First Half of October 2011

More with the Foxes Great Adventure ………..

Still in Washington D.C. – there is so much to see here.  The National Archives were awesome.  The original Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.  Precious documents – no pictures allowed.

This building had an amazing ceiling – so beautiful.

At the National Policemen’s Memorial, every police officer in the U.S. who has lost their life during the course of duty, had their names listed on the walls of the memorial.

Pat hopped on a plane and headed back toward Oregon. 
We had a great time seeing Washington D.C. with her.

Next stop – The Outer Banks of North Carolina.  On the Outer Banks, we went to the
site where Orville and Wilbur Wright flew in their first airplane – 120 feet!  There is
a memorial, a museum and a sculpture of their first plane.

The Outer Banks were beautiful – very commercial but beautiful.  We were unable to
drive to the very south end – there was a bridge that was still out due to the recent hurricane……. but we were able to see a good portion of the Outer Banks. 
The northern end had so many beautiful – HUGE homes. 
A very ritzy area.

Our next stop was in Charlotte North Carolina.  We toured the NASCAR Hall of Fame. 
An outstanding museum dedicated to NASCAR racing.

Also while in Charlotte, we toured the Charlotte Motor Speedway.  It was really interesting – Here’s Mike in the Winners Circle!

From Charlotte, we headed back to the coast and spent some time in
Charleston, South Carolina.  Charleston has so much history and so many beautiful
old – really old homes.  The architecture is so very unique.  The tour we took was
very good and for the first time, I felt like the South was very
much alive…..You can feel it.

While in Charleston, we drove out to Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms.  We also toured the aircraft carrier “Yorktown”  The Yorktown was
active in WWII and also in Vietnam.  On board, they have created a
great museum dedicated to the Medal of Honor recipients
as well as the Yorktown and her numerous tours.

From Charleston, we headed south to Savannah Georgia.  We drove out to
Hilton Head – lots of homes, hotels …….
A great summer place.

Savannah seems to have much of the same history as Charleston….. with
a few minor differences.  Quite a bit of American and British history.  Savannah has a
history of their cotton harvesting as well as several
notable writers from the past.

We ate at Paula Deen’s restaurant.  Paula has made her fortune feeding the
people of Savannah as well as her television cooking shows.

Yes – now I know for sure ….the south is very much alive and
proud of their part in the Civil War.  I liked the city of Charleston very much ….
I liked the people of Savannah very much!

From Savannah, we headed even further south into Florida. 
While in Daytona, we toured the Daytona Speedway – Great tour. 

We stayed in St. Augustine ……. The oldest settlement in America.

This is the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the U.S.

While in New York, we met a great couple also touring the eastern US… The Roses.
Coincidently, we saw them again in Washington D.C.  What do you know – again in
Savannah and guess who we ran into in St. Augustine? A nice couple from
Redding, California – we went out to dinner with them in St. Augustine.

Will keep you posted ………. More to come