Two Days together

This is Connie in Demopolis AL advertising the Red Nun!


THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008

We got up and while I checked emails and showered, Peter paid another brief visit to the casino and returned very happy because he had found a $5 table and didn’t lose any money. We then checked out, crossed the Red River into Texas and headed for Dallas. During the drive, we decided that Vicksburg is a place we’d like to revisit; the Park is worth a whole day and the town looked extremely interesting. We would recommend it highly. As we drove through Dallas, we noticed how vital and prosperous the city seems to be. We put the Miles’ address into the GPS (we call her “Marilyn!”) and she led us to their door except for one problem: I had entered their street address incorrectly so we drove up and back on their street a few times before we found their house!

Had a great afternoon catching up and exchanging tales about our travels. Peter and Barbara went over out itinerary and gave us lots of great tips about Texas, the Southwest and the Northwest. Enjoyed a great meal and conversation around their dining room table and, afterwards, Peter brought out 20 bottles of liqueurs to end our evening.


FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008

After breakfast we followed Peter and Barbara into downtown Dallas (Peter promised to follow close behind even if Peter M. exceeded the speed limit!). After a brief stop at Pioneer Park for some photo ops, we headed for Dealey Plaza and the Sixth Floor Museum in the Dallas Book Repository. It was fascinating, chilling, and somber and showed, in photos, many tenths of seconds before and after the assassination. I didn’t realize that the Secret Service wanted to leave Dallas immediately after Kennedy was pronounced dead, that Johnson wouldn’t leave without Jackie, that Jackie wouldn’t leave without her husband’s remains and that officials forcefully took Jack’s corpse from the hospital to Air force 1 before an autopsy could be performed. From the perspective of the window down to the street, Peter was surprised at how close Oswald was when he shot the president. All in all, it was well worth the stop! Thank you, Barbara and Peter

On our drive to San Antonio to see Covey and Mimi, we realized that today was Sylvette’s birthday………….how appropriate! We encountered our worst traffic jam of the trip today in Austin TX. Temp 99 degrees……………thankfully we had the top up and the AC on. Marilyn again came through and delivered us right to Chris and Covey’s door.

More later on our weekend in San Antonio.

Jack and Sally: Congrats! You’ve won the most recent photo contest!
Billyboatshoes: Sorry……………..you came in second!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The above photo was taken in Gibsland LA, the daffodil capital of Louisiana. What’s Gibsland’s more famous claim to fame?

Today we drove from Montgomery AL to Shreveport LA, through farmland, through rural areas populated with very modest homes, trailers and doublewides, through bayous, through logging sites and over several rivers including the Mississippi. We even saw an oil well! We stopped in Selma, had a picnic in Demopolis on the town common and drove on a two lane road, a four lane road and an Interstate. The speed limits ranged from 35 mph to 70 mph and Peter faithfully observed them all! We had the top down most of the day with a high of 78 degrees. I think my ears are sunburned…..I’ll have to remember to slather them tomorrow with sunblock! Spring has definitely arrived in the South…….the redbuds are out, the daffodils are blooming, the grass is green and the buds on the trees are huge! We also saw our first dead armadillo on the side of the road and later saw a golden eagle soaring into the air.

Our treat for the day was our drive through Vicksburg National Military Park Wow! The park has a 16 mile road that winds around the steep battlefield. There are canons, trenches and over 1300 markers and monuments, some ornate and some fairly plain. It is somber and extremely impressive. In the 60s the battleship Cairo, which had sunk during the Civil War, was recovered in the mud and restored; it is now a magnificent museum in one part of the park. Only 996 more places to see!!! AND, we bought a Senior Lifetime Pass to all national parks for $10!!

We ended our day in Shreveport where we are staying in a Casino/Hotel………guess where Peter is!!! He just walked in…….won $2.50….that’s half of the tip to the bellhop. Tomorrow we’re off to Dallas to stay overnight with Peter and Barbara Miles then on to San Antonio to visit cousins Covita and Aminah and their families.

Pam: As far as technology, we’re learning! Between Marilyn (that’s what we call our GPS) and our laptop connected via cell phone we are plugged in!!! Also……..Good for you! You’re the second winner in the photo contest. Isn’t Google great!

Emily: Congratulations on correctly identifying photo #1! How’s it feel to be a winner?

Pam: As far as technology, we’re learning! Between Marilyn (that’s what we call our GPS) and our laptop connected via cell phone we are plugged in!!! Also……..Good for you! You’re the second winner in the photo contest. Isn’t Google great!

Photo #3 If you read today’s blog you’ll know what the photo is. But do you know what famous author grew up near there in Asheville and wrote fictionally about some Asheville scandals? His book was banned from the Asheville library for years.



Today was a day of beauty and antitheses…..The Biltmore and Cherokee NC! We met Mim’s friend Becca (our second “sixth degree of separation” event!) and had a delightful hour of coffee and chat. We impressed her with our use of the Internet on the road and then we left the coffee shop leaving our laptop behind. So much for good impressions! A Good Samaritan noticed and called out to us so we retrieved the laptop. Peter and I probably need these events for some external input into our 24/7 time on the road. After Becca confirmed that if we were to see only one attraction in Asheville, it should be the Biltmore, off we went! Upon arrival, I went in to buy the tickets only to discover they were cheaper on the Internet! So I went back to the car and we purchased the tickets online………..saved 8 bucks………..we’ll put it toward the cost of the laptop!!

The Biltmore Estate, http://www.biltmore.com/, is unbelievable! It reminded us of the Hearst Castle and more! The entrance is 3 miles off the road and there’s a 7 mile exit road through beautifully manicured lawns and gardens. We took a self-guided tour through many of the 255 rooms and were astounded at the treasures. Peter was especially impressed with the extensive detailed and varied trim. I loved the artwork……there were many John Singer Sargent portraits and even some original Renoirs and a Whistler. We loved seeing the basement with all of the kitchens, prep rooms, pantries and original copper pots. One of the many ovens was an indoor wood-fired grill but, alas, no brick oven! The indoor pool seemed utilitarian in contrast to the one at the Hearst. To think that 27 year old, unmarried George Vanderbilt undertook this project……but then what else did he have to do!!!

Even though it was going to delay our arrival in Montgomery AL, we then decided to take a side trip to the most visited National Park (the Grand Canyon being a distant second) in the US, The Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Early in our preparations for the trip, I had marked a road listed in the 1,000 PLACES TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE IN THE USA AND CANADA……………Natural Bridge (see yesterday’s blog) and The Biltmore were also listed………..only 997 more places to go!!!

The weather was pretty good………60 degrees, partly cloudy………so we put the top down and off we went. The most populous town we went through to get to the Newfound Gap Road was Cherokee NC, the commercial center of the Cherokee Indian Reservation. Talk about honky-tonk and commercial!! The antithesis of the Biltmore!!! There was one high rise, a Harrah’s casino; Peter wanted to stop for a half hour to win back the rest of our ticket money from the Biltmore but instead held his breath and passed by!

Then we turned right into the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and onto Newfound Gap Road. The Great Smokies are exactly what their name says……….great and smoky (it’s not smoke; it’s excess moisture in the air, generated by the old growth forest)!!! We drove 20 miles up to the crest of the road in utter awe at the magnificence. At 5000 ft. we had hoped to take an ancillary road to reach the highest point in the park where there was a lookout tower but the road was still closed. That was when we realized the sky was no longer PARTLY cloudy and the air had chilled to 48 degrees! So we turned around, put the top up and headed to Montgomery totally satisfied with our short tour of the Great Smoky Mountains.

On our way to Montgomery we went by the Chattooga River near Clayton GA where the movie “Deliverance” was filmed. But when we stopped, Peter was afraid to get out of the car!!! Further along and because of our side trip into the Great Smoky National Park, we encountered our first traffic jam. We were in Atlanta……..great planning!

To our commenters: Many thanks for your input. Since no one has correctly identified our first photo, here’s a hint. The picture was taken from our moving car along the New Jersey Turnpike. It was the background during the opening credits of one of the most popular TV shows, recently ended. Randy Babbitt correctly identified the second photo as the new Air Force Memorial right off 395 in the Washington DC area. So, Fuzzy and Sally, it’s not near the new Yankee Stadium! Rick, Connie and I BOTH contribute to the blog; can’t you tell when one stops and the other starts? Lize and Ed, so far we don’t need any therapy or legal advice but…………..standby! Suz, I’m surprised Pete 3 hasn’t guessed photo #1. And, Mame, we were there………..it’s the Biltmore!

Before I start on today’s adventures, we want to thank Lize (and, of course, our web master, Pete Giorgio!)for helping us figure out how to post a comment on the blog; she’s not at all as idiotic as the comments sounded!!! WE were the idiots trying to maneuver our way through the website!!! Thanks, Lize; hope Ed’s not still ailing!

When we arrived yesterday in Alexandria, the weather was beautiful: blue sky, full sun, 50 degrees with the daffodils and crocuses almost in bloom.

We left this morning just before 7 (it was cold!! 32 degrees!) Headed south to Charlottesville and took I64W (past Crozet, VA, Matt’s old stomping grounds!) to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We traveled on the Parkway for about 50 miles, saw one parked car and one motorcycle! Prior to today we had traveled the Skyline Drive to Charlottesville but had never gone beyond that. First of all, the Blue Ridge is FREE!!! Skyline costs $10 per car!!! Anyway it was a beautiful day, temperature in the 50s in the valleys (a little colder as we climbed to 3000 feet!)

At the lowest point in the park the temp rose to 58 so we decided to put the top down and take a little detour along the James River to Natural Bridge 15 miles away. One of our guide books says that it is one of the “Seven Natural Wonders of the World!” Check it out at http://www.naturalbridgeva.com/. It really is magnificent although Peter says that I will find that it pales when viewing the Grand Canyon. And the area is privately owned and pretty honky-tonk. Costs $11 each (with AAA discount!) and the tickets are sold in a HUGE souvenir shop! But the sight of the bridge is something else; 90 feet long and 215 feet high you walk under it and see George Washington’s initials that he carved into the stone as he was surveying the area as a young man.

We hiked a two mile round trip trail to Lace Falls where we had a picnic lunch and lounged in the sun watching the Falls and Cedar Creek. A couple approached the Falls and we started to chat about the area, the Falls, etc. After more chit-chat we discovered that he’s in the Coast Guard. Peter asked him if he knew Rick Larrabee. He replied, “You mean the Flag Officer, Admiral Larrabee?” Seems he doesn’t know Rick but does know OF him. He continued to tell us how he wishes Admiral Larrabee was still in the CG and in what high respect Admiral Larrabee is held. How about “6 degrees of separation?”…… Commander Gary Bruce, XO on the Coast Guard Tracer in Yorktown.

By now, it was 2:30 so we really had to boogey if we were going to make Asheville NC before nightfall. Top up at 3:30 and we continued to proceed through southwest Virginia, into Tennessee and on into North Carolina. Drove through some beautiful country: rolling farms, soaring mountains especially the Great Smokys in Tennessee/North Carolina. Checked into our motel, ate dinner, wrote the blog (didn’t take quite as long as last night) and made plans to meet Becca, a friend of Mim and Tony’s for coffee in the morning.

Today’s picture is actually from the end of our trip yesterday……….Where and what is it?

I want to thank everyone for their posts on yesterdays blog………Pam-I did bring duct tape in case I have to tape my mouth so I don’t say anything that will get me in trouble….seven weeks is a long time and it’s a small car…..Mike-Mom took the picture that way purposely to make it harder to guess and I WAS going the speed limit…Billy-you’re close.. it is near a sports complex…Kathy-don’t you know what goes on at truck stops?…..Suz-WE passed only three cars….Sharon-The pic IS in the New York area—so far you’re the closest ….Mame- the letters SOP have a lot to do with it. I thought my brother John would be the first to get it. Mim…thanks for the hook-up.

Day 2

This is the “we’ve-done-this-drive-before” day!!!! Yes, it’s DST now and, therefore, we left a little later than we had anticipated. Nobody was up at Pete and Karen’s at 8 when we awakened so we quietly dressed, turned on the coffee and were ready to leave when Pete came downstairs at 8:30 to say goodbye. Outside it was beautiful but windy and cold. We rearranged the back seat in a bit more organized fashion, stopped at Starbuck’s (!!!!), filled up with gas ($3.09/gal) and headed for Alexandria. By 11 AM we had read the NY Times, the Washington Post and checked our email!! Isn’t technology amazing?

So, halfway through our drive to Virginia, we realized we needed to set up the Bluetooth in the GPS. After fiddling around with the GPS all morning, we needed a new task. Finally we were able to make a connection between the GPS and Peter’s phone so that he can not only make a call through the GPS keypad but when a call comes in all he has to do is touch the phone icon on the GPS screen and talk!!!!

We now feel sufficiently networked through all of our technological devices!!! Arrived at the Wards about 5:15 only to find Ed suffering quite a bit from what we have diagnosed as the flu. So we went out and bought surgical masks!!! Seriously, he’s ill and spent most of the time upstairs in bed!!! So Liz, Peter and I had a great dinner, drank some wine and here we are!!

In any case, three cars passed us on our trip from Belmont to Alexandria. As expected, Peter drove the whole trip at the speed limit while I was the guru with all of the technology instruments.

We would like to have suggestions of sights, restaurants, hotels for any of the places we expect to visit. So, please, make suggestions and or comments on the blog. Tomorrow we head for Asheville, NC, then on to Georgia and Alabama with an overnight in Montgomery, next to Shreveport LA, on to Dallas and then San Antonio.

So, far, so good on the relationship. No problem with the cramped quarters although Peter did bring more shoes than I did!!!

Somewhere on this blog (can you tell we’re new at blogging?) there’s a photo that we took about half way through our trip today……can anyone tell us where it is and why we took the photo?