So I'm exceptionally glad I was able to visit the South. Not only because it was a wonderful opportunity to visit with family but we are also being cheated of a summer out here. I just drilled at Camp Ripley and it was about 50 degrees the entire time I was there - in the middle of July!
We drove down from Virginia to South Carolina early Tuesday and went straight to visit Grandpa and Grandma Floyd. Grandpa took us out walking along Congaree River. The city has created a beautiful walking path several miles long on both sides of the river. My Grandpa bikes and walks there almost daily - in the 100 degree weather I must admit he nearly out walked Rachel and I. I really enjoyed visiting with him and learning things I hadn't know about his past. He told us how they would make boats out of scrap wood when he was little and seal the holes with tar then float down the Congaree River.
Grandpa and Grandma took us out for some fantastic fried chicken and ice cream. Grandpa told us about his trip to see Washington DC with other World War II vets and Grandma reminded me how witty and sassy she can me. I really enjoyed her spunk.
I spent Wednesday with the Doolittles. I enjoyed seeing Brian and how excited he is to be part of the military. I was very impressed with how much he has learned and changed in the last few months. Harry, Dianne and I saw an interesting display of some of their skills at family day. The program started with a bang - literally. All of a sudden there were things being shot and lots of smoke as the troops showed how to secure an area with insurgents. I thought it was super cool to see the graduates run out of the forest and through the smoke to formation.
We met up with Brian later for some bowling and touring of Fort Jackson. I'm not so good at bowling.
Thursday Rachel and I headed over to Congaree Swamp National Park. We loaded up with bug spray and sunscreen then went exploring. It's an incredibly diverse area. The mosquitoes weren't nearly as bad as the ones in my parents' yard in Wisconsin. However, you can't hold still because there are numerous other large insects that buzz loudly in your ear. I highly recommend visiting the area, there are all sorts of lizards to see, turtles swam up to our pier from the river and the plant life is extraordinary. Some parts look like a prehistoric jungle, others appear to be scenes out of a Lord of the Rings adventure. Rachel found what we believe is a wolf spider - it was at least the size of my palm with its legs. We kept trying to get a close of picture but were very nervous since we couldn't remember if they jumped or not. All we could imagine was it jumping onto one of us so we warily photographed it and continued on. We made about a 3 mile hike along a boardwalk as well as a regular trail that led out to the Cedar Creek and Wise Lake.
Following our outdoor adventure we met up with our Uncle Joe to go visit historic homes. Uncle Joe was a career fireman so visiting homes with him is more interesting since he brings insight to the fire history of the history and is very observant of construction. We toured the Robert Mills House which was built in 1823 by Robert Mills for the Halls family. Robert Mills was one of the first US trained architects and built many public buildings and monuments including the Washington monument. Symmetry was huge during his time period. So there were fake doorways in some areas to compliment the doorway in the hall on the opposite side. I really enjoyed the order and little details in the design.
They didn't allow pictures inside the building so this site can give a little more detail if you are interested.
After our tour of the home and Columbia as narrated by Uncle Joe we met up with our cousins Sally and Jaimie for dinner. They have this fabulous tradition of eating about once a week at a delicious Vietnamese restaurant. Rachel and I enjoyed coming along and catching up. I hadn't seen Sally since I was nine and it's been about 5 years since I saw Jaimie. We also got to meet Jaimie's beautiful baby boy Preston and his father Timmy who we also enjoyed.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Don't Stop Until You Reach The Ocean
Sunday the 28th, Rachel and I geared up to drive to Virginia Beach. We received plenty of conflicting advice from our cousins on which way to take to get there. Essentially, we were told if we valued our guts to back track, get on the freeway and avoid the mountains. I'm thinking to myself "wait a minute, I'm on a road trip and haven't seen mountains in way too long." So after leaving, Rachel and I took our chances with motion sickness and went for the mountain pass. I must say it was some of the nicest driving of the entire trip. There were certainly some hairpin turns but it wasn't like Colorado where all you see as you take that hair pin turn is a 2000 foot drop off. Plus, I was driving which meant it was more entertaining and kept me more alert compared to hours of flat countryside and straight roads.
Since we drove through a few state parks along the way we made some spontaneous stops to take in the sights and some history. I didn't realize the split between WV and VA came during the civil war when West Virginia sided with the union.
Here are some markers we found on the border of the states:
We were fortunate enough to take in a million wildflowers along our trip. I was surprised at how much was in bloom all over the country.
Along our drive in the south there were a few opportunities to get out and see some civil war sights. Once in Virginia, we came to an area that had an interpretive trail. It told the story of civil ward soldiers through letters by Lieutenant Pryor to his family in Georgia. It was called the Confederate Breastworks and consisted of a mile long trench that had been built to fortify Fort Edward Johnson in the Shenandoah Valley during 1862. The area was beautiful and it was nice to get out and stretch. We saw our only snake of the trip there. Right at the start of the trail Rachel squealed and I just caught what looked like a black, striped garden snake slithering into the bushes from underneath Rachel's hovering foot.
This is what remains of the trenches:
Since I drove most of the way and took a nap when I wasn't, the trip went by pretty rapidly and then we arrived in beautiful Virginia Beach. I fell in love with the area and can definitely see why people choose to vacation and live there. Apparently it's a great place to be stationed as well since most of the residents are pro military. Woohoo for military discounts!
The first night we got there we went with Rachel's friend Misty (who hosted us) and looked at all of the battleships in port and then went over to check out retired airplanes.
After a good night's rest we set out for one of the highlights of the road trip - the beach! I can't even start to explain how I feel about going to the beach. All growing up we lived very close to the ocean and whenever I smell sunscreen it makes me happy inside and I just want to find some sand to walk in. There are "beaches" here in the midwest, but it just isn't the same without the salt and the unknown creatures of the deep lurking beside you.
We brought books, blankets, food and our sunscreen for a relaxed day in the sun. Like most days on the trip the weather was perfect - hot enough to enjoy cooling off in the water and cool enough to not worry about heat stroke. One of the advantages of staying with the locals is getting the in on where to go. Misty told us how to get to Chesapeake Beach which is typically known to only the people in the neighborhood there. Hence, we avoided all of the tourists and had a quiet day. (It was also close enough where I got my run in when I realized I had to return to the apartment for my camera battery.)
I loved the entrance to the beach - right in between some spectacular beach front homes.
So there is a time of year when all of the jellyfish start spawning on the east coast. I remember some pretty horrible images of all of the ones I found on the shore as a kid. Fortunately, despite the fact that the season is near, we didn't see a single one all day.
Hooray for sunscreen!
After Misty got off of work we met up with her to check out another beach where we went bodysurfing. We then went out for some great seafood. The restaurant we went to served what they caught. Rachel and I tried crab, scallops, tilappia, clams etc. We really enjoyed visiting with Misty and wish her well while she is stationed there.
Next Installment: South Carolina
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| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
Since we drove through a few state parks along the way we made some spontaneous stops to take in the sights and some history. I didn't realize the split between WV and VA came during the civil war when West Virginia sided with the union.
Here are some markers we found on the border of the states:
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
We were fortunate enough to take in a million wildflowers along our trip. I was surprised at how much was in bloom all over the country.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
Along our drive in the south there were a few opportunities to get out and see some civil war sights. Once in Virginia, we came to an area that had an interpretive trail. It told the story of civil ward soldiers through letters by Lieutenant Pryor to his family in Georgia. It was called the Confederate Breastworks and consisted of a mile long trench that had been built to fortify Fort Edward Johnson in the Shenandoah Valley during 1862. The area was beautiful and it was nice to get out and stretch. We saw our only snake of the trip there. Right at the start of the trail Rachel squealed and I just caught what looked like a black, striped garden snake slithering into the bushes from underneath Rachel's hovering foot.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
This is what remains of the trenches:
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
Since I drove most of the way and took a nap when I wasn't, the trip went by pretty rapidly and then we arrived in beautiful Virginia Beach. I fell in love with the area and can definitely see why people choose to vacation and live there. Apparently it's a great place to be stationed as well since most of the residents are pro military. Woohoo for military discounts!
The first night we got there we went with Rachel's friend Misty (who hosted us) and looked at all of the battleships in port and then went over to check out retired airplanes.
After a good night's rest we set out for one of the highlights of the road trip - the beach! I can't even start to explain how I feel about going to the beach. All growing up we lived very close to the ocean and whenever I smell sunscreen it makes me happy inside and I just want to find some sand to walk in. There are "beaches" here in the midwest, but it just isn't the same without the salt and the unknown creatures of the deep lurking beside you.
We brought books, blankets, food and our sunscreen for a relaxed day in the sun. Like most days on the trip the weather was perfect - hot enough to enjoy cooling off in the water and cool enough to not worry about heat stroke. One of the advantages of staying with the locals is getting the in on where to go. Misty told us how to get to Chesapeake Beach which is typically known to only the people in the neighborhood there. Hence, we avoided all of the tourists and had a quiet day. (It was also close enough where I got my run in when I realized I had to return to the apartment for my camera battery.)
I loved the entrance to the beach - right in between some spectacular beach front homes.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
So there is a time of year when all of the jellyfish start spawning on the east coast. I remember some pretty horrible images of all of the ones I found on the shore as a kid. Fortunately, despite the fact that the season is near, we didn't see a single one all day.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
Hooray for sunscreen!
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
After Misty got off of work we met up with her to check out another beach where we went bodysurfing. We then went out for some great seafood. The restaurant we went to served what they caught. Rachel and I tried crab, scallops, tilappia, clams etc. We really enjoyed visiting with Misty and wish her well while she is stationed there.
Next Installment: South Carolina
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Road Trip To the East Coast
I've been wanting to visit family in the South for quite awhile now. When we found out Brian's graduation date it sealed the deal for a visit. Since Jason couldn't get time off of work to fly down I was able to devote more time to the trip in the form of a road trip. Fortunately, Rachel was able to go with me as well. I left Minnesota on June 25th and drove the six and half hours to Rachel's place in Milwaukee.
The goals for the trip were simple: see as much family as we possibly could, visit Rachel's friend Misty from Medical Corp school in Virginia, hit the beach and meet up with the Doolittle's to see Brian in Fort Jackson. Additionally we committed to running as much as possible on the trip so I could train for officer basic camp and we could control the damage the we knew good southern food would cause.
I thought I would try and do the trip in installments so it isn't too overwhelming.
Rachel and I went running Friday morning and on our way out Wisconsin stopped at the Jelly Belly factory to get the rejects, aka belly flops they sell.
We then had what was supposed to be an eleven hour drive to our cousin Ami's house in West Virginia. We hit about $40 worth of toll roads. I had no idea it was going to be that bad in the midwest. We drove through Chicago, across the top of Indiana, Ohio and through Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was much different from the others and very pretty. I hope to go back sometime with Jason and do some camping as well as historical tours. I didn't realize we were going to be driving right next to Pittsburgh. If I had found that out earlier I wonder if we would have been able to get a hold of Nate and Ellie. It would have been nice to see them to since were that close.
Unfortunately the toll road in Pennsylvania was under major construction and our exit was not labeled. We were about 40 miles past our exit when we realized we were probably off track. At that point in rural Pennsylvania you have to go about 20 miles until the next exit. When we got off this is what we found at the gas station:
I'd never seen anything like it. The owner called it the widower and he had custom designed it to be a Harley Davidson/stage coach/car type of piece that apparently was going to be in a parade the next day.
So we got back on track to our cousins at about eleven pm and as we were driving along passed signs welcoming us to Maryland. Maryland? That certainly wasn't part of the plan, we just passed through the tip though as we were back tracking. If we had enough time on the trip Washington DC was only 3 hours away - maybe next time.
So we finally arrived at Ami and Anna's house around midnight. The next morning we went running true to our word. The hills were definitely different and I was sore the next day. We then went to lunch to meet up with my cousin Matt and his new wife Nicki. We were fortunate to catch Matt since he will be deployed with the National Guard soon and was only home for the weekend. We had lunch along the Ohio river? Regardless, the weather was perfect and the scenery was nice. I had some crab cakes which were fabulous. My plan was to eat as much seafood as I could stand on the trip so I was well on my well.
We then drove over to my Uncle Lewis and Aunt Becky's where we enjoyed conversation and food. It was really great to see them again.
Anna and Ami were great hosts. We enjoyed staying with them and getting to know their daugher Evelynn. Evelynn was one of the sweetest babies ever - she only cried when her Uncle Matt took off his hat. We're assuming she thought he was removing body parts, or she's afraid of bald men.
Wendi, sorry we couldn't make it any further North. There is so much to see out East and so little time, I'm hoping we can come and visit you someday.
The goals for the trip were simple: see as much family as we possibly could, visit Rachel's friend Misty from Medical Corp school in Virginia, hit the beach and meet up with the Doolittle's to see Brian in Fort Jackson. Additionally we committed to running as much as possible on the trip so I could train for officer basic camp and we could control the damage the we knew good southern food would cause.
I thought I would try and do the trip in installments so it isn't too overwhelming.
Rachel and I went running Friday morning and on our way out Wisconsin stopped at the Jelly Belly factory to get the rejects, aka belly flops they sell.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
We then had what was supposed to be an eleven hour drive to our cousin Ami's house in West Virginia. We hit about $40 worth of toll roads. I had no idea it was going to be that bad in the midwest. We drove through Chicago, across the top of Indiana, Ohio and through Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was much different from the others and very pretty. I hope to go back sometime with Jason and do some camping as well as historical tours. I didn't realize we were going to be driving right next to Pittsburgh. If I had found that out earlier I wonder if we would have been able to get a hold of Nate and Ellie. It would have been nice to see them to since were that close.
Unfortunately the toll road in Pennsylvania was under major construction and our exit was not labeled. We were about 40 miles past our exit when we realized we were probably off track. At that point in rural Pennsylvania you have to go about 20 miles until the next exit. When we got off this is what we found at the gas station:
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
I'd never seen anything like it. The owner called it the widower and he had custom designed it to be a Harley Davidson/stage coach/car type of piece that apparently was going to be in a parade the next day.
So we got back on track to our cousins at about eleven pm and as we were driving along passed signs welcoming us to Maryland. Maryland? That certainly wasn't part of the plan, we just passed through the tip though as we were back tracking. If we had enough time on the trip Washington DC was only 3 hours away - maybe next time.
So we finally arrived at Ami and Anna's house around midnight. The next morning we went running true to our word. The hills were definitely different and I was sore the next day. We then went to lunch to meet up with my cousin Matt and his new wife Nicki. We were fortunate to catch Matt since he will be deployed with the National Guard soon and was only home for the weekend. We had lunch along the Ohio river? Regardless, the weather was perfect and the scenery was nice. I had some crab cakes which were fabulous. My plan was to eat as much seafood as I could stand on the trip so I was well on my well.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
We then drove over to my Uncle Lewis and Aunt Becky's where we enjoyed conversation and food. It was really great to see them again.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
Anna and Ami were great hosts. We enjoyed staying with them and getting to know their daugher Evelynn. Evelynn was one of the sweetest babies ever - she only cried when her Uncle Matt took off his hat. We're assuming she thought he was removing body parts, or she's afraid of bald men.
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
 |
| From SC Road Trip Summer 2009 |
Wendi, sorry we couldn't make it any further North. There is so much to see out East and so little time, I'm hoping we can come and visit you someday.
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