ÿþ<html> <head> <title>Jim & Sim's Great Adventure</title> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> <center> <table width=750 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td colspan=6> <center> <img src="header6.jpg" width=750 height=250 alt="Jim & Sim"> </center> </td></tr> <tr> <td> <a href="index.htm"><img src="1.gif" border=0></a> </td> <td> <a href="who.htm"><img src="2.gif" border=0></a> </td> <td> <a href="travelogue.htm"><img src="3.gif" border=0></a> </td> <td> <a href="photos.htm"><img src="4.gif" border=0></a> </td> <td> <a href="links.htm"><img src="5.gif" border=0></a> </td> <td> <a href="mailto:jimandsim@gmail.com"><img src="6.gif" border=0></a> </td></tr> <tr> <td colspan=6> <font face="comic sans ms, arial, verdana" size=2> <br><br> <blockquote> <b><u>Apr 1 -2 (2 nights, Salem, VA USA  Dixie Caverns Campground)</u></b><br> We left Asheville, NC and headed north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Virginia. We hadn't gone 2 miles when we were forced on a detour. We ended up back on I-40 for 20 miles before we were routed through a bunch of small towns and hamlets. Finally we climbed up a big hill and were back on the Parkway. The parkway is not very friendly to big motorhomes. Branches from trees beat my antennas on the top of the coach and scratched the paint on the side of the coach in several locations. I exited the Parkway and got back on a freeway after about 30 miles. We arrived at Dixie Caverns Campground in Salem, VA just south of Roanoke and they had room for us, so we parked and got set up fairly early in the afternoon. Full hookups for $30/night. They actually have underground caverns on the property here, but after being in Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, we opted not to join a tour here. <P> <b><u>Apr 2</u></b><br> We headed off to downtown Salem to find the Visitors Center. Salem is a big sports community and they have a very large sports complex in town. That is where we found the VC. We got a map and headed off to find some Civil War battlefields. We found one at a place called Hanging Rock. We discovered that President Hayes and McKinley were both here during the War. Private McKinley served under Major Hayes during a battle here at Hanging Rock. We walked along the trail for a couple of miles before we jumped back in the car and headed back to the coach. <P> <b><u>Apr 3  4 (2 nights, Charlottesville, VA USA  Sam's Club)</u></b><br> We have decided to spend tonight in Charlottesville at a Wal Mart. While in Charlottesville, we wanted to go visit Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. We did not take the Blue Ridge Parkway anymore. I was tried of being beaten by low hanging tree branches. We got to Charlottesville and found the Wal Mart, but the parking lot was too small. There was a Sam's Club on the other side of the street so we drove up there and found a large overflow parking area for Sam's and the adjacent DoubleTree Hotel. We parked, in spite of the signs indicating that written permission was required by both Sam's and the DoubleTree. Later in the evening a Fifth Wheel parked in the lot as well. No one came to boot us out. We also got some free internet from the hotel and several over the air TV channels. <P> <b><u>Apr 4</u></b><br> Going to Monticello today, but first we decided to move the coach to a big shopping center parking lot for the day. <img src="6523.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> We found a JC Penny and Belk lot that was perfect. The weather was overcast and cool. It had rained steady all night, but stopped by the time we had breakfast and we were on our way. We parked the coach, unhooked the Jeep and headed for Monticello. We spotted a Welcome Center close to Monticello, and pulled in there to see what information we could get. They had a nice, free museum and a short informative film that we enjoyed. Armed with some historical knowledge we headed across the street to Monticello. There where lots of people considering the weather that day and when we bought our tickets discovered that we had an hour wait for our tour. We took the shuttle bus up to the house and toured the grounds before our tour started. Jefferson was quite the gardner as well as statesman, architect, inventor and farmer. We queued up for our tour and were escorted through the house by a very knowledgeable guide. We happened to be with a middle school class from California, who on entering Jefferson's library, stopped to recite part of the Declaration of Independence. It was kind of moving. Unfortunately the do not allow any picture taking of the inside of the house so we can't show you that. The house was nice inside. Tall ceilings and lots of windows, a feature quite unusual for homes at that time. <P> We drove back to the coach, parked the Jeep and went inside the mall. Sim found a pretty blouse to buy at Ann Taylor and I checked out iPod FM transmitters at Radio Shack. After shopping we debated about spending the night in the JC Penny lot or going back to Sam's. The kid in the Mall security truck was spending a lot of time cruising back and forth in front of us, so we opted to move back to Sam's for the night. Better to know we would not be disturbed in the middle of the night. <P> <b><u>Apr 5  6 (2 nights, Shenandoah National Park, VA USA  Big Meadows Campground)</u></b><br> We got up this morning to overcast skies but no rain. Today we are not going very far. The plan was to stay another couple of nights at Wal Mart somewhere near Front Royal, VA. We are going to meet up with John and Linda on Monday and spend Monday night at their home. They were kind enough to let us ship our repaired Bose unit to their house. <P> We took off from Sam's and headed for the Shenandoah Valley. We are going to take Skyline Drive up to Front Royal, and I hope it is better suited for motorhomes than the Blue Ridge Parkway was. <img src="6548.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> We found the park entrance and after presenting my Golden Access Pass, we were admitted free of charge and promptly found Skyline Drive. Did I tell you what a great deal this Golden Access Pass is? Free admission for you and 3 guests to all National Parks and National Landmarks in addition to 50% off on camping fees at National Parks. All for a one time fee of $10. Skyline Drive is great so far. No low hanging branches, some shoulders, and large pull outs at the view points. I had looked at camping inside the park at Big Meadows Campground while we had internet at Sam's, but, as usual, the Reserve America website said it was all booked for the dates I wanted. Not to be deterred we drove into the campground and found it 10% full. So, we decided to camp here instead of continuing on to Front Royal. $17. for 2 nights. No hookups at all however. They do have restrooms, showers and a laundry. It was a tight fit getting into our spot. I had to unhook the Jeep and did a couple back/forward jogs with the coach to get it in place. After settling in we took a 3 mile hike down to a waterfall at the bottom of the Big Meadow. As we have done on a couple of occasions, we were kind of unprepared. Sometimes we go for a walk that turns into a hike. This time it turned into a hike and we had no water with us. The hike back up from the waterfall was quite strenuous and we were both craving water back at the top of the hill. Luckily there is a store next to the VC and we got some water there. Note to self: Always prepare for walks turning into hikes. <P> <b><u>Apr 6</u></b><br> It rained all night last night. We awoke to continuing rain and a dense fog this morning. Or it might be clouds as we are at about 3500'. It was cold last night too. This morning, since it is kind of miserable outside, Sim is cooking up lunch for today & tomorrow, and dinner for tonight. <img src="6566.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> She said we will have Greek sour rice soup for lunch, Egg noodle and pork wonton soup with bok choy for dinner, and Thai fried rice for lunch tomorrow. When we had lunch at a Greek restaurant in Charleston, SC, our orders came with sour rice soup, and we liked it. It is cold today, so it is good to have soup to help keep us warm, Sim suggested. We had no access to the internet here at Big Meadows, so, Sim could not get the Greek rice soup recipe on line. She said,  well, it was sour and Greeks use a lot of lemon and oregano in their dishes. So she was going to put these two ingredients in the rice soup. There was no vegetable in the rice soup, so she julienned cabbage, onion, and jalapeHo for the condiment. Always have to have some green in each meal, it is Sim's principal. I am getting the finishing touches done on the March Travelogue to send off to Webmaster Dennis. <P> <b><u>Apr 7 (1 night, Front Royal, VA  Private home)</u></b><br> We took off today towards Front Royal, VA. We are going to spend the night parked at our friends, John and Linda. We met them, you may recall, at the Foretravel factory in Nacogdoches a few months ago. John and Linda have a beautiful 42' Foretravel that they are in the process of upgrading with an all new interior. The drive on Skyline Drive is not so spectacular today. The clouds are covering the mountains obscuring all of the views. <img src="6584.jpg" width=260 height=160 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> Nevertheless the drive is pleasant and we have seen lots of deer alongside the road. Sim suggested we have lunch at one of the overlooks on Skyline Drive. We stopped at Contrast Mountains Overlook for a lunch of Thai fried rice. Although we only saw clouds and not the contrasting colors of the mountains, we enjoyed what view there was. We got to John and Linda's home in the late afternoon and backed into their driveway and plugged in. We chatted with Linda until John got home from work. They invited us to go out for dinner, so we piled into John's truck and went into town to a Friday's restaurant. Both food and service were good. I had a Peruvian Herb chicken that was very tasty. <P> <b><u>Apr 8  14 (7 nights, College Park, near Washington DC USA  Cherry Hill Park)</u></b><br> We took off around 10:00 a.m. to drive to Washington DC. It won't be a very long drive today. John suggested we stop at the new Air and Space Museum out by Dulles Airport on our way to the RV park. We stopped at a Rest Stop and I called John to get directions. We arrived at the Museum and much to our surprise we were waved on in to the RV and Bus Parking Lot without having to pay for parking. We were told it was $12.00 to park. We told the attendant it was our first visit, but don't know if that was why we were not required to pay. <img src="6617.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> The Museum is huge, with hundreds and hundreds of cool planes on the deck and hanging from the ceiling. They have collections of commercial, WWII, German, British and planes from the early 1900's. They also have hang gliders, and sailplanes. There is a separate exhibit for Space stuff as well. The Space Shuttle Endeavor is on display there. We spent about 3 hours in the museum. Before we left we had lunch and went to the top of the observation tower and watched the commercial planes land at Dulles International Airport. They have a control tower display and a real time feed of the audio from the Dulles control tower. I could have spent a couple of hours there with no problem. We found Cherry Hill Park without any problems. The GPS was right on. We plan on being here 5 days, but many people have said that you cannot see Washington in that short period. We may extend our stay. <P> <b><u>Apr 9</u></b><br> Cherry Hill Park is the closet RV Park to the DC area and they have a Metro bus stop at the park. <img src="6673.jpg" width=260 height=180 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> Today we are taking the bus to the Metro subway station and riding the subway into DC. The system is pretty simple and easy to follow. We transferred from the Green Line to the Yellow Line our first time out. We got off the subway at the Smithsonian station and started walking. Sim really wanted to see the Cherry trees in bloom so we headed over to the Tidal Basin first. The cherry trees were in full bloom and we walked all the way around the basin. Down at one end of the tidal basin is the Roosevelt Memorial. It is pretty neat and has a couple of nice statues of FDR and Eleanor. <img src="6703.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> They have an interesting sculpture of people standing in a bread line during the depression. On we trudged only to stop again at the Jefferson Memorial for a break. Jefferson is Sim's favorite president. They had a stage set up in front of the Memorial for festival entertainment and we listened to a local musician sing some folk songs and then watched some local Indians (India) dance a few ethnic dances. After we finished the circuit around the basin, we headed over to the Washington Memorial. We decided not to climb it, and instead just walked around it. The White House is just up the street so we headed over there to see if George was home. <img src="6727.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> They don't let you get very close to the White House. There are Capital Police everywhere. There are concrete barricades in front of every government office building and almost every building we went into, has security and scanners. Sim spotted a sign that said  Welcome to the White House and a button that looked like a doorbell. She was thinking about pushing that button to see if someone answered the ring. We did not see George but the White House looks pretty cool. We walked around to the back too. On the street at the back of the White House is a protest encampment that has been there since the 80s. I think it is manned 24/7/365. Just one old woman there today, painting peace symbols on tin cans. I don't know how far we walked today, but my feet are sore. Tomorrow we are going to take one of those bus tours. <P> <b><u>Apr 10</u></b><br> We got our tickets yesterday for the Grayline Tour, a Hop On  Hop Off open top bus that does a two hour circuit around DC. <img src="6736.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> You can get off and back on the bus at any stop. We have to be at the park bus stop at 6:45 a.m. to catch the shuttle bus into DC. We arrived at Union Station and had an hour to kill before the first Open Top bus departed at 9:00. Union Station is an awesome place. There are shops, restaurants, and waiting areas the size of football fields under one roof. We wandered around for an hour and still did not see all of the station. <P> The Open Top Bus arrived about 15 minutes late and there was a mad dash to get the premier seats on top at the front. Sim and I decided not to take seats on top since it was cold and windy in the morning. We had decided to get off at the Lincoln Memorial first. That was stop number 7 or 8. We did the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial which are all very close to each other. <img src="6740.jpg" width=200 height=260 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> The Korean War Memorial should be seen when it is raining I think. It just has that feel to it as all the soldiers are wearing rain gear. Lincoln is pretty impressive but I think he needs to be cleaned up a bit. He is looking kind of dusty. I had one friend that died in the Vietnam War so, I looked him up in the locator book and found his name on the wall. It was very moving to see those thousands and thousands of names of soldiers on the wall who fought and died for our country. After those three Memorials, we headed over towards the Capitol building. When we got close we heard a bunch of horn honking going on. It turned out to be a large procession of trucks circling the block and passing in front of the Capital, horns blasting, sporting signs protesting the high cost of fuel. When we got to the Capital building, we spoke to one of the police officers there and she told us how to get tickets to the House and Senate galleries. So, we set off to find the office of Anna Eshoo, our representative for the Sunnyvale address on I.D. cards. The House offices are right across the street from the Capital and the first building we walked into happened to be where Rep. Eshoo's office is located. We got a couple of gallery passes from her office and then headed to the other side of the capitol where the Senate offices are located. <img src="6786.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> We went looking for and eventually found Senator Diane Feinstein's office and got gallery passes to the Senate as well. The plan is to visit both tomorrow. Before coming to D.C., Sim mentioned that besides the Cherry Blossom, she wanted to visit the Supreme Court. Right behind the Capitol is the Supreme Court, so we walked over there and got in line for the tour. One of the interns gave us an informative 20 minute talk on the history of the court. Did you know that although the Judges only hear cases 6 days a month, they read about 1500 pages a day about cases. We walked around a bit in the Supreme Court before going back out to the Open Top Bus and jumping back on for the ride back to Union Station. The shuttle back to Cherry Hill Park was supposed to leave at 5:30 according to the Grey Line girl. We ended up waiting almost an hour before we were finally on the bus heading back to the park. <P> <b><u>Apr 11</u></b><br> Today we are going to do all the sights that are too far to walk. The bus almost got to the park on time this morning. We were there at 6:45 and we were actually heading to DC by 7:00. Once again though we have a little over an hour to kill at Union Station so instead of waiting, we are going to walk over to the Capitol and do the House and Senate galleries first. We got to the queue for the House and after waiting there for about 20 minutes found out the House and the Senate had taken the day off. It was Friday. Like corporations, government seemed to be no exception, they took it easy on Friday. <img src="6773.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> We would be allowed to go into the House gallery but not the Senate. We went into the House and found the gallery. They do not allow pictures or any electronic anything, even if the House is not in session. In fact they make you check your camera, phones, and all electronic devices before they let you in. We wandered around in the Capitol for a while but we kept getting told we could not go here or there. They really restrict your movement inside and outside too. We headed off to the closest bus stop to catch the Open Top bus. We were quicker on the draw this morning and got a couple of nice seats up on top. Our first stop off the bus is the Old Post Office. Yesterday we had heard that there is a 360 degree viewing deck that affords good views of the city, so we wanted to see that. We jumped off the bus and walked back a couple of blocks to the Old Post Office. <img src="6853.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> The views are pretty spectacular from the observation level. The building is kind of unique and they have 9 very old bells in the tower that get played on a regular basis. Next stop is the National Cathedral. The Cathedral sits almost on the highest point in DC. and is a site in DC you do not want to miss. The granite structure is immense and uses no steel superstructure at all. Just rocks piled on top of each other. We took one of the free tours that lasted about 30 minutes. Our guide was very well versed on the the history of the church and all the symbolism in the carvings and stained glass windows. One of them has a symbol of the moon, sun, and stars. In the center of the stained glass, there is a rock that was collected from the moon. It was pretty neat. <img src="6880.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> Now we are off to Arlington National Cemetery. We have to cross the Potomac River into Virginia to get to Arlington. There must have been 50 buses parked in the lot when we arrived. Did I tell you that all the kids here in DC are on Spring Break now. Everywhere we go there are bus loads of Elementary and High School kids boning up on their US history. Our first stop at Arlington was the JFK gravesite and the eternal flame. It is very simple. And I did not know that Jackie is buried right beside John. We also learned that Caroline and John Jr. have two more siblings, one was still born, and the other lived only three days after being born. We stopped at Robert Kennedy's grave as well. His is even less austere. A simple white cross with a simple marker. On up the hill is the tomb of the unknown soldier and the changing of the guard ceremony. We trudged up the hill past all the grave sites and noticed that most of the high ranking officers are up high on the hill and the enlisted men are way down below in the valley. Interesting, separate quarters, even in death. The changing of the guard ceremony is pretty cool. During peak season the guard changes every 30 minutes. <img src="6892.jpg" width=260 height=170 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> Off peak every hour. These are Army personnel that guard the tombs of the unknown soldiers from WWII, Korea and Vietnam. They stand for 21 seconds, turn and take 21 steps to the other side of the tombs, pause for 21 seconds and then turn and take 21 steps to the other side. All done in a very precise manner. The changing of the guard is all very ceremonial and precise as well. There are other interesting burials at Arlington but we did not have time to see Audie Murphy, Oliver Wendall Holmes, or General Pershing's grave site. As we were walking back to the VC, we saw our Open Top bus pull into the parking lot. We took off running, so we would not miss the bus. They are supposed to come by each of the 25 stops every 30 minutes. So far we have waited as long as 45 minutes and heard of people waiting as much as an hour. We hustled down to the parking lot and found 3 buses loaded with people. We found a couple of open seats on top and rode all the way back to Union Station. We knew that the bus back to the RV park wasn't leaving until at least 6:00 so we had plenty of time. Sure enough, 6:05 we departed for Cherry Hill Park. <P> <b><u>Apr 12</u></b><br> Today I wanted to take a break from walking. So we stayed home and did chores around the coach. I got some rope lights from one of the Foretravel owners that frequents the Yahoo board and thought today would be a good day to install them. I had taken all the rope lighting off the window valences months ago because half the lights where burned out in all the windows. Installing the new lights took all morning, but I was done right after lunch and then decided to wash the coach. I didn't get on the roof, but just did a cursory wash on the back and sides where most of the dirt gets when the roads get wet from the rain. I finished that job up in a couple of hours and then finished hooking up the Bose system, switching the TV back through the Bose and putting back all of the wood paneling trim around the components. OK I am done for the day. <P> <b><u>Apr 13</u></b><br> The Pope is coming, the Pope is coming. But he is not coming until later in the week and we have plans to go to Annapolis and Delaware. We did not know in advance that he was coming to DC otherwise I suppose we could have planned to get tickets to go see him, Going there without tickets, odds were we would not be able to get a good spot to really have a good look at him. I really did not want to fight the crowds to get a 2 sec look at him going down the street in the Pope-mobile. I am happy to watch his visit on TV. Today we are doing nothing. It is going to drive Sim crazy, but I am still tired and sore from all the walking and need a day to do nothing. <P> <b><u>Apr 14</u></b><br> Going to hit the museums today and visit the Senate gallery. <img src="6923.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> Hopefully the boys are working for us today and the Senate is open. They do not allow gallery visitors when the Senate in not in session. We took the bus to the subway station at around 8:00 a.m., got on the subway and got off at the Union Station. We were thinking the Senate might get going around 9:00. We were right on time when we checked with the tour coordinator, but he told us the Senate would not be in session until 2:30, so we headed over the the National Botanic Garden. The Garden is a fabulous visit. They have plants from all over the world. They have 4 or 5 different climate zones from desert to tropical. It was a rather chilly 50 degrees outside and a nice 75 degrees inside the tropical environment. They have a dazzling display of orchids throughout the gardens too. After the National Botanic Gardens we went over to the National American Indian Museum. This 3 story building is chock full of Indian artifacts and Art. They have some beautiful beaded dresses and accessories that are amazing. We had lunch here, and the food was excellent. They had different types of Indian food from different regions of the country. After lunch we headed off to the museum on the top of my list; The National Archives. I saw a really long line the other day and I was hoping since it was not a school day that the school kids wouldn't be out today. There was no line so we got right in. There was however a line at the rotunda. The rotunda is where the original Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are displayed. We queued up and listened to the security guard give us a speech about not using the flash on our cameras. While in line I was testing my camera to see if I could use the  Night Shot or  Night Framing mode when my flash went off. Security busted me and said I had to put my camera away. Bummer. It turned out I did not need it anyway. The Declaration of Independence is so faded you cannot read it at all. The Constitution is in a little better shape but not by much. You can at least read parts of it. By the time we finished the National Archives Museum, it was time to go back to the Capitol and see the Senate. We were good to go and went inside the Capital building and found our way to the Senate gallery. <img src="6932.jpg" width=220 height=260 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> We walked in and the Senate floor had no Senators. There were a few people milling around. Some clerks working at their desks, but not much else going on. Lots of visitors were coming and going in the gallery and we just kept hanging out hoping something was going to happen. Finally, some Senator made a 3 or 4 minute speech about the Virginia Tech shootings. He was introducing a bill to allow all medical records of  disturbed individuals to be released to authorities or something like that. That was the only excitement while we were there. We left a bit disappointed but glad we did get inside, finally. OK. We are off to a few more museums. First we stopped at the National Art Museum to see some of the old masters works. Sim said we were not art aficionados as we had no idea what the portraits and sculptures were all about. We wandered around in and out from one gallery to the others. Then, Sim told me she liked that picture. Good choice Sim. The picture she liked was a Monet. We wanted to move on and get over the the Natural History Museum because Sim wanted to see the Hope Diamond. We got to the Museum and first went through the Hall of Dinosaurs, which by the way is a great exhibit, and were on our way to the Hope Diamond when we were told the Museum was closing. We bolted for the Hope exhibit but the door was closed when we got there. Bummer. We headed back for Union Station for our subway ride back to camp. Tomorrow we are heading to upstate Maryland to visit Annapolis. <P> <b><u>Apr 15  17 (3 nights, Lothian, MD USA  Duncan's Family Campground)</u></b><br> Lothian was not far at all from Cherry Hill, but closer to Annapolis. We arrived and they had plenty of room. The roads inside are poor, narrow and lots of trees are not trimmed for wide tall rigs. Had to do a few back and forth maneuvering to get to and into our spot. Then we found out they were having a water problem. The water was murky and brown. I put the water filter on and we used the extra drinking water I had stored in the lower bays while we were here. The campground folks are nice enough, but I cannot recommend this campground for big rigs. <P> <b><u>Apr 16</u></b><br> Drove to Annapolis today. Stopped at the Visitor Center for information and headed out to find somewhere to park so we could walk around. Parking in Annapolis was hard for us. There is limited street parking and the two parking garages we saw had a 6'6 height limitation. <img src="6954.jpg" width=260 height=170 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> The Jeep with Kayaks on top is about 8'6 . We found the Naval Academy and then drove around in the area until we found some metered parking on the street. It was getting close to noon so we hurried to the base in order to get the the square where the cadets perform a ceremonial formation march before going in to eat lunch. We went through security only showing ID and no bag check and found the square just as the ceremony was about to start. Several hundred cadets all form up by company and then with the accompany of the fife and drum corps, march through the square and into the dining hall. It was pretty cool. After the ceremony, we headed over to the base chapel and checked out the church and John Paul Jones crypt. The chapel is beautiful inside and worth a visit. One unique thing about the chapel is a 12 foot long 15 foot high sailboat model hanging at the back of the church. The crypt of John Paul Jones is done very well too. It is down below the chapel in its own round room with tributes to John Paul surrounding his final resting place. We left the base and did a walking tour of downtown Annapolis. Sim wanted to try Maryland crab soup, so we stopped at a food court as we saw the sign touted excellent crab soup at front of the building. They must have accidently dropped a whole bunch of salt in it because we couldn't taste any thing, but salt. Yuk. We had some lunch down by the waterfront and watched the boats come and go in the harbor. We walked to the governors' mansion and the state capitol building, which is undergoing a renovation. Before heading home, we stopped at a Seafood Market and got a cup of cream of crab soup, Maryland crab cakes, and one good size Croaker. On the way home we saw an Amish Market sign, so I made a u-turn to check it out. We parked the car in front of a Whole Food Market and walked to the Amish Market to see what goodies might be inside. Bummer, it closed. Oh well, Pennsylvania is yet to come. <P> <b><u>Apr 17</u></b><br> Just hanging out at the coach today. Since we have a fairly good internet connection and a strong phone signal, I am going to try to get my prescription renewal taken care of. Since we are now with Kaiser, I have to get my prescriptions transferred from Walgreens over to Kaiser. I have been told that I will have to see my new Primary Care Provider at Kaiser before I can get new prescriptions written. First I called the Kaiser Pharmacy and asked them to transfer my existing prescriptions. They said they would handle that and I could get one refill mailed to me. Great. Next I registered with the Kaiser website and found out I could actually email my doctor. First though I had to pick a doctor. That part was pretty easy, as the website had a bio on all the doctors taking new patients. I called to confirm my selection, then sent off and email to my new doctor explaining that I was on vacation on the east coast and would be flying in for an appointment in early June. To my surprise, my new doctor replied the same day. I followed up with another email and again received a prompt response. Maybe my trepidation about Kaiser is unfounded. So all looks good. I just need to book a flight to California and I should be OK on my meds, at least until it is time to go to Thailand. <P> <b><u>Apr 18  24 (7 nights, Delaware Seashore State Park, DE USA)</u></b><br> Drove up and around Chesapeake Bay into Delaware today. It was only about 150 miles, so we timed our arrival at 1:00 to check in at the earliest possible time. The weather is getting warmer and we are looking forward to spending some time at the beach again. Delaware State Park is on a spit of land with the Atlantic on one side and Chesapeake Bay on the other. The park is also right at the inlet of the Indian River. The park is basically a parking lot. Asphalt roads and pads with sand and dirt between spots. <img src="6981.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> They have full hook ups for $36./night for non-residents. No shade. They have a laundry room with one washer and one dryer. There are more than 100 spots here. We walked down to the beach which is about 200 yards from the campground. Lots of guys fishing along the Indian River where it dumps into the Atlantic. They were catching Drum. Sim was quite interested but no one seemed willing to part with their fish. The beach was nice. Soft warm sand and very little flotsam and jetsam on the beach. There were 3 guys having a great time on their skim boards. They would wait for the right moment and run toward the surf, throw down their board, jump on, skim into an oncoming wave, turning onto the wave for a short ride. Back at the coach we did a couple of loads of laundry and watched the sun go down over the bay. Sim wants to get up early tomorrow and watch the sun come up over the Atlantic Ocean. Coming from the West Coast, that will be an odd site to see. <P> <b><u>Apr 19</u></b><br> We are going exploring today. I want to check out a spot I saw coming in. There was a sign along the road that said  Kayak Launch , and I want to see if it is a good spot. After breakfast we jumped in the Jeep and headed south down. <img src="7007.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> About 3 or 4 miles down is a cute little town called Bethany. We parked down near the waterfront and turned on the Mac and got some free internet, so we checked our email. We walked out to the boardwalk and up and down the main street. We stopped in one store and Sim found a T-Shirt for $5, and I bought a Frisbee and a couple of beach mats. Back to the car and we headed north. Just across the Indian River is a marina and we had heard that they may have some fresh fish. We found the marina and the tackle/fish store but no fresh fish. Oh well. We are off to see the kayak launch spot which happens to be only another mile up the road. They have a good parking lot and you only have to carry the kayaks 20 yards to a nice sandy shoreline. Looks good. We think tomorrow morning we will launch the boats and go for a paddle. We had to try our new mats we bought this morning. After lunch we headed to the beach for a nap. It was a nice afternoon as the sun was mild and the sea breeze was not too strong. We had a nice 2 hour nap on the beach. Easy to sleep with the sound of the surf and the warm sun on your body. <P> <b><u>Apr 20</u></b><br> Well the weather has turned bad. The wind came up the clouds came in and the temperature dropped 15 degrees. The weather report says rain and lots of it coming our way. No kayaking today. I hate kayaking in the wind. Too much work. We rode the bikes for about an hour down by the bay. There is a nice residential community right on the waterfront. There was a nice looking 3 story house for sale, not on the water, for $1.3 million. I think that gets you a slip in the small marina there also. After one hour, Sim's ears got too cold riding the bikes so, we had to head back to the coach. Later in the day we walked out to the beach and strolled the sand until the clouds overhead turned black. We turned around to walk back and came upon a couple of guys with kites and boards getting ready to do some kite sailing. Sim and I are interested in this sport and I would like to try it some day. We also think it might be a sport that would catch on in Thailand. We chatted with the guys about gear, technique and the cost to get into kite boarding. It really looks like fun, but the cost is about $2K to get outfitted with all the required gear. The storm arrived about 6:00 p.m. and rain came heavy on for 5 or 10 minutes along with lightning and thunder. There is a tornado watch in effect about a 100 miles south of us. We have had rice with dinner three consecutive days, so Sim suggested I bake some Cornbread Muffins to go with the baked fish, <img src="7010.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> sweet potatoes, and steamed vegetables we were having for dinner. So I got out all the ingredients and mixed up the batter, poured it into the muffin pan and popped it into the oven. 30 minutes later I pulled out the cornbreads. They had not risen very much but looked nicely browned on top. I pulled them out of the pan and they were hard as bricks, but we ate parts of them anyway. After eating one half of a muffin, I was wondering if I followed the directions correctly. I checked the directions from cornmeal container, and I did exactly what it said. Sim giggled and said perhaps I should check expiration date. I looked at the corn meal container and it said,  Best before July 02 Well, it only expired 4 years ago. We had a moment where we could not stop laughing. Sim went through our pantry after dinner and threw out a few more expired items. <P> <b><u>Apr 21</u></b><br> It is windy, cold and foggy today. We decided a couple of days ago to extend our stay here at Delaware Seashore by 2 days thinking the weather was going to be nice. WRONG. Today we are huddled inside staying warm. It is supposed to rain again today and tomorrow. We ended up spending the entire day inside laying on the couch watching TV and of course, eating. There are only about 4 campers left in the entire campground here. <P> <b><u>Apr 22</u></b><br> We awoke to howling winds and fog again this morning. Had breakfast and we were just watching TV when the sun poked out between the clouds. By 10:00 the skies were clear the sun was out but the wind is still blowing fairly hard. We jumped in the Jeep and drove the 5 miles down to Bethany to check our email. A few days ago we found an open internet connection in the downtown area. We parked in front of the same hotel but the internet connection we used the other day was not available. We moved a block north and found an open network in front of Baja Cafe. They do have a network called BethanyFreeWiFI, but it is not free. Odd. We checked our mail, sent a couple drafts off and headed back to the coach. I gave the Jeep a cursory wash with a couple buckets of water while Sim prepared lunch. It is Earth Day and a lot of broadcast TV is talking about how we can help save the Earth. One bad thing is the enormous amount of plastic Americans consume; especially those plastic bags used at the grocery store. I thought aloud about how we would dispose of our trash if we don't use plastic trash bags. Sim heard me, and said she grew up never using plastic bags for garbage. She said all garbage wet and dry was placed in the trash bin. After the trash was dumped, the bin would be cleaned and left to dry, so we have a clean trash bin to use again. She also said people back home carried a small basket with them when go grocery shopping. And again plastic bags are not used for any grocery items. She remembered her mother cleaned the grocery basket every time after using it because seafood or meat was most likely to mess up the basket since they were wrapped with recycled paper only. However, on her last visit home, she saw more and more plastic bags being used. Bad influence travels fast, doesn't it? <P> <b><u>Apr 23 - 25 (3 nights, Lunds Pond State Park, DE USA)</u></b><br> Today we are driving north to Lunds Pond State Park. Sim has picked the route and we are taking the scenic roads. It is only a 100 or so miles so we did not leave Delaware Seashore until around 10:00 and the morning fog was starting to break up. It was a scenic drive and we saw lots and lots of beautifully groomed farms and small ranches. We found Lums Pond without any problem. We just kind of lucked into finding the campground section of the park. They only have 7 spots with electricity and because we extended our stay at Delaware Seashore we lost the reserved spot with electricity. Not a problem, we can boondock for 5 days without trying very hard. We found our spot and set up camp. We needed to do some grocery shopping so we jumped in the Jeep and headed towards Newark, about 10 miles up the road. After getting lost, and ending up in Maryland, we finally found an Acme grocery store. Acme is part of Albertsons. We got our groceries and stopped at a Sleep Inn to check our email using their open network internet. After getting our email we headed back to camp. We had not gone one block when the Jeep died sitting at a traffic light. I put on the Emergency blinkers and got out and opened the hood. I knew the car might start again if I let it sit for a while, based on the last time it did this, but I probably could not wait here in the traffic lanes. A minute or two later I had a Newark Police Officer pull up behind me. While I was talking to him, another two officers pulled up behind him. Then one local guy walked over and tried to help as well. Three policemen pushed me over to the side of the road. Guess what? We didn't bring our cell phone with us, so I borrowed the officers phone to call Good Sam Roadside Assistance. In the meantime, I found out the guy that offered to help owned an auto repair shop, and was towing a flat bed trailer with him. His shop was right up the road. I gave the cop back his phone and we loaded the Jeep onto the flatbed trailer and headed off to the auto repair shop. John, the owner called ahead to order a fuel pump and a crankshaft position sensor from the parts store. We stopped and picked up the two possible bad parts before heading to his shop. He called ahead to his son and had him clear a bay. We were at his shop for about 90 minutes. Both Jason, John's son, and Andrew, the other mechanic, dropped what they were doing and worked on our car. They changed the CPS and it seems to be OK now. That is the part I suspected based on what I learned on the Jeep forums a few days back. Hopefully, we are good to go. The bill was $150, which I thought to be more than fair. Many thanks to Stabley's Auto Service LLC in Stanton, DE for great service and helping us in our time of need. We forgot to take the camera with us on this little excursion so, sorry, no pics. <P> <b><u>Apr 24</u></b><br> Sim wants to ride bikes this morning so we jumped on the bikes and found a trail map and headed out on the park bike/hike/horse trail. The trail started out pretty good on grass and hard packed dirt. It got bumpy in spots, but it was not bad. As we circled the lake the trail got worse. Lots of tree roots crisscrossed the trail and made for a really bumpy ride. The trail goes all the way around the lake and there are spots where you cannot ride. You have to get off and walk due to the tree roots. It took us a couple of hours to ride all the way around and I was beat by the time we got back. Sim likes the bicycle path and its obstacles, however. She mentioned that we should do it again tomorrow. While Sim was making lunch, I laid down on the couch to rest. After lunch we drove to New Castle, about 10 miles up the road. On the way to New Castle, I saw a fresh fruit and vegetable stand on the side of the road. Knowing Sim loves those things, I pulled over and we picked up $20 worth of fresh fruit and vegetables. <img src="7044.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> We got to New Castle, parked the car and walked around town. New Castle looks just like a typical colonial town back in 1650. It is a small town, and you can see all the attractions in town in two hours. We got a tour of the old courthouse and the Read house. Read was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Sim really enjoyed listening to the tour guides telling stories about things and what peoples lives were like in the past. In the Courthouse tour she concluded that Defense and Prosecuting Attorneys in the last century must have got along better than today since then they sat at the same table and shared the same law book. It also amazed her to learn that several prominent gentlemen were broke at their death, including Thomas Jefferson and George Jr. Read. The day was still young, so we walked a bit more around town. We decided to get our hair cut when we passed a barber shop called Barber 208 on Main St. I got a great haircut and Sim could not resist getting a new do herself from the ladies shop right next door. She seemed to be o.k. with the new look, but she said it would be better if it didn't look completely different from the hair style in the magazine she showed to the hair dresser. Well, she said, it will grow back and next time she will make sure she and the hair dresser are on the same page. <P> <b><u>Apr 25</u></b><br> The plan today was to go kayaking in the morning. But, after breakfast I walked outside and the wind was blowing and it felt cold so we opted to skip the kayaking. Instead we walked over the the dog show that was going on in the park. <img src="7055.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> The Wilmington Kennel Club is holding a dog show in the park. There are 8 show rings, and a couple of obedience rings as well. It was fun to see some dogs that got distracted and didn't comply consistently for the trainer. Sim said they should always add a few rebellious dogs to the show just to make it more fun and entertaining. Lots and lots of dogs of all breeds are here. Sim didn't have any knowledge about the breeds, so whenever she saw the dogs she liked, she went to the WKC booth to check on the charts and books that provided information about all the dog breeds and classes. She made several trips there. The President of WKC noticed Sim's interest. Therefore, we got an hour tour of the show and an explanation of how dog shows work from the President herself. We spent the entire day wandering around the show watching the various breeds compete. We stayed until almost 4:30 until Best of Show was picked. A cute white Scottish Terrier took top honors. Sim's favorites are the Pug, Siberian Husky, and the Beagle. <P> <b><u>Apr 26 (1 night, Cooper's Rock State Forest, WV USA - Campground)</u></b><br> We took a short hike in the morning and then walked back over to the dog show. Today the show is being put on by a different dog club but we did not find out which one. We got to see the Great Danes show and it was really cool. We met and got to pet one of the Danes before it went in the ring. We also met a couple of really cute beagles and the owner was proud to talk about them. We walked over to see the competition at one of the obedience rings one last time. <P> At about 10:00 we were back to the coach and prepared for our departure. We are driving to West Virginia today. We took off around 10:30 and headed west. We took the Scenic Byways as much as possible. It was a really pretty drive on Hwy 40, US 95 and US 68. The Maryland panhandle is really scenic. Lots of farms and pastures. Pretty homes and the Crape Myrtle and Redbud are in bloom all along the road. Soon after we crossed Maryland border and entered West Virginia, buckets of rain dropped like someone up there was angry at something. I thought to myself I am going to be in trouble because Sim wanted to stay in Delaware one more day since the weather was really nice there. But, I was in the mood for moving on to another state and, I am keeping my fingers crossed for nicer weather. <img src="7094.jpg" width=260 height=155 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> We stopped at the Visitor Center just inside West Virginia and got lots of information and advice from the staff. We were going to stay at the Wal Mart in Morgantown, but after stopping at the VC we decided to try Coopers Rock State Park. They had a spot for us, with 30 amps, for $19./night. We parked and got plugged in, then decided to take a walk up to Cooper's Rock. They have a trail that winds through the forest alongside the paved road up to the Rock. It is an easy 2 miles one way. The weather was still overcast but we had no rain on our walk. Cooper's Rock affords a great view of the valley and of the Cheat River below. They have a nice picnic area up there as well. <P> <b><u>Apr 27 -28 (2 nights, Stonewall Jackson Lake Resort State Park, WV USA)</u></b><br> We are moving to the Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park today. It is just down the road. Along the way we are going to Philippi, home of a famous covered bridge and the first land battle of the Civil War. Sim has no idea why I want to see a covered bridge however. I really don't know why either, but people seem to get excited about them so I think I would see what all the excitement is about. <img src="7104.jpg" width=260 height=155 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> We drove towards Philippi on some very narrow country roads. Sim enjoyed the scenery while I was concentrating on keeping the coach on the road. We found Philippi and parked in a park parking lot right next to the covered bridge. It was kind of cool looking and I kind of get why people like them; it is rather unique looking. This particular one has seen better days, and could use a good cleaning and some fresh paint though. We got to Stonewall Jackson State Park, checked in and found our spot for the next couple of days. We are right on the lake. We really like this park. They have a big resort complex here with restaurants, pools, spa, and an Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course. The lake has a marina, boat launch and houseboat rentals. The grounds are really beautifully done. Deer abound and I think the fishing must be pretty good too, based on the number of people in fishing boats on the lake. We dumped the kayaks in the water in the afternoon and paddled around for a couple of hours. We tried to work our way into the golf course area via a waterway but got kicked out by the marshall. After we finished kayaking we jumped in the Jeep and first checked out the Pro Shop of the golf course. Green fees are $79 weekday. Twilight rate is $59 after 2:00 p.m. It is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow, but I may try to play in the afternoon if the rain stops by then. Second stop, we went to the Stonewall hotel and found out they have wireless internet, so we did the email thing. <P> <b><u>Apr 28</u></b><br> It rained all night last night and it is dreary looking this morning. Sim and I took a long walk around the campground and even walked down the golf course cart path even though they don't allow that. We figured that since there was no one on the course, odds were good we were not going to be hit by a golf ball. After our walk we took the laptop up to the resort property and used their open wifi network. I booked my plane tickets to Orange County for the trip to see my Doctor at Kaiser. I had planned to play golf today but the weather was still cold and dreary at 2:00 when the twilight rate starts, so I opted out of golf today. <P> <b><u>Apr 29  May 1 (3 nights, Twin Falls Resort State Park, WV USA)</u></b><br> It is our travel day to Beckley, WV. Sim woke up before me as usual. I found her at our dining table typing some kind of a letter. <img src="7144.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> She said it was a letter to the park management team to express her opinion about how the park can help make the earth greener. In her opinion the park is wasting trash bags by putting a fresh one in the can at the campsite every day. On the way to Beckley, we drove through Fayetteville and stopped at what was the longest steel span bridge in the world. The bridge crosses the New River and quite a spectacular gorge. I guess in the old days it used to take 45 minutes to get from one side of the gorge to the other, but today it just takes 45 seconds. We went inside the VC they have, looked around, and then walked down to the viewing platform they built to look at the bridge. It was frigin cold, so it was a quick walk down, look, snap a couple of pics, then head back to the warm coach. <P> Driving to Twin Falls SP was quite adventurous. We drove around winding roads with lots of blind spots and hidden driveways on a country mountain road looking for the park. I guess if you live around here and know how to get there it is not a big deal. <img src="7214.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> For us it was painful, stressful and not fun at all. The signage to the park is totally inadequate. Sim got frustrated (no! she was not the driver) and planned to talk to park officers about improving the signs. It was a stressful drive although the scenery was picturesque. Who can enjoy the scenery if you cannot take your eyes off the road for even a second. We arrived at the park safe and sound, however. No one is at the campground including park officers. So, we have entire park to ourselves. We got parked and hooked up to electric. They have no spots with sewer or water. First order of business is finding internet access. We drove over to the resort and restaurants on the property and went inside the reception area of the hotel. Bingo! Internet is available and it is pretty fast too. Second order of business is checking the pro shop at the golf course to find out the deal. We talked to one lady at the shop and told her we were lost twice before we finally found the park. She said everyone who came here for the first time has that experience. She said the park is trying to get the county to work on signs and directions. <P> <b><u>Apr 30</u></b><br> It is the last day of April, it is supposed to be Spring but the weather is more like Winter. It was freezing last night. <img src="7153.jpg" width=260 height=190 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> It got down to 27 degrees. We, of course, are warm and toasty inside with electric blankets on the bed and our Aqua Hot system that keeps the inside of the coach nice and warm. We finally ventured outside around 10:00. By then it had warmed up to the 40s. We went to check out the Pioneer Farm just down the road, and hiked a bit on the Huckleberry trail. Half way up the Huckleberry trail we decided to call it quits and headed back home for lunch since we felt hungry and it was forty minutes past twelve. Sim cooked up sweet and sour sauce with cucumber, tomato, and onion over the last piece of the drum fish that we bought at the fresh fish market at the Outer Banks in NC. We had cold Pears and Cantaloupe for dessert. But, we ate our dessert before the main dish. Why? We have read that fruit should be eaten before the main meal as it digests easier on the bottom of the pile of food in your stomach than on top. <P> <img src="7166.jpg" width=260 height=175 align=left vspace=5 hspace=10> After lunch we jumped in the car and drove to the bottom of the hill and found the trailhead for the Twin Falls trail. Can't come to Twin Falls State Park without seeing the Twin Falls can we? We found the trailhead and headed off down the trail. The first of the twin falls is only a ¼ mile up the trail. The falls only drop about 15 to 20 feet but it was flowing pretty good and it was a nice sight. We headed further up the trail and it was only another mile to the 2nd set of falls. This one was not as pretty as the first but again the stream was running pretty good and the fall was again about 20'. At this fall you can walk underneath and behind the falls. I did, and it was a bit unnerving as you knew a big chunk of rock could decide to fall at any moment. <img src="7133.jpg" width=260 height=200 align=right vspace=5 hspace=10> We continued on the trail and it ended in another ¼ mile. We were a bit disappointed at the amount of trash we saw along the way and at each of the falls. I guess some people still don't get it. Instead of going straight back home, we headed over to the hotel to borrow some internet again. When we finished, it was dinner time so back to the coach for dinner. Sim baked pork with 6 different herbs, baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli. We had orange yogurt before our meal. Sim is experimenting with homemade flavored yogurt. She blended non fat pain yogurt with honey, vanilla, and fruit. She also cuts the fruit into small bite sized chunks. It has excellent flavor, but she said she needs to work on the texture a bit more. So far she has made strawberry, cantaloupe, and orange favors. She said tomorrow she will make blueberry flavor. I made a tee time for tomorrow morning at 9:18. It is supposed to be in the 70s tomorrow. Much more fun to play golf when I can feel my hands and fingers. <P> <b><u>May 1</u></b><br> I played golf today. We were a little late for my 9:18 tee time but we got on the 1st tee by 9:30. I decided not the rent a cart, but did get a pull cart so I did not have to carry my bag. We did not get paired up with anyone else so it was just Sim and I. The weather was great, the sun peaked out a couple of times but it never got too hot. I played fairly well, and Sim assisted, by pulling the flag and helping me read the greens. The course is pretty nice for a public course and you cant beat the $19.00 green fees. <P> Well April is done and we have covered Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. I think the big surprise had to be West Virginia. We did not expect the beautiful scenery and wonderful parks in this state. We were pleasantly surprised and kind of wished we could spend more time in this beautiful state. <P> Tomorrow we are off to Kentucky. <br><br> <center><a href="travelogue.htm">Back To Travelogue Page</a></center> </font> </blockquote> </font> <br><br> <center> <font face="arial, verdana" size=1> <a href="index.htm">Home</a> | <a href="who.htm">Who We Are</a> | <a href="travelogue.htm">Travelogue</a> | <a href="photos.htm">Photos</a> | <a href="links.htm">Links</a> | <a href="mailto:mr.scudder@gmail.com">Contact Us</a> <br> Copyright &COPY; 2007. All Rights Reserved </font> </center> </font> <br><br><br> </td></tr></table> </body> </html>