20210810 + Too Short

20210810 + Up late and on the road home, our one day vaca is over... We took some alternate routes to see some sights and of course the scenic overlook and cable car ride was closed... We did find a huge dam that was cool and made our way across WV, back in to OH and to Hazel. We hung out a Gma&paB's a bit and headed home. Home in the evening and exhausted. Was a fun little trip, but too stressful getting work things lined up and two days on the road for only one day off...

20210809 + Day on the Lake

20210809 + Up in the am and L made us some bfast. We then ventured out and found the marina and the boat we rented for the day. I signed a bunch of papers and they didn't even ask for my damn boaters certificate I stayed up all night to get... We got on the water and cruised around the lake. We couldn't do any tubing as it was a rented boat and didn't want to get kicked off the lake... J took a turn driving the boat and we did a lot of exploring. G had been here before with Andrew and he directed us to some cliffs where other boats were gathered. J&G then jumped in the water and swam to the shore and climbed the rocks. To L&I's horror they jumped off the cliff and in to the water. They did this over and over from higher and higher places as we journeyed around the late. We came to a lower outcropping and they tried to convince L to jump, she could barely get in the murky water... I joined the and jumped from a low cliff and that made the boys happy. Our rental time was up and we were on the lake all day and had a bunch of fun. We ate at a local joint Terrill recommended and had a great meal. Back to the cabin for some hot tub and pool and then got some rest. 

20210808 - Drive to Summersville Lake

20210808 - Up in the am and we loaded up and headed to Newcomerstown to drop Hazel off. We then headed in to WV to find our cabin on the end of a twisty one lane road in the middle of no place with an amazing view. We got our stuff unpacked and then found a local place for dinner and then check out the sites and get the lay of the land. Back to the cabin and we hit the hot tube and played some pool. I was up almost all night taking the power boat certification for tomorrow adventure.

20200801 + Rushing Home

20200801 + Up early and got the car, rack on the back and loaded up. We headed out without a trip to the beach and got up the road. We got D on the phone. And he sounds much better today and is up and out getting his prescriptions filled. We stopped at the giant strawberry for an ice cream treat and some peaches.

Back on the road, L drove some so I could arrange some baseball tryouts for G. I got quite a few things lined up and took over driving just as we crossed the VA state line, and yes I missed the 'Welcome to Virginia' picture, which gave L great pleasure and reinforced her 'it is not as easy as you think' comments for years... We drove and drove only stopping 1 or 2 more times and pulled in tot he hose right at 9:00 PM. I checked on D, helped get things unloaded, and then got on the phone about baseball. About 11:00 PM all the calls were over and L finished up cleaning and D was OK and everyone, except Lilly, is home and safe. Hit the bed and crashed hard.

20200725 + Hotel Change

20200725 + Up super early and on the road. We made great time and with our new E-ZPass zipped through WV and made it to Skeeter’s for some dogs in Wytheville in great time. We took a quick stroll down to the world's largest pencil before hitting the road again.

Down the road a couple hrs and we found the US  National White Water Center. We parked a mile away and walked through blazing heat to find the oasis of amazing rapids and zip lines and obstacle courses. We walked all the way around the place to get some ideas of what we wanted to do. L was NOT having any part of the white water and the boys only wanted to do the obstacle corses so that’s what we did. The boys ran their brains out and had a blast. L&I tried a couple things too. It was a lot of fun and a beautiful place.

Back in the car and on to the world’s largest rotating metal head and the bronze bulls. Sweaty and hot we made it to our hotel and the pool was closed. UGH! So we looked for another hotel on our phones and were about to give up when we stumbled upon a water park just down the road. We went to check it out and L found out it was a members only place, but somehow sweet talked the ladies at the desk and got her and the boys in for free! I headed back to the hotel and checked in before heading back for a quick swim. After our swim we too our stuff in to the room. L was having no part of this place (it was definitely a smoking room at some point and the smoke detector was beeping)! I found us another place but it was another hour down the road... We packed back up, went across the road and got some carry out and headed further south. We got to the new place and it was amazing! Exhausted from a long day on the road we all crashed.

20180805 + Different Backyard

20180805 + Up in the am and down to the lobby for bfast. I met the Meijs and ate with them. We chatted for a bit, said goodbye until next time and then loaded up our stuff and hit the road. Five hours later, no traffic issues, no stops we swung through our McD's to get lunch. Home and Ashley was waiting for D's in his room, it was their 2 year anniversary last Monday while we were on vacation. I ran J to the high school to get his XC jersey but he has to wait until Monday... Home and we ate and I helped put some stuff away while the boys picked up the bug bombs, L cleaned everything and headed to the back porch to watch some pickers, do a logic puzzle and get caught up on email. We lost another big tree while on vacation, seems to be a common theme. L came out to mow and then hung out o the porch with me. We ordered pizzas from Pizza Hut that was a disaster... After dinner G didn't feel well so we hung out watching some TV and taking it easy for the rest of the evening.

20170728 + Long Drive

20180728 + Up early, we got the car packed and hit the road. We drove straight to Wytheville VA with only one quick pit stop. We went to Skeeter’s for some Skeeter Dogs for lunch. We walked down to the World’s Largest Pencil for a quick pic and then back on the road. We had only one more stop for gas before reaching Myrtle Beach at 6pm. We got our keys and headed to the resort. We got everything unpacked and headed out to get something to eat. While we waited for our table at Cheeseburger in Paradise, G&I checked out the next door putt putt place and got recommendations for eating from an older guy that was working the booth. We had a good dinner and then swung through a Food Lion to get supplies. Back to the room and a quick visit to the beach. We settled in for the night tired from all the driving and ready for vacation to start in the morning.

20170729 - Day One in PA

20170729 - Up in the am, everything packed and we headed out.  The odometer started at 11,755 and we started the trip as my mentor would by listening to Holiday Road by Lindsay Buckingham. Before we knew it we were in West Virgina.  State seems a bit more empty with aunt Martha gone...  Didn't take us long until we hit Pennsylvania and G was very confused as to how we got through WV so fast.  We swung through Somerset to see a giant elephant and a globe tower on the way to our lunch destination the Castle Restaurant in Stoystown for an awesome meal.  G&I chatted with the owner and learned all about the place he grew up in.  After we filled ourselves up we headed on down the road to the Flight 93 National Memorial.  

The memorial was truly amazing and much more moving for me than I thought it would be. The black line that marked the glide path through the memorial was amazing. The displays in the memorial were very educational and there was no way I would be able to listen to the phone messages left by the passengers to their loved ones... We walked the path and read everything trying to explain to the boys what all happened and why the site was important.

Back on the road and we passed what once was Storyland in Schellsburg and a coffee pot shaped building in Bedford.  Then for dessert we stopped at a ice cream sundae shaped ice cream place we have been to before for a treat before seeing the world's largest quarter.

Our day was far from over as we headed through the Amish lands to Port Royal to meet up with our good buddy Marko we lived next door to in Wilmington NC when D was born. Marko is a huge sprint car race fan and just happened to be in our neck of the woods so we joined him for the first sprint car race for all of us. I have never seen anything like this; a dirt track, cars sliding around at 120 mph and crashing and flying into the air and the thunderous noise was incredible.  We stayed for nearly all the races, but it was getting very late and we were freezing. We got to our hotel in Harrisbug very late. What a great day with loads of awesome experiences and sights.

20170617 - Baseball and Driving

20170617 - Up in the am and J&I hit Tudor's Biscuit World for bfast. It was pretty good. We headed back to the hotel and ran into D and the boys waiting for their ride to the fields. J&I got packed up and headed to the field. We sat in the press box again and kept score on the big scoreboard. D didn't play at all in the first game... We grabbed him and took him to lunch with us at T&L Hot Dogs, a cool little place the local guys suggested. After lunch we dropped D off at the hotel and J&I headed to the putt-putt place in Clarksburg. It was hot but we had a fun round of putt-putt. We headed back to the hotel where we just hung out, J did some swimming and we rested before heading back to the field. We headed up to the press box again to keep score. There was a local news team videoing the game that made it a bit more interesting for J. D played the entire game. The boys faced the team that was made up of mostly the high school team that just won the WV division 2 state championship. Their pitcher was crazy good and shut us out. This meant we were out of the brackets for Sunday, so DJ&I headed back to the hotel, packed up and headed home. We got home at 1am, got unpacked and to bed.

20160823 - D&ME TO PA

20160823 - Up in the am and in to work. Had a full morning of meetings and updating actions. Home a bit early to get D and he drove me to Pittsburgh. J had a xc meet this evening and ran a 16:45. D&I drove and drove, making a couple stops for some of the World's Largest things and Pokemon. We came to the tunnel and POW, I love how the city explodes right in front of you and you are right in the middle of it. We got the hotel, checked in and walked to the famous Primanti Brothers for huge sandwich, #2 best seller. The sandwiches come with coleslaw and fries on them, it was a new experience for D. We walked a bit further for Pokemon and ice cream. Back to hotel, we could see the stadium from the room, and watched the game taking place there on TV.