North Carolina Road Trip Spring Break 2022

 

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

4/14  Chris Graves is in Short Pump, Virginia.

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

 

4/15  Chris Graves is in New Bern, North Carolina

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

 

4/16  Chris Graves is in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

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

4/17  Chris Graves is in Archdale, North Carolina

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.

4/19  Chris Graves is in Waynesboro, Virginia

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

4/19  Chris Graves is in home in Carlisle, PA

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!

California Trip - May, 2021

Tuesday 5/11 Flew from BWI to OAK

                dinner at home - steak and grilled asparagus

Wednesday 5/12 Headed north on 101 to Humboldt County and the Avenue of the Giants

        On to Eureka and Arcata, night at Hampton Inn

            Knit, Eureka - Dede bought wool yarn for matching She & ME slippers!

                 lunch at Avenue Cafe in Miranda at the very start of the Avenue of the Giants

                 dinner at La Fiesta Grill in Arcata (yum! taco salad for me, enchilada for Dede)

Thursday 5/13 Arcata to Redding across 299 - wow -  then 5 to Corning (OLIVES!) 99 to Chico, home via 5/505/80/37 

    Sew Simple, Redding - nice shop with small rooms for babies, Christmas, kitchen

    The Sewing Room - Park Marina Drive, Redding (no photo, large shop with crafters items along perimeter)

     The Quilt Basket, Corning (great old building outside, not much fabric but notions and machines inside)

     Honey Run Quilters, Chico - huge store with lots of machines, quilt shop in back corner, but fabric                 and ideas everywhere.  Clothing patterns and ideas, too.

                     lunch at From the Hearth (similar to Panera) in Redding, 

                     dinner at home, grilled sausages and Quinoa salad

Friday 5/14 Accidental Quilt Shop Hop

        Cloth Carousel, Vacaville (found free cowlette/dog coat pattern)

        Fabric Garden, Sacramento (very nice shop, Dede bought Mondo bag pattern)

        Swifty Stitches, Carmichael (bought Laura's 4th July fabric, women sewing in the back)

        Runs with Scissors, Citrus Heights (Dede taught customer how to sew the "kites" strip quilt she just finished.

                lunch at West Coast Sour Dough (outside) in Sacramento

                dinner at home, grilled sausages and salad

   

Saturday, 5/15 Novato to oompa loompa state park 

        through Greenbrae, Ross, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Woodacre, West Marin (Olema, Pt. Reyes Station, Inverness Park, Inverness, Marshall)

        Samuel P. Taylor State Park - Redwood groves and grassy hills, nice campground

        Tomales State Park - has beach and picnicking down a half mile road)     

                lunch at Boca Pizzeria, Novato - chicken flatbread wrap with hummus, tomatoes, yummy dressing)

                dinner at home - Grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, sliced brown tomatoes  

Sunday, 5/16

        Over the Golden Gate Bridge - a little bit of good old SF fog - to San Bruno Mountain - up to the foggy summit where there were no other cars, because Steve had the secret entry code.  Windy.  Super windy.  If there were no fog, we would have looked down onto several huge cemeteries on one side and the city of San Francisco on the other.

    Daly City - the song "Little Boxes, on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky" was written about Daly City

!                           

    Through Pacifica to Moss Beach. 

        Late Lunch at Moss Beach Distillery with Dede's cousin Terry, at window with incredible view.  Seafood Platter: fried cod, fried calamari, fried "prawns" with crispy fries and yummy coleslaw....and a Bloody Mary!

            Dessert at Tuttimelon in Novato, Pineapple Whip Sorbet. Blissful day!

Monday, 5/17/2021

     Drove into San Francisco for the day, eating lunch at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, just beside the Bay Bridge in South Beach.  

     I've posted the photos on a separate blog post here.

Took some photos of Dede's flowers and lemons as well as California poppies and other cool flowers on the side of the roadway.

Tuesday, 5/18/2021

Homeward bound.  Left Oakland at 9:20 am, arriving in Baltimore at 8:10 pm.  By the time I got my bag and reached the car it was almost 10 pm.  I'm so glad that I had reserved a night at the BWI Garden Hilton, which was around 3 miles from the parking garage!

What a wonderful week!

60. Ellie Dwyer's Great Escape by Diane Winger

read on my iPhone
2019 KDP
250 pgs.
Adult CRF
Finished 7/6/19 at camp
Goodreads rating:  4.19 - 175 ratings
My rating:  3
Setting:  Driving all around the US; lots of Colorado and Arizona, contemporary

First line/s:  "If bad luck really does come in threes, I've finally reached my quota."

My comments:  A 61-year-old woman, on her own for the first time in 40 years, tries to figure out what to do with the rest of her life after her husband has purposely "disappeared."  Becoming mobile - hitting the road - rediscovering herself - hiking and camping and trying to become more outgoing.  She also is a bit klutzy and her comedy of errors - one after another (reminding me of myself!) are really quite comical and fun.  The one totally unreal coincidence takes this down a point....

Goodreads synopsis: You're never too old to run away from home
          Ellie Dwyer, 61, is convinced bad luck comes in threes, and not just garden-variety, oh-well bad luck. How many people have to flee not one, but two natural disasters? And in between the wildfire and the hurricane, her husband of nearly forty years suddenly up and left her for no reason she could fathom, disappearing from her life without a clue to his whereabouts.
          Determined to reinvent her life, Ellie sets out on a journey across the country – her own “great escape.” Along the way to nowhere in particular, she buys a camper, becomes friends with a remarkable older woman, and starts to believe that good luck might also come in threes.
          Or does it? That depends on how she defines good luck.