Saturday, May 30, 2015

The Long Way Home

Normally our drive back to Illinois takes 2 days. Not this time!. When we left Tourist the car took off in a Northeasterly direction. We skirted around the Western edge of Lake Okeechobee and before long found ourselves on I-95 headed North. Traffic was light so we made good time passing by towns that would have taken us days to reach in Tourist. Jacksonville came and vanished in our mirror before the afternoon rush got going and presto! A short time later we were entering Georgia.

Almost as quickly as it was on our minds it was gone!

Of course we made a few stops for food and other requirements but at days end we found ourselves in South Carolina. Amazed at how far we seemingly had traveled that day compared to boat travel.



Day two had us on the road by 8a.m. with a destination in mind. Wilmington, NC., to have lunch with Paul & Sandy Tyndall. Paul & Sandy had spent the last 2 years living on their boat (M/V Going Yaweh) in various places including Legacy but had recently sold it and moved back to Wilmington.
It was a pleasant drive into Wilmington where we met them downtown on Front St. which is only one block up from the Cape Fear River and the waterfront area. Lunch was at the Front St. Brewery and very good I might add. It was fun seeing these two again and finding out what they had planned for the future now that they have returned to being dirt dwellers.
Before we left Paul and I had time to enjoy cigars by the waterfront while the girls snooped in the many shops of the downtown area.

Lunch with Paul & Sandy.

Downtown Wilmington.

Battleship North Carolina moored across from downtown.

Pam & I got back in our overloaded car and continued heading North for a few more hours ending our day somewhere in Northern North Carolina.

Day 3 of our road trip found us entering Virginia and making a right turn at Richmond on I-64. We travelled East for a few miles then exited and headed north and east crossing the Rappahannock River and ending our day at Bru & Sandy's (M/V Coconuts) house near Weems, Va.

It just seemed appropriate!

Bru & Sandy have a beautiful home on the banks of the Rappahannock which they opened up to us for the next 2 nights.

River view from the screened in porch.

Once we had lunch and got settled in it wasn't long before the girls decided they needed something from town and off they went. I really don't remember them bringing any goods back with them. I think it was more an excuse to take a ride in the convertible!

Girls gone wild!

The area we were in is referred to as the Northern Neck which consists of a bunch of small gatherings of older buildings that are considered to be towns. The biggest seemed to be Kilmarnock which had a Walmart. Overall it is a very nice area with plenty of trees, not overpopulated and a colonial air about it. Our hosts took us around on our full day there and showed us the sights.

Bloody Mary's with bacon & peppers. Yummm!

Exploring the shops where Sandy picked up a sliver and risked amputation while Bru tried to remove it while ignoring directions from both women.

Afternoon drinks at the Tides Inn. (www.tidesinn.com)

We finished the day back at the homestead with snacks and drinks while watching a marathon of the Horatio Hornblower mini series on vhs! Yes, I said vhs!

All too soon it was time to keep moving although it wasn't what I would call an early departure.

I think they locked themselves out of the house!

Like I stated before. It wasn't an early departure. We made our way back to Richmond and continued west on I-64 into West Virginia before calling it a day.

Almost Heaven!

I-64 & I-71 run together for some distance as the West Virginia Turnpike. Years ago when I travelled it in a bus it was the only 2 lane toll road in the country. Now it is all 4 lane and a beautiful drive. Unfortunately it was a cruddy day for pictures as we ran in and out of rain and at one point detoured onto a 2 lane back road due to a stock truck that had overturned and was blocking both westbound lanes.

Our view for most of the day.

Once into Kentucky we jumped off of 64 and followed a route that paralleled the Ohio River to the Southeast side of Cincinnati.  A quick hop over the Ohio and we were pulling into Pirates Cove for a visit with Rick & Sarah (M/V Private Affair).

Just like Legacy.

We spent the evening visiting with Rick & Sarah, eating good food and listening to the music. Pirates Cove (www.piratescovecincy.com) has live music every night and the band on this day was very good as was the company. If you're in the area make it a point to stop in.

Our last day on the road was uneventful and seemed to be centered around food. Our morning stop came at a Big Boy in Indiana. Once inside we found that they had a buffet. We opted to order from the menu but were seated close to the aforementioned buffet. Wow! I had forgotten just how much people can pile on one plate. Not a pretty sight. Those of you who know me know I'm no slouch when it comes to eating but these folks made me look like an infant in both appetite and size.

Our meal was good but both Pam & I left feeling as though we had a lot to learn about building a mountain on a plate!

We were now on I-74 which took us around Indianapolis and into Illinois near Danville. Only 220 miles to the river where we turned north on Hwy 84. Next stop....Manny's Pizza where we met all of Pam's family and my Mom & Dad for pizza & taco's. We both kidded ourselves into thinking that they all came to welcome us home but we know that it was actually for the pizza!

Sign made by prisoners. Some of who are our former Governors!

I can't believe I took time out from my taco's to take a picture.

Filled with some of the best pizza we've found anywhere we made the last 50 miles to home without popping the shocks on the car. Time to unload and get into land life.


















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