Gloucester to Kingsport
Saturday June 9, 2018
Another good breakfast at this Quality Inn. Not often you find Corned Beef Hash as a breakfast entree particularly in a breakfast buffet in a hotel! But they had it here. We like Corned Beef Hash but it is a pain to make and fairly expensive to purchase canned these days so don't have it often. Remarkably it was excellent.
We had driven about 200 - 250 miles each day so far on this trip - Ben was not sure we should try 400+ miles home so we made reservation in Roanoke. Ben also spoke with his friend in Marion to see if we could stop in for a short visit. We got started driving and the road was much better and not too much traffic. Within an hour we were on I 64 and around Richmond. We were in Charlottesville and near I 81 and would be in Roanoke by 12:30!! Listening to Chesapeake certainly takes your mind off the drive ! So we canceled the reservation and planned to drive all the way to Kingsport.
We stopped for gas and lunch about noon and Jane took over driving for about 100 miles and then Ben finished the trip. We were home by 3:30 with neither of us too tired. Think we may have our travel legs back! Still have quite a bit of the book left - we are only up to 1700- not sure how far in history the book continues. It is one Ben's phone so guess we can finish next trip we take!
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Fort Washington and The Chesapeake
Into Maryland and Exploring the VA Chesapeake
Friday, June 8. 2018
We had another good breakfast at the Quality Inn in Mount Vernon. Interesting thing this morning. We assume the pancake machine was here yesterday and we just did not notice it... Ben had pancakes and then Jane went back to make one too just to see how it worked. Interesting - batter comes from a plastic bag inside onto a belt that runs through the machine sort of baking or roasting as it goes. Comes out a slot in the side of the machine onto your plate....something new for us!
We were slow getting on the road this morning because we knew we had to enter the beltway in VA and cross the Wilson Bridge into Maryland as we headed to Fort Washington. We were trying to visit a couple National Park Sites that we had missed on other trips to DC area. Also trying to avoid traffic! Remarkably it was an easy with much less traffic than we thought trip onto the beltway and across the bridge into Maryland. I knew there had been a lot of development on the Maryland side of the river but did not know there was a huge MGM Casino on the riverbank. We headed south to visit Fort Washington which had been guarding Washington DC on the banks of the Potomac since 1808. The history of this fort is interesting since it began as Ft. Warburton. When the British burned Washington DC in 1814 - remember Dolly Madison rescuing the pictures - this Fort was destroyed so it would not fall into British hands. During the 1800's it was rebuilt as Fort Washington. The fort saw various service through the Civil War and Spanish American War. Different guns were used through the years and in World War 1 two of the largest guns were removed and sent to Europe for use in France. During World War 2 it served as a training facility for officers - turning out 300 trained officers very 60 days. Interesting place. The last of the 3 photos shows the view across the Potomac - there are 3 breaks in the trees on the VA side - the middle one is Mount Vernon.
Leaving Fort Washington we headed south on Indian Head Hwy to Waldorf and on south to cross the Potomac back into VA. Crossing this bridge on 301 is a toll - looked it up on the internet to find out toll and it said $4.50 - wrong it was $6.00 good thing we got that cash last night! Have to say for the $6 toll I expected better conditions. Road was in very poor condition with numerous potholes. Maryland must be using its' money for something besides road upkeep! Luckily the traffic was not too bad but that entire Maryland area was fairly built up - some farmland but primarily suburbs.
In Virginia 301 continues on to Richmond but we were headed along the Potomac and Chesapeake to Reedville and the Crazy Crab. In 2009 we spent about 10 days camping on the mainland and eastern shore enjoying seafood everywhere we went....and one place that always stayed top of our list was the Crazy Crab in Reedville. A small fishing and crabbing village with a nice museum, a ferry to Smith Island, and beautiful homes. We had camped there one night. So we meandered down the coast on small roads and finally about 1:30 ended up in Reedville. Would you believe Crazy Crab was closed until 5 PM. Oh no! Where is the next best seafood restaurant - Tommy's - only .2 mile - also closed until 5 PM - moving on to #3 Cockrell's Creek Seafood Deli - we did not have high hopes but it was after 1:30 and we were starving and really hungry for crab! Yah! It was open but sure did not look like too much - but several cars. You could buy fresh seafood or order from a menu and eat in a small dining room, under the trees, or take out. We ordered and in a few minutes we had Crab Cake, Soft Shell Crabs, and fries - excellent food! Not fancy like we might have ordered at Crazy Crab but one of best crab cakes Jane remembers and Ben says maybe the best soft shell crabs ever!
Nice view of Reedville from the tables under the trees! After our lunch we headed south to Gloucester which is on the middle neck - Reedville is on the upper neck, and lower neck is Newport News, Hampton, and Williamsburg. Having visited that congested area before we were not going south of the middle neck. Gloucester was a much larger town than we had anticipated but very nice with a unique downtown -old courthouse and many other old buildings. Our Quality Inn was new and in a more recently developed part of the town. Again we found it clean and of good quality even tho they were doing a bit of remodeling. We were surprised to find ourselves hungry so started out for dinner about 6. We chose Bangkok Noi - a well rated Thai restaurant with a number of seafood entrees. We loved their signage ! We had excellent satay with a peanut sauce and pickles. Probably one of the best satay we have had. Also had Lemon Grass soup with Shrimp (Jane) and Lemon Grass Soup with Seafood (Ben). Ben's had calamari, oysters, shrimp, and scallops. Excellently seasoned. And then for an entree we split crab fried rice - very good too! We were stuffed. No photo of the Satay! Anyone who loves Sushi would love this place. The plates that came by our table sure were attractive and people seemed to be loving the numerous choices.
We made some great choices for food today even tho not our original choices.
Friday, June 8. 2018
We had another good breakfast at the Quality Inn in Mount Vernon. Interesting thing this morning. We assume the pancake machine was here yesterday and we just did not notice it... Ben had pancakes and then Jane went back to make one too just to see how it worked. Interesting - batter comes from a plastic bag inside onto a belt that runs through the machine sort of baking or roasting as it goes. Comes out a slot in the side of the machine onto your plate....something new for us!
We were slow getting on the road this morning because we knew we had to enter the beltway in VA and cross the Wilson Bridge into Maryland as we headed to Fort Washington. We were trying to visit a couple National Park Sites that we had missed on other trips to DC area. Also trying to avoid traffic! Remarkably it was an easy with much less traffic than we thought trip onto the beltway and across the bridge into Maryland. I knew there had been a lot of development on the Maryland side of the river but did not know there was a huge MGM Casino on the riverbank. We headed south to visit Fort Washington which had been guarding Washington DC on the banks of the Potomac since 1808. The history of this fort is interesting since it began as Ft. Warburton. When the British burned Washington DC in 1814 - remember Dolly Madison rescuing the pictures - this Fort was destroyed so it would not fall into British hands. During the 1800's it was rebuilt as Fort Washington. The fort saw various service through the Civil War and Spanish American War. Different guns were used through the years and in World War 1 two of the largest guns were removed and sent to Europe for use in France. During World War 2 it served as a training facility for officers - turning out 300 trained officers very 60 days. Interesting place. The last of the 3 photos shows the view across the Potomac - there are 3 breaks in the trees on the VA side - the middle one is Mount Vernon.
Leaving Fort Washington we headed south on Indian Head Hwy to Waldorf and on south to cross the Potomac back into VA. Crossing this bridge on 301 is a toll - looked it up on the internet to find out toll and it said $4.50 - wrong it was $6.00 good thing we got that cash last night! Have to say for the $6 toll I expected better conditions. Road was in very poor condition with numerous potholes. Maryland must be using its' money for something besides road upkeep! Luckily the traffic was not too bad but that entire Maryland area was fairly built up - some farmland but primarily suburbs.
In Virginia 301 continues on to Richmond but we were headed along the Potomac and Chesapeake to Reedville and the Crazy Crab. In 2009 we spent about 10 days camping on the mainland and eastern shore enjoying seafood everywhere we went....and one place that always stayed top of our list was the Crazy Crab in Reedville. A small fishing and crabbing village with a nice museum, a ferry to Smith Island, and beautiful homes. We had camped there one night. So we meandered down the coast on small roads and finally about 1:30 ended up in Reedville. Would you believe Crazy Crab was closed until 5 PM. Oh no! Where is the next best seafood restaurant - Tommy's - only .2 mile - also closed until 5 PM - moving on to #3 Cockrell's Creek Seafood Deli - we did not have high hopes but it was after 1:30 and we were starving and really hungry for crab! Yah! It was open but sure did not look like too much - but several cars. You could buy fresh seafood or order from a menu and eat in a small dining room, under the trees, or take out. We ordered and in a few minutes we had Crab Cake, Soft Shell Crabs, and fries - excellent food! Not fancy like we might have ordered at Crazy Crab but one of best crab cakes Jane remembers and Ben says maybe the best soft shell crabs ever!
Nice view of Reedville from the tables under the trees! After our lunch we headed south to Gloucester which is on the middle neck - Reedville is on the upper neck, and lower neck is Newport News, Hampton, and Williamsburg. Having visited that congested area before we were not going south of the middle neck. Gloucester was a much larger town than we had anticipated but very nice with a unique downtown -old courthouse and many other old buildings. Our Quality Inn was new and in a more recently developed part of the town. Again we found it clean and of good quality even tho they were doing a bit of remodeling. We were surprised to find ourselves hungry so started out for dinner about 6. We chose Bangkok Noi - a well rated Thai restaurant with a number of seafood entrees. We loved their signage ! We had excellent satay with a peanut sauce and pickles. Probably one of the best satay we have had. Also had Lemon Grass soup with Shrimp (Jane) and Lemon Grass Soup with Seafood (Ben). Ben's had calamari, oysters, shrimp, and scallops. Excellently seasoned. And then for an entree we split crab fried rice - very good too! We were stuffed. No photo of the Satay! Anyone who loves Sushi would love this place. The plates that came by our table sure were attractive and people seemed to be loving the numerous choices.
We made some great choices for food today even tho not our original choices.
Mount Vernon VA
Visiting Mount Vernon
June 7, 2018
We are staying in Quality Inn's this trip using some of our Choice Reward Points. Ben is not traveling and spending nights nearly as much as he was but we still manage to accumulate enough points for quite good reductions in room costs. The Quality Inn in Mount Vernon is well located and very clean. Beds were good, service quick when we needed new batteries for the TV remote, and had a hot breakfast with something for everyone. Only ding was how long it was - must have been 50 rooms all in a row - up and down - and we were near the back - quiet but a long walk to breakfast!
After breakfast we headed out - first stop was a CVS to buy a new pair of sunglasses for Jane. Lost a part yesterday and while they worked OK for the drive - not so much for a busy moving around day. Found it less than a block from the hotel. The drive to Mount Vernon was not far - maybe 8 miles. We found a parking place easily - we had been afraid it was going to be very crowded since all the morning house tour tickets sold out between Sunday when first looking at the website and Tuesday when we went back to purchase...our tickets were for 1:15.
We walked right in with our online ticket purchases and wandered around in the visitor center and then in the museum. The museum was nicely done with interactive exhibits, films, and numerous displays. At 11:45 we headed to the Mount Vernon Inn for lunch. Our choices were good. Jane had VA Peanut and Chestnut soup and Hoecakes with Country Ham, Crab, and Hollandaise Sauce. They were both yummy. Ben had Colonial Onion soup and Chips with Chips with Bacon, Tomato, Chives and Mornay Sauce. Since we shared I can attest all were good. We enjoyed a gentleman who played tunes on a flute during our lunch. We had walked in and were seated immediately but as we left about 12:45 there was a line waiting to be seated.
We found our way to the area where you waited in line for your tour of the Washington Home. The home is not large so you go through the various rooms in groups of 12-15. We were in line with an interesting young mom and son about Daniel's age. They were from Arizona. She had been sworn in yesterday in front of the Supreme Court to be able to try cases there. She had a case that was potentially headed to the Supreme Court and had just completed all the requirements. They had gotten to personally meet the justices. The son did not seem to impressed.
The home is well maintained with a couple rooms under renovation. I always had thought the building was stone but it was wood carved to appear to be stone and covered with a sand like coating.
We toured two drawing rooms - a private and public - a large dining or ball room, and a bedroom. Then went upstairs for several more bedrooms. The most impressive two rooms were Washington's Bedroom upstairs and his Office downstairs. These were the last two rooms added to the house. They had the most original furnishings. The kitchen area was located nearby but not actually a part of the house. Mount Vernon is not a part of the National Park System and is managed by a Women's Auxiliary type group that was formed soon after Washington's death to preserve the home for the country.
After the tour we returned to the back of the home where there is a porch the length of the home overlooking the Potomac River. There was a slight breeze and it was very pleasant sitting there looking out over the river. The guide told us about 10 years ago some sort of development was planned for the Maryland side of the river, public outcry stopped it and now the beautiful view is preserved forever. The guide pointed out Fort Washington which we will visit tomorrow. It would be upper left in the photo.
We wandered about the grounds for a short time and called it a day returning to the Sprinter about 3:30. You could well stay 2-3 more hours to see all the gardens, the tomb, and the grist mill. There was also a boat trip on the Potomac for an additional fee. We knew we would probably not be up all that so did not participate. The river tour might be nice. There was a shuttle bus that would take you to the grist mill and I believe to the wharf where the boat left.
We drove back to our hotel and did a little research into plans for dinner. Ben really did not want to drive in the District traffic so we were going to eat in Mount Vernon and south Alexandria. After much review and discussion we found a Chinese restaurant that was known for its' Peking Duck. Most places we have been you must order Peking Duck a day ahead....this place has it all the time. There are two locations one in Alexandria and another in Annandale. Interesting story on the web. Anyway it was not too far away which made it ever better. We had never had Peking Duck and thought this was our chance!
We arrived - did not look like much business but it was 5:30 so we thought we would give it a try - went in and were greeted by a very polite Chinese woman who explained their credit card machine was not working and we would have to pay cash. There were 3-4 groups eating. We checked the menu for price of Peking Duck and our cash (don't carry as much cash as we used too) and told the woman what we wanted and how much money we had - she said we can do it!
Not too sure what we were getting and because we did not have lots of extra cash and were not starving - we just ordered 1/2 Peking Duck...$19.00. When it came - it was a whole duck - a cook came out with it and carved 1/2 of it for us. First the crispy skin, then the inner tender meat. They also brought pancakes - soft ones - then a sauce, and slivered green onions. To eat it you layer sauce, the onions, some crispy skin, and some tender meat. Roll it up like a taco and eat! After the server did one for us we managed the rest ourselves. It was very good particularly the crispy skin! Glad we had the opportunity to experience this and glad we had the cash to pay!
Sorry for the poor quality of some of photos. I did not bring camera, was using my phone which was dying...I am off to the Apple Store for a new battery or a new phone on Monday!
We stopped at a grocery for some desert and to get some cash since we were down to less than $5.
June 7, 2018
We are staying in Quality Inn's this trip using some of our Choice Reward Points. Ben is not traveling and spending nights nearly as much as he was but we still manage to accumulate enough points for quite good reductions in room costs. The Quality Inn in Mount Vernon is well located and very clean. Beds were good, service quick when we needed new batteries for the TV remote, and had a hot breakfast with something for everyone. Only ding was how long it was - must have been 50 rooms all in a row - up and down - and we were near the back - quiet but a long walk to breakfast!
After breakfast we headed out - first stop was a CVS to buy a new pair of sunglasses for Jane. Lost a part yesterday and while they worked OK for the drive - not so much for a busy moving around day. Found it less than a block from the hotel. The drive to Mount Vernon was not far - maybe 8 miles. We found a parking place easily - we had been afraid it was going to be very crowded since all the morning house tour tickets sold out between Sunday when first looking at the website and Tuesday when we went back to purchase...our tickets were for 1:15.
We walked right in with our online ticket purchases and wandered around in the visitor center and then in the museum. The museum was nicely done with interactive exhibits, films, and numerous displays. At 11:45 we headed to the Mount Vernon Inn for lunch. Our choices were good. Jane had VA Peanut and Chestnut soup and Hoecakes with Country Ham, Crab, and Hollandaise Sauce. They were both yummy. Ben had Colonial Onion soup and Chips with Chips with Bacon, Tomato, Chives and Mornay Sauce. Since we shared I can attest all were good. We enjoyed a gentleman who played tunes on a flute during our lunch. We had walked in and were seated immediately but as we left about 12:45 there was a line waiting to be seated.
We found our way to the area where you waited in line for your tour of the Washington Home. The home is not large so you go through the various rooms in groups of 12-15. We were in line with an interesting young mom and son about Daniel's age. They were from Arizona. She had been sworn in yesterday in front of the Supreme Court to be able to try cases there. She had a case that was potentially headed to the Supreme Court and had just completed all the requirements. They had gotten to personally meet the justices. The son did not seem to impressed.
The home is well maintained with a couple rooms under renovation. I always had thought the building was stone but it was wood carved to appear to be stone and covered with a sand like coating.
We toured two drawing rooms - a private and public - a large dining or ball room, and a bedroom. Then went upstairs for several more bedrooms. The most impressive two rooms were Washington's Bedroom upstairs and his Office downstairs. These were the last two rooms added to the house. They had the most original furnishings. The kitchen area was located nearby but not actually a part of the house. Mount Vernon is not a part of the National Park System and is managed by a Women's Auxiliary type group that was formed soon after Washington's death to preserve the home for the country.
After the tour we returned to the back of the home where there is a porch the length of the home overlooking the Potomac River. There was a slight breeze and it was very pleasant sitting there looking out over the river. The guide told us about 10 years ago some sort of development was planned for the Maryland side of the river, public outcry stopped it and now the beautiful view is preserved forever. The guide pointed out Fort Washington which we will visit tomorrow. It would be upper left in the photo.
We wandered about the grounds for a short time and called it a day returning to the Sprinter about 3:30. You could well stay 2-3 more hours to see all the gardens, the tomb, and the grist mill. There was also a boat trip on the Potomac for an additional fee. We knew we would probably not be up all that so did not participate. The river tour might be nice. There was a shuttle bus that would take you to the grist mill and I believe to the wharf where the boat left.
We drove back to our hotel and did a little research into plans for dinner. Ben really did not want to drive in the District traffic so we were going to eat in Mount Vernon and south Alexandria. After much review and discussion we found a Chinese restaurant that was known for its' Peking Duck. Most places we have been you must order Peking Duck a day ahead....this place has it all the time. There are two locations one in Alexandria and another in Annandale. Interesting story on the web. Anyway it was not too far away which made it ever better. We had never had Peking Duck and thought this was our chance!
We arrived - did not look like much business but it was 5:30 so we thought we would give it a try - went in and were greeted by a very polite Chinese woman who explained their credit card machine was not working and we would have to pay cash. There were 3-4 groups eating. We checked the menu for price of Peking Duck and our cash (don't carry as much cash as we used too) and told the woman what we wanted and how much money we had - she said we can do it!
Not too sure what we were getting and because we did not have lots of extra cash and were not starving - we just ordered 1/2 Peking Duck...$19.00. When it came - it was a whole duck - a cook came out with it and carved 1/2 of it for us. First the crispy skin, then the inner tender meat. They also brought pancakes - soft ones - then a sauce, and slivered green onions. To eat it you layer sauce, the onions, some crispy skin, and some tender meat. Roll it up like a taco and eat! After the server did one for us we managed the rest ourselves. It was very good particularly the crispy skin! Glad we had the opportunity to experience this and glad we had the cash to pay!
Sorry for the poor quality of some of photos. I did not bring camera, was using my phone which was dying...I am off to the Apple Store for a new battery or a new phone on Monday!
We stopped at a grocery for some desert and to get some cash since we were down to less than $5.
Friday, June 8, 2018
On The Road Again
Wednesday June 6 and 7, 2018 Kingsport to Durham to Mt. Vernon
After a several months of staying at home we were back on the road for a short trip. We headed east to Durham for grandson Daniel's elementary school promotion. We left on Tuesday about noon and tried our best to get the Sprinter washed - first in Wytheville VA where there were about 10 semi's in line - no not willing to wait over an hour....then near Burlington NC where there were 2 semi cabs, and a bus in front of us...we waited 30 minutes with nothing moving one inch- so we left there too!
Stopped in Chapel Hill to pick up Bon Chon Chicken for everyone which we remembered being really good from a road trip several years ago. Well it was pretty good - not as good as we remembered - the "spicy" was too spicy for most of us but 20 pieces and the fries were gone quickly. We were a little worried about traffic in the Triangle but it was not nearly as bad as we had expected. Everyone arrived within about 15 minutes - Jeff from work, Robin's Dad from MD, Robin and Daniel from a class field trip to the NC State Capitol and us from TN. Not any photos.
Wednesday morning Daniel's cheering section were all there for the promotion ceremony at Pearsontown Elementary in Durham. It hardly seems possible these past 6 years have passed! The cute little kindergartener is now a mature preteen ready to go to middle school! So happy we could be a part of that momentous day.
After the ceremony we headed north towards Mount Vernon VA. We had plans for touring on Thursday. We lived in Alexandria back in the 60's and never made the visit . We had made several trips back to DC over the years but somehow never made it to Mt. Vernon then either. So our plan was to stay in Mt. Vernon/ Alexandria and avoid as much DC traffic as possible. We arrived in the DC area at 5 PM and we were expecting the worst...if we had been leaving DC it would have been terrible but not so bad on our side of I 95. We exited on US 1 and were in Mt. Vernon with little trouble. Not wanting to drive far from our hotel we walked about half a block to a Denny's and had their special - a grand slam. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns. Simple, good and just what we needed after a long day.
Our drive today was pleasant - we are listening to Chesapeake by Michner - it is 40 hours long so will be more than long enough for the entire trip and should be interesting since we are going to be in the area most of our trip - although we will not make it over to the Eastern Shore this trip.
After a several months of staying at home we were back on the road for a short trip. We headed east to Durham for grandson Daniel's elementary school promotion. We left on Tuesday about noon and tried our best to get the Sprinter washed - first in Wytheville VA where there were about 10 semi's in line - no not willing to wait over an hour....then near Burlington NC where there were 2 semi cabs, and a bus in front of us...we waited 30 minutes with nothing moving one inch- so we left there too!
Stopped in Chapel Hill to pick up Bon Chon Chicken for everyone which we remembered being really good from a road trip several years ago. Well it was pretty good - not as good as we remembered - the "spicy" was too spicy for most of us but 20 pieces and the fries were gone quickly. We were a little worried about traffic in the Triangle but it was not nearly as bad as we had expected. Everyone arrived within about 15 minutes - Jeff from work, Robin's Dad from MD, Robin and Daniel from a class field trip to the NC State Capitol and us from TN. Not any photos.
Wednesday morning Daniel's cheering section were all there for the promotion ceremony at Pearsontown Elementary in Durham. It hardly seems possible these past 6 years have passed! The cute little kindergartener is now a mature preteen ready to go to middle school! So happy we could be a part of that momentous day.
After the ceremony we headed north towards Mount Vernon VA. We had plans for touring on Thursday. We lived in Alexandria back in the 60's and never made the visit . We had made several trips back to DC over the years but somehow never made it to Mt. Vernon then either. So our plan was to stay in Mt. Vernon/ Alexandria and avoid as much DC traffic as possible. We arrived in the DC area at 5 PM and we were expecting the worst...if we had been leaving DC it would have been terrible but not so bad on our side of I 95. We exited on US 1 and were in Mt. Vernon with little trouble. Not wanting to drive far from our hotel we walked about half a block to a Denny's and had their special - a grand slam. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash browns. Simple, good and just what we needed after a long day.
Our drive today was pleasant - we are listening to Chesapeake by Michner - it is 40 hours long so will be more than long enough for the entire trip and should be interesting since we are going to be in the area most of our trip - although we will not make it over to the Eastern Shore this trip.
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