Road Trip from Arizona To Maryland And Everywhere In Between

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by Kayelle

Ohh what a great family gathering Kgirl. I really like the sleeping arrangements for the end of fun filled days. Perfect!!!

It really did work out well.

DH's is from a family of four, so it was each siblings family in each respective section.

That two story home in the photo that you see above has the two sisters families on each floor; Big Brother's family in the house a coupla doors over (no photo, sorry) and then the condo (again no photo) for DH and I on a different part of the lake.

I gotta tell ya, the upstairs portion of that house was the most full and raucous!, but surely fun! (must have been, `cuz that's where we all congragated )
3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 4 little kids and four adults ... oh and a doggie downstairs, who didn't want to stay downstairs

Hmmm
Can't imagine why I suggested to DH a condo ...

[Cooking Goddess]

Originally Posted by Kaneohegirlinaz

...We're here for a week, YAY!!

Hey history buffs, from that location you were only 21 miles from Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, only 30 miles from Lynchburg, and about 45 from Appomatox. Since you had already driven a butt-sore ton of miles already, did you add a few more and head home by way of one of those sites?

BTW, sounds like you guys had a blast! With me being an only, Himself having just one sibling, and each couple having only one married child (now living in Taiwan, no less) between all of us, it makes for some rather small gatherings...like four in a room. I love when we go visit Himself's cousins in Allentown - little get-togethers of 100 was nothing back before the cousins about ten years older than Himself started dying.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess

Hey history buffs, from that location you were only 21 miles from Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest, only 30 miles from Lynchburg, and about 45 from Appomatox. Since you had already driven a butt-sore ton of miles already, did you add a few more and head home by way of one of those sites?

BTW, sounds like you guys had a blast! With me being an only, Himself having just one sibling, and each couple having only one married child (now living in Taiwan, no less) between all of us, it makes for some rather small gatherings...like four in a room. I love when we go visit Himself's cousins in Allentown - little get-togethers of 100 was nothing back before the cousins about ten years older than Himself started dying.

Yeah, well, I had a list of places that I really wanted to see while there, but, by the time we all got out of the lake once it got dark around 8pm and had a communal supper of your basic hamburger, hot dogs and pizza (loads of kids, small & medium sized) and us not getting back to our condo until 10p-12a each might, there wasn't any room in the day to sight-see in Virginia, next time.
BTW, this is not our first visit to Virginia, we've been all over, but this particular part was a first.

Also, I come from a very small family, 1 younger sister and neither of us has children, so being with "my other family" is the best!!!

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by Kaneohegirlinaz

Yeah, well, I had a list of places that I really wanted to see while there, but, by the time we all got out of the lake once it got dark around 8pm and had a communal supper of your basic hamburger, hot dogs and pizza (loads of kids, small & medium sized) and us not getting back to our condo until 10p-12a each might, there wasn't any room in the day to sight-see in Virginia, next time.
BTW, this is not our first visit to Virginia, we've been all over, but this particular part was a first.

Also, I come from a very small family, 1 younger sister and neither of us has children, so being with "my other family" is the best!!!

If you ever do another road trip that takes you through Texas, let me know. Most of the state is flat and ugly, but there are some sweet spots. Dallas is a lot like Phoenix, ugly but there is some good food to be eaten.

The Texas Hill Country is where the real good food is. Texas BBQ heaven.

East Texas is very pretty, but loaded with rednecks. Not a problem, if you are tolerant have have a sense of humor. Some East Texas rednecks are very funny people. Great storytellers.

CD

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

My husband's older Brother decided that dinner should be catered (no one else did, but we all went along with him and paid our fair share) of what he called Bar-B-Que.













I gotta tell you guys, it was not very good, although the salad was delicious!








It was alot of fun!

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by caseydog

If you ever do another road trip that takes you through Texas, let me know. Most of the state is flat and ugly, but there are some sweet spots. Dallas is a lot like Phoenix, ugly but there is some good food to be eaten.

The Texas Hill Country is where the real good food is. Texas BBQ heaven.

East Texas is very pretty, but loaded with rednecks. Not a problem, if you are tolerant have have a sense of humor. Some East Texas rednecks are very funny people. Great storytellers.

CD

You know it Casey!
We've been all through Texas, can't really say what's my favorite though.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

... this is my very first time on/in a lake!!!

It did creep me out at first (somebody hand me my beer!), but so long as I just blocked out that there were snapping turtles below and around me, not to mention water snakes ...
I was good!

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by Kaneohegirlinaz

... this is my very first time on a lake!!!

It did creep me out at first (somebody hand me my beer!), but so long as I just blocked out that there were snapping turtles below and around me, not to mention water snakes ...
I was good!

I learned to waterski in a bayou with alligators. Great motivation not to fall.

I have owned four boats, and used to have a lake house. I had one of those water tubes. Mine would only hold one person. If that one person got on my nerves, they took a beating. A 300 HP boat can pop a skier up like a cork, and toss an annoying person in a tube a good 30 feet.

CD

[Kayelle]

Kgirl, I gotta say the picture of that little boy asleep in his life vest made me tear up with wonderful very old lake memories.



We had a bunch of friends who were all like family, and all of your pictures speak to me loud and clear. How I loved those good ole days with RV's, lakes, kids, water toys and boats.

[caseydog]

Originally Posted by Kayelle

Kgirl, I gotta say the picture of that little boy asleep in his life vest made me tear up with wonderful very old lake memories.



We had a bunch of friends who were all like family, and all of your pictures speak to me loud and clear. How I loved those good ole days with RV's, lakes, kids, water toys and boats.

One of my favorite memories is me and my dad out on Seadoos. He was never around when I was a kid, but when he retired, he had a lot of spare time, and spare money, and I talked him into buying lots of toys.

CD

.

[Cooking Goddess]

Originally Posted by Kaneohegirlinaz

...



It was alot of fun!

That photo says it all!

Nice pics. Glad you enjoyed your trip. And I'm with you on the *meh* for a catered event. Our street used to have an annual summer block party. One year we decided to do the Rib Guy instead of doing all the food ourselves. Cost the most, enjoyed the least.

[Kayelle]

Originally Posted by Kaneohegirlinaz

... this is my very first time on/in a lake!!!

It did creep me out at first (somebody hand me my beer!), but so long as I just blocked out that there were snapping turtles below and around me, not to mention water snakes ...
I was good!

I gotta hand it to you with snapping turtles and snakes!! We don't have those in California lakes.
On the other hand, you and I both love the Pacific and well, we know what's there.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by Kayelle

I gotta hand it to you with snapping turtles and snakes!! We don't have those in California lakes.
On the other hand, you and I both love the Pacific and well, we know what's there.

That's for sure K-L!! You see through the water in Hawaii

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Okay, so it was time for loads of tears and long goodbyes, but we had to do it!

We motored on to Chincoteague Island Virginia.







My dearest Husband has a longtime friend that recently purchased a home there and they had not seen each other in more than 30 years.

On our first night, our gracious host grilled up some beautiful Prime Porterhouse Steaks for supper...



The two boys went inside to replenish their adult beverages, and got to yackin', leaving me outside in the lovely Summer Evening, until I started to smell SMOKE!

I dashed over to the grill, with flames shooting up into the sky, but there were no utensils, what's a cook to do?
I let the flames die down and reached in barehanded to flip those babies over, that's what!
Those were too precious to waste.



"Ah, perfect medium rare!" DH's pal exclaimed...
One side of the steak was a bit brown, shall we say, but tasty none the less.

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by Kaneohegirlinaz

That's for sure K-L!! You see through the water in Hawaii

Oh and I totally forgot to say, those beers sure did help me to forget all about those pesky critters

[Cooking Goddess]

I've never seen Cajun style porterhouse steaks before...

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

Originally Posted by Cooking Goddess

I've never seen Cajun style porterhouse steaks before...

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

My husband's buddy took us around Chincoteague and Assateague Islands, Virginia.

Each of the guys pulled out their Senior Park Passes; I had no idea that it was maintained by the NPS. Well, I gotta say that I've never been to this area before and it was super cool seeing the Wild Ponies.

We decided on lunch out at a joint not far over the bridge, on the mainland.
Ray's Shanty


DH ordered something that he never ate before, Fried Oysters, and loved them. Usually, he eats raw on the half shell, but he said that never fills him up, so he went for the platter with slaw and fries.


DH's Old Friend and I both ordered the Shanty Special 3 Item plate of Flounder, Steamed Shrimp and Clam Strips --- OH MY GAWD!!!

I haven't had Flounder in I don't know how long and the Shrimp --- Holy Cow!! The best I've ever eaten, bar none! I shared some of my Flounder with DH, mainly `cuz, I was getting so dang full!
That was delicious!

It was getting pretty hot and humid out, so we sauntered over to visit with DH's other old pals, his buddy's sister and BIL--- they all went to school together.
Well, by then it was just about supper time …
We stayed on Chincoteague and went to Bill's Prime Seafood and Steaks.


Both DH and I had a salad, it was huge, and I ordered Crab cakes to DH's 2 plates of raw Oysters on the half shell.
That was a real treat for us!

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

From DH's old pal's house in Virginia, we motored on the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, one of my husband's favorite National Parks.
They have built a new Visitors Center since we were here last and it was so interesting, we spent the entire day there.




I found this one display in the Museum fascinating

From there we made a big circle to DH's younger Sister's home in Maryland and then on to his older Brother's home in West Virginia. We only stayed a coupla days in each locale.
Neither home is into food very much, so it was very homey, typical meals served family style with them-no photos.

[Cheryl J]

I'm really enjoying your pics, kgirl. Love the foodie ones, but the one of the little guy asleep on the raft got me....looks like my youngest grandson and that would so be something he would do. Thank you for continuing to share your travel pics and stories!