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With love,
Neenah, Marcos, & Simba
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Gettysburg
We started the day out early. This was made possible by the fact that the curtains do not close, so when the morning comes, it fills the room with light. The brain can't but say, "Hey there. Get up. It's time to be up." Even The Banana woke up without as much complaining as usual.
We had breakfast at Tipton's Grill in town. We had just ordered when the Good Mr. Dr. got the alert that the Supreme Court had released their opinion allowing the health care law to stand. Of course, I was dancing in my seat. It's kind of cool to be in a really historic place when a historic court decision comes down. The Banana doesn't quite understand the significance and I hope that she can spend the rest of her life wondering why this was such a big deal. Breakfast was great. Very filling and was all that much better because of the good mood we were in.
From there we went to the Gettysburg National Military Park and Museum.. Initially I was not that interested in seeing the video but in order to go to the Cyclorama, which is what I wanted to do, you had to watch the video. I was totally impressed by the whole show. The video was new and narrated by Morgan Freeman. It provided the background and made clear the significance of the battle. Many people left the theater with moist eyes.
I was interested in the Cyclorama because I had read about painting, which was first shown in Boston in 1884. After the presentation and being able to be right there with it, I understand why it was described as incredibly moving to the people who were able to see it the first time. It's not just that the painting is so well done. It's also that you are very close (not so close to be able to touch it) and it depicts the reality of one the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Between both sides, over 50,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. You see it all in that painting
The museum is also impressive. You could spend the entire day there. It is a bit maze like and at the end, The Banana and I had a hard time finding our way out. What I liked most was that they focused on the story, including the history of slavery, the politics of the war, the impacts on the lives of Americans at the time, and how the war influenced the country after. It isn't until you get to the end that there is the typical focus on names, dates, strategy, etc.
We decided to do the auto tour. We bought the CD, which was more expensive than the one in Williamsburg. They said it would take two hours and we did learn our lesson from last time about listening to the CD in advance of the stops. Nevertheless, three hours later, we were still only two-thirds done. At this point, we were hungry and tired. In terms of the audio auto tour, the take-away for me is:
1. The entire route is filled with monuments. It is an amazing set of monuments to what has to be every company, regiment, brigade, etc involved in this battle.
2. There is a bizarre and, in my view, totally uninteresting fascinating with the strategy and the machinations of battle. Particularly in the second CD, which we stopped because it was too much of the kind of history that isn't really all that informative if you want to really understand the history.
3. This battle was huge. It took place in farm fields and orchards, in portions of the town, in the woods, in the streams, and on craggy hillsides.
We skipped the last three stops and went straight to the National Cemetery. After the battle, the town and surrounding fields, woods, and streams where the battle took place were literally filled with bodies. Thousands of bodies. The U.S. government decided to build a cemetery to properly bury the dead. Lincoln's Gettysburg address was made at the dedication of this cemetery. You definitely get the feel that this is hallowed ground. Over five hundred soldiers are totally unknown, meaning that they could not even tell what state they came from. New York and Pennsylvania lost the most soldiers. Massachusetts came in third in terms of lives lost.
From here, we went back to town to get something to drink and plot the rest of the day. We wandered around part of the downtown and ended up at the Refreshment Saloon. We decided to do a ghost tour. La Suegra was not feeling up to it. We decided to have dinner at O'Rorke's, an Irish pub. Consistent with every Irish pub we've been to, there were nachos and good eating all around. The Banana just about inhaled a half rack of ribs and chopped down the mountain of fries that came with her order. She is definitely in the running with the Queen in terms of ability to put it away.
After dinner, The Good Mr. Dr. dropped his mom off at the hotel and joined us a bit into the tour. I have to say that this was the most disappointing ghost tour ever. We spoke with a woman earlier in the day who spoke very highly of this tour. Our guide, however, was the most unenthusiastic ghost tour guide I've ever witnessed. This was the first time we've never left a tip. Yes, it was that bad.
From there, we headed back to the hotel and to bed. It was a long day. We were all asleep in pretty short order. Tomorrow, homeward bound.
We had breakfast at Tipton's Grill in town. We had just ordered when the Good Mr. Dr. got the alert that the Supreme Court had released their opinion allowing the health care law to stand. Of course, I was dancing in my seat. It's kind of cool to be in a really historic place when a historic court decision comes down. The Banana doesn't quite understand the significance and I hope that she can spend the rest of her life wondering why this was such a big deal. Breakfast was great. Very filling and was all that much better because of the good mood we were in.
From there we went to the Gettysburg National Military Park and Museum.. Initially I was not that interested in seeing the video but in order to go to the Cyclorama, which is what I wanted to do, you had to watch the video. I was totally impressed by the whole show. The video was new and narrated by Morgan Freeman. It provided the background and made clear the significance of the battle. Many people left the theater with moist eyes.
I was interested in the Cyclorama because I had read about painting, which was first shown in Boston in 1884. After the presentation and being able to be right there with it, I understand why it was described as incredibly moving to the people who were able to see it the first time. It's not just that the painting is so well done. It's also that you are very close (not so close to be able to touch it) and it depicts the reality of one the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Between both sides, over 50,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured. You see it all in that painting
The museum is also impressive. You could spend the entire day there. It is a bit maze like and at the end, The Banana and I had a hard time finding our way out. What I liked most was that they focused on the story, including the history of slavery, the politics of the war, the impacts on the lives of Americans at the time, and how the war influenced the country after. It isn't until you get to the end that there is the typical focus on names, dates, strategy, etc.
We decided to do the auto tour. We bought the CD, which was more expensive than the one in Williamsburg. They said it would take two hours and we did learn our lesson from last time about listening to the CD in advance of the stops. Nevertheless, three hours later, we were still only two-thirds done. At this point, we were hungry and tired. In terms of the audio auto tour, the take-away for me is:
1. The entire route is filled with monuments. It is an amazing set of monuments to what has to be every company, regiment, brigade, etc involved in this battle.
2. There is a bizarre and, in my view, totally uninteresting fascinating with the strategy and the machinations of battle. Particularly in the second CD, which we stopped because it was too much of the kind of history that isn't really all that informative if you want to really understand the history.
3. This battle was huge. It took place in farm fields and orchards, in portions of the town, in the woods, in the streams, and on craggy hillsides.
We skipped the last three stops and went straight to the National Cemetery. After the battle, the town and surrounding fields, woods, and streams where the battle took place were literally filled with bodies. Thousands of bodies. The U.S. government decided to build a cemetery to properly bury the dead. Lincoln's Gettysburg address was made at the dedication of this cemetery. You definitely get the feel that this is hallowed ground. Over five hundred soldiers are totally unknown, meaning that they could not even tell what state they came from. New York and Pennsylvania lost the most soldiers. Massachusetts came in third in terms of lives lost.
From here, we went back to town to get something to drink and plot the rest of the day. We wandered around part of the downtown and ended up at the Refreshment Saloon. We decided to do a ghost tour. La Suegra was not feeling up to it. We decided to have dinner at O'Rorke's, an Irish pub. Consistent with every Irish pub we've been to, there were nachos and good eating all around. The Banana just about inhaled a half rack of ribs and chopped down the mountain of fries that came with her order. She is definitely in the running with the Queen in terms of ability to put it away.
After dinner, The Good Mr. Dr. dropped his mom off at the hotel and joined us a bit into the tour. I have to say that this was the most disappointing ghost tour ever. We spoke with a woman earlier in the day who spoke very highly of this tour. Our guide, however, was the most unenthusiastic ghost tour guide I've ever witnessed. This was the first time we've never left a tip. Yes, it was that bad.
From there, we headed back to the hotel and to bed. It was a long day. We were all asleep in pretty short order. Tomorrow, homeward bound.
To Gettysburg
Today was pretty uneventful. We managed to check out of the resort early. We had breakfast at Shorty's Diner in Williamsburg. It's uncanny how much luck we've been having with restaurants on this trip. Shorty's makes a great stack of blueberry pancakes and they make their own whipped butter. Yes, it was definitely yummy.
On our way to Gettysburg, we hit two wineries. Our first stop was Loudon Valley Vineyards. We happened to arrive when I had to be on a conference call. So the family just hung around the place while I conferences. It was a tough conversation, so I was ready for some wine when it was over. Dustin was our server (I still don't know what to call the people who do the tastings). Turns out that this young man, who is originally from Minnesota, is Latino. His grandmother was from Mexico City. La Suegra liked these wines. She poured out many fewer this time. We got a couple of wines for sharing, a couple for gifts, and one for the tasting.
The next place, Sunset Hills Vineyard, was very nice. We were able to get a picnic basket of excellent french boule, cheese, and salami before we did the tasting. It's amazing how filling that was. This place is located in a beautifully restored barn. The owner hired an Amish crew to do the restoration. The Banana decided that we shall eat on the upper level to enjoy the view. If you are ever in the area, this place is worth coming to if only for a picnic basket and a glass of wine.
Only The Good Mr. Dr. and I did the tasting this time. What was most interesting about this tasting was that they did not provide a bucket. The not-so-subtle hint that you are expected to drink these wines. :) Dave was very enthusiastic and it was hard to tell him when one particular wine just didn't excite you the way it excited him. We left with a few bottles.
From here, we went straight to the hotel in Gettysburg. The Wyndham is a very nice hotel just outside the main city. They accommodated our requests for a fridge and a roll-away bed without any fuss. We decided to take the evening to relax. The Banana and I went to the lobby to talk and do some work while La Suegra and The Good Mr. Dr. took a nap. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant and then called it a night.
On our way to Gettysburg, we hit two wineries. Our first stop was Loudon Valley Vineyards. We happened to arrive when I had to be on a conference call. So the family just hung around the place while I conferences. It was a tough conversation, so I was ready for some wine when it was over. Dustin was our server (I still don't know what to call the people who do the tastings). Turns out that this young man, who is originally from Minnesota, is Latino. His grandmother was from Mexico City. La Suegra liked these wines. She poured out many fewer this time. We got a couple of wines for sharing, a couple for gifts, and one for the tasting.
The next place, Sunset Hills Vineyard, was very nice. We were able to get a picnic basket of excellent french boule, cheese, and salami before we did the tasting. It's amazing how filling that was. This place is located in a beautifully restored barn. The owner hired an Amish crew to do the restoration. The Banana decided that we shall eat on the upper level to enjoy the view. If you are ever in the area, this place is worth coming to if only for a picnic basket and a glass of wine.
Only The Good Mr. Dr. and I did the tasting this time. What was most interesting about this tasting was that they did not provide a bucket. The not-so-subtle hint that you are expected to drink these wines. :) Dave was very enthusiastic and it was hard to tell him when one particular wine just didn't excite you the way it excited him. We left with a few bottles.
From here, we went straight to the hotel in Gettysburg. The Wyndham is a very nice hotel just outside the main city. They accommodated our requests for a fridge and a roll-away bed without any fuss. We decided to take the evening to relax. The Banana and I went to the lobby to talk and do some work while La Suegra and The Good Mr. Dr. took a nap. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant and then called it a night.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg Part II
Today we went to the Yorktown Battlefield. The National Park Service site is really large. Between the introductory movie, another video presentation in the museum, and the audio guided auto tour (in addition to the exhibits) we basically heard the story of Yorktown three times.
The two most important takeaways are:
1. Yorktown was a decisive battle, even though the war technically continued for an additional two years.
2. The French were indispensable in this battle (as in others); the rebels would not have won without them.
Pairing these two facts: Americans owe their independence to the French. It is very important to understand this. We totally owe the French.
We didn't time the day as well as we could have and ended up back at Colonial Williamsburg later than we wanted. All of the taverns had already closed and we were forced to pay for overpriced turkey and ham sandwiches. I was a little concerned that we would not be able to finish the quest in time. However, after having been to Yorktown and heard the story of it three times, and after seeing some important parallels between what we were doing in the quest and information in the Yorktown Battlefield Museum, we were able to figure out the last clue without going through some of the steps. We managed to figure out everything in time to win our prize.
Which gets to the one thing that totally impressed me about this trip. When we planned this out, we figured that the theme of this trip was American History. However, every site we've been at so far has seamlessly integrated African American history into the story. Certainly my high school education did not include much more than the fact that in this period of time, there were these unfortunate people called slaves but eventually they were freed and all was sort of well afterward.
But we've learned a lot more about the complexity of this story than I expected. I have to give the National Park Service and the Colonial Williamsburg organization major props for bringing African Americans into the story so well. I hope the same is happening for the other non-white groups in other parts of the country.
After getting our prize, we went to the first public mental health hospital in the country. It was opened in the mid-1700s. Let's just say, it would not have been a pleasant stay in this hospital, especially during the Victorian era.
We spent the rest of the evening wandering around the market area. Dinner was at Ocean & Ale. I had the best seafood mac and cheese I've ever had. If you are ever in the area, you should try to make it there.
No wineries today. We plan to hit two tomorrow on our way to Gettysburg.
The two most important takeaways are:
1. Yorktown was a decisive battle, even though the war technically continued for an additional two years.
2. The French were indispensable in this battle (as in others); the rebels would not have won without them.
Pairing these two facts: Americans owe their independence to the French. It is very important to understand this. We totally owe the French.
We didn't time the day as well as we could have and ended up back at Colonial Williamsburg later than we wanted. All of the taverns had already closed and we were forced to pay for overpriced turkey and ham sandwiches. I was a little concerned that we would not be able to finish the quest in time. However, after having been to Yorktown and heard the story of it three times, and after seeing some important parallels between what we were doing in the quest and information in the Yorktown Battlefield Museum, we were able to figure out the last clue without going through some of the steps. We managed to figure out everything in time to win our prize.
Which gets to the one thing that totally impressed me about this trip. When we planned this out, we figured that the theme of this trip was American History. However, every site we've been at so far has seamlessly integrated African American history into the story. Certainly my high school education did not include much more than the fact that in this period of time, there were these unfortunate people called slaves but eventually they were freed and all was sort of well afterward.
But we've learned a lot more about the complexity of this story than I expected. I have to give the National Park Service and the Colonial Williamsburg organization major props for bringing African Americans into the story so well. I hope the same is happening for the other non-white groups in other parts of the country.
After getting our prize, we went to the first public mental health hospital in the country. It was opened in the mid-1700s. Let's just say, it would not have been a pleasant stay in this hospital, especially during the Victorian era.
We spent the rest of the evening wandering around the market area. Dinner was at Ocean & Ale. I had the best seafood mac and cheese I've ever had. If you are ever in the area, you should try to make it there.
No wineries today. We plan to hit two tomorrow on our way to Gettysburg.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Colonial Williamsburg
Today we spent the entire day at Colonial Williamsburg. This is a historic theme park. They have replicated or restored the colonial city, which was the capitol of Virginia before the Revolution. There are people walking around in period costume, you can eat colonial foods (I do not recommend sippets - it's like eating bad fondue), and see how people lived, loved, and died.
The Banana and I are playing the Lion and the Unicorn quest where we have to figure out who is trying to stop the rebellion. We were running all over the place looking for clues and texting in our answers for instructions. It's a lot more elaborate than you would expect. In between, we are also going on tours, eating lunch, and generally having a good time.
We got to the last part of the quest before we decided to call it a day. We will pick up where we left off tomorrow.
Just as we decided to leave to hit another winery, a massive storm front came through. The Banana and I were on the shuttle when the wind kicked up. The Good Mr. Dr. and La Suegra were on a separate shuttle and were in the middle of it when it started. We didn't notice how bad it was until we got on the road. Initially we thought it was just another storm passing. We knew it was likely to rain around this time, so no big deal, right? Until we passed by a tree that came down on top of a car. A tow truck was in the process of trying to move the tree when we snaked past. Scary stuff.
Today we went to Saude (there's supposed to be an accent above the e) Creek winery. This was a small operation that just opened their own building. It is a very nice space and the staff are wonderful and very knowledgeable. We highly recommend it. They have plans to use the space for events and things. The whites from this winery are excellent. We bought a half case, partly for us, partly for friends, and partly for the July 15 wine tasting. The only bad part is that they are not yet prepared to ship anywhere. So if you like the wines, you'll have to go there to pick them up.
We went on a candlelight ghost tour. This was not your average ghost tour. Instead of a guide walking you around telling you stories, we went into three buildings and then actors came in to act out the ghost stories. I always have to sit in the front so that I can hear, which means that when they scream or get loud, I get the brunt of it. Suffice to say that I jumped at least twice for each story that was told. One of them involved a vampire who decided to focus on me at the end of her story. All I kept thinking was, "You aren't going to be very satisfied with the amount of blood in this body." But really, it was kind of freaky. This was a lot of fun and I would love to do something like this again.
We ended the evening at the Williamsburg Lodge Lounge where we had great tapas. We ordered a sheep's milk cheese which was excellent. The tomato compote was way too sweet but that also may be because I ordered a sweet creamy sherry. The Banana had a burger which was very filling, although the cheese was a little too sharp for her taste.
All in all, another good day. Tomorrow, we will go to Yorktown Battlefield and then back to Colonial Williamsburg to finish our quest and hang out some more.
The Banana and I are playing the Lion and the Unicorn quest where we have to figure out who is trying to stop the rebellion. We were running all over the place looking for clues and texting in our answers for instructions. It's a lot more elaborate than you would expect. In between, we are also going on tours, eating lunch, and generally having a good time.
We got to the last part of the quest before we decided to call it a day. We will pick up where we left off tomorrow.
Just as we decided to leave to hit another winery, a massive storm front came through. The Banana and I were on the shuttle when the wind kicked up. The Good Mr. Dr. and La Suegra were on a separate shuttle and were in the middle of it when it started. We didn't notice how bad it was until we got on the road. Initially we thought it was just another storm passing. We knew it was likely to rain around this time, so no big deal, right? Until we passed by a tree that came down on top of a car. A tow truck was in the process of trying to move the tree when we snaked past. Scary stuff.
Today we went to Saude (there's supposed to be an accent above the e) Creek winery. This was a small operation that just opened their own building. It is a very nice space and the staff are wonderful and very knowledgeable. We highly recommend it. They have plans to use the space for events and things. The whites from this winery are excellent. We bought a half case, partly for us, partly for friends, and partly for the July 15 wine tasting. The only bad part is that they are not yet prepared to ship anywhere. So if you like the wines, you'll have to go there to pick them up.
We went on a candlelight ghost tour. This was not your average ghost tour. Instead of a guide walking you around telling you stories, we went into three buildings and then actors came in to act out the ghost stories. I always have to sit in the front so that I can hear, which means that when they scream or get loud, I get the brunt of it. Suffice to say that I jumped at least twice for each story that was told. One of them involved a vampire who decided to focus on me at the end of her story. All I kept thinking was, "You aren't going to be very satisfied with the amount of blood in this body." But really, it was kind of freaky. This was a lot of fun and I would love to do something like this again.
We ended the evening at the Williamsburg Lodge Lounge where we had great tapas. We ordered a sheep's milk cheese which was excellent. The tomato compote was way too sweet but that also may be because I ordered a sweet creamy sherry. The Banana had a burger which was very filling, although the cheese was a little too sharp for her taste.
All in all, another good day. Tomorrow, we will go to Yorktown Battlefield and then back to Colonial Williamsburg to finish our quest and hang out some more.
Monday, June 25, 2012
First day in Williamsburg
We took advantage of the opportunity to sleep in a bit after spending so much time in a car. The Good Mr. Dr. and La Suegra had to go officially check us in so that we wouldn't be kicked out. As usual, they tried to entice us to sit through a sales pitch to upgrade to this or that. We learned our lesson over the last couple of years. Our time is more important to us than the little bit of money they give us for the opportunity to tell them that we have no money to spend.
We started the day at Colonial Williamsburg where we got our passes, bought tickets for the ghost tour for Monday night and took a quick bus tour around the site. We also signed up to play the Lion and the Unicorn quest. We'll start that tomorrow. We'll play as a team, but I suspect that The Banana and I will be the main players. We spent the evening going over our instructions and the map. Should be fun.
We had lunch at a College Delly on the campus of the College of William and Mary. I had one of the best roast beef sandwiches ever. From there, we headed out to Historic Jamestowne.
This is a National Park site. We attended a tour, which was really a talk given by Miles Bond, a Park Service guy. He basically told the story of Jamestowne and how what happened here led to the institutionalization of slavery.
The short story is that the early colonists (not the first ones that died of starvation) were here to make money for the company that sent them here. They tried to develop several industries including glassmaking, tar, lumber and soap. But it was tobacco that was the real real money maker. Around the time tobacco industry began to take off, the migration of European laborers began to drop off. Slavery became the way to maintain profits. What's really interesting, however, was that that before the institutionalization of slavery, imported Africans and Afro-Caribbean peoples were able to eventually become free-men, with the same ability to own property (including slaves). However, as slavery became racialized, it was not safe to be a property owning free black here. The lucky ones were able to sell their land and move north. The unlucky ones lost all that they had accumulated.
After Jamestowne, we went to take a tour and do a tasting at the Williamsburg Winery. The tour was interesting, although it could have been done better. What was interesting about the wines was that the reds were actually very good. Virginia's climate is a bit better for whites than reds but we ended up only purchasing reds. The lucky ones who will be able to come to our wine and beer tasting on July 15 (hint hint) will be able to try these out.
We ended the night at a really neat restaurant called Food for Thought. On each of the tables are cards from various games with trivia questions, conversation questions, and "what would you do" type questions. We discovered that The Banana has a better sense of geography than she gave herself credit for. We spent much of the evening talking about all kinds of things like what does it mean to be a good friend and what made one of those questions sexist.
We all agreed that our first day was a really good one.
We started the day at Colonial Williamsburg where we got our passes, bought tickets for the ghost tour for Monday night and took a quick bus tour around the site. We also signed up to play the Lion and the Unicorn quest. We'll start that tomorrow. We'll play as a team, but I suspect that The Banana and I will be the main players. We spent the evening going over our instructions and the map. Should be fun.
We had lunch at a College Delly on the campus of the College of William and Mary. I had one of the best roast beef sandwiches ever. From there, we headed out to Historic Jamestowne.
This is a National Park site. We attended a tour, which was really a talk given by Miles Bond, a Park Service guy. He basically told the story of Jamestowne and how what happened here led to the institutionalization of slavery.
The short story is that the early colonists (not the first ones that died of starvation) were here to make money for the company that sent them here. They tried to develop several industries including glassmaking, tar, lumber and soap. But it was tobacco that was the real real money maker. Around the time tobacco industry began to take off, the migration of European laborers began to drop off. Slavery became the way to maintain profits. What's really interesting, however, was that that before the institutionalization of slavery, imported Africans and Afro-Caribbean peoples were able to eventually become free-men, with the same ability to own property (including slaves). However, as slavery became racialized, it was not safe to be a property owning free black here. The lucky ones were able to sell their land and move north. The unlucky ones lost all that they had accumulated.
After Jamestowne, we went to take a tour and do a tasting at the Williamsburg Winery. The tour was interesting, although it could have been done better. What was interesting about the wines was that the reds were actually very good. Virginia's climate is a bit better for whites than reds but we ended up only purchasing reds. The lucky ones who will be able to come to our wine and beer tasting on July 15 (hint hint) will be able to try these out.
We ended the night at a really neat restaurant called Food for Thought. On each of the tables are cards from various games with trivia questions, conversation questions, and "what would you do" type questions. We discovered that The Banana has a better sense of geography than she gave herself credit for. We spent much of the evening talking about all kinds of things like what does it mean to be a good friend and what made one of those questions sexist.
We all agreed that our first day was a really good one.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Second day on the road
We started off today having breakfast at L Dees Pancake House. It came highly recommended by the folks at the Park Service Visitor Center. If you are ever in Front Royal, we highly recommend going to the Visitor Center for information about anything remotely related to this area. The last time we came through, it was too cloudy to go over Skyline Drive. Instead, upon the recommendation of Visitor Center staff, we explored a bit of Virginia's wine country. And what a discovery that was!
Similar to last time, their recommendations for breakfast were right on the mark. If you are ever having breakfast in Front Royal, L Dee's is the place to be. It's popular with the locals and we were apparently a bit exotic to them. The lady at the table next to us remarked in a not so quiet voice, "I know I've seen her before, but I can't place where." Not quite sure which one of us she was referring to.
We started the afternoon at the North entrance to Skyline Drive. We stopped frequently to take pictures of the Shenandoah's to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains on the west. We also stopped in the Park's Visitor Center and learned about the challenges with imported pests and blights.
We detoured off of Skyline Drive to go to the Luray Caverns. This was fun. The weather was perfect. Warm, dry, and sunny. We decided to do the Garden Maze before the Cavern Tour. The maze has 4 goals you are supposed to find in order to figure out the theme (no I am not telling you). We split into teams to see who get through it first. The Banana and I were on one team. The Good Mr. Dr. and La Suegra were the other. It suffices to say that The Banana and I won. We have bragging rights but the Banana insists that we enjoy our victory with grace. Fine, but only this once.
The cavern tour was cool, literally and figuratively. It is a really neat place. It is a long tour and it was made longer by a pair of obnoxious teens who kept pestering the guide with questions like, "Is there really a ghost down here?" and "What's your nickname?" and telling stories about surviving the earthquake of 2010 while camping. The tour group was large and several adults wanted to trip these young people down into the abyss. Nevertheless, it was a really neat place and we recommend it.
We spent way more time in Luray than we intended. So we hopped back on Skyline Drive for what turned out to be a not so quick dinner in the Dining Room at the Skyland campground. Our review of the restaurant is, "meh." The food was decent but the service could be improved. We were the only people they failed to bring bread plates to, so we ate out bread over our placemats. The waitress almost spilled or dropped something on me twice. It's been a long time since I've given a 15% tip but in this case, it was well deserved.
It was late at this point and we still had miles to go before we got to the resort. We decided to get off the mountain to save time and to not be in the mountain once it got dark. We did a straight shot to Williamsburg and arrived just before midnight. They gave us a temporary key and told us to check in before noon in the morning.
Tomorrow we celebrate the Good Mr. Dr.'s birthday.
Similar to last time, their recommendations for breakfast were right on the mark. If you are ever having breakfast in Front Royal, L Dee's is the place to be. It's popular with the locals and we were apparently a bit exotic to them. The lady at the table next to us remarked in a not so quiet voice, "I know I've seen her before, but I can't place where." Not quite sure which one of us she was referring to.
We started the afternoon at the North entrance to Skyline Drive. We stopped frequently to take pictures of the Shenandoah's to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains on the west. We also stopped in the Park's Visitor Center and learned about the challenges with imported pests and blights.
We detoured off of Skyline Drive to go to the Luray Caverns. This was fun. The weather was perfect. Warm, dry, and sunny. We decided to do the Garden Maze before the Cavern Tour. The maze has 4 goals you are supposed to find in order to figure out the theme (no I am not telling you). We split into teams to see who get through it first. The Banana and I were on one team. The Good Mr. Dr. and La Suegra were the other. It suffices to say that The Banana and I won. We have bragging rights but the Banana insists that we enjoy our victory with grace. Fine, but only this once.
The cavern tour was cool, literally and figuratively. It is a really neat place. It is a long tour and it was made longer by a pair of obnoxious teens who kept pestering the guide with questions like, "Is there really a ghost down here?" and "What's your nickname?" and telling stories about surviving the earthquake of 2010 while camping. The tour group was large and several adults wanted to trip these young people down into the abyss. Nevertheless, it was a really neat place and we recommend it.
We spent way more time in Luray than we intended. So we hopped back on Skyline Drive for what turned out to be a not so quick dinner in the Dining Room at the Skyland campground. Our review of the restaurant is, "meh." The food was decent but the service could be improved. We were the only people they failed to bring bread plates to, so we ate out bread over our placemats. The waitress almost spilled or dropped something on me twice. It's been a long time since I've given a 15% tip but in this case, it was well deserved.
It was late at this point and we still had miles to go before we got to the resort. We decided to get off the mountain to save time and to not be in the mountain once it got dark. We did a straight shot to Williamsburg and arrived just before midnight. They gave us a temporary key and told us to check in before noon in the morning.
Tomorrow we celebrate the Good Mr. Dr.'s birthday.
The first day - on the road
The day started out early and relatively relaxed. So relaxed that we left a little bit later than we wanted. But that was not unusual. The big challenge this time was installing the car top carrier. We don't have a rack on the car but the Sherpa we got has straps that you can thread through the inside of the car and it was solid and fit all of our luggage.
We were on the road at 11 am and I spent the first hour and a half on a conference call. The Banana and La Suegra alternated between napping and reading while the Good Mr. Dr. drove what has become a familiar route for us.
The first part of the trip was pretty uneventful. We stopped in Connecticut for lunch and to start our picture game. We are all to take pictures throughout the day that cover all three of the following themes:
1. natural/ physical
2. historical/ cultural
3. something you've never seen before/ funny/ weird.
We'll be posting these in our own Picasa galleries.
The adventure really began when we found ourselves driving through a massive storm system. Of course, this happens when it was my turn to drive. Trying to safely drive through a blinding storm with ping pong ball sized hail is stressful enough. But then, we learned something about having a car top carrier that is strapped through the car itself: the rain will leak through the straps. There was absolute pandemonium when it started raining inside the car. And it was cold.
That lasted for about two hours. Then we started having real problems with our right front tire. We had already scoped out the nearest dealership to Williamsburg and where we could get a ZipCar if we needed to. Halfway through New Jersey I had to pull over because it was loud and the steering wheel was shaking. Turns out that we were missing a lug nut and the other four were very loose. The Good Mr. Dr. is convinced that it was sabotage but it could easily have been someone trying to steal the tires and getting caught. Either way, we caught it, fixed it and were well on our way to dinner.
Dinner was at the Waffle House
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. That was a treat because we were able to wander near a bunch of old steel mills, some of which have been repurposed as a casino, shops, and restaurants.
From the Waffle House, we went straight to Front Royal, Virginia. We made it to our hotel at midnight. And we were grateful for it. By the end of the day, we drove through parts of eight states. I do believe this is a record.
We were on the road at 11 am and I spent the first hour and a half on a conference call. The Banana and La Suegra alternated between napping and reading while the Good Mr. Dr. drove what has become a familiar route for us.
The first part of the trip was pretty uneventful. We stopped in Connecticut for lunch and to start our picture game. We are all to take pictures throughout the day that cover all three of the following themes:
1. natural/ physical
2. historical/ cultural
3. something you've never seen before/ funny/ weird.
We'll be posting these in our own Picasa galleries.
The adventure really began when we found ourselves driving through a massive storm system. Of course, this happens when it was my turn to drive. Trying to safely drive through a blinding storm with ping pong ball sized hail is stressful enough. But then, we learned something about having a car top carrier that is strapped through the car itself: the rain will leak through the straps. There was absolute pandemonium when it started raining inside the car. And it was cold.
That lasted for about two hours. Then we started having real problems with our right front tire. We had already scoped out the nearest dealership to Williamsburg and where we could get a ZipCar if we needed to. Halfway through New Jersey I had to pull over because it was loud and the steering wheel was shaking. Turns out that we were missing a lug nut and the other four were very loose. The Good Mr. Dr. is convinced that it was sabotage but it could easily have been someone trying to steal the tires and getting caught. Either way, we caught it, fixed it and were well on our way to dinner.
Dinner was at the Waffle House
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. That was a treat because we were able to wander near a bunch of old steel mills, some of which have been repurposed as a casino, shops, and restaurants.
From the Waffle House, we went straight to Front Royal, Virginia. We made it to our hotel at midnight. And we were grateful for it. By the end of the day, we drove through parts of eight states. I do believe this is a record.
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