT1Rg-NM5UPjJyu5hv_SsrmMr_4-W_lobtHEoWMRSxvadlvOz7OVqj8POtaGTempVgu6GJWdMTu2CV_8M9U9PdOVWGrkqtS6beCedJq8U7tJXeVto7Yp91T-zXw4RuhtEyyVe3t-gNXpVgT4kMIxVd9IoMNWV-7e5WMJ/s4032/IMG_0448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74VO-eXp88sCaNHI4Xt-gDT1Rg-NM5UPjJyu5hv_SsrmMr_4-W_lobtHEoWMRSxvadlvOz7OVqj8POtaGTempVgu6GJWdMTu2CV_8M9U9PdOVWGrkqtS6beCedJq8U7tJXeVto7Yp91T-zXw4RuhtEyyVe3t-gNXpVgT4kMIxVd9IoMNWV-7e5WMJ/s320/IMG_0448.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork Sandwich and Fries </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuQXjZSKae54Gu7xAnTe7H4vvPrqpBOQM24tP8Yp0XtlArFQZLhwd6xUVEMWAPiuLkLKD1xTBlovcYpdIqcdiIl2gZ0-qVQSxN9-V3GgZLTGshqeVvXwj3prBGnNqjCFBiLVsxo0XsdJSq0Y1IFiE838dJ9q51Z-KWneMttAPRT4R81vSUFdIqZ60/s4032/IMG_0449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwuQXjZSKae54Gu7xAnTe7H4vvPrqpBOQM24tP8Yp0XtlArFQZLhwd6xUVEMWAPiuLkLKD1xTBlovcYpdIqcdiIl2gZ0-qVQSxN9-V3GgZLTGshqeVvXwj3prBGnNqjCFBiLVsxo0XsdJSq0Y1IFiE838dJ9q51Z-KWneMttAPRT4R81vSUFdIqZ60/s320/IMG_0449.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back in the day </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslr5JwPkSt0XNumVjiFEBs0YDpArW4Ref2BsEcK5zoJHhQzJeJ1eNOCRMzav_8K2PFGZavlt2Nti9jL057YP_K_D9IwMj3m8neGN2fEKoTUHIjmPfqKhk3-uKQxLpAGkqZCPbQwgpSdVibZ61CBWTv-U8f9WVjuVgLZQx8wSlGU27RLD8b0nrHxtC/s4032/IMG_0450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgslr5JwPkSt0XNumVjiFEBs0YDpArW4Ref2BsEcK5zoJHhQzJeJ1eNOCRMzav_8K2PFGZavlt2Nti9jL057YP_K_D9IwMj3m8neGN2fEKoTUHIjmPfqKhk3-uKQxLpAGkqZCPbQwgpSdVibZ61CBWTv-U8f9WVjuVgLZQx8wSlGU27RLD8b0nrHxtC/s320/IMG_0450.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today - not much changed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxwUdL6gyVv7xiFqgWYrq5ixTqqGMjmli55-oJ87MvLHQOTGpLZekj8KNN-oX1ydM9GH1iVo4Gm1uvDhPuN6tlq1xvyWKX6xJM2xQvpEcbI-lSmh8od6m-7Z7rJFRUMhxVlIrovor1B-JJyP_3dgaD8Hinm_JonVdUIjf9dz-LG-r6bwD8ZQqSIq5/s4032/IMG_0447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxwUdL6gyVv7xiFqgWYrq5ixTqqGMjmli55-oJ87MvLHQOTGpLZekj8KNN-oX1ydM9GH1iVo4Gm1uvDhPuN6tlq1xvyWKX6xJM2xQvpEcbI-lSmh8od6m-7Z7rJFRUMhxVlIrovor1B-JJyP_3dgaD8Hinm_JonVdUIjf9dz-LG-r6bwD8ZQqSIq5/s320/IMG_0447.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pork Sandwich and Okra</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We headed on towards Durham arriving about 3PM. We enjoyed visiting with Jeff, Robin, and
Daniel. Daniel is doing great at his
school. As a sophomore in high school, he has part of classes at the high
school and part in a nearby community college. He is working hard and has all A's. He had a deadline to finish the exam for his Music Appreciation Class
(on-line) from the community college at midnight, so he had his head stuck in
his computer finishing it up for most of our visit! We visited a neighborhood Italian restaurant
– Pulcinella’s – and enjoyed good conversation and food. It was all good but not outstanding. The most
outstanding was the lemon cake that Daniel and Jane shared. There was plenty to
take home so they no doubt had lunch and dinner for another day! About 8:30 we headed across the way to Sara’s
B&B (Robin’s sister who lives nearby) for a good night’s sleep in her
ground floor guestroom. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-79492743992082747162023-05-16T11:41:00.005-04:002023-05-16T11:53:47.998-04:00Nags Head Day 2 <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Thursday May 4, 2023<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Got up early to photograph the sunrise. Not as exquisite as I had imagined but nice - then back to sleep for a bit. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVOsDvhpDXLynNBSzLicgAn-OpKxazHxWX7uP-mfrl7kEooCKLXngcFcPukytUDQNWOZxGvj1xrR1uJftEO5lzyk8ox9Iy6Q5YqTw-wyIMaAXM97khxnBpORDNkBBLDo7bv5zZ1qi1vU9XTVn9CI-G7EgSFWH2jpresT53evrW7dHYbmm42aDXn_M/s4032/IMG_0414.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVOsDvhpDXLynNBSzLicgAn-OpKxazHxWX7uP-mfrl7kEooCKLXngcFcPukytUDQNWOZxGvj1xrR1uJftEO5lzyk8ox9Iy6Q5YqTw-wyIMaAXM97khxnBpORDNkBBLDo7bv5zZ1qi1vU9XTVn9CI-G7EgSFWH2jpresT53evrW7dHYbmm42aDXn_M/s320/IMG_0414.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EgyuGz7HANonjrxoSpbnMVUl3Mc__U7dl4AES6OvbzHiF7-l8EmOTS9339yOdUPpIuin0htbgtCQV6l-qLvDwZsMzhGIPMUY_lHv8IlQ2Q_jof49YGezTs_C8_av23j2HHESjWIOJ7mKemak2xihSivA24ASyRvEGbVuCOfHMzmWlyWg80R8qlqQ/s4032/IMG_0406.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8EgyuGz7HANonjrxoSpbnMVUl3Mc__U7dl4AES6OvbzHiF7-l8EmOTS9339yOdUPpIuin0htbgtCQV6l-qLvDwZsMzhGIPMUY_lHv8IlQ2Q_jof49YGezTs_C8_av23j2HHESjWIOJ7mKemak2xihSivA24ASyRvEGbVuCOfHMzmWlyWg80R8qlqQ/s320/IMG_0406.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Bright sunshine greeted us on the second waking – so we enjoyed sunning on our porch,
then ventured down to the beach for a little bit more sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tide was going out and Jane was hoping
the sand would be hard but it was not hard enough for walking at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed watching the flocks of sandpipers running
from the waves and catching something from the sand and surf. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWF9boVjjgEXitQ2QBCzSbKuR5Gd8rtBHEWMC2b9dnFj27I5ATshqK3KxfvRG-C_hnYFuFrd2X_t353YX24KnqGHLXM0ctbMuVDdPC9_Q4tDc1nmAgWiA5P5m8isSXOy3ctcq1ixBDJy5mjoJasjVTeNOLMQ-xuMoiI7gMqqUba8mV38pWCYQitsaF/s4032/IMG_0425.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWF9boVjjgEXitQ2QBCzSbKuR5Gd8rtBHEWMC2b9dnFj27I5ATshqK3KxfvRG-C_hnYFuFrd2X_t353YX24KnqGHLXM0ctbMuVDdPC9_Q4tDc1nmAgWiA5P5m8isSXOy3ctcq1ixBDJy5mjoJasjVTeNOLMQ-xuMoiI7gMqqUba8mV38pWCYQitsaF/s320/IMG_0425.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holiday Inn Express from Ocean</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r4CKnUCk_l7qRs2-mnD2SQWvkReNo37CoOjpa4ElwacsqmSVsRRtiy_i3EkzDs1rVz7yA2qaetL8wJDjXRXI98s1nhASCwPI7MZHeVbOca2XJVczCAiWxrG6UTaD2Va73mmX-UU6OmZPpLAS6JqcpGmQoXUj7LSj4Nx5W1Y2uU-VNPH7mydSGcZY/s4032/IMG_0426.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2r4CKnUCk_l7qRs2-mnD2SQWvkReNo37CoOjpa4ElwacsqmSVsRRtiy_i3EkzDs1rVz7yA2qaetL8wJDjXRXI98s1nhASCwPI7MZHeVbOca2XJVczCAiWxrG6UTaD2Va73mmX-UU6OmZPpLAS6JqcpGmQoXUj7LSj4Nx5W1Y2uU-VNPH7mydSGcZY/s320/IMG_0426.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben - I tried walking but too soft for my back</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For lunch we drove to Wanchese searching for a place to buy
seafood tomorrow to take home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wanchese
is back across the bridge to Manteo and then south 4 miles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Signs everywhere “Save our Village – Stop Cluster
Homes”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Evidently, they wish to remain a
small fishing village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The village has
homes, fishing harbor, and boat building or repair facilities, two restaurants,
a few churches, a school, a day care center, and one place that looked like it
might sell souvenirs but it was not open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We found O’Neals Sea Harvest where we had a super excellent lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had Soft shell crab basket with macaroni salad and
slaw. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jane had Red Drum Fish basket with
slaw and pickled beets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best seafood
so far on this trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We checked out the
fresh seafood to purchase and planned our visit back tomorrow as we head west
to Durham and home. <o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGswrPGlTl5XZGfcSnOZtxyEqErZaPh3-lzb5dxYx4DuTDK1tDiH-vF6Pl8qvzcYL-pIMBpPsv4-Tz0h3Bd8i773sKLOAN5s1waCh8xe4hRzq78aFk6wLyX1hlVBeZ9Ed56AsgoRVcmAhIRy-UDoGRIdUl6MEkCxJS7uHDQpmUrl5LzSbz1DIEi3B-/s4032/IMG_0441.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGswrPGlTl5XZGfcSnOZtxyEqErZaPh3-lzb5dxYx4DuTDK1tDiH-vF6Pl8qvzcYL-pIMBpPsv4-Tz0h3Bd8i773sKLOAN5s1waCh8xe4hRzq78aFk6wLyX1hlVBeZ9Ed56AsgoRVcmAhIRy-UDoGRIdUl6MEkCxJS7uHDQpmUrl5LzSbz1DIEi3B-/s320/IMG_0441.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Signs in every yard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHp7hqrhjgvMGhl0160_LdUo2vhuaMJiaUD0sa0vcVfqkvK0Brm33f15hMT_NcHsA2g5KdiKLQ6A5xFv-NDZbdMsTxZZ6Bhd45Z9qvJnNLAOkpnGLRRyuhbLkwp2FajlWMONbAunFL3Q46TnM2hT1ROrBhGHvcaCNSe_oTIJOFyzekvdtG59zl3Pj/s4032/IMG_0433.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnHp7hqrhjgvMGhl0160_LdUo2vhuaMJiaUD0sa0vcVfqkvK0Brm33f15hMT_NcHsA2g5KdiKLQ6A5xFv-NDZbdMsTxZZ6Bhd45Z9qvJnNLAOkpnGLRRyuhbLkwp2FajlWMONbAunFL3Q46TnM2hT1ROrBhGHvcaCNSe_oTIJOFyzekvdtG59zl3Pj/s320/IMG_0433.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Drum, slaw, and pickled beets<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k3xBGjpx2g7S5WxU0UhbiC-_2zkB-0rt1QCGu8XXW4nTvRsz56HvGv8Da0XJ9NnGODlgE-jGCnCCtKS1z0W7-TFo55LMhiKAGrsEINy0llOA3E4oWoCxVhF4dRwEYhuisdHVwkRgrVVDH6bp57XyVv6OT0tp2KggU-yYcKz0SAO-Icoe66vRQ89z/s4032/IMG_0434.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5k3xBGjpx2g7S5WxU0UhbiC-_2zkB-0rt1QCGu8XXW4nTvRsz56HvGv8Da0XJ9NnGODlgE-jGCnCCtKS1z0W7-TFo55LMhiKAGrsEINy0llOA3E4oWoCxVhF4dRwEYhuisdHVwkRgrVVDH6bp57XyVv6OT0tp2KggU-yYcKz0SAO-Icoe66vRQ89z/s320/IMG_0434.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft Shell Crab, Slaw, and Macaroni Salad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqAxGx9pJSX_oQl2xUPp2UIQbRHqG9oJaXYTiRYA4gl5BbPM_BIUqx4BcBDYrJ7EfUmZ4r8iPTpvvDrDB1-cE14ST-tA9Svk38Gcw8cuXabAF3aLZt-ITHNjj8LNxxl3ZHO1087IAjgAV519ns59MnOi3M8CyihebWxW-n13nBafLiORZHEiJj6Hp/s4032/IMG_0435.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEqAxGx9pJSX_oQl2xUPp2UIQbRHqG9oJaXYTiRYA4gl5BbPM_BIUqx4BcBDYrJ7EfUmZ4r8iPTpvvDrDB1-cE14ST-tA9Svk38Gcw8cuXabAF3aLZt-ITHNjj8LNxxl3ZHO1087IAjgAV519ns59MnOi3M8CyihebWxW-n13nBafLiORZHEiJj6Hp/s320/IMG_0435.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So we won't forget </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">A bit of looking around and then we headed back to the hotel
for rest, showers, and to get ready for more food. We planned to leave early for dinner at Blue
Moon which is very popular in their new location only ½ mile from our
hotel. We found a parking spot and
walked right in at 5 PM. There were a
few empty tables but not many – this place is popular. Jane had already selected what she wanted
trying something new again - bouillabaisse – and Ben settled for one of the
specials of the day – a fried seafood platter with fish, oysters, and shrimp. The bouillabaisse was good – the broth
excellent and the scallops, shrimp, fish, calamari, clams and mussels were all
good. There was a small purple octopus
that was not very tasty. Ben was OK with
his selection but it was not his favorite.
The presentation was exceptional, and everyone seemed to be enjoying
their food. We would go back but might
try different dishes. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqatiReOnubTGC1-VXtp-cLAAMbMtRnPgDuUwXz-4S9nhON0vR79D7kADuVTypZPADyJu-1qRNcRui3kfVokYdJvwoEbTn-TuyOvVr3zBxSne16yQMrRTBWu3rrKhD-REJAol1mYVOaUrboEVNNk-yADESPDVaA7CptbY9obNLr5zXMEK-ZtXDg8qe/s4032/IMG_0438.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqatiReOnubTGC1-VXtp-cLAAMbMtRnPgDuUwXz-4S9nhON0vR79D7kADuVTypZPADyJu-1qRNcRui3kfVokYdJvwoEbTn-TuyOvVr3zBxSne16yQMrRTBWu3rrKhD-REJAol1mYVOaUrboEVNNk-yADESPDVaA7CptbY9obNLr5zXMEK-ZtXDg8qe/s320/IMG_0438.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seafood Platter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMFWijwgkq9Mo4MNAHuNLN9CaqsGiiXmR6sFPrmdPJUCOMiVdawg9IVwT4awgJ6XQuY3Vgo0MeIX1osQq6BFkQXg8J6PZydmlQ5Um0mMi7X-5IIsDGQreNaRDzJWeXxO7jxHCpzrGgacPeXqJG-VhkxGRsLU88VPrfck5amhHzFWHJcfGkeOBTgP_/s4032/IMG_0437.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMFWijwgkq9Mo4MNAHuNLN9CaqsGiiXmR6sFPrmdPJUCOMiVdawg9IVwT4awgJ6XQuY3Vgo0MeIX1osQq6BFkQXg8J6PZydmlQ5Um0mMi7X-5IIsDGQreNaRDzJWeXxO7jxHCpzrGgacPeXqJG-VhkxGRsLU88VPrfck5amhHzFWHJcfGkeOBTgP_/s320/IMG_0437.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Bouillabaisse</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Back in our room we tried to begin gathering our clothes and
electronics for leaving in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The breakfasts here at the Holiday Inn Express were very good – several
hot items each day, waffle machine, plus lots of cold things – yogurt, boiled
eggs, cereals, lots of muffins, toast etc., and of course their signature
cinnamon rolls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afraid Jane’s diet of
recent weeks failed for these breakfasts! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All in all, we liked this hotel better than
the Comfort Inn we have stayed in on past visits to Nags Head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-5285884453074606922023-05-16T11:19:00.001-04:002023-05-16T11:21:52.035-04:00Nags Head Day 1<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Wednesday May 3, 2023<o:p></o:p></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo4lZeqyRyxH9afNzaNJUXt-aBvstCsm0ocJUSQoiOvqx82XbDkXUVgiirb-GFBzImkjvz5xl2R1i1bWLWo7-Q2n3ha7ZxvBtOdUTvUMMs6JuJ23HNXx7sFeWSwScMu2Xmc3_KAHOPTDvZtbLC_JjzbQKGkJFGWyLdwLAUePpaidMJJBvasS34j_7/s4032/IMG_0380.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo4lZeqyRyxH9afNzaNJUXt-aBvstCsm0ocJUSQoiOvqx82XbDkXUVgiirb-GFBzImkjvz5xl2R1i1bWLWo7-Q2n3ha7ZxvBtOdUTvUMMs6JuJ23HNXx7sFeWSwScMu2Xmc3_KAHOPTDvZtbLC_JjzbQKGkJFGWyLdwLAUePpaidMJJBvasS34j_7/s320/IMG_0380.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our room - sprinter parked below</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Slept great. Woke up
to sunshine. Nice breakfast and sitting outside
in the sunshine occupied our morning. Jane
caught up on the blog and we planned the rest of the day. We headed out for lunch and could not find
Blue Moon which was our pick…turns out it had moved. We ate at Mulligans which was fairly near our
hotel, had good reviews from Trip Advisor and our hotel. It was a comfortable relaxed place. Jane ordered Fish Tacos and Ben had a
soft-shell crab sandwich. Both were OK
but not outstanding at all. After lunch
we drove south to Bodie Lighthouse. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Fm1tvKxORBg96mSkw55VJjtmnQbQoWmjdZqyLQepwHbuDGJLD_BLbLnba08l_QU0yPpng0x008hOKmvVoVZ6cj9z-cnm6s2CC5VxkRMFggbnX3wTzRrpcIpLbT_C55iD36-P7lM99yEN_N6ZUT1MwDqeOZ-ED4svMjhCYVLBmzpym201pObUfrii/s4032/IMG_0383.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Fm1tvKxORBg96mSkw55VJjtmnQbQoWmjdZqyLQepwHbuDGJLD_BLbLnba08l_QU0yPpng0x008hOKmvVoVZ6cj9z-cnm6s2CC5VxkRMFggbnX3wTzRrpcIpLbT_C55iD36-P7lM99yEN_N6ZUT1MwDqeOZ-ED4svMjhCYVLBmzpym201pObUfrii/s320/IMG_0383.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fish Tacos</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs5ZPWJSCfe-bAv07jwlHm0-SYeos0__9GvOsTS-BfZEB257lHs3LX5hDaByx0Cgd1sEJ1K94p5q4pH_4kc-Gp4myG93E3tTiGv8sZdWCfmvNci9hrsjeQq60jgADlm1KHUeFfNOGVWIAudvmanrqbY72vBi32L_UAFhO6I3C0P3MEnVy_MCY4FS9/s4032/IMG_0384.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXs5ZPWJSCfe-bAv07jwlHm0-SYeos0__9GvOsTS-BfZEB257lHs3LX5hDaByx0Cgd1sEJ1K94p5q4pH_4kc-Gp4myG93E3tTiGv8sZdWCfmvNci9hrsjeQq60jgADlm1KHUeFfNOGVWIAudvmanrqbY72vBi32L_UAFhO6I3C0P3MEnVy_MCY4FS9/s320/IMG_0384.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft Shell Crab </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijX5menznIFFo-eFKH1H1tCHsXSSCtIaP6t3VvAaoR9CauZvneKc6dAoN4X5mFZS3KZfDdtSyBx2FuaTWHFMgmOCJxWsFrSiS0E4nPcmmBxFb1dv5leLspva7iel8l3DiE5-ktB2jdsOxVTvdyof58Hlkh_tQPjMKucs-7uJn5kT4ic-Ab9SzH3cHW/s4032/IMG_0385.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijX5menznIFFo-eFKH1H1tCHsXSSCtIaP6t3VvAaoR9CauZvneKc6dAoN4X5mFZS3KZfDdtSyBx2FuaTWHFMgmOCJxWsFrSiS0E4nPcmmBxFb1dv5leLspva7iel8l3DiE5-ktB2jdsOxVTvdyof58Hlkh_tQPjMKucs-7uJn5kT4ic-Ab9SzH3cHW/s320/IMG_0385.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bodie Lighthouse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"> Jane
had a mission to find a long sleeve chambray shirt – her 20+ year old Red Cross
one and her 10+ year old Texas one both are in poor repair. Had to put iron-on patches on the sleeves of
both this past year. Ben had gotten a
nice one at Hatteras 3 years ago, so Jane is hopeful. Nice to see the
lighthouse but no shirt. There was,
however, a car show in the parking lot.
Some interesting vehicles from MD, DE, NJ etc. Strange place for a car gathering. We drove on a bit further to the Pea Island
Visitor Center and they had a shirt – it has eastern wildlife logo on it
instead of Cape Hatteras but hey – it works! There is a brand-new bridge across Oregon Inlet
and the sand berms along the road on the north end of Hatteras Island are as
large as remembered. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_BxVYTacfp6YaEKqms7E-MxL_ooY0z445jLgL-ilGpdSB8ljEayPSSRGHU1o0JsoJL3nMegH89t8n2YAA5d7uaVPVOgtwOsJh9R4LipTPHdTHhJxWwsBDUMWR1tXONckNo8TZC1FQZLlcAYkMKGjSeoVUh4qMCFrn5hpbpzZuApKPGAo_CY6ppv2/s4032/IMG_0394.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_BxVYTacfp6YaEKqms7E-MxL_ooY0z445jLgL-ilGpdSB8ljEayPSSRGHU1o0JsoJL3nMegH89t8n2YAA5d7uaVPVOgtwOsJh9R4LipTPHdTHhJxWwsBDUMWR1tXONckNo8TZC1FQZLlcAYkMKGjSeoVUh4qMCFrn5hpbpzZuApKPGAo_CY6ppv2/s320/IMG_0394.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Bridge at Oregon Inlet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoI2INPcW3XQJfXa_PpzGa72O7sWxj5SAynvRZMtQcb4AUJkgUYOvMsgMi9D12YotmzLNIBY3qZAfSp8pGHK5fBtejG4qxfYHlwLmGXG5x0rh9vaO4CA1liOXFhxy0V40Wy9qXwrs0xDGicx-F-eUeoDSn-0HuRZ1bIhwX2-C11GkVQOOUQJYnTfI/s4032/IMG_0395.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoI2INPcW3XQJfXa_PpzGa72O7sWxj5SAynvRZMtQcb4AUJkgUYOvMsgMi9D12YotmzLNIBY3qZAfSp8pGHK5fBtejG4qxfYHlwLmGXG5x0rh9vaO4CA1liOXFhxy0V40Wy9qXwrs0xDGicx-F-eUeoDSn-0HuRZ1bIhwX2-C11GkVQOOUQJYnTfI/s320/IMG_0395.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand piled up to protect the road</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Ben was kind
enough to drive Jane to 2-3 places she wanted to visit for her short shopping
list. Got a few things but not all. Back to the hotel for some rest and to get
jackets for the evening. We reviewed our
choices for dinner. Selected Blue Moon
since we found it was very near us and had such good reviews. The parking lot was full to overflowing so we
drove on to Owens where we were going tomorrow night. Had wonderful dinners as we expected. Ben had oysters and Jane had scallops. Both were outstanding. The veggies and hush puppies were excellent
too. Back to the hotel and a little TV
and blog writing. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6a4_RQcGOccJxTKe2Rss23EfhNsNptiKa5bNTNv4TUPe96bsD8U-aqcm8FKm1PnEK46HE_1O-DXMm6HlvEr3ydbPyyfQ1xKYA5PFWCspDNNmQKOnd6fRfkz-Eiyu9ouhkPDCqPoBDshnsHcdHajgUAds6pq8RSq6yL5ZbgkpNBVOl0-tuzVTMI1t/s4032/IMG_0402.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs6a4_RQcGOccJxTKe2Rss23EfhNsNptiKa5bNTNv4TUPe96bsD8U-aqcm8FKm1PnEK46HE_1O-DXMm6HlvEr3ydbPyyfQ1xKYA5PFWCspDNNmQKOnd6fRfkz-Eiyu9ouhkPDCqPoBDshnsHcdHajgUAds6pq8RSq6yL5ZbgkpNBVOl0-tuzVTMI1t/s320/IMG_0402.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excellent Scallops at Owens</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWihfDkVSoS4_3Af9d_Ow0UYphqmtJPHyugnSssHhp-2e2BofNY2voRr1x_lKmY0W7atEZ9slE5qbypVUvYwdHwOV_vSIr5W3_6OfDrNT7PGsM2CELBbgcVXPBeiekev0HOXSmuVl7Su-rRDs5alBeT5VMfjGy5H50YET3iOWLRa8heaq12y2UhQA/s4032/IMG_0403.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfWihfDkVSoS4_3Af9d_Ow0UYphqmtJPHyugnSssHhp-2e2BofNY2voRr1x_lKmY0W7atEZ9slE5qbypVUvYwdHwOV_vSIr5W3_6OfDrNT7PGsM2CELBbgcVXPBeiekev0HOXSmuVl7Su-rRDs5alBeT5VMfjGy5H50YET3iOWLRa8heaq12y2UhQA/s320/IMG_0403.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excellent Oysters at Owens</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-26735627666354038562023-05-16T11:04:00.005-04:002023-05-16T11:07:06.173-04:00Lexington VA to Nags Head NC <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Tuesday May 2, 2023<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Breakfast by chef Steve was great and we enjoyed more history stories
about family connections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, about
10:30 we made ourselves get in the van and head east across Virginia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We planned a visit to the Outer Banks before a short visit with Jeff, Robin, Daniel, and Sara before
heading home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Traffic was light on I 64 as we headed across the mountains
at Waynesboro; then around Charlottesville and Richmond.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got off in Williamsburg for gas and back
on I 64 headed towards Norfolk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talk
about a confusing collection of highways in this Newport News, Hampton Roads,
Norfolk area! About Williamsburg the traffic picked up and was heavy the rest
of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before getting too deep into
the maze we stopped at an exit with a Wendy’s and Chick-fil-A determined to eat
at whichever came first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate at a
Chick-fil-A and enjoyed a nice lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact this was a very quiet Chick-Fil-A.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t
really remember all the various roads we were on but a highlight was the
tunnel/bridge that took us from Hampton Roads to Chesapeake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we finally came out of the maze of
roads, tunnels, and bridges we were on a short toll road that took us into North
Carolina right south of Virginia Beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were about an hour away from the Outer Banks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUk_Agy0HFxyB48qp4VLCQxgGABK1PL-YdpO2g5ctTFiZC-mxY4gBCRgfdRc_hyOP-o3BnL0q31grV_0buqfBzAMsmJhi5JreXCQD79NDnpieIGlVm4lK31Wy8rAl1yBStascjUCUXtBczn_WcoWJYiY7A5xUlaqWqOj4JsJTnaoEflR-pQ8uJoQi/s4032/IMG_0364.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPUk_Agy0HFxyB48qp4VLCQxgGABK1PL-YdpO2g5ctTFiZC-mxY4gBCRgfdRc_hyOP-o3BnL0q31grV_0buqfBzAMsmJhi5JreXCQD79NDnpieIGlVm4lK31Wy8rAl1yBStascjUCUXtBczn_WcoWJYiY7A5xUlaqWqOj4JsJTnaoEflR-pQ8uJoQi/s320/IMG_0364.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We considered stopping here - glad we did not.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4L-RiVpn_JlThbA9wJfqscytNgKXIBxTIzUXkKCK6xq53qIX0J_ULPHY483skrYiiAjGpjc7ATlJP-M7Qe1-0P-Nhg2EbAeO5a2V3e20KlBxoDxkng71B_cFBCjxi6jMc8Xv9Bgwi6MVSvIOJdX-JqaUpxbbg6r76AByCqOadLaADpTupnnOe5tlX/s3272/IMG_0366.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2431" data-original-width="3272" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4L-RiVpn_JlThbA9wJfqscytNgKXIBxTIzUXkKCK6xq53qIX0J_ULPHY483skrYiiAjGpjc7ATlJP-M7Qe1-0P-Nhg2EbAeO5a2V3e20KlBxoDxkng71B_cFBCjxi6jMc8Xv9Bgwi6MVSvIOJdX-JqaUpxbbg6r76AByCqOadLaADpTupnnOe5tlX/s320/IMG_0366.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Busy port of Norfolk/Hampton</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBLsXz2vUpMEQhcNOPcAiSsCew8znxo3YBiab4G-sFtdKV5rpW-CkB1iaKTPrwTPr0UWAqtlBNH2ZXmFAyEvecz4BIF-m0q18VhozveACN_SaBEf0LDuMY-DfJ6y9Gz0mlNeUf5gh-ikd_W0nI0lYgYvmUU1ZfESVzPQMtp5CqnXFjIejzT3cbTCH/s4032/IMG_0369.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBLsXz2vUpMEQhcNOPcAiSsCew8znxo3YBiab4G-sFtdKV5rpW-CkB1iaKTPrwTPr0UWAqtlBNH2ZXmFAyEvecz4BIF-m0q18VhozveACN_SaBEf0LDuMY-DfJ6y9Gz0mlNeUf5gh-ikd_W0nI0lYgYvmUU1ZfESVzPQMtp5CqnXFjIejzT3cbTCH/s320/IMG_0369.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entering the Tunnel</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcVHkU041ySGxRH-EOwcoBG3iFLEAh8HrE-H28O_L2VkXX8BP4XEjw-DcZFl0zyDALiX0HincpSx4H-1UIEK-ZyWhSBzXO_a_pNOgNF1IlZzsjY2gl5YfSBK389X8do1y3Q0j3hsJQ6_SKuRqnKSxdu-qwtaAt-hUDBFSkpNXOJ2_Yj-0ws_c7kgm/s4032/IMG_0374.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCcVHkU041ySGxRH-EOwcoBG3iFLEAh8HrE-H28O_L2VkXX8BP4XEjw-DcZFl0zyDALiX0HincpSx4H-1UIEK-ZyWhSBzXO_a_pNOgNF1IlZzsjY2gl5YfSBK389X8do1y3Q0j3hsJQ6_SKuRqnKSxdu-qwtaAt-hUDBFSkpNXOJ2_Yj-0ws_c7kgm/s320/IMG_0374.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long bridge headed to NC</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Finally about 4:30 we reached Nags Head and our hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are staying at a Holiday Inn Express this
trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have stayed a couple times at
the Comfort Inn in Nags Head near Whalebone Junction, but it has poor beach
access and the rooms really do not face the ocean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we are trying a different one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are on the 5<sup>th</sup> floor with a
direct view of the ocean and what looks like much better access to the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bit of rest and we headed out
for our first of 3 seafood dinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
chose Miller’s seafood for night one – crazy parking lot which we remembered
after we got into it and had to back out!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jane had one of the specials – blacked red drum, grilled shrimp, and
fried clams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three were
excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had a flounder with crab
and citrus hollandaise sauce – he felt it was only OK.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This location was the winner of the hush
puppy contest our last trip over this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(We sampled hush puppies from Morehead City to Nags Head for a week a
few years ago. Sadly, you do not get hush puppies here any longer unless you
order a $4 basket of them – to sample one- we were not about to get an entire
basket – so we don’t know if they still measure up!) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed watching two guys with parasails
while we ate dinner.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOflnRJ3RaJReemxDPyerFmejgzl_ijDaNmTvDDPWnJx9fJfQ89q-rVFWo36STm9n_S6rAdzYYO8ku3zPOWzbN78demS7P58DM83ruhST6OYr9vFfGPPe0WNI2OPwzAS6bRWDnORiS4ta7QyBkTueoj_dnl7rnss4sf1gnM7zilpYZlb94V17wSyPO/s4032/IMG_0375.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOflnRJ3RaJReemxDPyerFmejgzl_ijDaNmTvDDPWnJx9fJfQ89q-rVFWo36STm9n_S6rAdzYYO8ku3zPOWzbN78demS7P58DM83ruhST6OYr9vFfGPPe0WNI2OPwzAS6bRWDnORiS4ta7QyBkTueoj_dnl7rnss4sf1gnM7zilpYZlb94V17wSyPO/s320/IMG_0375.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delish clams, shrimp, and red fish </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_zNjd4OjlQANemAFkME47vsKtNVNNK94aOZ9Sggy_BzF_quG0Io1RBrID14IJjpT5YzGvTNlkZhIINItDEFMXjEivbPtMZ0WljkcRA1HrYi5cczihMZuKQC20FBR9UORV7isFEDiU0aj_yWNShIYTVJzwostMDc7DDjBHb5zBslb2AapZ1lQ7hSF/s4032/IMG_0376.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_zNjd4OjlQANemAFkME47vsKtNVNNK94aOZ9Sggy_BzF_quG0Io1RBrID14IJjpT5YzGvTNlkZhIINItDEFMXjEivbPtMZ0WljkcRA1HrYi5cczihMZuKQC20FBR9UORV7isFEDiU0aj_yWNShIYTVJzwostMDc7DDjBHb5zBslb2AapZ1lQ7hSF/s320/IMG_0376.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">OK Flounder with crab hollandaise topping</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-30534103011861713002023-05-16T10:10:00.004-04:002023-05-16T10:56:48.948-04:00White Sulphur Springs WV to Lexington VA<p> Monday May 1, 2023</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<br />
<p class="MsoNormal">Slept great waking up to still cloudy skies but at least no
rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got ourselves situated trying
out a few more smart things!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The toilet
washes and dries you if you wish – some of us did a little better trying out
the various buttons…. I heard laughter coming from the bathroom and Ben came
out to get some dry underwear – seems he washed more than he intended!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQTbmJ5zUNuDsBBnED7HPkURh0fw6jKDQQnlrw47V5JQ9l3fpEWCOuxvQ6A8J3CBeCJgZqpyx5PR3mbhnbaLxeu-XCrjiGJeTydsldZSvHAYDRuUc5uX1Ob04vZlgdVPZH4SIBiENh6cYUu3xaEpW-yQuby1n60N1xyHuJnb_JzqSBMt2x8cZWJMZ/s2887/IMG_0313.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1923" data-original-width="2887" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTQTbmJ5zUNuDsBBnED7HPkURh0fw6jKDQQnlrw47V5JQ9l3fpEWCOuxvQ6A8J3CBeCJgZqpyx5PR3mbhnbaLxeu-XCrjiGJeTydsldZSvHAYDRuUc5uX1Ob04vZlgdVPZH4SIBiENh6cYUu3xaEpW-yQuby1n60N1xyHuJnb_JzqSBMt2x8cZWJMZ/s320/IMG_0313.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toilet menu</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Jane took a short trip up to the rooftop for
a view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would have been a perfect place
for breakfast or a snack or drink if weather had been a bit better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went down to the lobby and picked up our
breakfast sandwiches ordered the night before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The School House Hotel offers a breakfast buffet on the weekend but
during the week you can order several breakfast sandwiches “to-go”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both sandwiches we ordered were very good and
the coffee and tea were great. <o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyU4OQlrwpOjaaJQvm5B6i8pSDH3WuCA2IyNmYzTIGNRcMHf1LeNqU9Ij3UzdikVyPjh3JYosat7jWOf5w_7WJXNoOZ5W2kroa47ETspQy0aLc3cEKHV5DsKwab-jC-HPteVkuBiaEUkOuVLL1Wf5tRWilNyFZygHfcKGa5TKFpT_zSgLIGLundTFo/s4032/IMG_0324.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyU4OQlrwpOjaaJQvm5B6i8pSDH3WuCA2IyNmYzTIGNRcMHf1LeNqU9Ij3UzdikVyPjh3JYosat7jWOf5w_7WJXNoOZ5W2kroa47ETspQy0aLc3cEKHV5DsKwab-jC-HPteVkuBiaEUkOuVLL1Wf5tRWilNyFZygHfcKGa5TKFpT_zSgLIGLundTFo/s320/IMG_0324.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sausage Egg Biscuit and Tea</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRBkweuTtyRgjADjkQvx45RzlYfjpMoxXa86lMQG8WkclM4va7Zz2NzPddjsRmVrizO7bbrJoDANW71DyA0_Up2Xo-YVKvRysziCZyoZWbZMMJtjIiV-zsOFifhefhHBLKayU6Vfsr1qNtYwKquawwXa8fswAyWW6TogVX6Ni__74JtQpPPIGFocw/s4032/IMG_0325.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinRBkweuTtyRgjADjkQvx45RzlYfjpMoxXa86lMQG8WkclM4va7Zz2NzPddjsRmVrizO7bbrJoDANW71DyA0_Up2Xo-YVKvRysziCZyoZWbZMMJtjIiV-zsOFifhefhHBLKayU6Vfsr1qNtYwKquawwXa8fswAyWW6TogVX6Ni__74JtQpPPIGFocw/s320/IMG_0325.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68v_XXKTJnhPeWUWRdFhintoA-vQzxYLfSy07Q9Eogosi8rIlo8ZWbn4ErX0t9lMcISOheY7dt6HrbaF8AL4KxE6qAyp_Kby0pyNew8LkeafLL4ggEltY3H7brvXHYMZCnowld6beojd0DsUE7y-JsnnrHDBcgzfbiIcff0YKq6P6Mrxspu37VL6O/s4032/IMG_0326.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68v_XXKTJnhPeWUWRdFhintoA-vQzxYLfSy07Q9Eogosi8rIlo8ZWbn4ErX0t9lMcISOheY7dt6HrbaF8AL4KxE6qAyp_Kby0pyNew8LkeafLL4ggEltY3H7brvXHYMZCnowld6beojd0DsUE7y-JsnnrHDBcgzfbiIcff0YKq6P6Mrxspu37VL6O/s320/IMG_0326.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_YZC7VI1VS_SyxPkRZyYS0XDk0URUQTU1GvcqxffBB2JOULkN14yWhi86xA9_VSRj7J7s7A6cSfybjDIsispdVrmPzQkzb9s2PUR7_qfhrQqJfA6h5RgyhmnYmrre3PqWu4FfGV9la1i3Wd6Chcp8u_MMIPq9c6IkBNBPnwj9ncW4F1KDbM1TdOb/s4032/IMG_0327.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj_YZC7VI1VS_SyxPkRZyYS0XDk0URUQTU1GvcqxffBB2JOULkN14yWhi86xA9_VSRj7J7s7A6cSfybjDIsispdVrmPzQkzb9s2PUR7_qfhrQqJfA6h5RgyhmnYmrre3PqWu4FfGV9la1i3Wd6Chcp8u_MMIPq9c6IkBNBPnwj9ncW4F1KDbM1TdOb/s320/IMG_0327.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxXyM6y--_HMvxXMtFAyVl2AXhaB0FJrLzMcpN-K9T0Gc34bKTJlDLku159h3jH2IsNsFliHCA2iTg-Wx2tb03XPjMyunAgnybU4oyoFc5DYCNa8vynTG6wrreiH73asHcVA61ajF8nHo9YNl-vhCm5qUBaNWhEZQcHt2LGumuOhlIusW8zo0X82i/s4032/IMG_0328.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxXyM6y--_HMvxXMtFAyVl2AXhaB0FJrLzMcpN-K9T0Gc34bKTJlDLku159h3jH2IsNsFliHCA2iTg-Wx2tb03XPjMyunAgnybU4oyoFc5DYCNa8vynTG6wrreiH73asHcVA61ajF8nHo9YNl-vhCm5qUBaNWhEZQcHt2LGumuOhlIusW8zo0X82i/s320/IMG_0328.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would be really nice in good weather!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">A little before 10 we headed out towards the
Greenbriar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We parked near the train
depot in a large parking lot and a shuttle bus picked us up and delivered us to
the front door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We found our way to the
starting point for the Bunker Tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
had a while to wait so strolled around the lovely lobby and various seating
areas on the main floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lovely furniture,
flowers, decorative vases and lamps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
colors are bright and cheerful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eventually our guide came for us – only 3 on our tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a huge Garden Club Convention going
on and there was another tour group set aside for their members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were lucky to be in a small group – the
other lady with us was from Monterey Mexico. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_BjFtEAEvRHadBlyBEVc8ExPJ8ADhgGyU7xt-ARpfIiJcWvDyvzm6rgx7yccQ6ufmDKugspktO3Yb-N65mwsNtWrqXKENakDzMV1CpHWYeA3Jh8XqYHVfIDmRl1Vgx71jSNc0usaksHV7XP05X1bPs6Cc3i178Iwy4LNPL9OVs88o4OjNs910Onc/s4032/IMG_0333.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ_BjFtEAEvRHadBlyBEVc8ExPJ8ADhgGyU7xt-ARpfIiJcWvDyvzm6rgx7yccQ6ufmDKugspktO3Yb-N65mwsNtWrqXKENakDzMV1CpHWYeA3Jh8XqYHVfIDmRl1Vgx71jSNc0usaksHV7XP05X1bPs6Cc3i178Iwy4LNPL9OVs88o4OjNs910Onc/s320/IMG_0333.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of Numerous Sitting Areas</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfIp4qwRMkZtZ4xiQ29hqT3z3lsNQ8f86p_GPeqd-2lxKHPynU11rhyyQjKGWfROCpY2Gy04ehNGzOuHLFzC4YR8DygtQ1YuQ1frHr963v8lXtQIn-RmGwy2rf6wYcO4RvEpN7sckkK-vxY-6BVbPjq5VcmjTRpGxoBjNVYgR2yWuAf51KgmHL2-y/s4032/IMG_0334.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMfIp4qwRMkZtZ4xiQ29hqT3z3lsNQ8f86p_GPeqd-2lxKHPynU11rhyyQjKGWfROCpY2Gy04ehNGzOuHLFzC4YR8DygtQ1YuQ1frHr963v8lXtQIn-RmGwy2rf6wYcO4RvEpN7sckkK-vxY-6BVbPjq5VcmjTRpGxoBjNVYgR2yWuAf51KgmHL2-y/s320/IMG_0334.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View towards the "Bunker"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0hurIlojSxoBuQBOlUlKrHaoUrcHdFF222hy4MrJAY9tOUihPDR1uAWUIyyS1lkLB-jF490hhAr4hni3bNfeSnnHBgej1x20c1s3hccJgRdsJCd2LBLPdc9ZtrrEIZ8yCH3-1KdosCEWpwz0nVBu3jFx_rHnfWl4nRAw6zdgGNiy5W_ERhYEBKIB/s4032/IMG_0335.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0hurIlojSxoBuQBOlUlKrHaoUrcHdFF222hy4MrJAY9tOUihPDR1uAWUIyyS1lkLB-jF490hhAr4hni3bNfeSnnHBgej1x20c1s3hccJgRdsJCd2LBLPdc9ZtrrEIZ8yCH3-1KdosCEWpwz0nVBu3jFx_rHnfWl4nRAw6zdgGNiy5W_ERhYEBKIB/s320/IMG_0335.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of many flower arrangements</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVlO5faszAJ_hiMljIqrbm1cqy3kS1J-66HB7gpNTNgr95X-nGOxJ-dASGFfIDl2sbxUXr6JdPWLb3DdrochnIbCRXX78SB_yH9gVYM8NeGpDfLw01-GLI9k3gztw6A7O8QE3AXK4fmHGgotwsjeh3sg37rHH0toraUQ-gIvHL8LKlXcCCJk0_AVG/s4032/IMG_0341.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVlO5faszAJ_hiMljIqrbm1cqy3kS1J-66HB7gpNTNgr95X-nGOxJ-dASGFfIDl2sbxUXr6JdPWLb3DdrochnIbCRXX78SB_yH9gVYM8NeGpDfLw01-GLI9k3gztw6A7O8QE3AXK4fmHGgotwsjeh3sg37rHH0toraUQ-gIvHL8LKlXcCCJk0_AVG/s320/IMG_0341.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of Wall closed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucIxF_WGMBjj9sQ8trDyZ3Bj88eHdPMxVIfZyLpMt6xoNsoUqUCTfePHnAuq7cebFg8GS45lO9E0019riyye4gfZVIq-wjaBG85pwwviqwf-N-6zXNVoQKsnPqFucKxCtLFVD0oiUgn99MMQjf2jLer7gz-lauoleFpqWnxce5l0gtmepGiQiMubH/s4032/IMG_0342.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucIxF_WGMBjj9sQ8trDyZ3Bj88eHdPMxVIfZyLpMt6xoNsoUqUCTfePHnAuq7cebFg8GS45lO9E0019riyye4gfZVIq-wjaBG85pwwviqwf-N-6zXNVoQKsnPqFucKxCtLFVD0oiUgn99MMQjf2jLer7gz-lauoleFpqWnxce5l0gtmepGiQiMubH/s320/IMG_0342.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of wall open with bunker door showing</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First, we looked out the windows to see what was above
ground - over what is known as ‘the bunker’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the 1950’s the Greenbriar was identified as a good location for a safe
location for the US congress to stay in event of a nuclear attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan was top secret and would provide a
location for the government to live and function for up to 60 days. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The location of the Greenbriar and it’s
closeness to DC made it a perfect spot. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>President Eisenhower negotiated the plan with
the president of the Greenbriar and work began on the West Virginia Wing of the
Greenbriar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Convention facilities and
additional hotel rooms for the above ground floors while underneath was the
secret part of the construction – “the bunker”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When you looked out the windows you could see clearly the above ground
West Virginia wing which now functions as a data storage facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No electronic items like cell phones,
cameras, etc. are allowed inside as they are avoiding any possibility of
contamination of the data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We began our
tour by locking away our phones and any bags we had in a locker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Convention room was huge and would have
served as the trade show portion of the public facility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In time of activation it would have been a beehive
of activity with cubicles for congressional staffers etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the more open floor plan of the 1950’s
has the large concrete columns needed to support the heavy concrete structure
and beams are encased and enclose wiring for trade show participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The walls are decorative and unless you knew
where to look for the special wall that moved aside you would not know of the
huge steel doors that led into the bunker itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inside were sleeping facilities for all
members of congress and 1 staffer per member; offices for the leadership;
meeting rooms to facilitate meeting space for both the house of representatives
and the senate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rooms are now enhanced
with TV screens and are used for conventions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There was a huge cafeteria and storage space for food to enable feeding
the group for up to 60 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They needed
to keep the fresh and nonperishable food fresh, so it was used by the
Greenbriar to feed their staff as it rotated through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A very few people knew of the project both
during the construction phase and all the years until it was exposed in the
early 1990’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Members of congress did
not even know of the facility – only a few members of the leadership and the
president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one time it was close to
being used was the Cuban Missile Crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were 3 of the huge blast
doors – the one from the conference room; another one from inside hotel, and one
to enter from the outside – now near the Greenbriar kitchen – it was for bringing
in the items for storage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also housed in
“the bunker” was all the equipment needed for generating power, water supply,
air handling etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The facility was
staffed 24/7 with engineers to keep everything in readiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These engineers were known as the “go-to”
folks to repairing TV’s and other items within the Greenbriar itself. The staff
engineers did perform these functions as a cover for their real job of keeping
“the bunker” ready. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All this
infrastructure still functions today keeping the data storage facility working.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In 2009 the Greenbriar was in danger of closing – owned from
the beginning by CSX Railroad – Jim Justis – now Governor of West VA purchased
it – for thought to be $20 million dollars – this included the hotel and the
West VA wing that became the data storage facility it is today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2010 they opened a casino in the hotel and
some facilities were upgraded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
today a flourishing up-scale hotel with over 700 rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have few photos since everything was locked up for the
major portion of the tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we
completed our tour we looked around the shops and restaurants – ate a sandwich
at a small bistro and headed back to our van parked near the train
station.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The station is now a Christmas
Shop but it is an active AmTrack station with one train stop per day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaOJrIvWXTHtQVBYthNWcixT3JjQDbhdVmM5cQcaR65dDTsysH8a4kA48ywNU-0FNNGlvezaP__wqE_9NlFEXpU2OtuHQNrdRDMwYX3uNVLWS3etBS1_d5Li6vYZk7oHE88HO3LBgY0fautgJmcLZs-aTSNgdQJt7DHSwejmdjBivLb_-bMR7sfDd/s3039/IMG_0346.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3039" data-original-width="2823" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIaOJrIvWXTHtQVBYthNWcixT3JjQDbhdVmM5cQcaR65dDTsysH8a4kA48ywNU-0FNNGlvezaP__wqE_9NlFEXpU2OtuHQNrdRDMwYX3uNVLWS3etBS1_d5Li6vYZk7oHE88HO3LBgY0fautgJmcLZs-aTSNgdQJt7DHSwejmdjBivLb_-bMR7sfDd/s320/IMG_0346.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch we shared at Greenbriar </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ng7WKOH8mgnQMzj-I4watoNFZjV1Ns7SHNiWEZb6TL2R8uwSH3ZR2D6vFf7z0TWKDdtfUcXcVrC3GQ-EhmLjxmEs-jNC1DPsAmtNBBJBL2AtKkFdsGLrBQoTTBDaay16GCZb2zoj6lIrqaMlTDKfx4zR1b_22u3QRrsQGXodOk8l7tEw7djxTPt_/s4032/IMG_0357.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Ng7WKOH8mgnQMzj-I4watoNFZjV1Ns7SHNiWEZb6TL2R8uwSH3ZR2D6vFf7z0TWKDdtfUcXcVrC3GQ-EhmLjxmEs-jNC1DPsAmtNBBJBL2AtKkFdsGLrBQoTTBDaay16GCZb2zoj6lIrqaMlTDKfx4zR1b_22u3QRrsQGXodOk8l7tEw7djxTPt_/s320/IMG_0357.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdM0tfOhRbfjHPNk9HzdrBB92sw2pv9Xe3MQJ1hSS0J2c4L6UrEUb9KcgI9fFhAERXPRauUkgBdp59JNDyMnBtUIwIlxRQlaD6Jm7agwTU6u5H1JQqzlLAR9eMQdT-t-K3t5HFG6qXpjX56uYsOc-B0IYoZQVxO4rx1C_N0Fbif_HZfJhBhgHte_I/s4032/IMG_0361.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdM0tfOhRbfjHPNk9HzdrBB92sw2pv9Xe3MQJ1hSS0J2c4L6UrEUb9KcgI9fFhAERXPRauUkgBdp59JNDyMnBtUIwIlxRQlaD6Jm7agwTU6u5H1JQqzlLAR9eMQdT-t-K3t5HFG6qXpjX56uYsOc-B0IYoZQVxO4rx1C_N0Fbif_HZfJhBhgHte_I/s320/IMG_0361.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Train Depot now a Christmas Shop</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We headed back through White Sulphur Springs which is a
small thriving community after what must have been a significant flood event
last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hit I 64 and headed
through the mountains and pretty farmland to Lexington VA where we spent an
afternoon and evening catching up with our good friends Steve and Margaret
Cathcart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Margaret and Jane have been
friends since Margaret moved in next door to Jane in the 7<sup>th</sup> grade
in Kingsport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben and Steve have been friends
since high school as well. They have a beautiful new one-floor home with all
the bells and whistles to age in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After several hours of non-stop talking we went out to dinner at a
favorite Mexican Restaurant where Ben was recipient of a birthday dessert and
singing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then lots more catching up and a great night’s
sleep. Wish I had taken some photos of Steve and Margaret. They were doing well. <o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRdLQny1QdwledcgqDmFBqeU9YdsO2gejf3eN9S5ZCa-flLwUvx_PhEaEfLHCydmVFKDw0rCLRX2DeFxC1wRyEJpAw2KBDl7ZFnTOWn7a6UTBlT3YwuVtr_L4FbDhzYeum7FwN8YGzEuPYK6mxzYDWPnYNpzA5cC8lWEUw7skmaDbzZVsqOY1NFJe/s4032/IMG_0363.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXRdLQny1QdwledcgqDmFBqeU9YdsO2gejf3eN9S5ZCa-flLwUvx_PhEaEfLHCydmVFKDw0rCLRX2DeFxC1wRyEJpAw2KBDl7ZFnTOWn7a6UTBlT3YwuVtr_L4FbDhzYeum7FwN8YGzEuPYK6mxzYDWPnYNpzA5cC8lWEUw7skmaDbzZVsqOY1NFJe/s320/IMG_0363.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben Celebrating his Birthday </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-22672307035240416832023-05-16T08:51:00.002-04:002023-05-16T10:56:03.913-04:00Kingsport TN to White Sulpher Springs WV<p> Sunday April 30, 2023</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After a great breakfast – had 3 ripe bananas to eat before
we left or would have to throw away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Never made banana pancakes but I did this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were great – even made a banana, butter,
brown sugar sauce to go on them with maple syrup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There went my diet for the day!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left about 10 AM and headed up I81 to
Abingdon where we turned north on UW 19 and then 460.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stopped in Prestonsburg WV for
lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was 3<sup>rd</sup> time a
charm for lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were there at 12:30
on Sunday – with church just out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First,
we tried Wendy’s – long line that did not move at all while we went to
bathroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Second, we tried Hardees’s –
only 3 workers 1 cook, I clean up guy, and 1 woman taking orders both inside
and for the drive through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Third, we
tried McDonalds – lots of drive through cars – 2 lanes with at least 10 cars in
each lane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went inside- 3 people
waiting – we had our food in 5 minutes!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>McDonalds is not my favorite but the big mac was tasty and warm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was sprinkling rain and in 40’s. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Back on the road north – beautiful country but low hanging
clouds and intermittent light rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All
the creeks and rivers are high and running fast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a lot of rain last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been on 4 lane excellent road so far
with very little traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we have
turned on to a 2-lane road headed to Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of wildflowers – most prolific was May
Apples – they were everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw
one huge patch of pink trillium – wish I could have stopped to take a photo of
that!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>About 10 miles south of Lewisburg
the Waze said head directly north on 213 for 9 miles directly to White Sulfur Springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did – lovely 2 lane road through some
beautiful woodland until we came to an old concrete railroad underpass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Height 9ft 9inches – oh my we can’t make it
through in the Sprinter at 10 ft 6
inches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, we turned around and drove
back the 9 miles to 213 and continued into Lewisburg and then to White Sulphur
Springs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have been here before, but
nothing looks familiar to me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGF8RWCIFPgNRfpo13ZYjEj51NMpV2yc6hDyB6yQe2hWToNKqodr4QlI-jBIeVmkk-7DML8u_F7LcpFsH0kDtszRfog3o3CBsOP7HzuXEzujccRbJYe1CJs47gvucQRmdJf1v-mkHQX2WNfNJmE5wCM2nNbxNiAb42rcl802K1cPBc3dso7vgllI4/s4032/IMG_0362.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBGF8RWCIFPgNRfpo13ZYjEj51NMpV2yc6hDyB6yQe2hWToNKqodr4QlI-jBIeVmkk-7DML8u_F7LcpFsH0kDtszRfog3o3CBsOP7HzuXEzujccRbJYe1CJs47gvucQRmdJf1v-mkHQX2WNfNJmE5wCM2nNbxNiAb42rcl802K1cPBc3dso7vgllI4/s320/IMG_0362.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We arrive at the School House Hotel – a small boutique hotel
– the White Sulphur Springs High School built in 1912 that is now a high-tech
smart hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Smarter than we are that is
for sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Check in pretty much as a
normal hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elevator worked as
normal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Room opened with a card as many
do – but it worked no matter which way the card was facing or which side was up
or down – now that is a first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
sliding card in slot just wave it over the pad!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bathroom is quite fancy –
toilet lid opens when you open the bathroom door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a keypad beside the toilet with 8 or
so options for flushing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, did not try
them all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You download an app and
control the temperature, lights, shades, and TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I managed most; but when it came to the TV
Ben is in charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can log into
Netfix or other streaming services with your own password etc. and watch your
shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSCcoHhXw25Ai0CHAvPlrh2qCYh2HRvA-byQ9j3vIs99LtXgyDqkNdGpachcLLPOrQPYWHajMV4eRoOZXMVNw9IOPFOZ7-QysSWun3sAvVslqgJrP5fHZ9WSJYHto6EaJWd3Y1vzp1Zx8MY-ewEiKjFCtO9iQPIBjN-DUtpLt1Wb-H-NsLRJhcdu7/s4032/IMG_0315.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcSCcoHhXw25Ai0CHAvPlrh2qCYh2HRvA-byQ9j3vIs99LtXgyDqkNdGpachcLLPOrQPYWHajMV4eRoOZXMVNw9IOPFOZ7-QysSWun3sAvVslqgJrP5fHZ9WSJYHto6EaJWd3Y1vzp1Zx8MY-ewEiKjFCtO9iQPIBjN-DUtpLt1Wb-H-NsLRJhcdu7/s320/IMG_0315.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgDCgA_OVfUoZVgujfHjboC87OQBZdye4pKB6ggn4ir9Cnl1V7cY8iC6N2T3QnNNGLjgpJD9JwAntLf1NgvcciqsaXuXCASKYjTZnMsqiRxTIKcM0alvj_eDTOlhdzQ_HeE305R_ERkKIbEpYVCbxrQCkdbSYClSjbI53rzbREnXBOGVoUUjRtF3I/s4032/IMG_0318.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgDCgA_OVfUoZVgujfHjboC87OQBZdye4pKB6ggn4ir9Cnl1V7cY8iC6N2T3QnNNGLjgpJD9JwAntLf1NgvcciqsaXuXCASKYjTZnMsqiRxTIKcM0alvj_eDTOlhdzQ_HeE305R_ERkKIbEpYVCbxrQCkdbSYClSjbI53rzbREnXBOGVoUUjRtF3I/s320/IMG_0318.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night Stand - library card likeness</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><o:p><br /></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I went down to the exercise room and tried one of their
bikes and the elliptical for 15 minutes because I knew I wanted to eat
something good for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is still
dreary and chilly, so we chose to eat at the Varsity Restaurant here in the
hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not too sure what to expect,
there were no reviews on Trip Advisor but the menu looked good so we thought
give it a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We wondered if there
would be many people as we had only seen 3 or 4 folks in the hallways…but there
were about 10 people at the bar and 10 or so couples scattered about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We started with She Crab Soup – out of this
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided to try some things we
had not had before – seen on menus and all-over social media but never eaten –
Jane had Bourbon smoked pork belly and Ben had Short Ribs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were excellent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought I would have to search for lean
pork in a lot of fat but no it was nearly all lean pork with a wonderful
flavor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Served with it was hominy and
peas with watercress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now I have had
hominy before and can take it or leave it but this - I finally gave Ben one
spoonful to taste but did not really want to!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing I did not eat was
the pea sauce – it was cold and not so tasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I ate some of Ben’s Short Ribs and the beef was “fall off the bone”
tender and very tasty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several Firsts – never had pork belly, never
had watercress, never had short ribs. <o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU86NOXvu50cLFYQqQ--KEM3G-AWwqMn7-N611hHb9-AjmlWuANkzds2eXGYbc8d0KvmPPB2XTj59dJniCLhzcIgNcsUxb5gf5qeg5s6ITlMworgArYwI9uuK5b5AqSxldOG2CB9Wmbl8y0u77GtB-LctZqQ0H3XoWKOgq8R3vhy1qS7nue9r4juo/s4032/IMG_0319.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitU86NOXvu50cLFYQqQ--KEM3G-AWwqMn7-N611hHb9-AjmlWuANkzds2eXGYbc8d0KvmPPB2XTj59dJniCLhzcIgNcsUxb5gf5qeg5s6ITlMworgArYwI9uuK5b5AqSxldOG2CB9Wmbl8y0u77GtB-LctZqQ0H3XoWKOgq8R3vhy1qS7nue9r4juo/s320/IMG_0319.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She Crab Soup</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnr6EswIQgJFl7izVeG3ouLdSi3MdGpNrQm418g2AXqcAO1UmuAN8uMyRhqAMN6YeFeojwJHVGGiNsxJFL0QIeIvFtwjorcL3WiSqkhQ5o4PSvI5nbkFzgpwK2Jm970FYrJ8-_hLoLTxYE5r1m3xkoI9ABHn-DAKFgPvhZFNM_YH14_3FIF0RYvzX/s4032/IMG_0320.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAnr6EswIQgJFl7izVeG3ouLdSi3MdGpNrQm418g2AXqcAO1UmuAN8uMyRhqAMN6YeFeojwJHVGGiNsxJFL0QIeIvFtwjorcL3WiSqkhQ5o4PSvI5nbkFzgpwK2Jm970FYrJ8-_hLoLTxYE5r1m3xkoI9ABHn-DAKFgPvhZFNM_YH14_3FIF0RYvzX/s320/IMG_0320.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burbon Smoked Pork Belly </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CA0qRM2TrR4n8qmxaDDd0YWQM9J6KDgZ3mrwQxvTNG5NAa9tjnmDpne1LaCYwIf_otW5jupoRcR7RjfPcnahq70jKs9BXMQa55Mt4SFu8xi9HwLpNZ27q1huBLnZc8KspnAJp4coCE0n5eUlm6KqcHuaVWCmE5NjurOrASPQxtr5Tv5Y-V02HHwN/s4032/IMG_0321.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CA0qRM2TrR4n8qmxaDDd0YWQM9J6KDgZ3mrwQxvTNG5NAa9tjnmDpne1LaCYwIf_otW5jupoRcR7RjfPcnahq70jKs9BXMQa55Mt4SFu8xi9HwLpNZ27q1huBLnZc8KspnAJp4coCE0n5eUlm6KqcHuaVWCmE5NjurOrASPQxtr5Tv5Y-V02HHwN/s320/IMG_0321.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beef Short Ribs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We ordered our breakfast to pick up in the lobby where the
coffee bar is located. Only thing so far
I am not 100% happy with is there is no in-room coffee. If the sun is shining in the morning we will
take our breakfast to the rooftop bar to eat – if not the room or lobby will
do. I am going to make it up to the
rooftop bar just for the view. The hotel
serves a breakfast buffet on weekends but has only the order for pick-up
sandwiches during the week.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> I have gotten all my
devices connected d writing the blog.
Ben is still working on getting Netflix to work on the TV. All and all it has been a nice day. Different that’s for sure. What are we doing in White Sulphur Springs? Tomorrow we have reservations to tour “The
Bunker” at the Greenbriar. It has been
on my “bucket list for years and we just never made it a priority. Could not quite cough up the $$$ to stay at
the Greenbriar so we are staying in this neat place right down the road. We are not the golf or horseback riding crowd
anyway. Then after our tour we are off
for a short visit with long- time friends in Lexington VA. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-72403386151333051472023-02-26T13:00:00.000-05:002023-02-26T13:00:11.224-05:00Gatlinburg Getaway <b>Tuesday February 22, 2023</b> <div><br /></div><div>We left home about 9 AM hoping to reach Gatlinburg and our 11 AM reservation at the Aquarium. We had made a reservation at the Greystone Lodge for a couple reasons. First it is located right beside the Aquarium and the Trolly Stop. We were hoping to do little if any driving in Gatlinburg. Second reason was a nostalgic one. We spent our honeymoon in 1964 in the original Greystone Lodge. The original Grey stone hotel was torn down when the Aquarium was built. Same location tho and there are numerous photos of the original building. It was one of the earliest hotels in the area. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Hh6VZw6PqlMcrHe-Ede2zqK2_hcnNDOBw-NSGLuoX9qF3i1iOyXwblmJca3YeZUKhnp7RBRIqJhfrwT8XFPrlbBmC0n_qL973MaFJd45-q-OCNzMSUBCZQ4I_mgVoOkmEtE_nL7_l4tOf8h2CIpWPVKlLCrZlFTeuk08roABhZGAzGxGfuW_gHeP/s4032/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Hh6VZw6PqlMcrHe-Ede2zqK2_hcnNDOBw-NSGLuoX9qF3i1iOyXwblmJca3YeZUKhnp7RBRIqJhfrwT8XFPrlbBmC0n_qL973MaFJd45-q-OCNzMSUBCZQ4I_mgVoOkmEtE_nL7_l4tOf8h2CIpWPVKlLCrZlFTeuk08roABhZGAzGxGfuW_gHeP/s320/IMG_0264.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Original Greystone Lodge where we stayed in 1964</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>We arrived and were able to check into our room, get parked and make it to the Aquarium within a few minutes of our reservation time. Traffic was light and the sun came out for a beautiful day as we drove into Gatlinburg from the Cosby Hiway (321 I think) off of the Interstate to Asheville. Had not been that way in a long time - in fact neither of us really recall our last trip to Gatlinburg. Jane thinks her last trip to the area was a Red Cross state meeting probably in the 1990's. We may have been back for a day trip for hiking more recently but it has been long enough there are few places that look the same. Ben thinks his last trips were hiking with some of his buddies probably also in the 1980's and 90's. </div><div><br /></div><div>We literally walked across the street to the entrance to the Aquarium. Surprised to see so many children - it was a Tuesday in February - Tuesday after President's Day but no school holidays that we are aware of...who knows. Crowded enough that we would not want to be visiting in the peak season for sure. </div><div><br /></div><div>Many nice exhibits. The shark tank was huge with numerous viewing locations above as well as from a tunnel through the water that allowed viewing to both sides and above. There was a moving walkway, or you could hop off it and walk along at your own pace. Pretty amazing to see the huge creatures right beside or above you. Several types of sharks including a sawtooth one and numerous other fish of all sizes. The staff were feeding the sharks from the sides of the tank but they did not seem to be very hungry. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtsHgr0-qKsn29SLnlbF4Vk-FOhJuhToBcRfH7Dbcs1PfNmbrv_SbEpHql7ik7hF7HWvd6bEC1VZnkF_Zv-w4cRcq06oNoLEib98559ZtpOye2PvJOVr8qJyyBuGXN0Ax81cVp52dCG_qWCZ2zdjMLibo4qMQs03dqrLBv3H0BWEnMWttTFj_uV2n/s4032/IMG_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGtsHgr0-qKsn29SLnlbF4Vk-FOhJuhToBcRfH7Dbcs1PfNmbrv_SbEpHql7ik7hF7HWvd6bEC1VZnkF_Zv-w4cRcq06oNoLEib98559ZtpOye2PvJOVr8qJyyBuGXN0Ax81cVp52dCG_qWCZ2zdjMLibo4qMQs03dqrLBv3H0BWEnMWttTFj_uV2n/s320/IMG_0235.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tunnel through the Shark Tank</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VSE-RBdk71_qqqfAbQUkTRw9KlTT4pb8ziYAmhhmqh-v9d19fszHqg0gUMyouNQe0HIzi-ABW1yDsBxJByUCzYbRYT9huQTPmDvEtytEAFWL14zHGL0vwTIK72N7pimxoyXjX2PF2A_lh7ip_9LlCxwiji381eWQBQu-2yAgrNicxe5rdj7FDIfR/s4032/IMG_0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VSE-RBdk71_qqqfAbQUkTRw9KlTT4pb8ziYAmhhmqh-v9d19fszHqg0gUMyouNQe0HIzi-ABW1yDsBxJByUCzYbRYT9huQTPmDvEtytEAFWL14zHGL0vwTIK72N7pimxoyXjX2PF2A_lh7ip_9LlCxwiji381eWQBQu-2yAgrNicxe5rdj7FDIfR/s320/IMG_0232.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shark</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYIN6pEHxyUv18TbWTea884MsLvBC6FWTgs-5uAdGJHcbLhZoksmO2D0TUgcgbhwTNUC3WrxvM_SFVbO8A9jmhx6haxtAR4ycMY6mlyB60GQd7fjPsak572pjX0ukuSuWmuCkGFTUcLy_ID6EMA1AeeABFOAIhZt7pMr1I0VTpqN2De5jv-vRgo15/s4032/IMG_0233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEYIN6pEHxyUv18TbWTea884MsLvBC6FWTgs-5uAdGJHcbLhZoksmO2D0TUgcgbhwTNUC3WrxvM_SFVbO8A9jmhx6haxtAR4ycMY6mlyB60GQd7fjPsak572pjX0ukuSuWmuCkGFTUcLy_ID6EMA1AeeABFOAIhZt7pMr1I0VTpqN2De5jv-vRgo15/s320/IMG_0233.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SawTooth Shark</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There were separate tanks for numerous varieties of sea life. There was another large tank with a variety of types of fish where we watched a diver feeding from a large tube - like a toothpaste tube - he squirted out the food and the fish swarmed him to eat it. Another large tank held many species of manta ray. They were beautiful to watch swimming.
We ate lunch in the snack bar - Jane had chicken tenders and Ben had a pretzel and a small pizza. Remarkably better than expected but certainly not great.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJO1QKM-U2cTUMkfKV2-NyTI2rNPF19s4ZAvkA5GHsWc5rsXxtlezzFHrjgnS-Noc4FW1vns-VTHeg_B79JM37FHcyWwynfRmlXYsi0Zt86I7hk4cWUeUk_jr8GHCtqKZWVRUHMCJiZ2R2iyF0Q6gVj_eTyt0SCYYUxMeg3b9AInnwUvcSXLNym_a/s4032/IMG_0226.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWJO1QKM-U2cTUMkfKV2-NyTI2rNPF19s4ZAvkA5GHsWc5rsXxtlezzFHrjgnS-Noc4FW1vns-VTHeg_B79JM37FHcyWwynfRmlXYsi0Zt86I7hk4cWUeUk_jr8GHCtqKZWVRUHMCJiZ2R2iyF0Q6gVj_eTyt0SCYYUxMeg3b9AInnwUvcSXLNym_a/s320/IMG_0226.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diver Feeding Fish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsd6bLZACAk7Ba4ZcbRPJOWvFw_iGhDGe3563hwPKnBR8rupY5DoWUEM9r-uUsq3oh-OC-OqLQ0MmqJmhscO-05lUrnXMeg2hA5-odAZXfFuIK-aDKKZPudtHjE_4q2FbJiIa_PWcdQc71hixnz-6CAc94caNkK7wCvssW7aM7djmYZHQTWvkdu_J/s4032/IMG_0222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsd6bLZACAk7Ba4ZcbRPJOWvFw_iGhDGe3563hwPKnBR8rupY5DoWUEM9r-uUsq3oh-OC-OqLQ0MmqJmhscO-05lUrnXMeg2hA5-odAZXfFuIK-aDKKZPudtHjE_4q2FbJiIa_PWcdQc71hixnz-6CAc94caNkK7wCvssW7aM7djmYZHQTWvkdu_J/s320/IMG_0222.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seahorse</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg_m9-HrPoA6OLyUZ90ZUQ35uP-X57CeNRsgii2CZjZeJtDJtXMDP6mfBu2lfplfIt3Q7OgxI1zGWOKRCM8R-xrJjOn-XDi69PSk6mLXXtimoDDzVCycG1Ycx_TMF8CNAVQPs8UpErD5JaP6MwWQ7odV_Ene5Z4OtdVENmHMBZztqs67PNbsE1vX6/s4032/IMG_0248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg_m9-HrPoA6OLyUZ90ZUQ35uP-X57CeNRsgii2CZjZeJtDJtXMDP6mfBu2lfplfIt3Q7OgxI1zGWOKRCM8R-xrJjOn-XDi69PSk6mLXXtimoDDzVCycG1Ycx_TMF8CNAVQPs8UpErD5JaP6MwWQ7odV_Ene5Z4OtdVENmHMBZztqs67PNbsE1vX6/s320/IMG_0248.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King Crabs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFv2nnmAKO69Ba6CpIyn7FbSlFGLQBi5XiDDWMlrMRrnmQLfzFbxXP8ekWsZ4dRFmZIvUnMrX8y0GCu11RY-qayb5WhsvmuGTUMidWvBIZWbP68e08Z7uNY3ahem35Q2MEuIzcVyO8HwWfg06CP1qLXH5p44OGmyC26KeAlWnGmLNUnZqaBjCl2uW/s4032/IMG_0239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFv2nnmAKO69Ba6CpIyn7FbSlFGLQBi5XiDDWMlrMRrnmQLfzFbxXP8ekWsZ4dRFmZIvUnMrX8y0GCu11RY-qayb5WhsvmuGTUMidWvBIZWbP68e08Z7uNY3ahem35Q2MEuIzcVyO8HwWfg06CP1qLXH5p44OGmyC26KeAlWnGmLNUnZqaBjCl2uW/s320/IMG_0239.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manta Rays</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> After lunch we found the penguins and numerous other displays. We made our way to a viewing spot to watch the Daily Penguin Waddle. Finally about 2:30 we called it a day and after wandering around and around found our way out of the place. Everything was nicely done except it was very difficult to find your way around. There were many exit signs but most led to emergency exits. A huge climbing structure/playground was in the center of the aquarium and connected all levels and there were numerous ramps but it was indeed quite a challenge to get out of the place! </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmboYXQQU8NYFC1M6ayR6obBK5OqNl7jBuSjGtbXpEXDFR1yQY3SC2RapiOXPLpeJn0syryVXlocYi5_mDgwJvUpwga-A54OpIGRiCRVR6HfHQH2i3s8mgQM45C5VL-J-p3OhoQJn6frl14rkpaUD0e0rSYl8Rsr4yw3APG99xQEcoaoLTaSOa5-8/s4032/IMG_0241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTmboYXQQU8NYFC1M6ayR6obBK5OqNl7jBuSjGtbXpEXDFR1yQY3SC2RapiOXPLpeJn0syryVXlocYi5_mDgwJvUpwga-A54OpIGRiCRVR6HfHQH2i3s8mgQM45C5VL-J-p3OhoQJn6frl14rkpaUD0e0rSYl8Rsr4yw3APG99xQEcoaoLTaSOa5-8/s320/IMG_0241.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAniLCa03hBWHmrrKGcQ-Kj-3bqW9JshlNxOcWDmS8TIouPzuoaZ5smkkFxacDRyzq2WW8vxDGtQ4eomjjNSzIX3S6AB0o2zKM7GP0L7lgpzDLESr3R1w3xqgoRLcLwGZT3_eAza8Vj0Nl__00h6kSIBBSKCOD2yhPL2-8WEiUPZTSZbmvCL4j_iXO/s4032/IMG_0244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAniLCa03hBWHmrrKGcQ-Kj-3bqW9JshlNxOcWDmS8TIouPzuoaZ5smkkFxacDRyzq2WW8vxDGtQ4eomjjNSzIX3S6AB0o2zKM7GP0L7lgpzDLESr3R1w3xqgoRLcLwGZT3_eAza8Vj0Nl__00h6kSIBBSKCOD2yhPL2-8WEiUPZTSZbmvCL4j_iXO/s320/IMG_0244.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penguin Waddle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We enjoyed the visit.
As we came outside the temperature has definitely nice - it was in the high 70's and we enjoyed some time in the sun on the patio of the Aquarium. We walked across a bridge to one of the side streets for Ben to buy some saltwater taffy.
The traffic was light so we drove through Gatlinburg to visit Sugarlands National Park visitor center. They were taking down the Christmas decorations along one side of the street. There were a few places we recognized - the original smokey mountain saltwater taffy location and a few restaurants that looked the same. LOTS of people walking for sure. Jane wanted a longsleeve chambray smokies shirt - not surprised they did not have one. Starting March 1, people who visit Smokey Mountain National Park will still not pay for entrance but will pay a parking fee. They were installing the permit machines at the visitor center.
Back at the hotel we selected a restaurant - we could see it from our porch over the creek but it was a .03 mile walk to get there because of the creek! Chesapeake Seafood was highly recommended and walkable so we made a reservation. Very nice restaurant - sleek and modern - Crab bisque was excellent and we shared a broiled seafood platter. We ate every bite of the shrimp, scallops, crabcake, and fish. All were cooked to perfection and even the crab cake which are not always good was very good. No way either of us could have eaten the entire order. Service was good and we would highly recommend this restaurant. I believe they have another location in Knoxville. We made it back to our hotel and ended our day with over 8,000 steps! </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7K5lA84llDbLp9IqgscT9i56hVXK1JxpkuQoH9jatQIXmx7jSoRxybt9R3kNjS_4Eee8akL2CfoJh8jxmXZh9wqS250wqlVQpwdX7F5sUbd0jadIRjhWVMBgcAZlsoP9Uh1duBWVupa1l54oh1PxoxfwQ95_pguV4hwc6cBPXlYvYX4K3JLQBp9UZ/s3221/IMG_0253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3221" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7K5lA84llDbLp9IqgscT9i56hVXK1JxpkuQoH9jatQIXmx7jSoRxybt9R3kNjS_4Eee8akL2CfoJh8jxmXZh9wqS250wqlVQpwdX7F5sUbd0jadIRjhWVMBgcAZlsoP9Uh1duBWVupa1l54oh1PxoxfwQ95_pguV4hwc6cBPXlYvYX4K3JLQBp9UZ/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our porch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYsR4qipOMYf0XBX36YHRoU_wJDDuhX5McCCcqmTMKHxWo4S0B9Ne1ByFWySsYneNj6ySgIOqm9i5uxcN1oaTlu67uROTgUTcn3lMHKPV_bJlMwx3ElDmVKPFFy2isI8Gqld2-NC-VT_b6UGQiXelP44L6Vr3IKxduwj-DluA4qs2A96TC5blYad4/s4032/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyYsR4qipOMYf0XBX36YHRoU_wJDDuhX5McCCcqmTMKHxWo4S0B9Ne1ByFWySsYneNj6ySgIOqm9i5uxcN1oaTlu67uROTgUTcn3lMHKPV_bJlMwx3ElDmVKPFFy2isI8Gqld2-NC-VT_b6UGQiXelP44L6Vr3IKxduwj-DluA4qs2A96TC5blYad4/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crab Bisque - forgot to photograph the seafood platter</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcdsJd-YD8YN0_suWcaoGXBxNczgkCLGuM-UYEwIw3ZUjoU5ce-flRTRUSCBE1amI8Iwa5sg06wz6_Jby3MVzWcLqeQpkCl0oHZf5YXrT8nKnCfri4AryKy1BFDA1Gj-CHBuVZ9tSBCvv8iVztJkdYOt6Lrp84J4LbCDezQzYpqACMitafax5DzRk/s4032/IMG_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcdsJd-YD8YN0_suWcaoGXBxNczgkCLGuM-UYEwIw3ZUjoU5ce-flRTRUSCBE1amI8Iwa5sg06wz6_Jby3MVzWcLqeQpkCl0oHZf5YXrT8nKnCfri4AryKy1BFDA1Gj-CHBuVZ9tSBCvv8iVztJkdYOt6Lrp84J4LbCDezQzYpqACMitafax5DzRk/s320/IMG_0258.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wednesday February 22, 2023</b></div><div><br /></div><div>After a good night's sleep, we enjoyed breakfast in the hotel. It was more than adequate with both hot and cold items to select from. We would recommend this hotel for a great location, clean, and nice porch over creek, good bed, can't think of any reason we would not stay again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div>We headed to Pigeon Forge to the Titanic Museum. We watched the movie a couple nights ago, so it was fresh in our mind. I can't imagine a fast food place, store, or entertainment activity that is not located along that main drag in Pigeon Forge - some more than once. Traffic was not heavy - it was only 9:45- but this is another place I would not want to be in the summer. The Museum was a class act. The owner was a leader on a mission to recover artifacts from the wreckage about 2 years after the initial discovery. This museum is their way to honor those who were lost in the accident that sank the Titanic. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisehpEzkHRx_pn9Mp3eW7MUXU8WTfIrbSz6EfEE32flRa6dg3Ji7X2rlnVDFF-Sru30lH6HMy9p1hG1TTGfC-VHXTrbWVYpm2OsLfz_PQAZrBblp-IwpSbqFqtZSaH-DtRzim_wnoC0ohF-3oEaILMVoSKNY-KgclHCmat2MJMEElS0Q3mo-RVFduZ/s4032/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisehpEzkHRx_pn9Mp3eW7MUXU8WTfIrbSz6EfEE32flRa6dg3Ji7X2rlnVDFF-Sru30lH6HMy9p1hG1TTGfC-VHXTrbWVYpm2OsLfz_PQAZrBblp-IwpSbqFqtZSaH-DtRzim_wnoC0ohF-3oEaILMVoSKNY-KgclHCmat2MJMEElS0Q3mo-RVFduZ/s320/IMG_0266.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entry to Titanic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qFYxElq03GKfiORBY2N34z36BEWHYA8Vmz8JE6YWX0thdRQb5duRJzru6mU0Nqr3UD5aAs0jU_Eymx70YqJ-2YQWbmexH2GBuHOiyC9wdaZjPOvB6bIbr6I-HwDCiizYszocE2Uo9FZGlMogmnuzToHspHGtqddKxH1q8gYinGhiW1Lr_CHjhCXl/s4032/IMG_0267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6qFYxElq03GKfiORBY2N34z36BEWHYA8Vmz8JE6YWX0thdRQb5duRJzru6mU0Nqr3UD5aAs0jU_Eymx70YqJ-2YQWbmexH2GBuHOiyC9wdaZjPOvB6bIbr6I-HwDCiizYszocE2Uo9FZGlMogmnuzToHspHGtqddKxH1q8gYinGhiW1Lr_CHjhCXl/s320/IMG_0267.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Replica of Window above Staircase</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4eWKpew4jP9xuf_wnnYB51FKeQqY9WQ3cUY9dBGH2MVu1Kf-GMtMvcMKVr1ENRWocjzSHMqaNlyamdZ4Fnn9KYWadj2ooeZAl3eF8yAP5zSF4WbeT0koIJRbwcONrnFHhmRvxVVRtsJkXE4QKE3foTIYERdNdRz_aeV_lgIrudZ4YG_ePzg4k6Bj/s4032/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4eWKpew4jP9xuf_wnnYB51FKeQqY9WQ3cUY9dBGH2MVu1Kf-GMtMvcMKVr1ENRWocjzSHMqaNlyamdZ4Fnn9KYWadj2ooeZAl3eF8yAP5zSF4WbeT0koIJRbwcONrnFHhmRvxVVRtsJkXE4QKE3foTIYERdNdRz_aeV_lgIrudZ4YG_ePzg4k6Bj/s320/IMG_0269.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Staircase </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCicmSaWLZ_oRcM9HPDfLHeMIS3LoWmUVaaN7uYG8qGQrDK_JhpIQxzRBF57Dftl3bvyHcZrPvKXXp10GyToETwY7J5wXfKPJrj3kHKJwdNnDJFfBAJAFI4oSiAOz1BX-ZCTKwTJCddeoN6bkY4vwlFwD9vZWSY5j3qKYARJE89nopVnQvmO7Hjd9/s4032/IMG_0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCicmSaWLZ_oRcM9HPDfLHeMIS3LoWmUVaaN7uYG8qGQrDK_JhpIQxzRBF57Dftl3bvyHcZrPvKXXp10GyToETwY7J5wXfKPJrj3kHKJwdNnDJFfBAJAFI4oSiAOz1BX-ZCTKwTJCddeoN6bkY4vwlFwD9vZWSY5j3qKYARJE89nopVnQvmO7Hjd9/s320/IMG_0274.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Really nice China</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghu-d9jGgfUKmTguwbjbaOSPNFNMC-gks-y-49L7o0NV1k05QNMGyRI1jWOCPw-NxLilWmNJfsEcQXeQEjvHa2j9o4nR7GZJ2lKmYR-1r0T1X-WU4O6tai7sEEnpTTacVm8vGluqHjeYH6PPwX47r44jDP07qyTJglw1ZHYEx-XncdDKPdRs-l5vFw/s4032/IMG_0275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghu-d9jGgfUKmTguwbjbaOSPNFNMC-gks-y-49L7o0NV1k05QNMGyRI1jWOCPw-NxLilWmNJfsEcQXeQEjvHa2j9o4nR7GZJ2lKmYR-1r0T1X-WU4O6tai7sEEnpTTacVm8vGluqHjeYH6PPwX47r44jDP07qyTJglw1ZHYEx-XncdDKPdRs-l5vFw/s320/IMG_0275.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ben steers the Titanic</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3-GAD6zDZxJ2n3WCMkcI9gXhb6pnA1jj4hTxJYjmPRm4dgH74XJhsGm86AAnKUasrcNou9Od_LeMX2SS_kcfX40DJDvZR3OvI4LBberf8kaQECQf-z9bHAsBGfgODmr9P_K4W5OupxOn9KiCpieSqnjJTEMu3XS6rWsPOoLMFuQZ0MdCTX4SHjMS/s4032/IMG_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3-GAD6zDZxJ2n3WCMkcI9gXhb6pnA1jj4hTxJYjmPRm4dgH74XJhsGm86AAnKUasrcNou9Od_LeMX2SS_kcfX40DJDvZR3OvI4LBberf8kaQECQf-z9bHAsBGfgODmr9P_K4W5OupxOn9KiCpieSqnjJTEMu3XS6rWsPOoLMFuQZ0MdCTX4SHjMS/s320/IMG_0276.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clear stars outside through the windows</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN82uiCmJAT32cZARfNX7-xKeYmLCyKH2fw6vX0VKQtg7KpyzmLmS3ahY6LQgVOkCCjFLtGwUJBqHXy4PR7JGdUtgseTABWZXvbCXWlwM0Z-mX_VYqMCMRO72evfqfQatloMgAw9AKgErMxib6c88Hl-GufElxmdxxgXY0skkm-0N56vGi-KU1tcPa/s4032/IMG_0277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN82uiCmJAT32cZARfNX7-xKeYmLCyKH2fw6vX0VKQtg7KpyzmLmS3ahY6LQgVOkCCjFLtGwUJBqHXy4PR7JGdUtgseTABWZXvbCXWlwM0Z-mX_VYqMCMRO72evfqfQatloMgAw9AKgErMxib6c88Hl-GufElxmdxxgXY0skkm-0N56vGi-KU1tcPa/s320/IMG_0277.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was COLD</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVRvhlUKnNkyxSBDOzuMzkslTWDcpsIoIhOs1ANAPbNoHnfM_NY-rNx2x6dKa6h4sXyrr9XVLdiShGdZWCwd43Ui11qvM9jTVMK1QQ8MKsJtoZ1jVlff1xX5MCoQ3OYGGYsLm_0ZzhSEjfJUKGz8LbPrsPnU-N7m5BN80u4w781cmuvCom7eXE5t_/s4032/IMG_0281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVRvhlUKnNkyxSBDOzuMzkslTWDcpsIoIhOs1ANAPbNoHnfM_NY-rNx2x6dKa6h4sXyrr9XVLdiShGdZWCwd43Ui11qvM9jTVMK1QQ8MKsJtoZ1jVlff1xX5MCoQ3OYGGYsLm_0ZzhSEjfJUKGz8LbPrsPnU-N7m5BN80u4w781cmuvCom7eXE5t_/s320/IMG_0281.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Titanic Model built from Legos by a young man from Iceland</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bubyka8ZFo9jZWi3chYDiqdO_5n6vguvSF3IJSJzc-W5XjL1FCnr9_Nx4zI0uYgaabwU5x_eHcCwZWmXZ_7QZWHxC0hQjP228chymeFKM4utzEw_aJtOhkGCQxwV1h24TRExX0DaOw3CDyh7SGaWhz0EmxpBx4JAaAbu92uWp-0BtVICERzJWaZn/s2636/my%20person%20on%20Titanic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1824" data-original-width="2636" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bubyka8ZFo9jZWi3chYDiqdO_5n6vguvSF3IJSJzc-W5XjL1FCnr9_Nx4zI0uYgaabwU5x_eHcCwZWmXZ_7QZWHxC0hQjP228chymeFKM4utzEw_aJtOhkGCQxwV1h24TRExX0DaOw3CDyh7SGaWhz0EmxpBx4JAaAbu92uWp-0BtVICERzJWaZn/s320/my%20person%20on%20Titanic.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was my identity on the Titanic, Ben had a staff member and he also lived. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>The museum includes artifacts from the wreckage, from survivors, interview of survivors, research from Ireland where the ship was built, and lots of experiences. You were given a card identifying one of the individuals on the ship - at the end you would discover if you lived or died. Luckily I lived. </div><div><br /></div><div>After our adventure on the Titanic, we ate lunch at a nearby Steak n Shake - not too exciting but it was good and we could not recall eating at one in the past. We had given some thought to spending an hour or so at the Outlet Mall but instead chose to just head home. Could not think of anything we really needed so just headed up I-81. We did stop at Yoder's Country Store at the Bulls Gap exit. Bought a few staples at really good prices and headed on home. Arrived about 4:00. Nice trip - perfect weather, good accommodations, good food, and the Aquarium and Titanic were worth the money and time. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-42805348377816369422022-05-03T14:01:00.003-04:002022-05-03T18:34:12.547-04:00Columbia SC to Home for Ben's 80th Birthday<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sunday, May 1, 2022 </b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Up after another good night's sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Comfort Inn Suites was one of the nicest
we have stayed in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quiet, comfortable beds, a nice sofa, and the
breakfast was good this morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1,000
times better than the Quality Inn on our way down – never again unless we are
very desperate will we choose one of that brand Choice Hotels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had a great idea – we brought the shrimp
and fish in and put in the freezer in our room for the night. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fish and 2 pounds of the shrimp had frozen
in the van freezer but the one in the room was much larger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything was frozen solid this
morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We pulled out of Columbia headed to
Spartanburg about 9:30. The day was a little overcast, but that is fine for
travel.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The miles clipped by, just past Spartanburg Jane spotted a
Strawberries sign and we stopped – bought a basket of beautiful red sweet
berries!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had thought we might stop at
the Farmer’s Market in Asheville, but this was much better – right out of the
field.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did stop at Trader Joe’s in
Asheville and Jane found some of what she wanted and as always, a few things
extra!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bought lunch fixin’s and we
stopped at the TN welcome center about 1:00 for a quick lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mountains around us were shrouded in
clouds and just as we were leaving it began to pour rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rained hard on us all the way to Johnson City
where it slacked off a little.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had
rained here when we got home but nothing like what we had over in the Erwin
area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Really nice trip with wonderful weather. Lots of relaxing
both on the beach and off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The food was
great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have finished writing for the
blog and will need to download photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since the magnet came off Ben’s phone just after we left home he
could not view Waze for navigating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So my
phone became the navigator phone…therefore not too many photos on this trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Got to get busy making Ben a strawberry pie
for his birthday supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Celebrating his
80<sup>th</sup> birthday!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbJgo0KmdKAYxhI-nlizdPWE7lIWZrNyjiXsB2KrCIfcuTLv7WY6_UieKOX-b1Po5PVXBT2ZAy-1hgRSB845uyowEPVRt9-IuJ9dLPCW7xNNBtPUWeH1t059W669qghfUGUeJqAGNryh6n0j1aKLnFmVEiWDgdYqZzBOQb8AGFJDARlqLc2fNqrNs/s4032/IMG_0371.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimbJgo0KmdKAYxhI-nlizdPWE7lIWZrNyjiXsB2KrCIfcuTLv7WY6_UieKOX-b1Po5PVXBT2ZAy-1hgRSB845uyowEPVRt9-IuJ9dLPCW7xNNBtPUWeH1t059W669qghfUGUeJqAGNryh6n0j1aKLnFmVEiWDgdYqZzBOQb8AGFJDARlqLc2fNqrNs/s320/IMG_0371.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-35717388299884130042022-05-03T13:58:00.002-04:002022-05-03T18:34:57.155-04:00Fernandina Beach to Columbia SC<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Saturday April 30, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Up for breakfast our last day here in Fernandina Beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We packed up and drove down to the beach for
our last time this trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another sunny
day – we could not have asked for any better weather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We stayed about 45 minutes and then headed
out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jane watching for the seafood shop
she had seen when we came into Yulee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Found
it and got 3 pounds of shrimp and two red drum filets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hope they will stay frozen in the van
refrigerator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have done this several
times with no problems; but Ben had to get a new battery and did not get quite
as large one as in past since we won’t be camping much.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Back on I-95 – the traffic was not too heavy and the road OK
in Florida and Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Several miles
out of Savannah there was a huge back up of traffic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turned out it was due to the bridge crossing
the Savannah River being 4 lane not 6 lane as the interstate had been in
Georgia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a difference in South Carolina
– pavement was in terrible shape with huge chunks of the sides of lane missing. The traffic remained very heavy all
the way to the intersection with I-26.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The highlight was a stop at Fuzzy’s Tacos near Hardeeville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a new chain and wow was it ever
good!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going to have to see where there
may be others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had all sorts of
tacos and Mexican dishes – even breakfasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwClSPxCBVn7Ak4hzr6ggaMdIjHA9Sc2Ejzjo7jOVHk9NcENkSgzQnEEKvnjHLpFRflw6ok29sCtSlQe-DvrKSIkcK5D9cw-7_qPAxtaGKuaRVcd_6oNu6BlX9m6FOBw2OPk390oqbteI6ue8M2h9ZRHIdfNuaDZ-2I5IX71xqDc3kFIfwatJMDTG/s4032/IMG_0369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLwClSPxCBVn7Ak4hzr6ggaMdIjHA9Sc2Ejzjo7jOVHk9NcENkSgzQnEEKvnjHLpFRflw6ok29sCtSlQe-DvrKSIkcK5D9cw-7_qPAxtaGKuaRVcd_6oNu6BlX9m6FOBw2OPk390oqbteI6ue8M2h9ZRHIdfNuaDZ-2I5IX71xqDc3kFIfwatJMDTG/s320/IMG_0369.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When we turned north up I-26 the road conditions and the
traffic improved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We quickly made it to
our Comfort Inn Suites north of Columbia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a strange area – we realized we had been here before when we
spent a night in Columbia; however, that time we were at the wrong Comfort
Inn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time we are right, but it is still a strange area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looks like it
just grew with no plan in mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are all sorts of stores, restaurants, and other businesses just built all over
the place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove nearby to a Denny’s
for some plain down home cooking. Country Fried Steak and Chicken Fried Chicken. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Time for finishing up blog writing, Trip
Advisor reviews, and catch up on a few emails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We watched Forest Gump on TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saw
it years ago but it was nice to view it again. <o:p></o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-53968960963063047382022-05-03T13:55:00.001-04:002022-05-03T18:32:06.684-04:00Another great day in Fernandina Beach <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Friday April 29, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another sunny and not quite as windy day – perfect beach
weather!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we have had little sun
exposure this year we take it in small chunks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This morning after breakfast and a little down time for email etc. we
headed to the beach with our trusty wagon and chairs about 10 and stayed until
11:15.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Putting on sun screen after half
an hour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were clouds off and on so
we felt we did not overdo it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Came back
to the room and changed for lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
tried a new place, Cedar River Seafood, about 2 miles away down the beach on a
side road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a regular old seafood restaurant
with good food and none of the trendy stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They did have fish tacos on the menu so I guess they do have some new things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had clam chowder and split a peel n’ eat
shrimp lunch special.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had great
hush puppies, slaw, and fried okra.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Very good</span> lunch and not heavy – that is a place we will enjoy going back to
on another trip.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After lunch a bit of reading and napping and then back to
the beach for some more sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have
dredged the sand here and some people were finding sharks teeth but we did not
find any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were some whole small
shells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More shells than I have seen at
beaches in a while – but not like in the old days. We only stayed about 45
minutes because the sun was very hot and even with sunscreen I was not
comfortable with any longer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
planning another short beach trip before we leave in the morning. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Showers and cleaned up to head out for our last seafood
dinner – we are going where Ben had wonderful oysters last year so I hope they maintain their reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is called
Down Under – under the huge bridge separating Amelia Island from the
mainland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very crowded place tonight… this is a huge
restaurant with 5 or 6 inside dining rooms and a large deck outside overlooking
the inland waterway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We sat inside but
could see the boats going by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had a
dozen oysters on half shell and I had Spicy Thai Shrimp which had a wonderful
coconut sauce over rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were glad we
came here again. Made our way back to the hotel again avoiding any of the Historic
Downtown area. The Shrimp Fest had not seemed to bother the business at Down
Under.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTsP7IBhmehRSY9sTtOniIZovFif9gwBOoTOOy-4QAH54fltz_HeHE3r6mFrrnvyjSwAtOkAK4M1stojUMs86AYuWLx9tljOo-vvVTjUBcwgHPmNZDGo8ffkA2ud9-2Aoihne_1gztNUkePCPsIoN-HTmdUlRATXg8Wej8yyWa29eAKR47wZgQwMP/s4032/IMG_0368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkTsP7IBhmehRSY9sTtOniIZovFif9gwBOoTOOy-4QAH54fltz_HeHE3r6mFrrnvyjSwAtOkAK4M1stojUMs86AYuWLx9tljOo-vvVTjUBcwgHPmNZDGo8ffkA2ud9-2Aoihne_1gztNUkePCPsIoN-HTmdUlRATXg8Wej8yyWa29eAKR47wZgQwMP/s320/IMG_0368.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Parking at Down Under</div></blockquote></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgibhoheK0KZ_5VE5kiUtmFneyiId0T-cS42hbJVYF66XA1w-wWcikwdQkHym15tyJzXGiZMhJ-DGrXBKaX5IuarzMCsg4l2sk14Spn1njcKn2xQhR8R9Mqw1oWwX9XNtWoHnQKxrn-PosqglEfLgMa4IRwrNCGwFg1UPYiA1GhGoGV-AQAwxQBKvx9/s4032/IMG_0367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgibhoheK0KZ_5VE5kiUtmFneyiId0T-cS42hbJVYF66XA1w-wWcikwdQkHym15tyJzXGiZMhJ-DGrXBKaX5IuarzMCsg4l2sk14Spn1njcKn2xQhR8R9Mqw1oWwX9XNtWoHnQKxrn-PosqglEfLgMa4IRwrNCGwFg1UPYiA1GhGoGV-AQAwxQBKvx9/s320/IMG_0367.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Oysters on half-shell</div></blockquote></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HaxUk1ZFz__0N9NSgaGUP_PKelr-fau3J9kwYnvEp2kjAibiLpzBBVRPIQIO8QiNqAOTRDmlfiriOI5melYkqGfjVSaxHxpwYLcoDxmoKvuPS6DZZCS44EO6bUQWURjuF3MDzikN8a40eVGEoz-WdETwF3_GMOh9Q_Y5kAmN9H8v2Aa4Y1E1Tbc_/s4032/IMG_0365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HaxUk1ZFz__0N9NSgaGUP_PKelr-fau3J9kwYnvEp2kjAibiLpzBBVRPIQIO8QiNqAOTRDmlfiriOI5melYkqGfjVSaxHxpwYLcoDxmoKvuPS6DZZCS44EO6bUQWURjuF3MDzikN8a40eVGEoz-WdETwF3_GMOh9Q_Y5kAmN9H8v2Aa4Y1E1Tbc_/s320/IMG_0365.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Spicy Thai Shrimp </p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-88626927607447058392022-05-03T13:51:00.002-04:002022-05-03T18:27:47.478-04:00Fernandina Beach <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Thursday April 28, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Slept well - beds in Comfort Inn’s are always great!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why we stay in them when we can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breakfast
was good – scrambled eggs, sausage and grits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We headed to the beach for some sun – nice sunny day but not too hot –
bit windy but we loaded our new chairs on the buggy and away we went down to a
great spot. Not too crowded at all but there are lots of people around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only small children as school is not out yet.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After about an hour we decided to call
it a morning since this was our first beach sun of the season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bad news – one of our brand new chairs had a
bolt break after Ben had been sitting in it about 15 minutes…well so much for Chinese
quality control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trip back to Walmart
later today for an exchange.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surf was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pretty high but sitting in the sun felt great.
<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNHPsxwNT5gZOI2vsIcHbc-xlIkVeRD1gBBDCrlbvGan4KAisP15W-BkkuoabVJN1QVTKnxEP59cCmrNXo-0CNGaFduG9rqUoWiks2eba7c-xhBqKVguDPDhXlRZy0w5KCfjZFQ1pViEqeMRfQFAH8y3wiM65aan7k7ZYUtWF6fckjquNcPKn9Gne/s4032/IMG_0357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNHPsxwNT5gZOI2vsIcHbc-xlIkVeRD1gBBDCrlbvGan4KAisP15W-BkkuoabVJN1QVTKnxEP59cCmrNXo-0CNGaFduG9rqUoWiks2eba7c-xhBqKVguDPDhXlRZy0w5KCfjZFQ1pViEqeMRfQFAH8y3wiM65aan7k7ZYUtWF6fckjquNcPKn9Gne/s320/IMG_0357.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG3NQwdCPd0RAIAUTFn1ig_Fb03JIoTj14XwWzPiZE1GlB0OjmVNQ87dEhzZDMP4mVfnAr-MssBgawUcDz5X2_PK2_cdF9bXNknjpb62oENs_AF7unbIUXvJUFMC36It05QKLTjJoejnUpfQ-nXpeS4gFz4dPRDP2AXZUj-GX5yNBri-u7CIpqeXH/s4032/IMG_0360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG3NQwdCPd0RAIAUTFn1ig_Fb03JIoTj14XwWzPiZE1GlB0OjmVNQ87dEhzZDMP4mVfnAr-MssBgawUcDz5X2_PK2_cdF9bXNknjpb62oENs_AF7unbIUXvJUFMC36It05QKLTjJoejnUpfQ-nXpeS4gFz4dPRDP2AXZUj-GX5yNBri-u7CIpqeXH/s320/IMG_0360.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Ben had selected a restaurant for lunch and about noon we drove
into Old town Fernandina Beach to Timioti’s Seafood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had a crab sandwich and Jane a Mahi
taco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben said the crab cake was the best - outside
of Maryland - he had ever had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an
order at the window and sit at picnic tables sort of place and met our needs
for lunch.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After lunch we headed to Walmart and they cheerfully took
back the defective chair and we got another one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sat in it for a while in the store before
buying it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s hope it is better
quality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finding quality American made
products on vacation at Walmart is not really possible so we will just hope
these last for several seasons at the beach.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Reading and a nap filled the few hours left of the
afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We headed back to Historic
Downtown Fernandina Beach and Wicked Bao for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This weekend is the Shrimp Festival – a huge
community celebration that is 50 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have not had a festival last 2 years so the community is really
pulling out all the stops this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
were signs all over about no parking in downtown area from Friday am until
Sunday night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing mentioned a parade
on Thursday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We planned this dinner to
avoid the weekend – well we almost avoided all the mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> F</span>inally by detouring around back streets, we found
Wicked Bao again and it was open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
enjoyed just like last year the Asian Street foods that this place does so
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It seemed to us the prices had gone up and the servings were
larger than last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had egg drop
soup, smashed cucumber salad, chicken satay, Indonesian chili shrimp, and crispy
pork chop rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The soup, Chili Shrimp
and Crispy Pork Chop Rice were the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The cucumber salad was a disappointment but everything else was
good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Other disappointment was they did
not have the grilled corn we loved last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After dinner the parade was still going
full force and we again had to work our way through back streets to find the
end of the mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This experience was
enough to convince us we were not up to coming to the festival tomorrow
night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The crowds and traffic were too much
for us – there is a golf cart shuttle from our hotel, but the walking would be
significant. The to and from the shuttle was blocks and blocks from the
center of the action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our avoidance of
crowds during COVID is also a reason to stay away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we will have no problem finding a good
dinner without battling this crowd to get some seafood cooked by the Rotary
Club or some other group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also
music and craft booths but not enough to entice us.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJjiXOXu5BCGYH6z2hxjJZiaBhKZBjyblg_kdX8tIWPrmdQ7cMHyAQFyNw3nyFOZIvSrGkBA3pCuSwpgdnzYSinlSN7TouGwlWJQnlvJiqDHRDMNxqH_wSDGcq30Jvh2OsyYcWJl0tZoUpdcsX-MlWzgPnf9ntZhoSdue9OvczKpvZBytIvXisHBR/s4032/IMG_0352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJjiXOXu5BCGYH6z2hxjJZiaBhKZBjyblg_kdX8tIWPrmdQ7cMHyAQFyNw3nyFOZIvSrGkBA3pCuSwpgdnzYSinlSN7TouGwlWJQnlvJiqDHRDMNxqH_wSDGcq30Jvh2OsyYcWJl0tZoUpdcsX-MlWzgPnf9ntZhoSdue9OvczKpvZBytIvXisHBR/s320/IMG_0352.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Smashed Cucumbers</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijit8lXP8rOWp5ecnpiktH-B1gPSO3tniJM4cXppv3-iyw4FOfQgPFmIDNM3IgSBacOLVjvwOSb-5Pfpe7eG2VWsk8-W0nJ5Sz8_HHw9ypFNXnatD7kr3uvyV6XyJOxXnkn9lBfCFBWZKLScuRBE9Y3vnjq362CGAkNw9YaHC-Ff_sAtrK-ah86Ppv/s4032/IMG_0353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijit8lXP8rOWp5ecnpiktH-B1gPSO3tniJM4cXppv3-iyw4FOfQgPFmIDNM3IgSBacOLVjvwOSb-5Pfpe7eG2VWsk8-W0nJ5Sz8_HHw9ypFNXnatD7kr3uvyV6XyJOxXnkn9lBfCFBWZKLScuRBE9Y3vnjq362CGAkNw9YaHC-Ff_sAtrK-ah86Ppv/s320/IMG_0353.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Satay</div></blockquote></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUU_cjE9E2r1WTO6qXAKpuCT7zy2EwgFt7v-yGID4IAYtL97Hh2Swsgusv3SbednV_ZezAUAtIYeVKvqgewLeFF2blUDJ9qXZmBWCkXYjWWhuPTi2T_oR1VXYXKOoSn7yxG4J2AEkq4FcxMHes9ZwPA4ISbHRuIxIU6SKIn6kong3IkjLN9h0NaCQV/s4032/IMG_0354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUU_cjE9E2r1WTO6qXAKpuCT7zy2EwgFt7v-yGID4IAYtL97Hh2Swsgusv3SbednV_ZezAUAtIYeVKvqgewLeFF2blUDJ9qXZmBWCkXYjWWhuPTi2T_oR1VXYXKOoSn7yxG4J2AEkq4FcxMHes9ZwPA4ISbHRuIxIU6SKIn6kong3IkjLN9h0NaCQV/s320/IMG_0354.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Egg Drop Soup</div></blockquote></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuatd58RC5yhnR66XriQgfM7iwS67D_x7BiEqtcS5ywu1TR9uAGY4pc3jk1O8k25jy6cnrEExWVf6TIyzP4O2_IuZSwaUHWYB1xD_fXoL2iADDtzCBoIFz6r6lIdGDGyCOwC3hiPlZyY38Bip_xYGJhRp2NjaGWCj3bxhUXKdcVzW4SnLQCAn858By/s4032/IMG_0355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuatd58RC5yhnR66XriQgfM7iwS67D_x7BiEqtcS5ywu1TR9uAGY4pc3jk1O8k25jy6cnrEExWVf6TIyzP4O2_IuZSwaUHWYB1xD_fXoL2iADDtzCBoIFz6r6lIdGDGyCOwC3hiPlZyY38Bip_xYGJhRp2NjaGWCj3bxhUXKdcVzW4SnLQCAn858By/s320/IMG_0355.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Indonesian Chili Shrimp </div></blockquote></div></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJBhhyFE5R8qaW0bzeDYb5tgcs3nu0HGUVCyaFMmc2qyEC03t1IPhveoT2DccZCaXTpvMTcJyWSAcFB0dzOYfwC2gjpvlScNThUU9Z01FAvJSu7Ze8jXVbq0VZKvMpxcNoHjH9Nj70xVmFN5Z2BSY2sJbzMt3XyPanXeClWdPGOPAOcuZwh26SmBX/s4032/IMG_0356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEJBhhyFE5R8qaW0bzeDYb5tgcs3nu0HGUVCyaFMmc2qyEC03t1IPhveoT2DccZCaXTpvMTcJyWSAcFB0dzOYfwC2gjpvlScNThUU9Z01FAvJSu7Ze8jXVbq0VZKvMpxcNoHjH9Nj70xVmFN5Z2BSY2sJbzMt3XyPanXeClWdPGOPAOcuZwh26SmBX/s320/IMG_0356.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Crispy Pork Chop Rice and Strawberry Sangria</p><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-42823851661060442652022-05-03T13:46:00.003-04:002022-05-03T18:20:50.543-04:00Moving on to Fernandina Beach FL <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Wednesday April 27, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Got up and back down the two flights of stairs for the last
time! The Riverview Hotel was lovely.
The staff were always cheerful and helpful.
The hotel was owned and run by the same family for nearly 100 years. It
was sold in 2019 and the new owners say they intend to maintain standards that uphold
the history of the place. The rooms are
very nice, everything worked. Comfortable
bed and quiet. You could wander from
your room into a sitting area on the second floor and go out on the wonderful
porch and watch the boats up and down the river. Sunday when we arrived the place was busy,
busy. Partly because of the Camden Days
festival but the weekdays were quieter. The
only two things that were negatives were the stairs and the breakfast. The breakfast was exactly as advertised – cereals,
fruit, pastry, yogurt, and juice. It was
fine for two days but by day three we opted for something more
substantial. We packed up and drove a
couple blocks to the Cedar Oak Café and had a great breakfast – biscuits and
gravy - Ben got his loaded – it came with 2 fried eggs and ham slices in among
the biscuits and gravy. Definitely a
substantial breakfast. Very tasty as
well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We headed south a few miles on I 95 to the Fernandina Beach
exit. We continued on to the Wal-Mart
where we found chairs and a little beach wagon.
We are now set for life with all the beach gear we could want! <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">It was too early to check in to the hotel, so we continued
down the beach a bit to Sliders where we sat outside under an umbrella and
enjoyed a great lunch. Jane a fish
sandwich and Ben an oyster po-boy. About
2 we headed back to our hotel and by the time we got unloaded we could check
in. The afternoon was spent doing the
vacation thing – resting from our very long day yesterday. Reading a book and catching up on emails. For dinner we walked a block to the Salt Life
Seafood Shack where we knew the seafood was excellent. We both had mahi mahi and could not have
asked for better. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKipKi4MZ37QFCOmWAqmRnvruZj4VtSpwAO6B0un-EpSBWCb-Egb60AOWICv4CWE5boB_etVk0U9KHWT-5SHsMYkMR2GNPrznLLud71zD3FTThCBMi5S6sFLfDS_UXOZpkfcvQ04U_1lheB5mVOaPjPw7pMywbS2-P-k-wPKaE8oBdFRF4Pe1jslI/s4032/IMG_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKipKi4MZ37QFCOmWAqmRnvruZj4VtSpwAO6B0un-EpSBWCb-Egb60AOWICv4CWE5boB_etVk0U9KHWT-5SHsMYkMR2GNPrznLLud71zD3FTThCBMi5S6sFLfDS_UXOZpkfcvQ04U_1lheB5mVOaPjPw7pMywbS2-P-k-wPKaE8oBdFRF4Pe1jslI/s320/IMG_0348.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ocean front lunch at Sliders</div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrZ6POoAbsleVkTAZYHQGJ1WDAgypKadt6v1xdk8MlN9ZdJUXX9CNObJnttI1SySAEx1v9xA9NYmFyFRusKcUsbrcwDgzORWxz3WotWQDo7y-7dobZnuMpld5rSMjIwiVqhf6UFwsV0B7ZrLFy_TG7nEAbXUeKWnfeCqblcfNiDWEjHBw3-scGFWO/s4032/IMG_0351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrZ6POoAbsleVkTAZYHQGJ1WDAgypKadt6v1xdk8MlN9ZdJUXX9CNObJnttI1SySAEx1v9xA9NYmFyFRusKcUsbrcwDgzORWxz3WotWQDo7y-7dobZnuMpld5rSMjIwiVqhf6UFwsV0B7ZrLFy_TG7nEAbXUeKWnfeCqblcfNiDWEjHBw3-scGFWO/s320/IMG_0351.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YcpgnNif2y3AAb5bL_G-q6NqL0SWHKykmSgrlCf2Renp4ui-vuHZ8S_Fl4VBwB6yIFxjkIYbKUpNlS_hxSyoHq4PQrYi1PJdfA759vEujrP0ESt3y5W74J4a7EY4ZJQCPGA79H1gaGJO_UWymt4Xk1Af1bP5Xaw6cmbqWCU0gMIbHCTl0xHTutiY/s4032/IMG_0350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YcpgnNif2y3AAb5bL_G-q6NqL0SWHKykmSgrlCf2Renp4ui-vuHZ8S_Fl4VBwB6yIFxjkIYbKUpNlS_hxSyoHq4PQrYi1PJdfA759vEujrP0ESt3y5W74J4a7EY4ZJQCPGA79H1gaGJO_UWymt4Xk1Af1bP5Xaw6cmbqWCU0gMIbHCTl0xHTutiY/s320/IMG_0350.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Two types of Mahi Mahi for dinner </p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-51374060967759002832022-05-03T13:43:00.001-04:002022-05-03T17:00:49.106-04:00Cumberland Island National Seashore<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><b>Tuesday April 26, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We were up before 7 to eat breakfast and
be across the street to check in for ferry at 8 AM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hotel packed us lunch so we picked
them up as we left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
got checked in and sat outside in the waiting area with an extra cup of
coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Weather was beautiful with not a
cloud in sight. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOopComVbuMLrZd4nvTJYMmBNtaByWEhHaPfcNo49NfUJTJwkiWXaqePo7ePUxtBxTdRnGX8hH2nAUHDrlX6fkEY9BBa1LeiymgiRcfOLwoLJo6LsQnvuiMaoOD86UUA3qRuK21cvaNgpVX6XKJ2FGskpBg2TCfIfAsX5qR7dqLgDfuSuPCpQ-zdH0/s4032/IMG_0275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOopComVbuMLrZd4nvTJYMmBNtaByWEhHaPfcNo49NfUJTJwkiWXaqePo7ePUxtBxTdRnGX8hH2nAUHDrlX6fkEY9BBa1LeiymgiRcfOLwoLJo6LsQnvuiMaoOD86UUA3qRuK21cvaNgpVX6XKJ2FGskpBg2TCfIfAsX5qR7dqLgDfuSuPCpQ-zdH0/s320/IMG_0275.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNs-EJ6J-CIDNhDicHiwGPjJWAdpR0EXP1GeXbcMMlNuIusA4T4Kh7ctWGHCnB7mDm4plLqrE-L5kRfDLBowsq9GPWv1Z3RjrH4e_STBTin8AsM7iMs2lBnY3VhB0sx6XJA-EhLEL7SR8BiAriGwEp_i8WzVG2SBj7_yC_V75Bop-uvonwBWqpDMt/s4032/IMG_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNs-EJ6J-CIDNhDicHiwGPjJWAdpR0EXP1GeXbcMMlNuIusA4T4Kh7ctWGHCnB7mDm4plLqrE-L5kRfDLBowsq9GPWv1Z3RjrH4e_STBTin8AsM7iMs2lBnY3VhB0sx6XJA-EhLEL7SR8BiAriGwEp_i8WzVG2SBj7_yC_V75Bop-uvonwBWqpDMt/s320/IMG_0280.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The ferry left right on time and within 10 minutes of departure
our tour guide found us and gave us the details for our tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There would be 20 of us on today’s tour
divided between 2 vans with 2 drivers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
ride over to Cumberland Island was smooth as glass with very little wind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived at first the dock at Dungeness and
then continued to Sea Camp Ranger Station where our vans awaited us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When everyone in our van introduced
themselves, it seemed strange to us everyone but us were fairly local – from Amelia
Island, St. Mary's, and Jacksonville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjEqRBqL-5VyL-RTF8Ft7uQIXCF1oPGHYbN682sMNqqZRNbz1SmayOM2bCKcpa6xI4zpZee20NO2ZSDAGU3zghJdXDlLxc9K8Jf5YRYuSqQ3UvYjfLB44zmPmaSZPguFlUAX3tPrb95xKb3duM7okPCv163DPHhdZbhIXmfGteZMDyWjPW5CUwPG8/s4032/IMG_0286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVjEqRBqL-5VyL-RTF8Ft7uQIXCF1oPGHYbN682sMNqqZRNbz1SmayOM2bCKcpa6xI4zpZee20NO2ZSDAGU3zghJdXDlLxc9K8Jf5YRYuSqQ3UvYjfLB44zmPmaSZPguFlUAX3tPrb95xKb3duM7okPCv163DPHhdZbhIXmfGteZMDyWjPW5CUwPG8/s320/IMG_0286.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We started north up the main road towards
the north end of the island where we would visit the Settlement, location of
the small church where John Kennedy Jr. was married, and then return to Plum
Orchard for lunch and a tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the
tour we would end the afternoon on the southern end of the island at Dungeness
to be at the ferry at 4:00.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The island was much as we
remembered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of palms, oaks, and Spanish
moss and of course the sandy bumpy road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA-T1WD_4OEpVc9q1vYsjj_cZ8uxjHfx_0nH1SriLRykM384A5bYsd3dPKK0pCPK-y2BNLZy2geZU-Le_tTXz1RC5pXMEP3UGyginCG3o8TgpZiQ9JFlnycOMt2IGgaV_dQhJiVeVt5hvxXKq5NISrxKkisGzQyom5x63hzfPlbEjXnbAzBsswGi5/s4032/IMG_0287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCA-T1WD_4OEpVc9q1vYsjj_cZ8uxjHfx_0nH1SriLRykM384A5bYsd3dPKK0pCPK-y2BNLZy2geZU-Le_tTXz1RC5pXMEP3UGyginCG3o8TgpZiQ9JFlnycOMt2IGgaV_dQhJiVeVt5hvxXKq5NISrxKkisGzQyom5x63hzfPlbEjXnbAzBsswGi5/s320/IMG_0287.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcl7PJHIgQlvJrO4kTHu5rnia9h3TtZXuPdeEFXEGfhEf2niMNU-uScnaGgPImiF3V-aQ2RQzFqMhEzdX-emymIIAraxdlLViALUAYtf5WbfBcVHNfSis1FGGw1bX2SGG1g-DDR88gy-ptwS4TXFvox-PxTNvaEbfgxLrE_B1FYL9RVtEikR_TGgpj/s4032/IMG_0292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcl7PJHIgQlvJrO4kTHu5rnia9h3TtZXuPdeEFXEGfhEf2niMNU-uScnaGgPImiF3V-aQ2RQzFqMhEzdX-emymIIAraxdlLViALUAYtf5WbfBcVHNfSis1FGGw1bX2SGG1g-DDR88gy-ptwS4TXFvox-PxTNvaEbfgxLrE_B1FYL9RVtEikR_TGgpj/s320/IMG_0292.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii10wGWygZsCabT9fIPD0CTuqZJZ5Hnv9-WNzU4ES7sDy405tR-lCe8FDSeCtNByQm8S2YBZzmxU4i1sxpBEbmSeFzGGo0wHT8Xxf3ec-KugUk0KnVJ-5Z8bvqZQW8COfUU66PhpJRs9XqrjbYui_HMpscIFo1N7IilCme-KNs3I8EPXG8kMziCcx4/s4032/IMG_0293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii10wGWygZsCabT9fIPD0CTuqZJZ5Hnv9-WNzU4ES7sDy405tR-lCe8FDSeCtNByQm8S2YBZzmxU4i1sxpBEbmSeFzGGo0wHT8Xxf3ec-KugUk0KnVJ-5Z8bvqZQW8COfUU66PhpJRs9XqrjbYui_HMpscIFo1N7IilCme-KNs3I8EPXG8kMziCcx4/s320/IMG_0293.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Our driver/tour guide gave a running commentary of the history of the
island from the earliest Indian population, through the Spanish, and the early
settlers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nathanial Greene of Revolutionary
War fame was given property on the southern end of Cumberland Island and built
the first Dungeness there soon after the war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were numerous other early settlers and plantation owners – most notable
Robert Stafford - Stafford’s Beach - There were stories to tell about each
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We searched for wildlife – no alligators, no pigs, no bob cats, but lots of wild horses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do not recall wild horses from previous
trips, but they must have been here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
interesting thing about the management of the horses here as opposed to those at
<span style="background: white; color: #444444;">Assateague Island</span></span> in
the Chesapeake Bay area – here they are truly wild – no medical care, feeding,
etc. as takes place in Virginia. Once a year a group comes to the island and
does a head count – it is really an educated guess – this past year they
estimated 120 -150 horses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw many
in all locations and got some photos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, several new colts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The Settlement on the northern end of the
island – was where the black residents built their homes after the end of the
Civil War.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were given their freedom
and some small parcels of land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
took leftover wood and other building materials from the plantations and built
their own homes and the small church that also served as a school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of his desire for complete privacy
for his wedding and his friendship with the owner/operator of Greyfield Inn –
located on Cumberland Island and operating as - a Bed and Breakfast – Kennedy chose
Cumberland Island for his wedding. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
small chapel had hand made pews and a small alter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No power at all so the only lighting for the
wedding held at dusk was from candles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most
of the wedding party stayed at Greyfield Inn. Others stayed as guests of other
home owners on the Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notably the Chandler
family (Coca Cola) who own a large home on the northern tip of the Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
tour guide knew lots of details to share about how the wedding party made it
around the island which was basically closed down for the day of the wedding. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZ2Y3HorUkPPMCVHygxOrqIrPnbvZ9Q95cLBB1MVRsEZGRPV2MVxu_sl3tU5yhgJfZwtiFerP_8iBqiYi_syvzdtHYClAQqjBKgKwCKSloE6-X8A4e4RAFnTmtoZwvHrxROqjoevRfc1NilMps4WVn_kZdOzW6-xdeiDJ9BQwPVIMWApEiqFzZviy/s4032/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZ2Y3HorUkPPMCVHygxOrqIrPnbvZ9Q95cLBB1MVRsEZGRPV2MVxu_sl3tU5yhgJfZwtiFerP_8iBqiYi_syvzdtHYClAQqjBKgKwCKSloE6-X8A4e4RAFnTmtoZwvHrxROqjoevRfc1NilMps4WVn_kZdOzW6-xdeiDJ9BQwPVIMWApEiqFzZviy/s320/IMG_0295.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXIuRJPUzSSg0c_41p2AFDrfLeUkYhAYADhv7rFtqoESxZ-KQBxCTjsRfEDfmXfRh2kMjw1FUnAXi56oQCBXNrtUqajuGpQmwBLFUrKWZhIPuMLyCgImdIxUEW2-UPrtpuV2Prmf1wwI7tCEciYd1qnCmDy775OevK4pnURKF1IeKlEgKjNS1j5gB/s4032/IMG_0306.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeXIuRJPUzSSg0c_41p2AFDrfLeUkYhAYADhv7rFtqoESxZ-KQBxCTjsRfEDfmXfRh2kMjw1FUnAXi56oQCBXNrtUqajuGpQmwBLFUrKWZhIPuMLyCgImdIxUEW2-UPrtpuV2Prmf1wwI7tCEciYd1qnCmDy775OevK4pnURKF1IeKlEgKjNS1j5gB/s320/IMG_0306.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGieLWhOD7MVnCfrGrmwfquzH9bWesd_lRAr-ocIR7WW15mAf2uBnzH6AD08xQooHYJ6qoIX17vdesQhXU8dDssA6ASM58qA8_ePS5bazs7wIIwP-b8iInAZdKAeXx_x_7wUkC8sM3ap4wpg9qob1P5-b3PkrQ1HsRoj_4Wk1XxhQgz0PYvf0Nl_W/s4032/IMG_0307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGieLWhOD7MVnCfrGrmwfquzH9bWesd_lRAr-ocIR7WW15mAf2uBnzH6AD08xQooHYJ6qoIX17vdesQhXU8dDssA6ASM58qA8_ePS5bazs7wIIwP-b8iInAZdKAeXx_x_7wUkC8sM3ap4wpg9qob1P5-b3PkrQ1HsRoj_4Wk1XxhQgz0PYvf0Nl_W/s320/IMG_0307.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY_tEauS6FStfwGd6c-3Bjy9p2O7XYqFqOW_PJL_oqReKDe8cTNjMR4RjPq-N0Ewa7dLIpJRBSjOSitsJI25Olpy5RaGG_XKVXCsZBMXaJlsyGqeYIm7i6NUR26UAs7YWxBYO1GC5oHooS_vGt-zN36q8hxiPdpxQwFcB7F9I6WI071AtQLWpeMGD/s4032/IMG_0308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPY_tEauS6FStfwGd6c-3Bjy9p2O7XYqFqOW_PJL_oqReKDe8cTNjMR4RjPq-N0Ewa7dLIpJRBSjOSitsJI25Olpy5RaGG_XKVXCsZBMXaJlsyGqeYIm7i6NUR26UAs7YWxBYO1GC5oHooS_vGt-zN36q8hxiPdpxQwFcB7F9I6WI071AtQLWpeMGD/s320/IMG_0308.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Ben, guide Jada and our group with the van</p></blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Also located in this area of the island
was the home of environmental activist – Carol Ruckdeschel – whose website is
wildcumberland.org.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has lived on
Cumberland Island for nearly 40 years an is very much dedicated to keeping Cumberland
Island as pristine and in saving the land and animals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her home is near the settlement and neither
of us could remember how she was able to live on the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some days she chooses to come out and speak
with the tour groups but today was not one of those days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsLeoJsSUunM5NPiil38194Ttj-sOzEVWGmchHbepVIPbHICoAL36JlaOPdCn0wHpPqDoEm4uiDfo5rUKUkcgSRIlMaB7fvZzG_XDCLFzLccit_9vJDSzSp91LxNzti8geeVlD33eZ87nlhDvlXKus03Xf8NsT3RvNh55BRpLGdoNrRYYjwkwZWPT/s4032/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAsLeoJsSUunM5NPiil38194Ttj-sOzEVWGmchHbepVIPbHICoAL36JlaOPdCn0wHpPqDoEm4uiDfo5rUKUkcgSRIlMaB7fvZzG_XDCLFzLccit_9vJDSzSp91LxNzti8geeVlD33eZ87nlhDvlXKus03Xf8NsT3RvNh55BRpLGdoNrRYYjwkwZWPT/s320/IMG_0302.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">From the northern part of the island we
were able to see the bridge to St. Simon Island from Brunswick. The paper
mill in Brunswick was also quite visible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After this brief stop for this view to the north we began our trip back
towards Plum Orchard. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsplS1FKCAbkVqmPrcPs_wB-G1CchUweKDFB17UP8Oew1-eV7A9NestD-AgS968Fe2VCGDPRrP8OF7IVB46Cg0sMoGZLVudwfwm92_oCpOc-MynZvaDa2MXyGQsvvvzCPS8bkmmpHNkdw_ncYR91ZKhQp9UyCEPTvWgiyHBlvMA_b2NjW-r-GmMZt/s4032/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsplS1FKCAbkVqmPrcPs_wB-G1CchUweKDFB17UP8Oew1-eV7A9NestD-AgS968Fe2VCGDPRrP8OF7IVB46Cg0sMoGZLVudwfwm92_oCpOc-MynZvaDa2MXyGQsvvvzCPS8bkmmpHNkdw_ncYR91ZKhQp9UyCEPTvWgiyHBlvMA_b2NjW-r-GmMZt/s320/IMG_0311.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Beach to the north - sound side </span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We remembered Plum Orchard from our
backpacking trip there back in the mid 80’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Much restoration work has taken place since then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of the several plantation homes built by
the Carnegie family during the Gilded Age – this one in 1898. Plum Orchard
rivals Biltmore which it turns out was built two years later in Asheville by
the Vanderbilts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This mansion is less lavishly furnished as the
Carnegie family took many of the furnishing with them when the island,
buildings, and contents were given to the government. The parents had included
in their will that all the children must agree on the disposition of the property
on Cumberland when they needed to find a final owner for the property.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally in 1927 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>an agreement was signed between the Carnegie
family and the National Park Service. Certain locations on the island still
serving as homes for some of the Carnegie and Chandler families. In total over
90% of the island is managed by the Park Service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnALneIHwQwPbsABDhKcombTcGXjy_GgUjMcsq-fB1vO9uzUi77LnH-nBlcLULgFJHbd1BSJQo15tO9NIowsoWCzOPU4Y4BXumh61yDo7VwYktAwpvFs7GMrY4XGp1M2Ua5jg3EOqZKImvrSSet4BPbH8lGn8r-mM_Swq4HaHlNy2RLXJheqwZ49C/s4032/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKnALneIHwQwPbsABDhKcombTcGXjy_GgUjMcsq-fB1vO9uzUi77LnH-nBlcLULgFJHbd1BSJQo15tO9NIowsoWCzOPU4Y4BXumh61yDo7VwYktAwpvFs7GMrY4XGp1M2Ua5jg3EOqZKImvrSSet4BPbH8lGn8r-mM_Swq4HaHlNy2RLXJheqwZ49C/s320/IMG_0317.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Area where we had lunch </span></div><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3kY41JMCTg0Xz5nTnMqaWaUrO3LuVIWvx6HreJFlYVkcZVEh6CbEYrhvv6ICxeDeiOPgtNACHULQvHMafVGUT3X7uHRcU-UrcuxQsn1BrWYYTDiPo0P1rFUhCzZxrqvdgywNqOmSnW_wytv2NQi1bXRQ7iFeasGy58JnsZpxZRIYlZP26lZDnWZw/s4032/IMG_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy3kY41JMCTg0Xz5nTnMqaWaUrO3LuVIWvx6HreJFlYVkcZVEh6CbEYrhvv6ICxeDeiOPgtNACHULQvHMafVGUT3X7uHRcU-UrcuxQsn1BrWYYTDiPo0P1rFUhCzZxrqvdgywNqOmSnW_wytv2NQi1bXRQ7iFeasGy58JnsZpxZRIYlZP26lZDnWZw/s320/IMG_0320.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEdpWofesQZypMGYytmjE5ZQhQXtfw8b8-9RBfaYRQtiUKpsgay_F857wCKCYHMEwaK0ItOImP6v2ji514iXWM7P0655f6iDwiHKZSqZg-fBoRScCbR3RX4OZDmg_2zu-TGAxC3HgRmrMVtZwtbhFK9hHYpTBuHRgXdqIwhNsrYv9qcFt-WAXBw2r/s4032/IMG_0321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEdpWofesQZypMGYytmjE5ZQhQXtfw8b8-9RBfaYRQtiUKpsgay_F857wCKCYHMEwaK0ItOImP6v2ji514iXWM7P0655f6iDwiHKZSqZg-fBoRScCbR3RX4OZDmg_2zu-TGAxC3HgRmrMVtZwtbhFK9hHYpTBuHRgXdqIwhNsrYv9qcFt-WAXBw2r/s320/IMG_0321.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmKFDMYKUIB1dnM9US3bUme1nc7CjKBW_Xp8ZOfBSsRvtKQOpRkNtfi4EyNwsog-xWR89vdVSRhG1KHbE6N-nAnXk7Fl9aYXRiTMWdda6TnRAovHdO2WHUGvCKnKF7c1OpsAvKvQPW40BHXVq6EDr5lkI2cTcbDmmh5zIKbzs9BPGwnfseIDB_Wtj/s4032/IMG_0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnmKFDMYKUIB1dnM9US3bUme1nc7CjKBW_Xp8ZOfBSsRvtKQOpRkNtfi4EyNwsog-xWR89vdVSRhG1KHbE6N-nAnXk7Fl9aYXRiTMWdda6TnRAovHdO2WHUGvCKnKF7c1OpsAvKvQPW40BHXVq6EDr5lkI2cTcbDmmh5zIKbzs9BPGwnfseIDB_Wtj/s320/IMG_0319.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhgmC-nOu222NwXnKYeLG_iG-ZfmSyZxS387uzTQTKuEPfz7W8vDDUWRPTiPQ6s5f7X_LQLEFdX4qn77r8i2YdvyE3zN-0yta900PhCfvNyzcAzmuPJ_MqFLLfo7XhUtNDYtYm3f1zabGeR6bx7WahLW8pwL4_n6bFkLShZps9SDBfZVSt205m_jN/s4032/IMG_0333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhgmC-nOu222NwXnKYeLG_iG-ZfmSyZxS387uzTQTKuEPfz7W8vDDUWRPTiPQ6s5f7X_LQLEFdX4qn77r8i2YdvyE3zN-0yta900PhCfvNyzcAzmuPJ_MqFLLfo7XhUtNDYtYm3f1zabGeR6bx7WahLW8pwL4_n6bFkLShZps9SDBfZVSt205m_jN/s320/IMG_0333.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Indoor Swimming Pool </div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Plum Orchard is a 2,400 square foot
mansion including living rooms, dining room, huge kitchen area, a gun room, numerous
bedrooms and bathrooms, a children’s wing, servants quarters, an ice machine, a
huge ice box, a squash court with viewing balcony, and an indoor swimming pool.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of stairs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were definitely the slowest of the group
but made it up and down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Park
Service spent 1 million dollars to repair the roof during the COVID pandemic
when several leaks were causing damage to the interior of the building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">We had our lunch at picnic tables
scattered under the live oaks around the grounds at Plum Orchard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We enjoyed chatting with a couple in the
other half of the tour who were from Hilton Head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The hotel had packed a nice lunch – ham sandwiches,
chips, a banana and drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">General comments on people on the island –
there were numerous people on bikes – at least 20 on our ferry trip back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw several vehicles – park service
repair crews, another seemed to be a couple folks doing some sort of assessment
of the bridges on the main road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw
a few hikers on the main road but not many.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSlEaDk9XU1tC5fYo2ipk-j1hDnGR6FnWag4cnX27Qwv8th8LNf28jEzBQDBG1J2iqYKg0IlaF_Y_UYnaw-SzBVEWBjzMyuuhwXoJp8dPEs2pROoIv5SoMLQTP9IrQd79WwlxV7ytIvao1uqkCb1F9n4_UG-z90mtQUx1bAhQM2r74BMstNLpBXoM/s4032/IMG_0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsSlEaDk9XU1tC5fYo2ipk-j1hDnGR6FnWag4cnX27Qwv8th8LNf28jEzBQDBG1J2iqYKg0IlaF_Y_UYnaw-SzBVEWBjzMyuuhwXoJp8dPEs2pROoIv5SoMLQTP9IrQd79WwlxV7ytIvao1uqkCb1F9n4_UG-z90mtQUx1bAhQM2r74BMstNLpBXoM/s320/IMG_0314.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></span></div><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">My view from inside van </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Dungeness Ruins were pretty much as
remembered – but I remembered it being darker - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it was located in a sunny field not under
canopy of oaks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many horses
about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
mansion - the primary home of the Carnegie family burned in 1959.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story goes
that a poacher had been shot by the caretaker and spent many weeks in the
hospital recovering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was angry and
knew what part of the year the mansion stood vacant – he traveled over to the
island and set fire to the mansion due to his anger at the Carnegie’s. There
had been no witnesses to his setting the fire and he could never be charged for the arson. It was said that he bragged about his deed to many. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Most of the outbuildings for the
plantation were still standing and in good condition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t recall seeing or reading about any of
them on the previous visits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is
also a large family cemetery where most of the Carnegie family is buried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is a new museum near the Dungeness ferry landing. We did not however have time
to see it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A trip over on the ferry to the Dungeness landing, walking
around Dungeness and seeing the museum might be a future trip. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ch68EJjEd-alWPCuSG8goHRzRA03rkROhTofIxTK4I9IixyCRwuLqPRU0w-eHhi0fSyRz7kEOSTJtEBe9tABYreHN05erOSllfBahtJIfpVicf2fNewdDa7ndSyDQuvtXY9EkkLE9_MSJf_i70GPHu1yoiyLd9ASlfwOew1a_awrtk5K9QaVq7Lo/s4032/IMG_0341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ch68EJjEd-alWPCuSG8goHRzRA03rkROhTofIxTK4I9IixyCRwuLqPRU0w-eHhi0fSyRz7kEOSTJtEBe9tABYreHN05erOSllfBahtJIfpVicf2fNewdDa7ndSyDQuvtXY9EkkLE9_MSJf_i70GPHu1yoiyLd9ASlfwOew1a_awrtk5K9QaVq7Lo/s320/IMG_0341.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">We drove back to Sea Camp Ranger Station for
the return ferry to St. Mary’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tour
was interesting and we learned much history that I had certainly not known
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We loved the remoteness and beauty
of the island, but had only a limited knowledge of all the history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of that remoteness is still there – however,
I believe more people are there than when we visited about 30 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going to have to research exactly when we
came.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had made at least 6 trips to
the island – most of them with the scouts.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The ride back was a bit rougher with wind
and high tide, but it was still fairly smooth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We ate dinner at the Riverview Café opposite the Park Service
office.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we reached the end of our day – we had
walked 12, 500 steps!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a record since
Jane has had her FitBit!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-75090573476904244502022-05-03T13:23:00.006-04:002022-05-03T16:45:33.708-04:00St. Mary's Georgia - a day of rest<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Monday April 25, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This was a planned down day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After Ben drove for two days, he wanted a day to do nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was the place to do it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did forget one thing – our folding chairs
– so we made a run to the local Wal-Mart, CVS, and Dollar Store looking for
cheap light weight chairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NO luck –
everything was heavy steel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess they
need to make them strong to hold up all the overweight people… bought
nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe later we will find
something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we drove around a little
and ended up back in downtown St. Mary’s and visited the Park Service Office to
check on time etc. for the ferry and tour tomorrow. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ate lunch at a saloon type place recommended
by a park ranger as nearby place for lunch – Jane’s hamburger was good but Ben’s Chowder and Grilled
Cheese – chowder good – grilled cheese burned on one side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He complained and got it taken off the
bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM4p91PvQFt0Py07Kx8NoGJ1r-SmBDHwXBw3wrcEUIpvLDizFO_6-A_9P6N2xEBpMFeQ1AMdTt61R7TBLldRYF-Xsvjzp5dNwEDpB3747QuHR9NoZGF9Xf_M7YEtSpoPRa0_HTUkpjsMQb5fKRCINw6I6OoFlnPU3BT3ZbOPMha4BVG1MoHNbifT5/s4032/IMG_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAM4p91PvQFt0Py07Kx8NoGJ1r-SmBDHwXBw3wrcEUIpvLDizFO_6-A_9P6N2xEBpMFeQ1AMdTt61R7TBLldRYF-Xsvjzp5dNwEDpB3747QuHR9NoZGF9Xf_M7YEtSpoPRa0_HTUkpjsMQb5fKRCINw6I6OoFlnPU3BT3ZbOPMha4BVG1MoHNbifT5/s320/IMG_0258.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Palms just beginning to leaf out</p></blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidli6PFeAGnxZoEH6sL1P0EIc_JbrbbVLjEiviRX1Z_YZtr29j285ffm84S9u7X7bmlsYL9mf8t3XlOsWvrVQC3oW_9eQzpiT87PGFo8BNHr1DpNnDCqKfppIAiowSBVaSfjBUOsjYSF4Vx5FhCdt-3WzAWsFmQ1AW7PO8-GOKP0uGqimpZHPn8Ua/s4032/IMG_0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhidli6PFeAGnxZoEH6sL1P0EIc_JbrbbVLjEiviRX1Z_YZtr29j285ffm84S9u7X7bmlsYL9mf8t3XlOsWvrVQC3oW_9eQzpiT87PGFo8BNHr1DpNnDCqKfppIAiowSBVaSfjBUOsjYSF4Vx5FhCdt-3WzAWsFmQ1AW7PO8-GOKP0uGqimpZHPn8Ua/s320/IMG_0262.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Good Burger and Sweet Potato Fries</p></blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fzRfaI6X5jzw07XafkuICXQ1wfeKvYSjE3njZaOys9rOzVlbz4VNMvof3hg8225X_A3b0XH7JMm6hsu_qqnNltzq6hRo7EvfqO1lSU9lxO7B1K7vJ1SjKuj47lut5QWQx8CLuy7W_qHcQmjqLKs1wE9lSYx7idfmwodzhpNGWJkZ3bhTOuMkrpQr/s4032/IMG_0263.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fzRfaI6X5jzw07XafkuICXQ1wfeKvYSjE3njZaOys9rOzVlbz4VNMvof3hg8225X_A3b0XH7JMm6hsu_qqnNltzq6hRo7EvfqO1lSU9lxO7B1K7vJ1SjKuj47lut5QWQx8CLuy7W_qHcQmjqLKs1wE9lSYx7idfmwodzhpNGWJkZ3bhTOuMkrpQr/s320/IMG_0263.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Good Chowder but Bad Grilled Cheese </p></blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After lunch we checked out the new Park Service Museum – very
nicely done with the history of the Island and lots of artifacts from the past
– Indians, through Revolutionary and Civil Wars and then the Gilded Age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcR-UgOVDXJjCofT1N_09CLW0WmsNYJSLgDJAvOr3IbVFRQLx_C-Ff-TDeZzOXLAjn8OE970YBo3C1qt6eoAw4AprG2Zm_runu2U7aoZhgZMytjInCDTwClucygOkt9V0QqgN5dOQVWGMk_kW8813iuiNQhHhpdeVdcDnLGWoKwB736OgnwdTVG9-/s4032/IMG_0269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcR-UgOVDXJjCofT1N_09CLW0WmsNYJSLgDJAvOr3IbVFRQLx_C-Ff-TDeZzOXLAjn8OE970YBo3C1qt6eoAw4AprG2Zm_runu2U7aoZhgZMytjInCDTwClucygOkt9V0QqgN5dOQVWGMk_kW8813iuiNQhHhpdeVdcDnLGWoKwB736OgnwdTVG9-/s320/IMG_0269.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"></blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PQLpDF1jyKVuXadn9dQ5LeNGKd8DaFdslu9Ja93YMdRhjyq_eXb7WhoCM4FotfaaK429-AXrbLR8xU7NpQscaa-xQSaDnCZNM54A8acnxBUWKRv2RmJnSHxxqqZWsiDaZ2qUTA9tBa5DFg3IuxCgU74FErRehc3Mb-sa9yYwju9PU_XaKt0z_lQ8/s4032/IMG_0270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PQLpDF1jyKVuXadn9dQ5LeNGKd8DaFdslu9Ja93YMdRhjyq_eXb7WhoCM4FotfaaK429-AXrbLR8xU7NpQscaa-xQSaDnCZNM54A8acnxBUWKRv2RmJnSHxxqqZWsiDaZ2qUTA9tBa5DFg3IuxCgU74FErRehc3Mb-sa9yYwju9PU_XaKt0z_lQ8/s320/IMG_0270.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">One of several Gilded Age Buggies and Statue from Dungeness</p><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal">We walked around a bit more, did some porch
reading and had a short nap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we
went to find St. Mary’s Seafood where Ben had eaten seafood on all his trips
here with Troop 48. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a good
seafood platter and split it with Jane getting all the clams and Ben all the
oysters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest we split between us. Perfect amount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I cannot imagine how
anyone could eat twice what we ate – they had a seafood platter for 2 – but no
way could we have eaten that!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Back to the hotel, climbed the steps again and slept like a
log!<o:p></o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-74615442546076863012022-05-03T13:18:00.003-04:002022-05-03T16:39:50.221-04:00Columbia SC to St. Mary's GA<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sunday April 24, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We woke from a good night’s sleep and headed down to see how
bad the breakfast might be… well it was not very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate a few things and headed across the
parking lot to a McDonalds for a biscuit and some decent coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the road about 9:30 still heading south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turned on the book and the miles clipped
by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate lunch at a fairly decent BBQ
spot (neither of us recall where it was) right off I-95.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather was
short sleeves and lots of folks in shorts!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We arrived in St. Mary sometime after 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Traffic had not been too bad and road conditions were better than
yesterday with no construction. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKAwMmDlzbmTphG_TxyHuFKC-0yniyUtAzAadN7sLufMHB6vZL4ohaKn036LazskpTr7YQDkFi_JGdvx2R0e6HwlpfRcZfNoOElNbFnS2Y0AElAbtrNH4k1Oh4_stnlXYRtAlJLBAhrwK5-zT5aYM_ujRAOAlTTnL6GmG5v3SJAxXOpnC10TRY0WC/s4032/IMG_0248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKAwMmDlzbmTphG_TxyHuFKC-0yniyUtAzAadN7sLufMHB6vZL4ohaKn036LazskpTr7YQDkFi_JGdvx2R0e6HwlpfRcZfNoOElNbFnS2Y0AElAbtrNH4k1Oh4_stnlXYRtAlJLBAhrwK5-zT5aYM_ujRAOAlTTnL6GmG5v3SJAxXOpnC10TRY0WC/s320/IMG_0248.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Smokin Pig BBQ - location unknown</p></blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal">There was some sort of festival in the middle of downtown
St. Mary’s. Tons of people and all the main streets blocked off…we found our
way around it and arrived at our hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is Ben’s retro trip so he picked the first place he had stayed way
back in the day – Riverview Hotel – over 100 years old and right on the river
across from where the ferry leaves for Cumberland Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are only 18 rooms – all on the second
floor with access to a wonderful porch with views of the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rooms are small but with great beds, a comfy
chair, nice bath and everything we need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Right outside our door is a living area with couches etc. and you can
walk out onto the wonderful porch with rocking chairs.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_YfOwekhRmikmGMQe-6yBCjNIY5qYF3AVsusNeIVa38YsHLE7TLJzU8pdFGg-Q_oQbGczvdZ9Y2X4UMSg7DvXiPFPZwpaC5jQ_Ib2KgZHL9agRTY3e6bl504ozday1qAYHmhsG-N05jRxipWTcDOLKI_fH8omAdRnjX7l0qc_pj2mbQelP1AaI0b/s4032/IMG_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz_YfOwekhRmikmGMQe-6yBCjNIY5qYF3AVsusNeIVa38YsHLE7TLJzU8pdFGg-Q_oQbGczvdZ9Y2X4UMSg7DvXiPFPZwpaC5jQ_Ib2KgZHL9agRTY3e6bl504ozday1qAYHmhsG-N05jRxipWTcDOLKI_fH8omAdRnjX7l0qc_pj2mbQelP1AaI0b/s320/IMG_0254.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-spnBNGBOTH3zqwvPS-ZaXZVu_qlllQcGJCSwig5uBo_K527oAUEJ5eGrRu9xi1NPfCoEhGuDWmRcBCdDjHm18VqfyO23Zx-coY2f0ePuGlGpFWydqHGh3MU1kbKcUOY3HIoPR4z2T-5a1-kgPe_U8pMMJybt7uxwDGg4K1wuWcFskvqgSZHZg5o/s4032/IMG_0255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-spnBNGBOTH3zqwvPS-ZaXZVu_qlllQcGJCSwig5uBo_K527oAUEJ5eGrRu9xi1NPfCoEhGuDWmRcBCdDjHm18VqfyO23Zx-coY2f0ePuGlGpFWydqHGh3MU1kbKcUOY3HIoPR4z2T-5a1-kgPe_U8pMMJybt7uxwDGg4K1wuWcFskvqgSZHZg5o/s320/IMG_0255.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3hJ7LPYcEThlIk9g28eTrDexGxGqVCAuG4PZUutlgDDZhKvC69DvSC_mrfOYvB87gVg9BcI0dpga-k0hs0cWJDTWhV-7MaPJ55hcN8ResKWr8LVya6enLaTx0VF-79hI1PyhbHyaaqC-pG2X4QUtVLXoh_n_NcWI33DmsP4vCmZxUOINVMNTIOl6q/s4032/IMG_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3hJ7LPYcEThlIk9g28eTrDexGxGqVCAuG4PZUutlgDDZhKvC69DvSC_mrfOYvB87gVg9BcI0dpga-k0hs0cWJDTWhV-7MaPJ55hcN8ResKWr8LVya6enLaTx0VF-79hI1PyhbHyaaqC-pG2X4QUtVLXoh_n_NcWI33DmsP4vCmZxUOINVMNTIOl6q/s320/IMG_0259.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We spent time reading on the porch, walked around a bit and
finally chose to eat dinner here at the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Good choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jane had salad and
scallops with bacon jam and Ben had salad and fish and chips.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were excellent and plates were licked
clean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We split a piece of carrot cake
which was good but not great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We came
for the seafood though and it was outstanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After dinner we walked around a bit – beautiful weather – found where
you check in for the Ferry to Cumberland Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some more porch sitting and then it was time
for a bit of reading and a good night's sleep</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6o8G3Ex70BACCwFtpqi_C3iTj5HlPrwpCj3SDe3UmSsW2jFFkTCKleE6WkT9JrrgaXSYbTl3AbYD2ltX_LlcRzla_VHXfAjScr-GeXGgMVqiUAzZ-776MN_GFwBv_mhhsGPOVcxFR25L7Jgql9gCDVziZqDsi3LGcpFk6riWrT4iGrksMFkZlC1KV/s4032/IMG_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6o8G3Ex70BACCwFtpqi_C3iTj5HlPrwpCj3SDe3UmSsW2jFFkTCKleE6WkT9JrrgaXSYbTl3AbYD2ltX_LlcRzla_VHXfAjScr-GeXGgMVqiUAzZ-776MN_GFwBv_mhhsGPOVcxFR25L7Jgql9gCDVziZqDsi3LGcpFk6riWrT4iGrksMFkZlC1KV/s320/IMG_0256.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Grilled Scallops with Bacon Jam - I might try making this!</p></blockquote><p></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-75173065356742613162022-05-03T13:15:00.002-04:002022-05-03T16:33:35.663-04:00Home to Columbia SC<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Saturday April 23, 2022</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We headed out for warmer weather after off and on warm-cool weather here at home for the past month or so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have planned a low-key trip to Georgia and
North Florida beaches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most exciting
thing planned is a van tour on Cumberland Island – who knew that was available!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jane found it while searching the Greyfield Inn
on the Island – thought we might splurge but $700 each per night with a minimum
stay of 2 nights changed my mind!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Left about 10 and took the much traveled interstates through
Asheville and Spartanburg to end up for a one night stop a bit south of Columbia.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a good bit of road
construction north of Columbia and traffic was heavy but moved along well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A quick stop for gas and lunch along the way
broke up the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only highlight was a
beautiful azalea “tree” at a rest stop in upstate SC. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09i3WzKfJ3BRZdSBDbwOa_RXFp2Kzg31tUbQR_j_Lebc8sAGCzKPLjK_gVVZ91OaoDDYpLcz-rd53Ot-a82UmD9H471P90cvnMhUpbA_MhLdvDQ_ax4TQ8HhbgCxlmhm022_rn5fR70lSxOsAZC_qhHZoC5nIMbA1M81cdGn21u2g0kmtQMDTdw8O/s4032/IMG_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09i3WzKfJ3BRZdSBDbwOa_RXFp2Kzg31tUbQR_j_Lebc8sAGCzKPLjK_gVVZ91OaoDDYpLcz-rd53Ot-a82UmD9H471P90cvnMhUpbA_MhLdvDQ_ax4TQ8HhbgCxlmhm022_rn5fR70lSxOsAZC_qhHZoC5nIMbA1M81cdGn21u2g0kmtQMDTdw8O/s320/IMG_0247.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ben had picked what he thought would be a
great hotel close to an area where he had wonderful take-out Chinese on a
business trip a month or so back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had
ordered it as “room service” at a Comfort Inn and just could not stop talking
about how good it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the take-out Chinese was just as good as he
recalled but the hotel was one of the worst in a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t think we have ever stayed in a poor
Choice Hotel but this one sure met all the criteria.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the bed had not been good – we might have
left and gone elsewhere!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But not worth ruining the start of a trip…and it was only
for one night! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I plan a poor review on
Trip Advisor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interesting thing when I
looked to see about their other reviews – there was only one and it was a
perfect 5! Not believing it. <o:p></o:p></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2719503115785791329.post-23081736683191734022021-05-15T09:55:00.001-04:002021-05-15T09:55:16.327-04:00Home<p> Well, that was a quick but really nice trip! Would have liked another couple days in the sun but weather not cooperative. </p><p>We awoke to find it was nearly 9:00! Could not believe it. This Sleep Inn on Bush Road in Columbia was in a fairly quiet area. Not too many hotels and restaurants nearby. I was not impressed at first view; but it was clean, quiet, and certainly had everything you needed for a nice short stop. Best part was as we left they said - well your bill is $0. We paid partial for the night in Savannah but the entire stay in Fernandina Beach and here in Columbia were points from our Choice Hotel program. Certainly can't beat that! </p><p>We were on the road by 10 stopping at a McDonalds and looking for a gas station. Stopped at a small exit about 15 miles out of Columbia towards Spartanburg. First station had no Diesel but when we moved on the the second station at the same exit they had some so we filled up - did not need to but thought best to get it while we could.</p><p>Then back on the road headed towards Asheville. We stopped at the Farmer's Market buying some corn and Poblano Peppers that looked great. Then we headed over to the Garden Center and poked around. Looked for a plant that Robin wanted but no luck. They had some very pretty begonias but not the special one she was looking for....bought some deer repellant that we will try along with our human hair and red pepper to protect our plants! We had lunch at the restaurant there at the Farmer's Market. I do not recall having been there but Ben thinks we ate there years ago. Jane had a huge hamburger - could not eat it all and Ben had chicken and dumplings. Fairly good food but no photos.</p><p>We were home about 2:30 to find the house and garden doing fine. Everything seems a bit dry but with a little water and mowing the grass we will be back to normal!</p><p>This was a nice escape and it is obvious things are on the way back to normal regarding the pandemic. The masks when necessary and using hand sanitizer and hand washing we felt fine the entire time. The active case numbers for Covid here at home have decreased by nearly 50% in the week we have been gone. Most places we stopped had mask signs still in place and they were for the most part being followed - in all the states. FL, GA, SC, NC, and then back in TN. </p><p>The Scott's Strawberry wagon was finally open but we had almost no cash so headed home to get some dollars and then back to get some strawberries - by then they were sold out! Will be going back out today for our first strawberries of the season. </p><p>Cooked some creamed corn from the Farmer's Market- wilted lettuce from our garden, and chicken with a spicy orange sauce bought at Wegemans in Durham....pretty good dinner.</p><p><br /></p>Traveling When We Canhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852508316430301855noreply@blogger.com0