November 12, 2004 –

It rained through out the night – and most of the day. Accumulation is said to have been greater than an inch over last night and today.

Decided that as a result – that we would go out for breakfast and do a bit of shopping – and see if we can find a repair center to get an oil change and replace the fan belt on the motor home which has been squealing for the past day. Found a great little repair place in town – and made arrangements to have the unit in early Tuesday morning on our way out of town.

Next it was to the local visitor information bureau – to get some info on the area as well as a recommendation for a place for breakfast. The little pancake place that they sent us to doing a roaring business – and served really great food.

Off to do some grocery and supply shopping – hoping that the rain would abate. It didn’t…. So we decided to follow “Stonewall” Jackson trail and the major battle that took place around Front Royal during the civil war. This was part of the battle that gained Stonewall Jackson’s reputation as a brilliant military leader (holding off thousands of Union forces with only about 800 of his own men). The Front Royal battle is also referred to as pitting brother against brother. When the Union and Confederate forces engaged in battle in Front Royal – it was the Maryland divisions of both sides were the first to engage in the battle – which meant that literally there were family members were on opposing sides that day. We followed the historic sites of the battle around town – and even up “Rocky Lane” – which has not changed much since that time (very narrow and windy going up hill and dale).   Good thing we were in the Suzuki as some of the corners are so tight and the road so overgrown with trees that you can also feel what it was like two hundred years ago.

Unfortunately we were only able to get to about half way around the tour – as at “Rose Hill” where a widow and her three daughters looked after many of the wounded soldiers – we ended up with a minor wound of our own. Mickey and Keelan went over to look at a play ground next to the plaque commemorating the battle site – when Mickey slipped and fell – and ended up with a big gash under his chin.

Up to the local hospital to experience the American medical system and to see how well our extended health coverage works. The receptionists were nice enough – but did not seem to fill any function except to talk to the apparently “cute” paramedics that came in. The triage nurse was efficient and conducted her initial review of the situation with Mickey in Dad in a locked room (security) while Deb was contacting our medical carrier. The Triage nurse seemed basically humourless but did become more animated when she started to talk about how cell phones knew how to find you no matter where you go – and that the government is probably using them to track everyone (twilight zone stuff). Deb then took Mickey into the area to wait for a doctor. The attending nurse – confirmed that Mickey would need a couple of stitches but had terrible bedside manner. She kept telling Mickey as to how much it would hurt to get the needles to freeze the area and although it was frozen getting the stitches would still hurt, etc. Needless to say this was not helping.

However the Doctor was extremely good – ended up putting an analgesic cream on to freeze the area – and recommended a couple of places we needed to see – one in North Carolina as well as the International Spy museum in Washington DC. So after three hours in the hospital and four stitches for Mickey we were finally able to leave.

Down to a little computer shop and internet cafe – to download and print the claim forms that we need to fill in for the medical treatment. The people at the store were extremely helpful – and again gave us some advice about what we should see. They even had an older portable printer – which we may be able to get on for next to nothing on Tuesday (part of a unit they are taking in on repair). They also have a free WiFi site which we could either use inside the store on their computers – or sitting in the car out front.

November 13, 2004 –

We awoke early this morning to a bright sunny day – although the clear skies made the temperature somewhat cool. Had a big breakfast and the kids presented dad with his birthday presents. We then started off in the direction of the flea market just outside of Winchester. As we did not get good directions – ended up traveling and extra half hour or so – but probably needed it so that the temperature outside would warm up. Spend some time wandering around the flea market – and Dad picked up the ugliest slipper / moccasins for $2.00 – his birthday present to himself. It was also interesting to see the signs advertising toboggans (which were really toques) – I guess they figure that one Canadian word is as good as another.

A little after lunch we started down the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park – which runs the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As it was a clear day you could see for miles – and it was really spectacular. Apparently it is the particulates in the air which make the mountains appear blue in colour – and they sure do. The drive crosses back and forth across the mountain ridge – allowing you to see the valleys on both sides – to the west you see the rest of the Blue Ridge Mountains and to the east you see a fertile plain and out towards the ocean. It is also interesting in that the we had the car radio turned to a frequency that kept changing from old country on the west side of the ridge to classic rock on the east side of the ridge. At one point, the kids were laughing as we kept switching back and forth from Blue Grass – banjo to Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall” – and it all seemed quiet surreal.

With all the rain early last night and then turning clear and cold this morning – many of the trees were covered in a thick layer of hoar frost and ice. Deb found this extremely moving – as this is one of her favourite natural beauties. The kids had fun running around and finding different shaped ice crystals.

Dropped down to the north fork of the Shenandoah River Valley and followed a windy road through the rolling country side back to Front Royal. It was such a picture perfect day that there were a couple of times that Mom broke into singing either Country Roads or Shenandoah – and Dad didn’t even mind. Once we were back in Front Royal – we spent about 45 minutes at a local Pawn Shop – that was almost better than any museum – with all the treasures and artifacts that they had. Wish we had more room to bring stuff back. The two old guys in the shop were just great – and more interested in talking with us rather than selling anything. We ended up picking up some bullets and grapeshot from the civil war – as somewhat of a token remembrance.

Then it was time for Dad’s birthday supper. Early in the week we had seen a restaurant and pub that we thought would be just perfect for the occasion. It is called “The Village Idiot” – with its motto – the place with “Stupid Name, Incredible Food”. It lived up to its reputation. We had great steak and shrimp – and phenomenal seafood chowder. They seemed to do a roaring business – for a small place. The staff – which all seemed to be members of a couple of families – all seemed to have a good time working there and were joking around and relaxed with everyone. Could have easily stayed for the whole evening – but with the windy roads and the number of deer out after dark – thought it was best to make an early night of it.

Given the beautiful day and the wonderful meal – I don’t think we could have planned a better birthday for Dad.

November 14, 2004 –

Woke up this morning to heavy frost and frozen water hoses. Disconnected the waterline and hung it over the back of the motor home to thaw out in the sun. The temperatures were quickly warming up under the clear skies – and therefore into Washington DC to the various Smithsonian museums.

First step was to drive about an hour into the town of Venice. From there we purchased 4 return tickets on the Metro and took it into downtown DC. The Smithsonian station come in underground right in the middle of the National Mall. The mall itself is an open green space over a mile long that has Washington Monument on one end and the Capital building on the other. Along both sides are building housing the various parts of the Smithsonian Museum (although there are other sections including the zoo and part of the aeronautic that are housed elsewhere).

The best thing about the Smithsonian Museums is that they are free – and in fact we were talking to a person that grew up in Washington – who said he didn’t realize that all museums were not free – until he moved away. That said they try everything possible to make some money off the operation – between having huge museum stores – to bringing in IMAX theatres and ride simulators – all which cost money. They even have Smithsonian vending carts and restaurants (want a Smoothsonian fruit drink?). The degree of security scrutiny seems to vary from museum to museum – with the highest seeming to be at the Museum of American History.

Started off the day at the Museum of Natural History (where the kids got to take part in feeding Olivia the tarantula), then moved on to do parts of the Museum of American History – and the kids spent some time in a hands on science lab, and then ended up the day at the Air and Space Museum. We did not do justice to any one museum – as you could spend days walking around and reading and seeing everything – but by the end of it we all felt that our heads were too full to take in much more. We will have to review our plans for tomorrow and strategically plan on what we are going to see based on the weather, etc. and how much longer we want to spend in the Washington area.

Back to the Metro station – and off get our car. For a Sunday evening – the roads were really busy – and it is sort of scary to think what tomorrow and rush hour traffic will look like. There are times that we really can appreciate only having the couple of street lights in Cranbrook – and complain when there is all the tourist traffic on the road.

November 15, 2004 –

Up this morning – and back into the Metro station. We are starting to get really comfortable doing this. We checked into the Smithsonian Castle first – to check on time and details of the Air and Space Museum at Dulles airport -as well as the zoo.

Then picked up a day pass on the “Tour mobile” and started our more detailed tour of DC. As the Washington Monument is closed for extensive security upgrading our first stop was the Vietnam / Korean and Lincoln Memorials. The etching of the figures on Korean memorial added a really haunting quality whereas the sure enormity of the Vietnam Memorial was truly overwhelming. All of the gifts and other items left at the Vietnam memorial are catalogued and saved as historic artifacts – and these range from everything from pictures to motorcycles.

We then headed across the river towards Arlington Cemetery. From the bridge you could see the Kennedy Centre – and the infamous Watergate Hotel. The sure number of white military regulation markers in the Arlington cemetery was overpowering. They say that there are still between 7 to 10 burials at Arlington every day. Went up and saw the burial site of John Kennedy and the eternal flame that burns there. Continued further up the hill to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and watched the changing of the guard. It takes place at a tomb that overlooks the most of the cemetery – and has a large Greek styled amphitheatre building behind it.

Further up the hill to Arlington House – the home of General Lee prior to the civil war (the home had belonged to his wife’s family). When the war broke out – Lee who was a long serving federal soldier – struggled with which side he should be on given his loyalty and service to the country – but eventually came to the decision that Virginia was his home and joined and headed up the Confederate forces. As a result he had to leave his home – which he entrusted to one of the slaves and his family moved to Richmond, Virginia. The Union major who had served with Lee and was in charge of finding a burial spot for the soldiers killed in the war – was so upset that Lee had joined the Confederate – that he made the Lee property – the cemetery. It is reported that he was so incensed – that he went so far as to rip up Mrs. Lee favourite rose garden – and place a some of the first graves right in the middle – feeling that not matter what the outcome of the war – that the Lee’s would never want to return to the home. After the War – Lee did a lot to try and heal the damage brought about by the war and get people working together again but never returned to Arlington – but his son was able to get an out of court settlement from the US government for the property – which he viewed as his inheritance.

From Arlington – we went back down into DC and circled in front of the White House and then continued down the Federal Triangle (government buildings) and on to the Capital Building. The tour then swung by Union Station and then back down to the Mall and the Smithsonian. Our tour guide for the later part of the trip was excellent – having grown up in DC as a kid and playing in and around the Capital building. He had many interesting anecdotes – (shields on the guards at Union Station (afterthought for modesty), everything has to Make way for government, and that there is symbolism to everything in town).

After the tour – decided to walk back towards the White House and get a closer look – as it was now open to passenger traffic from the Pennsylvania Avenue side. We got there just as the sun was setting so it all looked pretty spectacular. The security was quite something however – between the large concrete flower planters everywhere (barricades), metal vehicle traps, helicopters in the area, etc. (Learned later that one person had set themselves on fire while another had scaled the White House fence earlier that day – so people were a bit edgy). The kids really enjoyed the antics of a couple of the White House squirrels – that were running around looking for food – and even let the boys touch them. By the way the White House is called this because in the war of 1812 the British were able to come in and set part of the White House ablaze. To try and get the smoke stains out of it – they had to keep White Washing it over and over again – and that is how it got its nickname – and then its official name.

By the time we headed for home it was well after dark – and we were tired but felt that we had seen a lot. The drive home – even though it was after 7:00 was still bumper to bumper in and slow going for about 30 miles. Don’t know how the locals can stand this on a regular basis.

November 16, 2004 –

Today was a quiet day – took both the Motor Home and Suzuki in to get serviced. Although we had originally planned to move on today – feel that there is still more of Washington that we want to see – so have booked in for a couple of more nights.

Went to a little downtown grill for breakfast after dropping the vehicles off – and then down to the computer shop – where we did up some e-mails and the kids worked on their school work. Picked up the vehicles around noon and then returned to the campground to get set back up – and continue with school work and other tasks around the motor home. Other than doing a bit of a grocery shop – we generally had a quiet and relaxing day – with the boys getting caught up on some of their regular school work.

November 17, 2004 –

Up early and into Dulles airport where the second part of the Air and Space Museum is housed. Although the museum – being part of the Smithsonian is free – it costs you $12.00 to park there. The Museum is housed in a number of big airport hangers – complete with its own control tower. It has easily over 200 hundred planes and space craft – including the space shuttle Enterprise, the Concorde jet, a Stealth Bomber, etc. The sure size of the place as well as the number of things on display makes it a great educational area – and there were groups of air force pilots and cadet as well as school kids touring the different exhibits. One of the quirky things that caught the kids attention as well as a number of the cadets, was a model of the Mother Ship used in the movie “Close Encounters”. In addition to this large model – the builders had added a number of other things to it for a joke – such as R2D2, a Volkswagen van, a cemetery, etc – and everyone was busy trying to locate these.

We left Dulles airport after noon and ventured back into Washington on the Metro again – but this time transferred and went to the Zoo. Following the advice we got from the Smithsonian Castle staff – we went to the station beyond the zoo and then walked back down hill to it. The zoo itself is nicely laid out and they are doing some extensive renewals to it – however at this point still think I like the zoo in Seattle better as far as a more natural lay-out. We had about three hours at the zoo and were able to see most of the exhibits – although Mickey was disappointed that the Bat House was closed. There were a fair number of reptiles and amphibians around so that was a bonus for him. Keelan got to see a few large cats so he too was pleased.

From the Zoo we caught the Metro to Union Station (after some pleading with the Metro staff as we had put most of our money on the smart card – which we were not supposed to do). Wandered around Union Station basement level where there are over 80 different kiosks in their food court. Many were giving out free samples so we just wandered around until we tasted something that we liked. All of us tried something different – and did well by our choices. While we were eating our meals – a lady came up to us and gave us three all day passes for the Metro – as they were done for the day (I think that Dad with his outback hat on is a dead give away as a tourist). This will help us get back out to the car without having to beg the Metro staff again.

The other floors at Union Station (aside from the Amtrak Station) are taken up by more up-scale restaurants and over 250 stores and boutiques. They tell you if you can’t find the perfect Christmas gift here – it just can’t be found. We sent a lot of time and some money in the Discovery Channel store – as the staff there were just great to deal with and encouraging us and the kids to try everything. Mickey also seems to have gotten over his fear of escalators – as we have been up and down them for the last several days with all our Metro trips. The final test was the escalator from the Metro to Union Station – which has to be at least 250 feet long.

Very late by the time we got home tonight – and we had a bit of a rain storm over the night – but now feel that we are ready to move on from Washington. The only thing that we did not get a chance to see was the National Spy Museum – but after talking about it decided that it was not worth the trip to go back tomorrow – so we will pack up and head out.

 

Eight Weeks on the Road

Well this completes two months on the road and we are all still surviving and no worse for wear (except for the odd stitch and/or bruise). Although this is the longest that we have been away from home at any one time – we have adjusted well – and continue to be eager to see what each new day brings.

That does not mean that the trip has not been without its struggles. Getting used to living in a small space – has its challenges. However we have developed a routine where at night, dad works on the lap top editing pictures, and working on the travel log. He even has a television he watches with headphones on so that he does not wake the boys. Mom retires to the back bedroom, to plot routes to the various attractions, and read. Mom even has a TV in the bedroom, which she can watch. Two televisions in 28 feet of living space – one with a video player and Nintendo (for the kids) and one with a CD player is very opulent.

We do very much miss our family and friends – and you are often in our thoughts. There have been many times when we have seen something that will bring to mind a friend that we would have liked to share it with. We have come realize that our contact will just have to be in a different form for awhile. Phone calls, e-mails, have kept us in touch – and many have indicated that they enjoy reading our weekly journal and feel that they in some way can share in our adventure. The really scare part is that Dad is now up over 1700 pictures that he has saved (2 CD’s worth) and it is only growing – so be forewarned you may not want to ask to see the pictures.

We have also learned that it is important to find a balance between the busy and the slow days – and as things are so much more enjoyable – when you do not feel like you are being rushed. This has been especially true after we crossed south of the border – and our only concern is staying ahead of the weather. Besides, if you try and cram too much in – it feels like every other holiday – too much to see and too little time. The other thing that we have learned is to try and not plan too much – as it seems that many interesting opportunities just around the corner if you slow down enough to allow them to find you.

We have met and continue to meet many interesting travellers in our journeys – many of whom are eager to share their experiences and favourite places. A lot of them are full time RV’ers and have many years of travelling behind them. They have been invaluable in their suggestions and ideas. We are also moving slowly enough that we get a sense of the local areas – and meet some of the local people – who have been great at sharing their local secrets.

We are sure that there are many things that we have missed along the way – and things that we maybe should have seen. However at the same time – we have seen things that many of the seasoned travelers that we have met seemed to have overlooked – because of their rush to do things the right way.   Plus we want to leave things to see when we come back next time!

Anyhow it looks like we will be continuing on with our little “odd”essy and see what tomorrow and the next day(s) have in store for us.

So in response to the e-mail and phone messages we have received – “Yes, we are really doing well” thoroughly enjoying ourselves, and have not yet grown tired of the new things that each day brings or of each other….

Take care, and hope you are enjoying our travels and journal ramblings …

 

November 18, 2004 –

When we got up this morning we had decided to head south to Williamsburg. However, while we were packing up – Deb got talking to the people camped beside us – and they said that they were headed up to Gettysburg for their annual parade and remembrance of the anniversary of the battle which many view as the turning point of the civil war. The neighbours say that the whole town and many visitors show up dressed up in period uniforms – etc. Therefore we decided to change plans and after making a few telephone calls we found a spot at a campground about 30 miles away. It means that we back track north about 120 miles – but sounds like it may be worth it.

Before leaving town we stopped by the computer shop to check out e-mail – and were able to get the used laptop printer. This should help us in printing out some of the kids assignments so that we can sent them back – rather waiting until we can find some place where we can access a printer. The people at the computer shop wished us well and we started out on the road again.

We arrived at the Campground in the early afternoon. It is located on the Mason-Dixon Line (first clue) just on the Maryland / Pennsylvania border; at the back of a RV shop (second clue). Although there is water and power – there are no showers or bathrooms – so slightly better but a bit more costly than a Wal-Mart parking lot. However, when you take into account it is between the Interstate and a truck transfer station / depot – with a train track across the road and a regional airport about 4 miles away – you could understand why there was still space available. I don’t think that we will be here for a long time – just long enough to partake in the festivities on Saturday. However it was a real shock after leaving the great resort we had been in for the last week – and this is costing us more money!!!

Spent the rest of the day doing school work – and fixing up and re-packing things around the motor home. It was time that we start to move some of our souvenirs, and clothes, etc. into upper storage – so that we have a little more room to move around (and buy more). Even the kids packed up some of their collected treasures to go into “storage”.