Random musings from the road

Grandma lived in the Southeast for a while, and acquired a taste for a weird southern treat. If you have been o the area, or are a fan of Alton Brown’s show Good Eats, you have probably heard of boiled peanuts. They take the peanuts and boil them in salty water for hours while still in the shell. You can ea them hot or cold. It is not for everyone. This isn’t a snack you get at a neat and tidy store or restaurant. People have big kettles in their front yards or at their businesses. It took some time before we found a place we found a place that was ok looking enough to stop. Grandma took her peanuts back to the room and put them in the fridge. Well, Max saw them later and pointed and exclaimed “Dog Poop!” He could not be convinced we had not lost our minds and put dog poop in the fridge. Grandma tried to convince him it was peanuts by snacking on them, but I really don’t think he was convinced.

Max has reached a stage where he does not want to be photographed. We have probably deleted as many pictures of him as we kept. The family photo taken on our balcony at Nags Head looks good because we promised him a sucker if he would smile for grandma. Just a few weeks ago, he would flash a million dollar smile every time he saw a camera. As a result, we haven't taken as many photo's as vacations past.

We had lunch today in a local favorite, and we stumbled there by accident. The Old Chickahominy House serves very traditional dishes and we were blown away by the quality of our meal, especially the old fashioned, coconut pie! Here is a link if you want to know more http://www.oldchickahominy.com/

At Colonial Williamsburg, we are using the buses to shuttle us around. They are quick, convenient and air conditioned. So far, I think it is absolutely Max’s favorite thing here.

Bye bye beach, hello early democracy!

We left our little hotel by the sea today and made way to Virginia. Along the way, we took a bridge/tunnel to the historic triangle area. Max loved the bridge tunnel. I wasn’t as enamored. You start out on a bridge over the Chesapeake Bay. We saw several cargo ships and military ships in the bay. The next thing you know, you begin to descend into an underwater tunnel. Yes, you heard right. Bridge turns into tunnel while over the water. And it was a looooonnnnggg tunnel. But we didn’t drown, or even get wet, and somehow managed to come out alive. Our first stop was Jamestown. This was very cool. There were replicas of the Susan Constant, Discovery and Godspeed ships. All of these were open to visitors to tour, and hosted by people in period costumes. Max took a moment to reflect upon the hardships of colonialism on the deck of the Susan Constant.

There were interactive exhibits, an Indian village and a replica of the settlement. There was lots for kids to do, especially kids a little older than 2. If it hadn’t been so stinking hot, we would have stayed here longer. There was also a museum with period artifacts, and a film about the importance of the Virginia charters.

We elected to save Yorktown for a future visit and headed to Colonial Williamsburg. Just about everything here closes around 5, so we only had time for a few things. We did tour the Governors Palace, and it was super cool. This is a replica, as the original house burned down, but it was reproduced with extreme attention to detail, and many of the original tiles, bricks and artifacts were used. It housed 6 British governors, then Patrick Henry, the very first democratically elected politician in the colonies. It also housed Thomas Jefferson as VA gov briefly, until the capital was moved to Richmond. Maybe it’s the history geek coming out in me, but it is just really amazing to be walking the same spots as Henry, Jefferson, and Washington. We tried to get Max to wear a tri-corn hat, but he was determined to have mama wear it instead.

Max may be a little young for some of the stuff we did today, but tomorrow we are looking forward to more hands on activities.

Pizza guy should be here any minute,

Dawn

Planes, Trains and Automobiles….

Today started off at Kitty Hawk and the site of the Wright Brothers first flight. Max liked the full size model planes, but wasn’t so thrilled with the rest. We went as far north as one can in the Outer Banks and ended at the boundary for the wild horses. Corolla is one of three places in the OB that still has the wild horses introduced by the Spaniards over 500 years ago. They are extinct in Spain now, Okracoke penned theirs, and there are no people on the other island that the horses live on. So Corrolla is the only place you can see the horses. If you want to more here is the link: http://www.corollawildhorses.com/

We didn’t have a 4 wheel drive, so we didn’t see them on the coast, but a Max got to pet a pony who was rescued after his mother was injured and couldn’t care for him.

We saw the Currituck Light house today too. It isn’t painted so its just red and was really neat. Max saw a kitty cat on the grounds and kept trying to pet it. I think he is missing his pets.

We did a little souvenir shopping then headed to our room to enjoy the beach. Tonight we have to pack up. Tomorrow we head to Williamsburg VA.

Roanoke

Today we were very tourist-y. We headed over to Roanoke island, thankfully it was a brief drive. For those of you who don’t know the story, Roanoke would have been the first colony in the new world. The settlers arrived on Roanoke in 1587 and when supplies ran short, the sip and some of the men returned to Europe. The rest of the men, along with women and children, including the very first person of European descent born here- Virginia Dare- were left behind to colonize. England was at war when the men returned, and they were forced to wait 3 years to come back. When they returned, there were no white people anywhere to be found. No settlement, no homes, nothing. Just CRO carved into a tree. Many think the people left behind assimilated into local Indian tribes, and some evidence suggests this. Others think the Indians massacred them and destroyed any remains. Either way, its pretty neat to be in the place where one of History’s greatest mystery’s occurred.

We began our day at the Elizabethan Garden’s. These are beautiful grounds maintained in a traditional English style. Max loved being able to run around and we played a lot of “I’m gonna get you” and hide and seek.

It was already hot and steamy, so we went to Festival Park, which was a settlement style village, ship replica and museum. It was not very big, but had lots of information. Max had fun on the ship, and we tried our hands at digging out a dug out canoe. This was done with Oyster shells, so it required a long term commitment. We just spent a few minutes. The next stop was a settlement camp. There was an armament area, black smith, tents, carpentry area and cooking area. It was a cool setup and you really got a sense of how difficult life would have been. We also realized just how thankful we are for air conditioning and headed to the museum pretty quick.

The museum was very hands on and you got to see Roanoke’s full history- not just the CRO part. It had a large freedmen’s community during the Civil War, and like Okracoke had a part in WWII. Heather and I thought the neatest thing was the story of Richard Etheridge. In an effort to avoid giving 2 history lessons in one post, I will summarize by saying his life was very interesting and he was the first African American light house keeper. I will also look for a good article about him to link to. The museum had a lot of hands on stuff, and Max liked all of it but the Pirate. We dressed him like an explorer and let him go in the exploration room. Heather got some really good photo’s.

After lunch, we headed to the aquarium. Those of you who watch Discovery Channel know its Shark week. Well, they were doing it big here. Me and Max got our first tat’s in honor of it. We modeled them back at the hotel for pictures. Other than his tattoo, Max wasn’t a big fan of sharks. But he did love the turtles, and they had a lot to see. Also a touch tank with stingrays, hermit crabs, urchins, star fish, and horse shoe crabs. Max really liked looking, but refrained from touching anything.

We headed back to the hotel and enjoyed the beach. It was a very relaxing evening. Tomorrow we head to the Northern beaches.

Beach Day

Today we drove South through the outer banks. Most of our journey was on federally protected land. We watched some kayakers get ready to set off on the sound side. Max really thought the boats were cool, and we had to tear him away to get on our way. We stopped at Cape Hatteras light house. This lighthouse was moved in 1999 from its eroding base to a spot further inland. They expect to move it again in 60 years, because the Outer Banks are eroding. In fact, for most of our drive we could see the ocean within 20 yards to one side, and the sound just as close on the other. We did not go up into the lighthouse. You can, but Max wouldn’t be allowed and the tickets were timed, so we decided to push on. Maybe we will come back some day when Max can climb himself. No one is allowed who has to be carried.

Next we took a ferry to Okracoke Island. Max loved the ferry. He saw the white water churned by the boat and was just sure it was milk. That reminded him it was time for lunch, so we went to eat first thing off the boat. Off course, as soon as we were driving again, Max fell asleep! Once we had all eaten, we headed to Teach’s hole. This is a pirate place named after Black beard (his hideout was on Ocracoke and he was beheaded here). Grandma visited several years ago- when they were moving the lighthouse- and said it used to be more legitimate as a destination. Now it’s just a big pirate tourist trap. We visited a memorial for some British soldiers at a spot that is the only British owned land in the US where the bodies of some British sailors are buried after their ship was sunk by German U-boats during WWII.

Finally, we were on our way to the #1 beach in the US! It is just beautiful, soft, fine sand and deep green water. Max loved the sand and wouldn’t have anything to do with the water at first. Me and mommy played in the water. In fact, the very first big wave, and there were lots of big waves, too us both down. We both lost our sunglasses, and I lost one shoe. It wasn’t a fancy shoe, but it was brand new as I had just bought it to have something to wear in the water. When you don’t live near the beach, it’s easy to forget the water can toss you around so easily. Max finally came to the edge and really enjoyed the water. He kept saying it tickled him. We stayed here for several hours, just enjoying ourselves.

When we left, we stopped at the Pony pen. The Outer Banks have had wild horses that roam freely for many years. The horses are unique and have fewer ribs and vertebrate than any other horses. In Ocracoke, they penned them several years ago, because they were being killed because of the traffic. Grandma says one of the islands south of us still lets their herd run free. We headed back to our hotel after seeing them. It was a long day, but really fun. It is just awesome to see your kid enjoy their first time at the Ocean. The ferry ride back was beautiful and we watched the sunset from the boat.

Tomorrow we are exploring Roanoke Island.

Good Night from NC!

PS- Still working on fixing the camera problem.

Marathon across North Carolina

Today we started out at Maggie Valley and ended up at Nags Head. Maggie Valley was just a great place, and everyone was very hospitable. We had breakfast at Joey’s pancakes and it was just a great place. The drive was uneventful, except when Betty the GPS thought we were off road in Greensboro (guess the highway was new). Heather was very pleased when we found a PF Changs for lunch, and we made it to the hotel in time to swim in the ocean and the pool! The ocean is right out our back door and our hotel, the Sea Foam, is a retro, 50’s type of place. Here is our view from thebalcony.

It is really neat, and in a great location. Max wasn't sure what to think of the Ocean at first, but seems to be warming up to it. He just sat in Grandma's lap at first but mommy took him for a pugy back ride and he had lots of fun.

Tomorrow, we head to Hatteras and Ocracoke, the #1 beach in the US, according to Dr. Beach. We may even stop at Blackbeard's old hideout. We'll let you know if we come across any treasure.

Have a great Monday!

Betty

Let me tell you about Betty. Betty is my friend Sherrie’s GPS that she loaned us for the trip. If you haven’t yet used a GPS, you gotta get one. Sometimes she is a bit of a nag, but she is worth it. We can find restaurants, gas stations, and attractions nearby to wherever we are, whenever we need. Thanks Sherrie!

2nd Day in the Smokies

Today was a great day. We started out in Bryson City and rode the Great Smoky Mountain Rail road. Max LOVED it!!

We rode next to the Nantahalla river and got to watch white water rafters as we went. It was a beautiful day (it has rained both mornings but then dries up) and Max really enjoyed changing cars. We sat in a crown car, a 50's era passanger car with A/C. There was a Club car in front of us- which was adult only and no one could board with out a ticket. Behind us was a snack car, and behind it was an open air car. There were probably 12 more cars behind that. Several people rode the train to the Nantahalla Outdoor Center, where they got off to raft.

After our train ride, we visited the train museum- with out a doubt the best toy train set up I have ever seen. It was on a 42 x 25 platform and had a whole town and I dunno how many trains. There also was a train table, and a big platform with a carnival and 4 trains that the kids operated by pressing buttons. They also had tons of trains on display. We found 2 different Frisco engines, and a Frisco caboose. On of the Frisco engines was $750! We literally had to drag Max out kicking and screaming. See the video below for an idea.

Next we headed through Cerokee to the Ocanaluftee visitors center and their Civil War era-ish farm. Since it was Saturday, people were operating the kitchen and answering questions.

We took the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway to our hotel where we spent some time in the pool, then grabbed an early supper and headed to the Catalochee area of the Smokies. If you ever come here to camp, be sure to spend a night or two here. It is camping only and this is where the elk were re-introduced in the park several years ago. The herd has now reached 100 and we saw around 20 tonight. Two females calved today, but we did not see the new babies. We did see a couple of older babies, and they were very cute. We had to wach through binoculars, as their moms kept them away from people. We did get some photos of the elk.

Tomorrow, we spend most of the day driving but will be on the beach by the end of the day. Yay! We will be there 4 nights, and I just can't wait to see Max on the beach.

TTFN!

Smoky MountainFun

We are here! Finally!! The drive was smooth and Max has been great in the car. We were on the road by 8 this morning, and in the smokies right around noon. Our first stop was a picnic ground for lunch, and we saw a racoon right off the bat! Max spotted him first and pointed and exclaimed "Mouse!" We let him know mice weren't that big. We considered the coon sighting a good omen for wildlife viewing. Our first stop was Roaring Fork drive, a one-way loop through some of the original homesteads of the area. It was really beautiful. The rhododendrons are still (barely) in bloom, and we saw some really pretty wild flowers. Max conked out and missed a lot of the loop. There were places along the way to stop and see the creek, forest, a cool old cemetary and lots of old buildings. The absolute highlight of the loop (see video below) was the BEAR!! We saw some people stopped and looking at the side of the mountain. They told us they had been watching a bear. We had to drive a bit before we could pull over and Heather said she'd wait with Max if we wanted to hike back. I don't think she thought we would see one. So Me and Grandma went back and darned if that bear didn't come down that hill really close to us. We went back to the car so Heather could come take a look, but no bear. The road through the park was also beautiful, and we took our time. We by passes Clingman's Dome, in favor of getting to the hotel for some R&R. We are staying in Maggie Valley at the Jonathon Creek Inn. This place is beautiful. We have a private screened in porch overlooking the creek and there are plenty of places to just sit and enjoy the view. Tomorrow is our ChooChoo ride, so we expect more big fun!

So long from the mountains :)

Tropical Storms

Whew! Looks like Tropical Storm Christobal picked the right weekend, because next weekend would really suck for us. http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid823425597/bclid877032950/bctid959746457

Hopefully, this will be the last of the serious weather in the Carolinas for a few weeks.

Lot's to do the next few days!