October 7, 2014

Quick recap:  we spent three more days in the "Colonial Triangle" of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown.  Got our fill of revolutionary war info at least from the Virginia side.  Steve had the ear and was a willing student of the weapons experts and Sherry got to watch spinning and iron work so was equally content with all the details. Very fun trip and the weather cooperated with a week of all sunshine.  Really had a hard time finding healthy food though.  Not a priority for the Southerners we guess.

Williamsburg Gunsmith

Yorktown cannon demonstration - REALLY loud

One of the three ships like those to the Jamestown Colony 1600's

Next were two days driving north.  We decided against battling the I-95 corridor and took a beautiful drive from Williamsburg through western Maryland to Scranton Pennsylvania.  In the Pennsylvania mountains we finally saw the fall trees we were hoping for.  Next travel day was from PA to Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Today was close to home day visiting the Falmouth area and going to Woods Hole - home of an oceanographic institute that Steve knew about as well as the country's oldest museum (not much there) and the country's oldest aquarium (not much there).  The institute of the first to explore the Titanic and other very deep sea exploration.  Interesting but very claustrophobic (small buildings, lots of trees, and wind).  We did find the local watering spot and enjoyed conversations with the people here.  Hope to go back there before we leave on Friday.  Tomorrow - on to explore Boston.

Tuesday, September 30

Declaration of Independence with the mixed crowd

Presentation of the troops

Colonial cow

Another day in Colonial Williamsburg.  We went to the Apothocary Shop which was the one place I remembered from my visit here as a child.  It was neater then but still interesting.  Went to the Capital building (was once the House of Burgess) where the Virginia declaration of independence was formed, a precursor to the national one.  Saw a bunch of other craftsmen and did enjoy the day.  Steve found his long clay pipe (his best memory of his childhood visit here).  It's amazing what sticks in the mind of a child while traveling.  The crowds were a bit bigger so no chance for the lengthy conversations we had yesterday with the living history folk here, but still learned a lot.  For me the highlight was having the Declaration of Independence read aloud in the town commons as a call to arms.  Pretty impressive.  More so in the connotation of "of the day".

Capital Building window

Tomorrow we're going to Jamestown and back to the early 1600's or maybe Yorktown.

Day Two - Driving from Kansas, through Missouri (Steve got to see the St. Louis arch for the first time), Indiana, Illinois, to Kentucky.  More trees and they are starting to change.  Our overnight was in Lawrence Kansas.  Poor choice since it was homecoming for Kansas State University.  Almost all of the motels booked and way over priced.  But the Holiday Inn was comfortable and clean ($179 for one night - yikes) but we got the handicap room so the bathroom was an experience.

Day Three - More Driving - from Kansas, through Kentucky and Virginia to our timeshare in Williamsburg, VA.  Mountain driving if you consider 2700 feet a mountain (she scoffs). But the landscape got more and more pretty.  But definitely glad for a promised break in long term driving.

Williamsburg, VA - September 29

Our timeshare is only a couple of miles from Colonial Williamsburg.  This site was originally excavated in the early 1930's and many of the structures are built on foundations of the original
buildings from the late 1700's.  Steve and I had both been here in our youths but as anticipated, it is much more interesting as an adult.  Plus it was very quiet so we had lengthy conversations with the historians who work there.

Did you know that "smithing" came from the word "smite" and applies to those who hammer - like blacksmithing, gunsmithing, stuff like that?  And when you say a dollar is a buck, that comes from colonial days when a deer hide would fetch you one spanish dollar so a buck for a dollar.  We had long conversations with the tobacco farmer, the guy at the governor's mansion, the guys who actually are making rifles by hand (9 year backlog for a $20,000 gun) and others.  Going back tomorrow for more.

September 26, 2014

First goal - Williamsburg, VA

Day one - Drive through Kansas.  How come the home of Dorothy (but not Judy Garland - that's Minnesota) gets such a bad rap?  Granted we bee-lined through on I-70 but it is the home of Eisenhower, the CW Parker carousel, the world's largest Czech egg, a live 5 legged cow, AND the world's largest prairie dog.  Not such a bad or boring place.  Maybe we'll actually check out one or two of those on the way back.  In the meantime, tomorrow on to Kentucky.

September 26, 2014

We are reactivating our blog to track our new set of travels.  Recent recap:  We went on a Caribbean cruise last winter (more to follow on that) and just last week set out with our trusty 5th wheel "Bodecia III"  starting with an extended This was quickly followed by a  week return trip to Yellowstone.  Finally, we went to the Longs Peak Scottish Festival and a week in Breckenridge. 
So now on the our current travels...