Sept 19 - 23 Front Royal VA

We got here to Skyline Ranch Resort just outside of Front Royal, VA, about 1:00 on Wednesday after a terribly twisty windy nasty road for our first day out!  We spent Wed afternoon just relaxing, doing the shakedown after sitting for 4 months!

Thursday we got up and headed for Skyline Drive and Shanendoah National Park.  I must say that the park is gorgeous as is the drive, but I most likely will NEVER do it again.  Up until mile 26 where we got to have lunch, see the stables, etc., the rest of the trip was green and for us, pretty boring.  I'm glad we did it though :)  We did have a marvelous lunch at the skyline cafe, where I had a Reuben and sweet potato fries and David had a burger and fries, and then we SHARED one of their signature desserts - blackberry cobbler with homemade blackberry ice cream...can you say YUM!

Friday we drove around Front Royal, picking up some groceries for the weekend, and getting a pretty good deal on some firewood, then we came back to the MH and just relaxed...our wonderful kids arrived about 8:30, got set up and then we had mountain pies and just relaxed around a good campfire.

Saturday morning Dawn made a fantastic breakfast pizza that we all just gnawed on!  Then we went for a nice long walk, the kids were doing the shakedown of their 'new' motorhome, so there were lots of things they were checking on - lights that wouldn't go out, lights that wouldn't go on, etc., just the usual stuff :)  All in all, pretty good day, I made sloppy joes, sweet potato salad, baked beans and of course there was the bonfire - and we plyed a great long game of 'Name that Tune' where the kids got as many tunes right as we did!  We did break out a bottle of bubbly to christen the kids motorhome :)  Here is a pic of both of the units, side by side!

This morning we all had breakfast together, waffles, sausage, eggs, juice - then they started packing up...it all went well, and they pulled out about 11:30ish.  I did shed a few tears because I don't know when we'll see them next, but at least they are in the states, and if I need a fix too bad I'll just fly to DC to see them!  I'd love to see them over Christmas, but that is always such a busy crazy time...sigh!

This afternoon we plotted our course for tomorrow - we were planning on going to Stafford, then over to the coast and south, but David has cold feet about driving in big city traffic, so we will be taking yet another windy twisty road to Lynchburg VA where we will stay for at least 2 days, maybe more. 

July to Sept 2012 Berlin PA

Well let’s play some catch up shall we :) 

·       4^th of July was fantastic with a great picnic, then fireworks with our friends Nancy & Harry Gindlesperger – we had front row seats and great company

·       The 6^th through the 14^th of July was spent getting the house cleaned, laundry done, beds made, and some cooking done for the grandkids visit.

·       July 15^th the Grands arrived, Devon, Branden, and Ariel.  Boy, it was so good to see them (of course it was good to see Dawn and Daryl too)!  No time for much cooking, I did make Eggs Benedict for breakfast before Dawn and Daryl headed back to DC to start their jobe.

·       July 22 – 29 We packed up the kids and the MH and went to Friendship Village in Bedford, where we (Branden, Ariel & I) spent much time in the swimming pool, and just enjoying each other’s company!  On Friday, Angie, Alan, Nick & Lauren came to visit, and later in the day Nancy, Harry, Shirley and Leonard came down and we had a wonderful picnic, with sloppy joes and corn on the cob – of course s’mores were made late into the night!

·       Time N time again – we had some cookouts/bonfires, shopped, cooked, did some sightseeing with the kids, (took them to the Flight 93 Memorial), and just had a great time! 

·       August 20 was David’s birthday, so we had lots of cake – and a bbq of course! 

·       August 21 – Devon and I headed to Daytona Beach FL where he is attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University – we had a great road trip and I was honored to be able to represent his parents for orientation.

·       Aug 25, I flew from Daytona to DC, where Dawn and Daryl picked me up, and drove me to PA, where they picked up their two youngest and took them back to DC to get ready for school.

·       Aug 26 through Sept 11 was clean the house, do all the bedding, wash down all the ucky that had accumulated through the summer, and start the process of packing the MH for our trip south.

·       Sept 12 – 16 we spent in DC with the kids, playing tourist :)  We even rode the Metro!  We toured the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, then we had an awesome tour of the Pentagon (where Dawn works), had a day of rest, then toured the Vietnam Memorial Wall, Vietnam Women’s Memorial, Korean Conflict Memorial and the WW II memorial – all of which we had seen before, but well worth seeing again!

·       Sept 17 – 18 High gear packing the MH, finishing up the house and getting ready to head out.

·       Sept 19^th First leg of our journey…and a separate entry!