Williamsburg, VA

Our next stop was Colonial Williamsburg. From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political, social and cultural capital of Great Britain’s largest, wealthiest and most populous colony. Entering Williamsburg is like stepping back in time. The end of the colonial era and the events leading to the Revolutionary War are recreated. It is the country’s largest and most popular living history museum.

Actors portray statesmen, and two dozen 18th century trades are demonstrated such as blacksmiths, silversmiths, carpenters, wheelwrights, coopers, wigmakers etc. At the courthouse you can witness recreation of court cases from the 1700’s. This was the capital of Virginia from 1699 to 1780. Washington and Jefferson spent time here debating the merits of forming an independent country.

In 1926 John D. Rockefeller Jr. initiated a $68 million restoration in which 88 original buildings and 500 other structures were restored or rebuilt. You can have a drink and dine at any of the historic taverns that serve colonial dishes in period settings.

We toured the Governor’s Palace where we saw walls lined with rifles and swords. There were people dressed in the clothing of the 18th century telling about the history of the building. This building has housed five governors, three from England, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. The grounds were very pretty, with many little and very tall hedges.

We then toured the Capital (House of Burgesses)

Outside the Raleigh Tavern we heard George Washington announce that he wasn’t going to run for a third term as President. He then gave a wonderful speech summing up his experiences in Williamsburg, the importance of following the Bill of Rights, and expressing his hopes for the future of the young republic. Before his speech we spoke with Martha Washington, who preferred to be called Mrs. Washington rather than Martha, until she knew us better.

Here are some more pictures to give you the feel of Historic Williamsburg.

This is truly a wonderful place to visit and learn about the trials and tribulations that our founding fathers faced in their decision to break away from England.

Floyd, VA

Today we drove up and down little hills and took back roads again to get to where we were going in the southwest corner of Virginia. We passed many, many little churches and many, many large ones. We FINALLY arrived at our campground in Ferrum, Virginia. It is extremely wooded and quite a bit cooler here and less humid than what we have been experiencing lately.

That evening we went to the tiny burg of Floyd, where the weekly Friday night jamboree is held at the Floyd Country Store. Hardware cases are pushed aside and folding chairs set out and at 7:00 the music and dancing start. Floyd’s was a real kick. It seems like the entire population comes out for the jamboree – all ages. The first hour was gospel. Then the bluegrass started and the dance floor was packed with everyone doing the two step.

Outside in the streets there were probably six different groups of pickers playing with crowds of listeners milling all around. We had a great time enjoying this part of Americana.

This southwest corner of Virginia is one of the main taproots of American music; traditional bluegrass and gospel songs have been passed down nearly unchanged through generations,. They are still played in jam sessions in out-of-the way venues along the back roads of the Appalachians. Once considered “hillbilly music,” these songs and their players are now a recognized cultural treasure. Eight different sites spanning 250 miles comprise what is known as “The Crooked Road – Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail”.

Myrtle Beach, SC & Chapel Hill, NC

Leaving Charleston, SC we crossed a beautiful suspension bridge. Then the downpour came.


Myrtle Beach

We had no idea how busy and congested Myrtle Beach, SC can be. It is one of the most popular beaches in South Carolina. We were lucky to get a campsite. Along the ocean are high rise after high rise time shares, each with their own private beach. The main drag in town is continuous shops and restaurants, with traffic moving at a snail's pace.

We ate at the Giant Crab, an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet restaurant. They had different kinds of fish/seafood both baked, fried and done whatever way you can think of, king crab legs, steamed shellfish, pasta, prime rib, baked ham, a salad bar, hush puppies, sweet potatoes, French fries, pigs in a blanket, scrumptious desserts, and much, much more. After eating all that we could we “rolled” out of there!



Mike loved the peel yourself shrimp and Alaskan king crab legs.

Then off to the beach just to check it out. We sat in our chairs relaxing and people watching. Mike even got his toes and ankles wet as we watched para-sailers take off and land.

Chapel Hill, NC

We arrived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina after driving by lots and lots of tobacco fields. We had a southern-style meal at Mama Dip’s Kitchen where they serve the “usual” southern fare. We enjoyed French fried sweet potatoes, biscuits, cornbread, chicken fried steak, bbq ribs, sweet potatoes and baked apple. Mama Dip came in while we were dining so Mike went over and spoke with her. We walked by where she was sitting as we left and told her everything was delicious! She thanked us! She is 80 years old and still comes in once a day. What a lady!

We then drove through town, seeing many boutiques, bookstores, coffee-houses and cafés. There were many students wandering around! Then on through some of the University of North Carolina campus. It was founded in 1789 and is the nation’s oldest state college. It struggled financially early on, even closing for several years following the Civil War. Many of the buildings we saw were old, some were pretty new, and a lot of construction was going on. Its most famous athlete is Michael Jordon.

Charleston, SC

We enjoyed our visit to Charleston, SC. The downtown historic district contains one of the nation’s largest collections of colonial architecture. There are also many Victorian homes. The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Union occupied Fort Sumter, which fell to Confederate forces. The city’s was known as a major slave trade center, a major rice shipping area, and as a winter playground for wealthy industrialists.

It's really neat walking through the historic area viewing all of the homes and houses of worship.

It is very similar to Savannah, GA., only a little smaller and not as easy to get around in if you are driving.







There are many cobblestone streets and brick streets that add to the cities charm.

We had a great dinner at Hyman’s Seafood and Aaron’s Deli. The fifth generation is now running the business. It was originally a wholesale business that was established in 1890. Judy had a great corned beef sandwich while Mike enjoyed one of their specials: a whole fried flounder.



It's a shame he didn't enjoy his dinner.



Our last day here we just loafed. Did some shopping and Mike had the oil in the truck changed and the tires rotated.

Stone Mountain & Atlanta, GA

Just finished spending four days in the Atlanta, GA area. We stayed at Stone Mountain which is approximately 16 miles east of Atlanta. Stone Mountain is lichen and moss-draped, rising some 825 feet above the Piedmont Plateau. The base circumference is about 5 miles. This is one of the biggest hunks of freestanding granite in the world. The park is 3,200 acres with many tourist attractions.

The big attraction is the Confederate Memorial Carving, depicting Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson riding their horses. The figures are 76 feet high and 160 feet wide, making it the world’s largest relief sculpture. It covers an area of 3 acres on the mountain face. We rode a cable car that took us to the mountain’s peak. It passed right by the Memorial providing a great view.

Back on the ground we toured their museum where we read a historical explanation of each of the three figures – southern style. It was amusing reading about Jackson. They told how he was shot by friendly fire and mentioned that “if that didn’t happen the outcome of the Civil War might have been different.” We were surprised that they didn’t want a rematch.

We took in several rides, a 4D movie, craft demonstrations, toured an antebellum plantation, and many many gift shops.

The park has a fantastic evening laser show that is projected on the mountainside and fireworks.

One day was spent at the “World of Coca Cola" in Atlanta. We saw the history of coca cola beginning with the creation of the original formula by John Pemberton in 1886. Can you imagine that the rights to bottle it was purchased for one dollar! We went through a small bottling plant where we saw how it is made, watched commercials from all over the world, saw all sorts of memorabilia, and got to taste forty different beverages that coca cola makes all over the world. We also received a commerative bottle of coca cola that was produced there.

The next day we went to the Georgia Aquarium that opened in 2006. It is the world’s largest, and was a $250 million gift to the city from Bernard Marcus where his company, Home Depot began. The aquarium is a state of the art facility with a staggering 8 million gallons of fresh and salt water that contains more than 100,000 different animals. It is divided into several marine life areas.

That evening we got together for an enjoyable dinner with our friend Alice Brown from Bakersfield. She was attending a convention in Atlanta – timing is everything.