Adventure Travel Photography Blog
I woke up to rain, and as I’m writing this at 9:40 this evening it has yet to stop. Per my waitress Laura’s recommendation, I stopped by Bodo’s for a bagel and coffee, the locals’ favorite. What made Bodo’s even better is it was located directly across from the UVA campus which is splendid. With a full belly, I headed north to Shenandoah National Park.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Scout, Petey and I had a busy day today. We left the Walmart parking lot and arrived in Colonial Williamsburg only a short time later around 10 o’clock. I got so lucky! I followed the brown signs to the historic district, passed a few parking lots and ended up parking right next to the visitor’s center next to Williamsburg’s historic center.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
The dogs and I got a late morning start after enjoying a bagel and coffee (and dog food for them) at Kari’s efficiency. Given I’ve been to Washington D.C. a couple of times, I didn’t visit the monuments again. Their grandeur at least deserves a photo, so I snapped a picture on my way out of town. I returned to Maryland’s Eastern Shore to finish up yesterday’s scenic drive which I had cut short in order to arrive in DC. at a reasonable hour.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I’m afraid I don’t have much to write about today…it was that time of the month…time to get an oil change and the spark plugs replaced. At my friend Charlie’s recommendation, I took VANilla to Rosemont Tire and Service to get lubed up for the rest of our adventure. The staff was extremely accommodating, allowing the dogs to hang out in the lounge area with me for the morning. Thank goodness, because the outdoors was frosty and our short walk in the nearby park was VERY cold!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I left my friend’s house in Villanova around 9 am this morning though could have stayed on the couch all day and watched football. Our first stop in the Brandywine Valley was at the Brandywine Battlefield. On September 11, 1777, US troops under Washington’s guidance were out-maneuvered by British troops. In preparation for the battle, Washington established his headquarters near Chadd’s Ford at the Benjamin Ring House, home of a Quaker farmer and miller.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
The Walmart parking lot was perfect last night. I replenished my snack supplies, bought some groceries in anticipation of cooking dinner at a house tonight, enjoyed the salad bar at Ruby Tuesday for dinner, and grabbed coffee and a bagel from Panera this morning. One stop shopping, eating and sleeping at its finest in the Pennsylvania Dutch country!
This morning I took a driving tour of Lancaster, one of the largest inland cities in the 13 colonies during the American Revolution. I actually wanted to find the Central Market, where many local specialties from the Dutch farmland can be found. Unfortunately I could not find the market which dates back to the 1700s. I did, however, find Wheatland, former home of James Buchanan who was the 15th President of the United States. The dogs and I took a walk around the lovely grounds and through the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I was much more successful visiting the antique stores, candy stores, and historic buildings that lined the downtown streets of the Town of Bedford this morning than I was at finding a pub last night. I stopped by two historic locations, the Anderson House and the Espy House.
The Anderson House, built in 1815, originally housed the first bank in Bedford and now acts as a public library and community center. The Espy House, built around 1771, served as George Washington’s headquarters in 1794 when he and peace commissioners traveled to western Pennsylvania to quell the Whisky Rebellion, a violent protest by farmers who opposed an excise tax on whisky.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
This morning VANilla carted me and the dogs from Ted’s House to Dingmans Ferry within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is located on the border of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Here, I took a 10 minute walk past two lovely waterfalls on the Delaware River. The first, Silver Thread Falls, is aptly named as the narrow stream of water that tumbles down the cliff looks like a silver thread. The second, 130 foot Dingmans Falls, curves over the granite rock.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
After a repeat visit to the Walmart where I spent Thursday night, I headed off to High Point State Park in New Jersey. The park is complete with lakes, trails crisscrossing through the forest, and even an obelisk that sits atop the Kittatinny Ridge. The dogs and I took the scenic drive up to the 1,800 foot summit.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Before I left for the Hudson River Valley, I reveled in the headline in the local paper over breakfast at Danny’s house in Long Island. Additionally, I made one more visit to the float that Danny’s daughter was creating with classmates for homecoming. It was very sophisticated for high school. The wheel turned, the scarecrow’s arms moved just as if it was full of straw, and the float, loaded onto the trailer, was ready for the the parade.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!