My Facebook notes are below.
5 NPS sites (but one was closed)
Cedar
Creek & Belle Grove NHP (Closed)
Shenandoah
NP Skyline Drive (Last 1/3)
Petersburg
NBP (?)
Guildford
Courthouse NMP
Blue
Ridge Pkway – Just a small bit, in Roanoke VA
1 yarn shop
Wool
Workshop – Roanoke, VA
1 quilt shop
Patchwork Plus - Dayton, VA (amazing!)
8 letterboxes
9 cemeteries (at least)
Blandford
Cemetery, Petersburg, VA
Cedar
Grove Cemetery, New Bern, NC
Greenwood
Cemetery, New Bern, NC
U.
S. National Cemetery, New Bern, NC
Jacksonville
City Cemetery, Jacksonville NC
Montford
Point Federal Cemetery & Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville,
NC
Oakwood
Cemetery, High Point, NC
East
Hill Cemetery, Salem, VA
Resthaven Memorial Gardens, Harrisonburg, VA
3 Munzee gardens
5 nights in a motel –
Wingate
by Wyndham, Short Pump, VA
Hampton
(2) New Bern, NC & Waynesboro, VA
Microtel
– Jacksonville, NC
Quality
Inn – High Point, NC
1 flat tire, Richmond, VA
2 new windshield wipers
1 bookstore
Next
Chapter Bks & Art, New Bern, NC
2 museums
Pepsi,
New Bern, NC
Guildford
Courthouse NMP
1 college
High
Point University, High Pont, NC
1 factory tour
Route 11 Potato Chips, VA
2 war memorials
Lejeune
Memorial Gardens, Jacksonville, NC
Vietnam
War Memorial
Beirut
Memorial
3 roadside Attractions
5
(of 80) fiberglass bears, New Bern, NC
“Furniture
Capital of the World” bureau
2
huge bicycle “sculptures” at the Star on the hill in Roanoke
Numerous bronze statues of famous people sitting on
benches, High Point University, NC
Lovely
day! I headed down Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. No bear this
time, but deer, wild turkey, and snake all crossed my path. Overcast, but no haze - beautiful views.
Stopped for the night just outside of Richmond, found a Vietnamese restaurant
and had yummy pho, setting
out for North Carolina in the morning.
3 photos:
tulips, mntns, Skyline Drive sign
4/15
earlier in the day than the next post: Chris
Graves is in Henrico, VA.
Always an adventure!!
My current scenic view.
Flat tire. May not be repairable.
lollolol, what else can ya do but laugh?
1 photo inside tire
store
What a gorgeous day today! My flat tire debacle was concluded
by 10:30, not bad at all. My first stop, Petersburg National Battlefield,
was pretty gloomy. The end of the Civil War, a nine month siege between Lee and
Grant to cut off supplies for the confederate capital in Richmond. Grim. Spend some time letter boxing in cemeteries in
Petersburg and at my final destination for the day, in NC.  All in all, four really historic cemeteries. I actually don’t find cemeteries grim at all, I enjoy and
respect them and learn lots of history from their primary sources. I’m a weirdo…
Photos Petersburg
Battlefield sign, Welcome to NC sign, arched cemetery entrance, New Bern arched
cemetery entrance, US National Cemetery gate, grave markers inside National
cemetery, New Bern flag by river
Day 3. I love being on the road. And there’s
so much to see along the North Carolina coast!
Before I left New Bern this morning I drove
around and took photos of some of the 80+ fiberglass bears that
decorate the town. History is everywhere in New Bern- roadside signs and old
houses labelled with their information all over town,
plus the two old cemeteries I mentioned yesterday. I went into the corner
drugstore-now-museum where Pepsi was invented and enjoyed a browse and sip. My
last stop before leaving town was a really interesting book shop. They cater to
local authors (of which there are a huge amount) as well as some local
artisans.  I actually found a small souvenir for myself
here - and met a super friendly cat as well. Leaving town I was
treated to the site of the roadway rising in front of me so that a tall-masted
ship could go under the bridge. Took less than 10 minutes and was quite
interesting.
Heading south, I got my first-ever taste of
the Outer Banks! I traveled along about 20 miles, from Atlantic Beach to
Emerald Isle. There’s a lot for sale along that roadway! Ocean on both sides,
prime real estate. And lots of public access to the beach on both sides of the
road.
When I got to Jacksonville I visited the
Lejeune Memorial gardens, where I spent a bit of time at both the Vietnam War
Memorial there and the memorial in recognition of American lives lost in Beirut
in 1983. Look it up. Interesting. And sad.
I have no idea where I’ll head tomorrow.
That’s the fun of a meandering vacation
Photos standing bear, colorful
bear, pepsi recipe, me in Pepsi corner, bookshop cat, river bridge road n the
air, two different pink flowers, beiruit monument, 3 vietnam memorial photos
North Carolina. All the trees are green, all
the shrubs are blooming in glorious pinks and purples, and it was about 75° all
day with sunshine. Sunshine!
Two standouts today – Guilford Courthouse
National Military Park, a 1781 Revolutionary war battle site near Greensboro NC (It’s not all Civil War battlefields down
here). I asked them if adults ever did the junior ranger programs and she told
me about their not-so-junior-ranger program… for people like me! It was fun,
had to answer all sorts of questions after watching the video, touring the
museum, and driving the auto tour.
A short drive away is High Point University,
where two of my nephews went to school. They both loved it
there, and I love checking out colleges —- I’m so glad I went! This place is unbelievable! I’ve probably seen hundreds of
college campuses, but none ever like this. Huge regal white
buildings, fountain after fountain after fountain, lots of space and green and
flowering plants. But my favorite part was the dozens and dozens of benches
that had bronze statues of famous people sitting in them.. I had quite a conversation with Aristotle, as you can see in
the photos. The town of High Point was once the largest manufacturer of
furniture in the US not so long ago.
Plus some more really interesting cemeteries…
I’ve had a lovely dinner every night, but
tonight was my favorite, a local Mexican restaurant. So good.
PHOTOS: US/NC Flags, Guilford Courthouse sign,
Guildford Crthse woods, inside museum, HPU flags on lightpoles, Helen Keller, Me
& Aristotle, MLK Jr with sign behind him, Coltrane, Mother Teresa, huge
bureau, 50 confederate bured headstone, buried American flags placque.
Yesterday (4/18) was a
gloomy day. Downpouring rain, sleet, snow, multiple car accidents…but I did
find a very cool wool shop. My plans for Roanoke pretty much tanked because of
the wetness and limited visibility. I did find a couple of letter boxes in a
sopping cemetery.
Photo: foggy tree
with star, foggy bikes
Had a long,somewhat leisurely drive up 81 today. I went to an absolutely incredible quilt store in Dayton, VA, which is a tiny bit southwest of Harrisonburg. Holy Schmoley, what a place! I MUST go back when I have definite quilt plans, or to take Dede. Also in Harrisonburg I hit a cemetery for a letterbox. Muddy. Got mud on me, the tires, the running board, and the car mat. Light brown mud....
Not too far down the road I saw a sign for Route 11 Potato Chips. It's a small facility, and you can look through windows to watch them make their very-fried chips.
And then home! Didn't take too long. My tiny suitcase and I hit the stairs, then I hit the bed and fell fast asleep. What a great trip! School tomorrow!
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