The South might be my FAVORITE!
South Carolina
This past week has been magical! We had so much fun in Charleston, South Carolina! The carriage ride through the historic downtown-such rich history and stunning architecture; the super yummy and ultimate Ice Cream Sandwich at Peace Pie World and the huge historic marketplace! Oh my!
Our campsite at SC James Island County Park was beautiful-so lush and very tropical with miles of bike trails. The park is also the site of an incredible Holiday Festival of Lights. We had the joy of watching them prepare for this experience-hundreds of light displays all over the campground.
On our way to North Carolina, we stayed at The Swansea Bait and Tackle, another great Harvest Host experience. We met the nicest couple from Chicago and decided that it was the perfect set up for one of Peder’s famous Paellas-Bert and Gary accepted our invitation and we had a delicious meal and shared great travel stories. Of course, the meat was from the a local cattle farm and sold at the Bait and Tackle!
North Carolina
We stayed with a dear friend from Jake’s CYT (Christian Youth Theater) days. Michelle moved from San Diego to Stokesdale, North Carolina a few months ago. She has an adorable house (aka Tranquil Cottage) on a few acres of land in a beautiful part of the state. The trees are just starting to turn colors and the view and sunsets from her backyard are bucolic. She took us to Machete, a trendy new restaurant in Greensboro, where we dined on some tasty small plates that the table shares and ate the best home baked bundt cake back at Tranquil Cottage. Thank you Michelle for your hospitality and for allowing Coach Addy and the Norby’s to moochdock on your driveway!
Virginia
I think I am in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley!
We stayed with the most lovely couple, Bevie and Steve. Bevie is the sister of a colleague from Solana Beach who offered up their driveway for Coach Addy while we were in Virginia. Their home, Orchard Hill, is on an incredible piece of property in Fort Defiance in the Shenandoah Valley facing the Blue Ridge Mountains. Oh and did I mention it is also a cut your own Christmas Tree lot-which only added to the charm. Bevie and Steve exude so much warmth, love and southern hospitality. We felt from the moment that we pulled onto their property. We had such a fun time sitting on the back porch, sharing stories, sipping wine and feasting on baked salmon, mashed potatoes and a terrific salad. I could have stayed here for days! Thank you Katie for the invitation and thank you Bevie and Steve for making us feel right at home!
Hot Tip #1 Just say “Yes!”
Neither of the last two stops were on our original itinerary. Both were invitations that we received as people knew that we would be in their area. When you have the opportunity to visit an area and have a resident of that place share their community with you-Say YES! The entire experience is enriched when you see the town through their eyes and hear the stories that they have to share about the town. Which brings me to our next stop…
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Now this is a place that I think everyone should visit! It’s hard to explain, but the entire town is dedicated to honoring and remembering the deadly battle of The Civil War. The Gettysburg National Military Park encompasses most of this town and reminds visitors of the significance of this very important historical event. The reverence for this land is palatable.
The monuments remind us of the heroes and all who were lost over those three bloody days. The clear markings of the battlefields allow one to visualize what happened on July 1, July 2 and July 3 of 1863 and to walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought at such iconic places such as Culp’s Hill, The Peach Orchard, Wheatfield, Devil’s Den, Little Round Top and Cemetery Ridge.
Peder and I were very fortunate to be staying with our nephew Neils Jr. who lives in Gettysburg. Jr. is a Civil War historian and has extensive knowledge of this area and this battle. Jr. has participated in numerous reenactments of the battle and has a passion and personal connection to this hallowed land. Jr. took us on a private tour of the battlefields and shared his knowledge and passion of what transpired during this historic turning point of the civil war. What a gift to have a personal tour guide as we visited the battlefields and toured the Gettysburg Museum of History. Thank you Jr. for your time and for sharing your very personal connection to this sacred land. I had no idea…
Hot Tip #2-Take time to appreciate the history of this great country
When you live on the West Coast, you sometimes forget that our country actually has great history from as far back as the early 1700’s. Our trip to the East Coast has reminded us of the rich history of this country. If you haven’t traveled to the colonies, I highly encourage you to do so! We cannot appreciate who we are, if we don’t know from where we come…
Lesson Learned: Be Open to Anything and Everything-You just never know...
When Peder and I started out on this trip, I told him that I would be open minded and it might be possible that there was someplace else in this great country that I would want to live. We have been to some beautiful and amazing places, but I can’t say that I was tempted to move to any of them-mostly because of the weather!
One must admit that it is hard to beat the weather in Carlsbad, California! Well…I think that Virginia might be a place that I could see myself living. I’m not sure what it was, but I definitely felt a pull to this special place. Now, I know that it helps that we were there during perfect weather and just as the leaves are turning colors, but it was more than that. Let’s just say that I am already planning our next trip to The South and we will be staying for an extended period of time in Virginia!
Bummer of the Week: One day in Virginia? What was I thinking? Guess we'll just have to come back next Fall!
Highlight of the Week: Visiting states and staying with friends/family. Tranquil Cottage, Orchard Hill, and the private tour of Gettysburg provided us with a personal connection to the town, the state and the community that we would not have had without our hosts. No doubt that we have a more intimate appreciation for these places. Thank you to our hosts and for the time that they took to share their communities with us!
Next Week:
Heading East and then South-back to Texas for Thanksgiving! Looking forward to seeing Fallingwater, The Great Smoky Mountains, and Red Bay, Alabama-a pilgrimage for all Tiffin MotorHome owners.
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