ELED 412 Summer II, 2010

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RDG 380 Summer II 2010

Good Afternoon............

Mid-Atlantic States-Summer 2010 Vacation

We just returned from a wonderful vacation to the mid-Altantic states - -we flew to Savannah, GA - did a motorcoach city tour, a carriage ride through the historic district, ate at the Pirate's House, strolled the river street shops, where we boarded a river cruise of the Savannah Harbor, dined at Paula Deen's Lady & Sons Restaurant (yum!... we put some "South in our mouth" as Paula says) - shopped at the city market and took in all the "Old South" charm....everything was SO green there - lots of Spanish moss hanging from trees - beautiful!!......loved Savannah!!

After a drive to Tybee Island - a few miles east from Savannah, we drove to Hilton Head, SC........beautiful there - although we didn't do any activities as it rained most of the day - we drove all around, admiring all the beautiful homes, golf courses, beaches, etc........




Due to the rain in Hilton Head, we proceeded on to the Lowcountry of Charleston, SC -wow!! Talk about Southern charm.......we stepped back in time and saw the sights and sounds of the historic district behind the clip clop of hooves on cobbled streets in a carriage ride, ate at The Fleet Landing - which was a great recommendation from Carolyn (thanks Carolyn!), shopped (a lot) at the Old City Market, we took a riverboat cruise of the Charleston Harbor - and saw Ft. Sumter up close and personal - as well as several dolphins that seemed to follow us along the way....we saw the Citadel, and walked along the palmetto-lined waterfront by so many historic mansions and so many beautiful old churches......out from Charleston, we rode over Charleston's diamond-tower design cable bridge to Mount Pleasant - and then Sullivan's Island.....beautiful white sand beaches......loved the history and charm of this historic Southern city!

We then headed west about 4 1/2 hours to Asheville, NC - home of the Biltmore Estate - the largest home in the U.S. - it was breath-taking! We spent most of one day there - taking in all the beauty of the home, gardens, etc. built by George Vanderbilt.

The next day, July 4, we headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway - one of America's favorite drives - winding roads through the Blue Ridge Mountains - - the best part was where we stayed that night - the area was called Little Switzerland - we stayed in a the Alpine Chalet over-looking the Blue Ridge Mountains and ate at the inn's open air restaurant, also over-looking the mountains - what a picture-book place with such majestic scenery! We spent most of the evening on the veranda - watching the sky (and mountains) appear to turn from blue to pink as the sun set over the mountains. When darkness came - fireworks started - in several spots as far as the eye could see.....

We continued on up the Blue Ridge Parkway Drive to Grandfather Mountain - we criss-crossed up steep inclines to get to the summit - at the summit was a mile-high swinging suspension bridge - breath-taking!.......

After continuing up the Parkway a bit further through Blowing Rock (wonderful little town) - and Boone - - then decided to start back east toward Norfolk.

In Norfolk, after dining at Joe's Crabshack on the waterfront, we rode the American Rover - a three-masted topsail passenger schooner!! I've always wanted to ride on a schooner - this was my first and it won't be my last!...we rode by the USS Wisconsin (WWII, Korean War & Desert Storm).....the ride was so smooth and relaxing - loved it! I wasn't able to get a good pic with the sails up (since we were on the boat) - so I've copied/pasted one from their website here.... what a fabulous afternoon!

We rode over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge -one of the top 10 bridges in the U.S. - - it's a 17-mile bridge that has two tunnels about mid-way going under the water (so that barges/ships can pass through above the tunnel) - - what an engineering marvel........on the other side of the bridge is the Eastern Shore of Virginia - - a quaint coastal area with a very relaxing atmosphere - we drove up the entire shore (just 4 miles from the Maryland state line) - and then went across another bridge to Chincoteague Island - the only resort island in VA - it's famous for wild ponies roaming about - as well as its picturesque marina & beaches.......beautiful!

We regretfully flew back to DFW from Norfolk - city of mermaids - - with many lasting memories - - relaxed and refreshed from this fantastic vacation.........

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