Day 10 - Home, Top Ten List and AAR.

Departed our hotel this morning and headed straight to Asheville. Found our restaurant and settled in for a wait. And it was well worth the wait people!  

I had a sweet potato Belgian waffle fried chicken sandwich served with maple bacon and jalapeño aioli. Crunchy, sweet, spicy and GOOD!  

John had the breakfast to end all breakfasts. Scrambled eggs with maple bacon, sausage, cheese grits, a biscuit and of course a salad to make it halfway healthy!  

Top Ten List

10. Bellamy Mansion in Wilmington.  

9.  Visited the granola Capitol of the South. I'll let y'all figure out that location...

8.  Second funniest billboard advertising for a golf course "Great balls and good grass". 

7.  Funniest billboard advertising for a seafood restaurant "I got my crabs at Dirty Dicks". 

6.  Best tour - Historical Walking Tour in Charleston with Ann. 

5.  Funniest radio commercial (heard after  our mammoth lunch today) "do you feel fat? It may not be you. You might just be bloated".  Cracked us up!

4.  Best beauty products - a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap!

3.  Best restaurants - The Olde Pink House in Savannah and Sunny Point Cafe in Asheville. 

2.  Best memories - TX Legend's retirement and catching up with some great people. 

1.  Best sight - John feeding the ducks after we arrived home this evening. 

AAR - Statistics 

2,057.6 miles travelled. 

Drove through 6 states. Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee. 

Crossed the Eastern Continental Divide

Opinions:

1.  Nissaan Sentras are not made for 6'4" or 5'11" people. 

2.  I can always find the nearest Texan. (It's a Texas thang)!

3.  When in doubt, turn right!

Thanks for reading along folks. Until the next adventure!  

Day 9 - Norfolk Zoo and on to Hickory, NC

Today we woke up (big plus) and decided to head to the zoo. So a little background info for my dear readers. John and I lived in Newport News, VA for approximately 18 months while he was assigned to Ft. Eustis. We took day trips on some of the weekends and one of them was over to the Norfolk Zoo.  One of the exhibits at the zoo was a pair of sibling Siberian Tigers. They were hand raised as cubs by one of the zookeepers. These two cubs would play with the zookeepers children and chase them as the kids would ride their bikes. So, the tiger cubs grew up being fascinated by wheels. Stick with me....

During our visit 19 years ago as I rounded the corner into the tiger exhibit I came face to face with one of those adult tigers. As soon as he saw me in my wheelchair he lunged forward and hit the piano wire mesh in front of me. Growling and standing on his back legs he was a mighty sight!  The lady who had raised them was there and explained his background. That day I got to play with a tiger. I would push around to the plexiglass viewing area and he would race over to it. As I approached the rock ledge I could see the tips of his ears laced back as he crouched behind the rock. When I would get to the edge he would leap at the glass. 

In the 19 years since, the Norfolk Zoo has made a lot of improvements to their exhibits and if you are in the area you should give it a try. It really is a fun little zoo. 

Unfortunately, my Siberian Tigers are no longer at this zoo. They have been sent out to other zoos for breeding purposes. But we still had a great time walking through the zoo and reminiscing about our visit all those many years ago.   

As day fades to darkness we are on

I-40 headed to our evening destination of Hickory, NC. Tomorrow we will be home. And oh how I love home!  

Have a good night folks and thanks for reading!

Day 6, Day 7 and Day 8 - playing catchup with my blog!

Today is your lucky day - go with it.... You get a three for one post!  

I'm catching up on my blog posts but I'll try to keep it brief. 

Day 6 we spent in Wilmington, NC touring the downtown area. They have a wonderful assortment of older homes. Some of the streets have the cobblestones peeking through from under older pavement. The town has an unhurried air about it. The people are friendly and take the time to answer any questions you may have about their city. As we strolled down the streets viewing the Grecian and Italianate architecture with American flags fluttering from the cornices it was easy to imagine a bygone era.  And FYI - The Bellamy Mansion is a must see as a great example of an antebellum home. 

Day 7 had us visiting Wrightsville Beach.  And what a great beach!  They have accessible portions of the beach either via beach wheelchairs or beach mats. It's pretty cool!  Of course we had to take a picture of the end of the road...

We then toured through Roanoke Island, Nags Head, Kitty Hawk, and Kill Devils Hills. The Outer Banks are a must see!

We ended our evening by arriving into Norfolk. 

Day 8 (7/31/2015) - Yesterday was one of those days that brings a huge smile to my face as I reflect on the day's events. Yesterday morning we had the distinct privilege of attending the retirement ceremony for a TX Legend. The ceremony was a beautiful event.  It was held in an auditorium at the Norfolk Naval Base. It was a retirement ceremony and a change of command. We arrived about 20 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony and were greeted by Justin (I think that was his name) who was kind enough to escort us to our seats. Shortly after our arrival, we were joined by Virginia and John.  Side note: every time I see them I think of their Halloween costume "deer in the headlights". Classic. 

This was the first naval ceremony I've attended and it did not disappoint. Every detail was perfectly planned. From the reading of their orders, the recitation of Old Glory, the passing of the flag, and being relieved of duty. This was the culmination of his 25 year career and I am in awe of his accomplishments. I am equally in awe of his family's accomplishments. TX Chick is one of the women I met while our husbands were at War College who can singlehandedly run a country.  How many of us can imagine our husband meeting his first child at two weeks of age and the second child at twelve weeks of age?  How many of us would have the fortitude to raise four young children while our husband is deployed overseas?  Suffice it to say, this TX Chick is one tough bird and she has my respect. 

Afterwards we joined the Mauk's for a late lunch at Watermans Restaurant in Virginia Beach. We walked along the beach afterwards and spent some time getting caught up with these two delightful people. Thank you to both for a lovely afternoon. 

Then it was on to the after party!  

A big thank you to TX Legend, TX Chick and their family for the invitation.  It was a special day filled with friends who I feel have become a part of my extended family. Much love to you all. 

TX Legend with his bear made from his old uniforms. Virginia Mauk you are one talented lady!

Thanks for reading folks!

Day 5 - So long Charleston, Hello Wilmington!

This morning we decided to catch the first ferry over to Fort Sumter. We left our hotel and took a leisurely stroll through several older neighborhoods (think 1800's) on our way to the ferry. Interspersed with the homes were several churches. 

These churches have been lovingly cared for and are still in use today. 

We arrived at the boarding point for Fort Sumter and boarded along with a group of Aussies we met on the walk. 

The ride over to the Fort was about 20 minutes. As we entered the Fort I was amazed at how low the walls were. Then I learned at one time they were 55 feet in height. The Fort took that much shelling from Union forces. 

I was left with a sense of an era that in many ways has passed and in some ways still remains. 

We returned to the peninsula and decided to find some lunch. Found this great little restaurant, Gigi's, that had an old style feel to it. As you walked in an old mahogany bar ran the length of the space on the left. On the right were booths with ample seating. The flooring consisted of small vintage black and white hexagon tiles. Smaller tables were situated at the front where you could eat and watch the people strolling by.  

I selected their Chicken Paillard Sandwich. The chicken breast was lightly sautéed with a hint of thyme and rosemary. Served on a brioche bun with lettuce and tomatoes. John decided on their Croque Classic French Grilled Ham and Cheese. His meal had smoked ham, Gruyere cheese and a sunny side up egg served alongside a small salad. 

Both entrees were scrumptious!  

After our meal we loaded up and headed just outside of Charleston to visit Boone Plantation. Here are a few pictures. 

 

Then it was on to Southport, NC. Southport is a coastal community that sits near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Two words I don't like, Cape Fear.... Scary movie and you can rest assured I'll be checking under the car before we leave the restaurant!  

Good night folks!  Thanks for following along!  

Day 4 - Charleston 2.0

Today we have walked and walked and walked and walked some more. Technically I rolled, but still it was a whole lot of pushing!

We took the History of Charleston Walking Tour; a walking tour of the original walled city of Charles Town. Ann was our guide this morning and she was delightful. She is the 13th generation of her family to reside in Charleston and this provides a unique lens in which to view her city. 

In the afternoon we walked around and down many streets to view the beautiful architecture. We also visited several churches. 

I'm one tired puppy tonight so I'm going to cut this short and share a few photos. 

Original survey marker in a side alley

Note the flag. 

Longitudinal Lane placed on a latitude...

Tiffany glass in Episcopal Church

Day 3 - Beaufort, Charleston Tea Plantation and Charleston WHEW!

We left the outskirts of Savannah this morning and crossed quite quickly into South Carolina. A few quick factoids about this state. 

The Palmetto State has two state mottos:  

1.  Dum spirit spero (While I Breathe, I Hope) and

2.  Animis opibisque parati (Prepared in Mind and Resources). 

It is widely assumed that South Carolina was the first of the 13 colonies to declare independence from the British monarchy.  

We drove to Beaufort and toured around the area. A number of shops in the area as well as water based activities. Seems like a quaint town. We did not spend much time there as we were wanting to visit The Charleston Tea Company. It's the only tea plantation in North America. They have about 120 acres of tea and two men can handle the entire farming operation. They have a mechanized tea harvester and all the weeding is done by hand. No pesticides and no herbicides. Personally, I'm not a big tea drinker. Okay, I actually despise the stuff (I know, not very southern...) however, their cinnamon spiced tea was pretty good!  

Afterwards, we headed into Charleston. This is my second time to visit this lovely city and it is just as beautiful as I remember. Lovely people who are extremely kind and considerate. We checked into our hotel and then took a walking tour of the city. There is a LOT of history here. 

We had a fabulous dinner at a restaurant called Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B.)

Highly recommend this restaurant. I had their Carolina Quail served with turnip greens and blackberries. Fantastic!

We have an early morning tomorrow so I'll leave you with a few pictures. 

Episcopal Church

Cemetery  -  vault from 1690's

Presbyterian Church

City Hall

Have a good night folks. Thanks for reading!

Day 2 - Savannah, I'm home!

This morning we left Macon with Savannah in our sights. Arrived into the city around 1:00 and immediately found The Olde Pink House restaurant. Oh my!

Our waitress brought cheese straws in a mason jar while we waited on our beverages. John was in heaven!  Here is a pic of him dreaming of the day his beloved will serve him homemade cheese straws. 

A fella can certainly dream. 😁

We started our meal off with some scrumptious fried green tomatoes. The tomatoes had a crispy cornbread batter reminded me of the batter used for fried oysters. They were served sitting atop a sweet corn cream and had shredded, pickled radicchio along with crumbled applewood bacon on top. And yes,even this picky eater found them to be amazing. 

My main entree was shrimp and grits. The grits were served as grits cakes. Unusual and unexpected but really delicious!  There was a side of collard greens with country ham gravy and WOW they were good. For those of you reading this who grew up with me, yes my culinary tastes have expanded over the years....along with my waistline!

After we finished our main entree we indulged in their signature dessert, basket of pralines. It was literally a basket made from pralines holding a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream topped with raspberries, blackberries and a spoonful of cream in the side. Can you say heaven?

Needless to say we cleaned our plate!

Afterwards we strolled down to the river and walked along the bank. Found a really cool art gallery with a painting of a pub called The Six Pence. So we walked to it and had a refreshing mid afternoon rest. Sat back and watched the people stroll by. 

After our stop we hoofed it back to the river and took a carriage ride through downtown Savannah. Becca was our driver and she was funny!  And of course,since I am my Mother's daughter I don't meet strangers. Started chatting up the people in the carriage with us. They have ties to my hometown of Taft (Mitchell family) and ties to George West. Love it!  

After our carriage ride we strolled over to Leopolds ice cream and had some of their famous treats. They have been in operation since 1919. 

We are currently sitting in Reynolds Square listening to a trumpet player as we wait for our walking tour party to convene. 

Below are a few more photos from today's excursion. 

Cotton Exchange

The Waving Girl of Savannah 

Nathaniel Greene Monument 

General Oglethorpe (those of you with ties to Carlisle should recognize his name). His statue stands near the graduation gazebo if I recall correctly....

Well folks, that's it for today. Our walking tour leaves in a few minutes and then we head to our hotel. 

Have a good night and thanks for reading!

Day 1 - Macon Bound

So the 2 Gassy Girls blog has been  reactivated!  Granted, I'm missing the other gassy girl but hopefully this trip will be just as fun as WestFest!

Day 1 of our late summer vacation has consisted of leaving work mid afternoon and driving. And driving. And driving some more. Okay, technically I was riding.  

Our drive today was through the beautiful countryside of Alabama. Rolling hills, flowing streams, and miles of asphalt!  

Tomorrow morning we head out to Savannah. It's been a number of years since I was last in the lovely city of Savannah. Great memories of meeting our friends, Steve and Debbie, there many moons ago.  Hey Margarita!  

So please join me on a weeklong adventure as we trek across Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. 

End of the Road - Day Sixteen

Home. One of my favorite four letter words (and trust me I know quite a few of  those).  Home is where I can completely relax. It is my refuge. And as much as I LOVE to travel it is so nice to be home. 

WestFest has come to a close. We traveled 5484 miles. We all have earned the Buns of Steel Award. Can't wait to see what that patch will look like. HA!

We have had a blast on this trip and I thank you for following along with us. Big shout out to Cynthia and Curtis for being great travel partners. And another big shout out to our navigator and trip planner John. 

In the coming days I will be doing an AAR (After Action Review - thats a Lessons Learned for my NASA peeps) and sharing a photo album on FB. 

Again, many thanks for reading. Good night folks!  

Wichita to Little Rock with a little Barry White! - Day Fifteen

Sleep, blessed sleep....  Had a late start this morning in Wichita, KS. Picked up Cynthia and Curtis at her parents home and then we all had lunch at Old Chicago   Cynthia's parents, Mike and Margaret, are adorable. Having lunch with them reminded me of restaurant meals with my own parents. Mike, like my Dad, insisted on picking up the tab and I felt a piece of home wash over me. Like I said, lovely people!  

We then left Wichita and headed south into Oklahoma ( Oklahoma! where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain, And the waivin' wheat can sure smell sweet When the wind comes right behind the rain )

Turned left and headed east into Arkansas where we clicked off the 5,000th mile of this journey. Cynthia and I did the wave and a little yell in the back. I'm sure John and Curtis LOVED it.  

We have finally landed for the evening in Little Rock. 

Went downstairs to have some refreshments and as usual ended up talking to a person at the table next to us. He was a little inebriated and it was rather apparent. 

There was a partition between the two tables so he was not able to see the 4th member of our party ( Curtis ) he was only able to hear Curtis.  After a few minutes of listening to Curtis he leans around and says "is that Barry White over there ?"  And Curtis now has a new nickname!   

Tomorrow we will be rolling into Huntsville with dirt layered across scores of dead bugs. 

If you see a white Chevy Tahoe with a swarm of flies following behind and you hear Barry White singing.... well then you know it's us!  

Good night folks!  Thanks for reading. :D

Dodge City - Day Fourteen

Woke up this morning in Cheyenne, WY. At this point in time I am thanking God on an hourly basis that I do not have Alzheimer's...... Otherwise I would have no flippin' clue where in the heck I am. ;D

We drove from Cheyenne into the Sunflower State of Kansas after making a little dip into Colorado and headed for Dodge City. Yes, WestFest is wrapping up....  :-/

We FINALLY arrived at Dodge City around 4:15ish and began our tour of Boot Hill and Front Street.  For such a small museum they have an extensive Native American collection and a really good gun collection!  

One of the amusing things I learned was the jail on display at Boot Hill was "stolen" from Fort Dodge.  The museum approached Fort Dodge about having the jail donated to the museum or the museum purchasing the jail. Apparently there was some regulation that prohibited  either avenue. However, if it was "stolen" charges would not be filed. So a band of gentlemen got together and did a "midnight requisition" !  This occurred in the mid 1950's.  My kind of people. :D

We are currently heading east to Wichita where we will overnight and have a delayed start in the morning. I think we are looking forward to sleeping in. 

As our trip winds down I am again reminded of our country's vast beauty. The beauty of her glacier covered mountains and sweeping plains of golden wheat. The beauty that is seen in our large cities with their industrial feel to the small towns that are scattered across her lands. It is found in your own backyard and in your own hometown or wherever you may be.... You just need to look for it. 

Tomorrow it is on to Little Rock. :D

 

Cheyenne or Bust - Day Thirteen

This morning we woke up to a bit of a medical problem. Cyn had an issue with her eye. Luckily there was a medical clinic on site so she was able to see a physician. 

While Cynthia and Curtis were taking care of that issue, John and I decided to have breakfast. We sat in the Mural Restaurant and had a quiet breakfast with the Grand Tetons as our backdrop. It was a nice way to wrap up our visit. 

Then we were off!  Back in the family truckster and headed to Cheyenne. 

Today was strictly a driving day and we covered a LOT of miles. I think we have added a new song to our playlist - Rawhide. "Rolling, rolling, rolling. Get those dogies rolling. Oh my butt is swollen RAWHIDE"! 

Driving across Wyoming was a unique experience. The scenery quickly changed from the splendor of the Tetons to smaller mountains with patches of snow and lush green meadows. Then the landscape began morphing into reddish brown rock formations that towered above dry gulches. Occasionally one of those gulches would have a nice stream. The scenery slowly changed to rolling hills with clumpy grass pastures dotted with the random pronghorn. And then we made Cheyenne!  

Also -  Wyoming Rib and Chop House. Thumbs up for food and service!  

Tomorrow it is Dodge City and we will be overnighting in Wichita. 

Good night folks. We have a LONG drive tomorrow :D

Grand Tetons - Day Twelve

Started out in West Yellowstone, MT this morning and headed east through Yellowstone. About the midway portion of the park we started heading south. Our goal today - the Grand Tetons!  And gosh they are GRAND! 

We stopped by the Visitor Center as we entered the Grand Tetons National Park. John started chatting with one of the employees and long story short we met a  lovely individual from Freer, TX. His name is John Anderson and he was the football coach at Freer but has since retired. For all of you South Texas people reading this blog you know what a delight it is to run across one of our own!   

We arrived at Lake Jackson Lodge around lunchtime and had a nice lunch at the lodge. 

Cynthia and Curtis decided to go for a hike around the lodge ( there are over 250 miles of hiking trails in this park ) and we decided to take a scenic drive through the park. 

One of the special views was a church. It is the Chapel of the Transfiguration and is a small Episcopal Church. The chapel was built in 1925. Behind the altar there is a clear window that frames a view of the Cathedral Group of the Grand Tetons. The chapel is part of the St. John's Episcopal Church in Jackson and holds Sunday services at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM on Sundays. It reminded us of our own St. Thomas and the view of Green Mountain. 

We joined back up with Cynthia and Curtis for dinner. From the restaurant we watched the sun set behind the mountain range. The sky was painted shades of orange and blue.  Some of the peaks were highlighted by the sun causing the snow and glaciers to sparkle with an orange-pink hue. Wispy cirrus clouds accentuated the mountains and sky. 

I am awed and humbled by the magnificent scenery we have visited and I am ever more grateful for being allowed to share these moments with my favorite person. 

Tomorrow it is on to Cheyenne!  

Yellowstone Take Two - Day Eleven

This morning we hit the dusty trail at 0530. Our mission, go find wildlife in Lamar Valley of Yellowstone Park. As we entered the park the sky was beginning to show the pale shades of dawn. We had clear skies and the park to ourselves. 

We immediately saw a wapiti and then started seeing several bison all before getting to Lamar Valley. Upon rounding a bend we encountered two adult bison sauntering down the middle of the road. We stopped the family truckster and watched them amble by within inches. And no, I did not try to pet them....

As we entered Lamar Valley we encountered bison, pronghorn, and whitetail deer.  There was herd upon herd of bison with their young calves kicking up their heels and running around   Most of the adult bison were grazing or taking a siesta. 

The two animals we did not encounter were bears and wolves. There are three packs of wolves that live within Yellowstone and of course the park definitely has bears .... Hey Yogi!  ;o)

After driving through the valley we had breakfast at Roosevelt Lodge. And man it was good!

We hopped back in the truckster and headed for the Upper and Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River.  The views were incredible. The sides of the canyon have active thermal vents that are marked by different colors. The colors come from the chemical compounds in the soil while others come from microorganisms known as thermolytes. 

It was a great day in the park. Tomorrow we are driving back through Yellowstone and headed for Moran, WY. 

Thanks for reading and have a good night. :D