Blue Ridge Parkway

I've kept silent so far and I can be silent no more.  Katherine's been doing all of the posting so far so I thought I'd give it a go.

Today we woke up in Staunton (pronounced Stan-ton), VA to clouds and really cool weather.  It felt like a late fall day in Rochester and seems out of place at this time of year and this far south.  Still, it is almost the end of October.  This must be somewhat unusual for this time of year, as some leaves were still green and stubbornly clung to their branches.

Kat and I grabbed a bite to eat at the free continental breakfast at our motel (yea, we were too wussy to camp in 30 degree weather) and got a last-minute internet fix before hitting the road.  We decided today to start on the Blue Ridge Parkway and even though it was cloudy it was well worth the drive.  It reminded me a bit of driving on route 1 down the California coastline in that it was sometimes hard to go the posted speed limit due to all the curves and switchbacks as we proceeded up one mountain and down the next.  The leaves here seem to be at about 70% or so and the views from the tops of the mountains down into the valleys were great, mostly dotted with farms and big tracts of land.  Unfortunately Kat doesn't have any pics from today and I'm being lazy so we'll have to save those for later.  All in all I'd say the views from the Blue Ridge Parkway were just as good as those from Skyline Drive (and cheaper too since you pay admission to Shenandoah National Park for Skyline Drive).

We ate lunch along the parkway at a pretty little picnic area.  Kat was asking to just stop at the restaurant for a cup of soup (because of the cold), but I was feeling like we needed to eat cheap so we pulled out our little camping stove and grilled up a few hotdogs along with a can of chicken rice soup.  Yum.  By the time I had the stove off, Katherine was in the car attempting to recover from the chill of the weather.  She and I have very different tolerances for cold.  I'll be interested to see how I hold up in the Texas heat.

Tonight we're staying in Galax, VA in a Knights Inn to avoid the rainstorm that's been pounding through.  My car was needing another rinsing so I guess this is it!

On a personal note I've been thinking a good bit about something we talked about in Sunday school this past weekend.  Being on the road for several hours each day certainly provides ample time for thinking (or just daydreaming).  Anyways, in Sunday school were discussing the twelve disciples and the qualities that make up a good leader.  The 3 qualities mentioned were involvement, initiative, and iniquisitive.  I don't know that these qualities wholly sum up a good leader, but I do think they are integral.  Perhaps another way to sum up these qualities is in a single word: engage.  A leader must be engaged in order to lead effectively, they cannot be distant.  I think my initial tendency with others is to be a bit distant, to hold back a little (or a lot).  This tendency increases if the situation is new or difficult.  Yet I know the truth; I know I need to push on through; I know I need to engage with family, friends, and coworkers.  Why is that sometimes so difficult?  Thoughts are welcome.

Where we're headed tomorrow, I do not know.  The old thought was to head to the Smokey Mountains but heading to the coast is tempting as well.  Yea, gosh, what a tough decision.

PS - We'll be at Disney from November 1-5 if anyone would care to see us

PPS - On another personal note, my aunt Judy is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.  I would certainly appreciate any prayers on her behalf.  You can learn a bit more about her and her progress at a web site they've setup.

Distance to Texas: 1,142 miles

Best mileage of the trip: 42.6mpg

A girl named Cricket.

Well, we have officially entered the South. We stopped at a visitor's center as we entered Virginia and got all the literature we needed to get through the state. The lady helping us was Jean and she had an awesome southern accent. I swear, the closer I get to Texas, the more I'm loving all of these little south-isms I've lived without for the past four years.

We took back roads all the way to Port Royal where we got on Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Park. It got mountainous pretty quickly and we wound our way up to about 3,600 feet. There are a ton of scenic overlooks along the drive, so we got lots of nice pictures. The leaves haven't changed here yet, which is surprising, because it was in the 40's all day with lows in the 30's tonight. I'm guessing they'll be changing soon. Overall, a very beautiful park with outstanding views.

We borrowed a book from Tim's brother Nathan - one that he used on his road trip. It is called Road Food. It is a book of all of the best food across the country, no matter how big or small the place. We went to Mrs. Rowe's Family Restaurant, a mom and pop place with some good country cooking (also the place with the girl named Cricket). Tim got pork chops, lima beans, and sauerkraut. I got fried chicken, lima beans, and mashed potatoes. Everything was very tasty (though my mom makes better friend chicken:)). I think we'd like to keep trying unique little places along the way, but we're trying to save money and eat cheaply most of the time. That's ok, we like hot dogs and PB&J too:)

Tonight we're staying at the Days Inn instead of camping in 29 degrees. I think we'll be staying inside until things are in the 40's.. which I'm thinking should be soon. Tomorrow we're headed further down the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Distance to Texas: 1,258 miles

The day at our nation's capitol.

Tim and I had grand plans for today to be out the door early, catch the Metro, and hit at least two museums or more. We were doing good, headed out the door at 8, went to the car... or where the car was. Oh yes, we got towed. There is not very much parking at our friends' condo community, but we parked in what appeared to be a very legal spot. We were there after 7 and would be out before 9:30. You read the sign. You tell me where we went wrong. After much waiting for the tow company's manager, I hear from the man that you must have a permit to park there and that we should have gotten one from the community, or Dan and Amanda should have known we couldn't park there. Well, Dan nearly flipped when he heard that, as apparently they have inquired into the permit situation before with no concrete answers ever given. Dan was so kind to drive us to get our car and bail us out with the promise that, in the end, this will not come from his pocketbook. I believe he already has the wheels in motion on this one after a stern email he sent today.

Well, this situation was a minor setback, but we were still bound and determined to see the sights. We parked at the Metro lot in Vienna and hopped aboard for a short ride into town. We got off and made our way to the Holocaust Museum. When I was in 8th grade, my class went to Washington D.C. for a field trip. I distinctly remember the Holocaust Museum and how sobering the experience was. I think it is good to revisit the event every now and then to remember what people are capable of and so we don't ever get fooled into thinking that all is well in the world. I guess that sounds depressing, but I don't want to neglect injustice in the world, and something like the Holocaust should certainly never be forgotten or ignored. Tim had never been before and we both felt it was a lot to take in all at once. We are both glad to have gone though.

From the museum, we walked around a bit, and I gave my old college roommate Rachel a call. She is living in DC right now completing her masters in physical therapy. Rachel is always a smiling face I love to see and is a great conversationalist and listener. She picked us up and took us over to the Eastern Market. We ate across the street at a place called Marvelous Market. It was a quaint little cafe with ready-made sandwiches and salads. I was feeling brave, so we sat outside. It was a very windy day with weather in the 60's. Had it not been for the wind, I think I would have made a good choice to sit outside - oh well. We had a great time catching up, eating our sandwiches and salads, and drinking our root beers. Rachel then gave us a mini driving tour of the DC sites, then dropped us off near the Smithsonian museums. We walked through this beautiful garden at the Castle. I decided I'm going to have a garden like it at my next house:).

After the garden, we made our way back to the Metro and then back to Dan and Amanda's. Amanda had bought a turkey recently because it was a good deal and then offered to cook it up for us tonight. Well let me tell you... it was wonderful! I only get turkey twice a year, so this was a real treat. A turkey dinner is truly my favorite. We enjoyed the meal and then had some pumpkin bread from Trader Joe's and some very tasty port to accompany it. After dessert, we retired to the TV room where we watched an episode of Raising the Bar, a show they are hooked on and really is pretty good. And it stars good ol' Zach Morris - can't beat that:). An Extreme Home Makeover and The Office episode later, we have journeyed back to bed. Tomorrow we hit the road for Shenandoah National Park.

Distance to Texas: 1,410 miles

DC bound.

We began this day in Philly, visiting Bre, then going back to see Allison. After breakfast and a morning pick me up at Starbucks, we were back to Allison's house for more packing! We got a lot done, so hopefully my dad won't pass out when he arrives:). Around 2, we hit the road for DC so we could miss the rush hour traffic we so commonly hit in these big cities. We pulled in to our friends Dan and Amanda's place at 5 just as Dan was getting home. They are a cute newlywed couple and have a beautiful new home with the cutest little kitty, Boots McCoy.

When Amanda got home, we all went out to this trendy town center in their neighborhood. We ate dinner at Busara, a Thai food restaurant. It was soooo good. We haven't had Thai food since Rochester! After many laughs, we walked down to Ice Berry, a frozen yogurt store. I got the plain yogurt with raspberries... so good. Tim got a plain yogurt/melon yogurt swirl with mini rice cakes. It was a new treat to us and something I hope they have in Houston. We ended our evening out with a drive through some beautiful town homes in the area. We saw Dan and Amanda's dream home:)

Back home, Dan helped us figure out our route for going into DC tomorrow. We've got a couple of places in mind, so check in tomorrow to see where we wound up. Nite!

Pennsylvania.

The past few days have been spent in good ol' PA with the Clymer family. On Sunday we went to church at Mt. Gilead UMC in Shermans Dale. After church, Tim and I rearranged the car because things in the back were starting to look like one big suitcase. We improved things quite a bit after we decided to ditch the large cooler. We traded it with Tim's parents for a tiny one. Now we have total visability out the back window:). Next we went with Tim's mom and picked Grammy up for lunch at Panera... and after that, a slurpee for the road. Yum. The afternoon was spent visiting more with family and then we were put to bed by the Red Sox's loss. Oh, and I enjoyed the Clymer kitty, Oscar - held here by Tim's sister Ellen. I sure miss my Maddie and Chester!

This morning we packed it all up again and hit the road for Mechanicsburg. After a free car wash and some more family time, we headed back to Philly to help Allison with packing. We got most of her clothes, most of the kitchen, and most of the pictures packed. We also managed to run to Starbucks:) Around 5, Nathan came over to pick up Allison's 60 gallon aquarium. Tim helped drain it... I will post a picture of that soon. Tim and I went with Nathan to his place, set it up, and watched a few episodes of The Office - can't beat that. And tonight we sleep under the watchful gaze of the deer mounted on Nathan's wall.

Turn left, then turn left, then ahead, turn left.

After a quick white mocha at the local coffee shop, we headed out to the beaches on the Cape. We first stopped at Fort Hill and hiked down to the marshes. From there, we went on to Nauset Beach. It was a windy day, but still very clear and beautiful. From the beaches, we stopped by Chatham, a little town recommended to us by Molly and Phil. We went to The Squire, a local eatery and got "steamers," which are steamed clams and apparently a local favorite. They were tasty, but definitely a different feel in my mouth! I ordered fish and chips - always a favorite.

We quickly hit the road after lunch because it was going to be a 7 hour drive to Tim's grandparents' house in Quakertown, PA. The drive was pretty good as far as scenery, traffic, and company... until we hit NYC. We had already called ahead to Ellen, Tim's sister, to get the lowdown on the best route from Boston to Philly. She said to go straight through the city. Well, we thought we knew better and mapped a route around the city. Around mid-Connecticut, things started slowing significantly. We still kept spirits high, jamming to Brooks and Dunn, our "kick traffic's butt" music. Well, by the time we reached our "short cut," things slowed down to a snail's pace. I think our attempt to outsmart NYC was a total failure, because in reality, we had decided to drive to the suburbs of NYC... where everyone was headed. Needless to say, we were trying to calm down to Coldplay, our "traffic kicked our butt" music. I didn't think driving in or around NYC could compare to Boston, but boy was I wrong. Well, a drive that should have taken maybe one hour took two, but I am thinking now there will be nothing worse traffic-wise. Although who knows... DC is still coming up... we will see.

So we did eventually make it in to PA. We cooked up a couple of yummy grilled cheese with pepperoni sandwiches and sat down with Tim's grandparents and aunts and uncles. We didn't know everyone was coming over, but it was a pleasant surprise. We got to share all of our stories and pictures with everyone. After everyone left, I crashed on the couch and eventually made it to bed.

This morning we had a nice breakfast and walked around the yard with Pop Pop. It was really a beautiful, brisk fall day. Tim's grandfather raises Japanese maples and has tons of them planted all over his yard. We walked through the groves he has planted and looked at all of the varieties- some dwarf, some tall, some green and others red. He has people that stop by throughout the year to buy trees for their personal yards or for local nurseries. Before we left, he gave us four small trees to plant at our new house in Texas. It means a lot of have the trees that he raised, and this may be the only time we can bring them down with us. I imagine taking trees on an airplane might be hard:). I'll have to post a picture of our crammed car sometime. It is a little nuts. I think I'm going to rearrange things this weekend.

From Quakertown, we hit the road for Media, PA where Allison works at Starbucks. We made it there just as she finished and we got some tasty drinks. I got the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. The first drink was super salty, but overall it was really good. I don't even want to know the nutritional information. After Starbucks, we headed to her apartment where she is in the middle of packing to move back to Texas too. Things were a little chaotic at the house, so we jumped right into packing. In a little over an hour, we had the office 95% done. There is still a bit to be done so we're coming back on Monday to pack more. From the apartment we went to Allison's friends Becca and Scott's house warming party. We ate some delicious vegetarian cuisine- never thought I'd say that:). From there, we hit the road for Shermans Dale - Tim's parents' house.

We got in around 8:30, drank some wine, and ate some cheese with Tim's mom as we caught up on life. It is always great visiting with her. We're now sitting here watching SNL. We wanted to catch the Palin skit with my buddy Sarah. The first skit was pretty funny, but I thought the weekend update was awesome. I'm gonna have to catch that one on YouTube tomorrow. Wish I could say more for the other skits!

Distance to Texas: 1,453 miles

Oh Boston.

Today began with a tasty breakfast at a mom and pop restaurant near Cindy and Benny's house. Tim got eggs, hash browns and toast, and I got a short stack with a side of bacon. We had a nice time visiting with Cindy and Benny and then hit the road for Boston. Tim and I have never been to Boston and I wanted to see it to check it off my list. Well, that list has been checked, and probably checked for good.

We probably should have talked to Tim's sister Ellen, a former Bostonian for some tips on getting around the city. Our drive down was nice and effortless, but once we were in the city, the nightmare ensued. The GPS (that we loving dub Lori, because that is her voice name) took us right into the middle of the city through various underground highways from the Big Dig. This would have been fine, but once we are underground, Lori loses service, and she can't tell us where to go. Which wouldn't be a problem in say, a typical tunnel, but these are exactly like highways, and you can change lanes underground and take different exits underground. Well, we missed our exit and headed off toward the airport instead. Lori quickly came to once we were above ground, and she told us to turn around. Well, she was sending us back to the Big Dig via a tollway that about four streets fed into. We couldn't get over far enough to get to the coin lanes, so made two attempts before retreating into the bowels of Little Italy, it looked like. We finally made it around to a better entrance, paid our $3.50 toll and were underground again for the one exit we needed. We parked the car (Tim did all the driving, really.. and I am so thankful) and headed into the city on foot to explore.

We walked through some of the old meeting halls that had been converted into shopping. It's pretty neat how they have kept everything in tact and people really enjoy visiting these historic places. Look, even Sarah Palin likes to visit here! From the shopping area, we headed towards the aquarium. In the end, we decided to go on an old trolley tour instead of to the aquarium. We weren't sure what to see in Boston, so we saw it all. We got off at the U.S.S. Constitution. The ship is still maintained and run by active duty sailors. We got to hear a little about why it is called "Old Ironsides" and took a few silly pictures.

From there, we saw various other historic places like where Paul Revere began his ride, where JFK proposed, etc, etc. We definitely stopped for lunch at the original Cheers while we were there. When we got back on, we still had about 10 stops to go. It was an interesting tour, but nothing left me pining to return. Around 5:30 we made it back to our car, paid $33 to get it out of the parking lot, and were on our way. Through some good luck, we made it out of the city on our first try. That's not to say the traffic wasn't horrible, but still, one less frustration on the road.

We then journeyed out to the Cape to stay with our friends, The Wrights. Molly was my babysitter when I was a kid and our families have always stayed in touch through the years. It was nice to meet her husband Phil and to reminisce on how hard it was to get me out of bed when I was a kid... oh good times. Tim and Molly were relating to each other too well I think:). The next morning, we met their cute kids Anna and Ben. We even got to walk Anna to the bus stop. They are a very nice family and it was very nice to stay at their home and so close to the Cape for our drive this morning.

We're sitting here at the Hot Chocolate Sparrow about to embark on our next journey... with our end destination of Quakertown, PA. We've got a long drive ahead of us!