Last Day

Well, we've reached the end of our journey.  We leave first thing in the morning for home.  Today was a day to bum around Williamsburg a bit and do some things we wanted to do before heading home.  We started the day at Mama Steve's pancake house.  Shirley and I both enjoyed the pecan pancakes.  I can share some pics later.

We then returned to the Yankee Candle store to see Santa.  We purchased a handmade German Christmas pyramid.  This will become a treasured tradition on our mantle each Christmas going forward.

While Stella napped this afternoon, I took the other girls to play mini golf at Pirate Cove.  We had a nice time.  Then we went back to the motorhome for dinner, then headed out again for ice cream.  Found a great place called Handel's.  I couldn't decide between Cherry Vanilla, Coconut Creme Pie, Coffee Chocolate Chip, or Spouse as Big as a House.  Fortunately, they offer a 4 scoop sampler...so I got to try all 4!  And they were all very tasty, but my favorite was the Coconut Creme Pie.  It had chunks of pie crust in it!

We finished the day with a fire back at the campsite before turning in to get some rest.  We'll need it for the long journey home...700 miles. 

Candles, Snowballs and Wenches

It was a full day here in Colonial Williamsburg. We headed into the historic district this morning to walk around and check out some of the sights we really enjoyed when we visited here in 2007. Our first stop was Ye Olde Peanut Shop in Market Square, where they have samples of many of their products out for the taking. So we took. And took. And took some more. I got a stomach ache, but the chocolate covered peanut brittle was worth it.

Next, we walked the length of Duke of Gloucester Street, the main thoroughfare in Colonial Williamsburg. Here is a sampling of what we saw.

We stopped into the King's Arms Tavern for lunch. I had the fried chicken, which came with mashed potatoes, country ham and a biscuit. Yum! Shirley had a roast beef sandwich that was quite good, and the girls all had authentic, colonial era chicken fingers. Just like Jefferson would have eaten! George Jefferson, that is.

I'd like to tell you our meal was served by a colonial tavern wench, but actually our waiter was a nice gentleman working his very first day at Colonial Williamsburg. Maybe next time we'll get a wench. Actually, I just like saying "wench".

I had forgotten my wallet and couldn't pay for lunch. Big mistake.

I have to make a note not to pose for any more pictures with my head down. The glare isn't good for picture quality.

The gardens in Williamsburg are breathtaking.

After leaving the historic part of town, we stopped in the shopping part of town. One of our favorite stores in Williamsburg is Yankee Candle. This isn't like the Yankee Candle in the mall. This place is a destination in itself.

Before heading back to the Holiday Road, we stopped off at Sno To Go, a Williamsburg institution. They are famous for their snowcones, which they call a Snowball. The ice is shaved to an almost powdery consistency, and they "stuff" them with soft ice cream. And they have dozens of flavors for the ice. I had cherry ice stuffed with vanilla ice cream. Shirley had Strawberry Cheesecake. Emma got Strawberry, and the others had Cotton Candy. Awesome stuff, and very refreshing. Except for the brain freeze.

We headed back to the campground to take a swim, and we also played some mini golf. After relaxing with a beer by the fire, we were hungry for pizza, so we headed back to Sal's by Victor for pizza and salad. Then, back to the Holiday Road to restoke the fire and make smores. What a day! Tomorrow is the LAST DAY of our trip! We head for home starting Saturday, so tomorrow will be the last post of this trip before the wrap up come Sunday. We're not sure what tomorrow will bring, but whatever we do I will post on tomorrow night.

The Holiday Road Returns to Williamsburg

Two years after our first trip to Williamsburg, we arrived back here today after leaving DC around 10am.  Fairly quick 2 1/2 hr drive, which seemed like a quick trip compared to the lengthy drives on this trip so far.  We had spent a week at American Heritage RV Park here on our last trip so we booked our 3 night stay here again.  As much as we enjoyed this park 2 years ago, it is even better now.  They have made some nice improvements to the park and the sites, including new concrete pads and new landscaping at the sites.  Here is our home for the last 3 nights of our trip.

After arriving and setting up camp, we headed to the Prime Outlets to shop and walk around.  Found a few nice items.  We then headed to an early dinner at our favorite restaurant from our last trip...Sal's by Victor!  Awesome Italian food. 

After dinner, we headed back to camp.  Stella and I enjoyed a stroll around the campground while Shirley worked on laundry.  This was after a very chilly dip in the pool.

Here is our location for the next 3 nights:

Tomorrow, we head into Colonial Williamsburg to walk around and have lunch at one of the historic taverns.  Check back tomorrow night for that report!

National Zoo

We spent our last day in DC on Tuesday visiting the National Zoo. Like most attractions in the Capitol, this was free! It is a Smithsonian facility, so it didn't cost anything to get in and it was top notch.

Our prime objective of this visit was catching a glimpse of the pandas. The panda house is currently closed as the female may be pregnant, so only the male and the 3 year old are out at times. Well, it was our lucky day! The male adult panda was outside munching on bamboo, and we had a great view of him!
















We also saw the Orangutans, who were moving across ropes right above our heads!

















It was great day. Sunny and in the mid 70's. Couldn't ask for better weather for DC. Stella was in her groove. She took this of herself.

A Visit with Family and a Capitol Tour

The OHR gang had a pair of great treats today.  After spending the morning at the campground catching up on grocery shopping, cleaning and laundry, we headed to the Metro station to catch the Green line downtown around lunch time.  We met Shirley's Aunt Ellen and her husband Rich for a picnic lunch.  After meeting up with them at Ellen's office, we walked over to Lafayette Park, which is across the street from the White House, and spread a blanket to enjoy sandwiches that Rich had made.  Very tasty!  Here's a shot of Ellen with the girls.

 

After we bid farewell to Ellen and Rich, we headed back underground to take the Metro to the Capitol for an afternoon tour.  Even though we see pictures of the Capitol all the time on TV, it is still quite impressive as you walk up the hill toward the building.

 

All visitors to the Capitol must now enter through the new underground Visitors Center.  The new center cost $600 million and took 8 years to build, but it does provide a convenient, secure way for visitors to enter the building.  The new Visitors Center also contains a nice exhibit on the history of the Capitol building.

Our tour began with a movie titled "Out of Many, One".  We then were assigned a group with a tour guide to show us the Rotunda, Statuary Room and Crypt.  We didn't obtain gallery passes so could not access the House or Senate Chambers, but I did visit my favorite Speaker's office.

My eyes are closed because I was afraid she would show up and that vision would be burned into my retinas for eternity. 

Below is a photo of our tour guide.  He was a pain in the ass.

Even though the tour guide stunk, the building is beautiful.  This is the rotunda ceiling.

Wouldn't be a Holiday Road post without a cute pic of Stella...

After the tour, it was already 4:00 and time for us to head back to the Metro for our ride home.  Gwen snapped this shot of the L' Enfant Plaza station, which is pretty typical of most of the Metro stations.  Thought I'd include it in case you haven't ridden the DC metro system before.  It's an awesome transit system...clean, safe and convenient. 

 

Tomorrow is our last day in DC before we head for the final leg of our journey in Williamsburg.  We plan on spending the day at the National Zoo.  Hopefully I'll have Panda pictures to share tomorrow night!