Washington D.C. and Home

Washington D.C. and Home

We only had an hour and a half ride from just north of Richmond to D.C., one of our shortest drives of the trip. We drove into the mall and found a parking spot right in the middle, near the Smithsonian’s that Diane wanted to visit.

I original wasn’t going to shoot many photos in D.C. but the clouds were perfect and Diane didn’t mind. She enjoys taking her time in the Museums and I kind of cruise through them, so it worked out nicely.

I started by heading straight down the mall towards the Washington monument, the mall can be very deceiving, it can look like the Monuments are not that far away, until you start walking towards them, especially in 93 degree weather. I set up for this panoramic shot first.

I then continued to the monument. I have shot here many times, and knew I wanted to capture a panoramic from close up of the flags and monument. I forgot that the monument was closed but you could still get pretty close. I had to work around a fence that they have to keep people out.

While I was there I also captured this shot of the sunlight shining in-between two flags.

After spending a couple hours here I had to put some money in the meter, and met Diane for lunch. We then both went through one of the Smithsonian’s together. Diane wanted to go to a couple more, so I went to the capital to shoot for a couple hours.

While there I captured this photo of the reflecting pound in front of the capital.

Also this panoramic photo of flowers with the Capital in the background.

After shooting there I waited for Diane to finish up at the Museum, then picked her up, drove her around to see a couple of the monuments, then we were off to see some friends in Maryland.

It was only 13 miles, it took 45 minutes and we were almost in about 10 accidents. I have been to D.C. many times and I have been all over the country, and by far the D.C. drivers are the worst. They just don’t care where they are going or if you are in their way. We made it to our destination. We had a great time visiting with our friends Dena and Aaron Katz, we went and ate some Thai food and caught up for a while. They have a young son that went to bed early plus Diane and I were exhausted, so we called it a night after dinner.

In the morning we started our drive home. It’s about a 9-hour drive, but we had a couple things we wanted to do in Akron that took us a couple extra hours and then next stop was home sweet home!

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Wow, what an amazing trip. I couldn't ask for a better partner in general and on this adventure. Diane and I had such a great trip around the southeast part of the country.

10 States, 8 days, 2825 miles. We went out of our way a couple times, but they were well worth it. One was to see one of my best friends that I had not seen in years, the other to Myrtle Beach, how can you go wrong going out of your way to hit the beach for a couple hours.

We ate some great food, BBQ in N.C., Seafood in S.C. served by one of the nicest straight out of a book/movie southern lady, and Thai food in D.C. with great friends just to name a few.

We had beach time in two states, sat in the middle of a river in the Smokey Mountains, and walked down one of the nicest tree lines (Wormsloe) you could ever ask for.

We stayed in a great B/Bin Savannah and a nice little cabin in the Smokeys.

We saw wild Elk starting their day, a peach stand salesman start his day, a street artist drew a photo of Diane, and I don’t think I mentioned this before, but had another street artist make a rose out of leaves for Diane in Savannah.

I’m sure I’m leaving things out, but one thing I know is that it was a fantastic trip that I will never forget. I love getting out and seeing the country, making memories, and we were lucky enough to do just that.

I don’t know where the next road will take me, but for now this is all I have, so until the next adventure, I'm out!

Myrtle Beach - Richmond

Myrtle Beach – North of Richmond 7.26.12.

Well our time in Savannah has come to an end and we had a wonderful time. I’m glad the city grew on me and I can’t wait to get back. It was 95 – 99 everyday and very muggy but well worth dealing with. I recommend the Marshall House if you ever want to stay in a B/B there.

The road this day would take us from Savannah to just north of Richmond with a stop in Myrtle Beach (M.B.) but on the way out of town we decided to stop at the peach stand that I mentioned in an earlier post. The first one out of town was closed, when we went by the second one, we saw he was just getting set up. We stopped, he was a very sweaty unshaved man, Diane got out, he asked if we had any matches so he could light his cigarette, and we had plenty from the cabin a few nights before, so we gave him some books. Diane then came back to the car with 6 peaches for $10. Now I love to bargain with people, so I gave her a little grief when she told me how much they were. I’m not cheap by any means, but I just know to never pay asking price at a stand like this. He had told her some sad story about the drought and the farmer he buys from upped the price, I don’t but it, haha. We easily could have got them for $6. They were pretty good, so as we drove away we ate one and put the others in the cooler.

We decided we wanted some more beach time, looking at the map we decided to stop at Myrtle Beach. It would be about 2 hours out of the way, but we didn’t have anything planned that day, so why not. After getting off 95 you drive on a two-lane road for a little over an hour, you go through tons of S.C. small towns. When we finally arrived in M.B. I had to stop and buy some new flip-flops, mine had broke the day before at Hilton Head, and we stopped at a Wal-Mart. They were out, so I bought some water shoes. Next stop was the beach.

We pulled right up to the public beach and found a parking spot about 3 cars from the beach, got our beach gear together and headed toward the water. There is a street with every kind of beach shops you could ever want, little arcades, and a Ferris wheel. As we arrived at the beach we noticed there were chairs and umbrellas set up just like at Hilton Head, I went up to the lifeguard and rented a set. Straight into the water was our next stop. Just as we walked into the water the lifeguard heightened the warning, but the waves didn’t seem that bad. They were bigger and rougher than Hilton Head, but really not that rough.  The water was not as warm as HH but was plenty warm. We stayed for about an hour and a half, and then decided it was time to head north, but not before stopping and getting a foot long hot dog. I’m a sucker for those, as a kid my Grandparents used to take me to the county fair every year, and my Grandpa and I would always get a foot long. So whenever I’m at a fair, or a beach like this I think about him, and have to get one!

I put D.C. in my GPS and off we went, we didn’t need gas at the time, but we saw it as low as $3.04 just outside of town, that’s the cheapest we saw on the drive. Diane and I joked about gas prices often on the trip, my parents are always commenting on gas prices when I travel with them, so we would make comments if we bought it and then down the road it was a little cheaper.

The GPS took us a route I would have never taken, through a ton of little towns just like we drove through in S.C., but this time it was North Carolina. I had lived in N.C. back in 98, and had been to some of these same small towns, so it was really nice to get back through there. Not much has changed; most of them have a gas station and maybe a party store or ABC store as they call them. We then got back to 95 and headed north towards Richmond/D.C. 95 as many of you know is the main road up the east coast of the country, so there are a lot of semis and traffic, there are also a lot of billboards, so we saw everything from Christmas stores, to south of the boarder truck stop advertised every few miles for 130 miles.

After 8 hours in the car, broken up by a couple hours in the ocean we decided to stop in a small town just north of Richmond for the night, got a hotel and pizza then called it a night. 

Savannah Day 2

Savannah Day Two

As I mentioned briefly in yesterday’s blog, we were staying at the Marshall House right in the heart of the historic district. It was a hotel at the end of the Civil War and throughout the late 1800’s, for a while it was an office building and hotel, and then in 1999 they restored it to the hotel it is now. When you walk you feel like you stepped back into the 1800’s. The furniture and decor are amazing. We checked in and had our bags brought to our room that overlooks the center of the hotel. This is where breakfast is served. It’s a room with gaslights, old table and  chairs, and just an old southern feel to it.

Day 2 we woke up and decide to take the advice of the hotel concierge and head over to the Wormsloe Historical Site that was established in 1737 by Nobel Jones. When we arrived we pulled up to the gate, this wonderful arch and in the background was our first vision of the oak tree alley.

You pay $8 per person, and then you are free to venture through the grounds. You start by driving down the mile long lane of oaks and you are free to stop anywhere along them you like. The problem with trying to get a clear photo is that it’s a straight shot, so if anyone is driving down the lane, you will have a car right in the middle of your shot. We unfortunately had a girl trying to take her senior pictures that arrived at the same time as us. So I worked around it, and decided to walk around for a while before trying again, on the way out, I had some decent time to get my shots.

I tried to get several different angles. This one is of a fence line that I would not have seen if I wasn’t trying to kill some time waiting for the other photographer.

This shot is on the way back out and is a panoramic shot.

And finally this is a shot from the heart of the tree line.

You also like everywhere have these damn tourists that keep taking photos of themselves.

This was truly one of the most beautiful sights I have seen. It’s one of those things that photos just don’t do justice. When you are there and see the tree line going on for what seems forever and the light coming through and casting shadows along the dirt road, and then as a car passes the dirt goes flying into the air and the beams of light are revealed even more. This is one of those sights that I love and will never forget.

After this we needed some beach time. It was a cool 99 degrees. I had always heard how nice Hilton Head was; it’s about an hour drive from where we were, so off we went. We stopped at the welcome center and Diane went in and grabbed a map (As she loves to do) I like to use the GPS and sometimes that just isn’t enough, so I learned early on in this trip that she would like a map in her hand, it helps her get her bearings. In this case (as in many on this trip) it helped. I couldn’t find the public beaches on my phone, but within a minute she was out and had all the info we needed for the day. We were off to the beach.

When we got there, the lifeguards were renting chairs and umbrellas (This was a life saver) We got in the water and it was the warmest water either Diane or myself have ever been in. It really was like taking a salt-water bath. We stayed there for a couple hours and had a great time.

On the way back we stopped at a restaurant we noticed on the way there. It was called the Pink Pig, a little BBQ/Seafood joint. As we walked in there was an older lady with white hair the greeted us, “Sit wherever you like” the chairs where plastic, the table clothes where red and white checkers, and the silverware was plastic (I was right at home) Diane ordered a tea “sweet or un-sweet?” as you are always asked down south. She got un-sweet and I got sweet. The lady then told us a little about the place, and we checked out the menu. Diane got the shrimp and crab special, and I got the flounder special. Both were absolutely fabulous. The two best meals we had on the trip were, the BBQ place in Ashville and this little hole in the wall on the side of a two-lane highway. Halfway through the meal I asked for a little lemonade to be added to my tea, and the waitress goes (in her low southern voice) “you know we call that an Arnold Palmer don’t you?” I laughed and said, yes I drink them all the time. As I went to pay, she said we don’t take cards here only cash, I said no problem I just need to run out to my car. So I did, and it was well worth every penny!

That about wrapped up our night, we headed back to the hotel, Diane went for a walk after it cooled off, and we took it easy. At the end I fell in love with Savannah, I wish we had more time to explore it, but I'm glad I got past my first impressions and gave it a chance. We met some great people, great food, and good laughs!

Also here is a photo taken the first day of Diane having here picture drawn by a street artist.

Savannah

When I left off last we were still in the Smokey Mountains, we got up and took this photo below and then started that days adventure that would take us on the road to Savannah GA.

We had stopped at the store the night before in Gatlinburg so we had food and snacks for the 6 hour drive, we traded off the driving, I drove the first 2 hours and then Diane did two hours, then I finished up. It sure is nice to have someone else do some driving; it really breaks up the trip.

The drive was pretty basic, nothing really to speak of, as we got off 95 we got on a couple smaller highways to finish up the last 20 miles of the drive, we came across a stand that said, “your last chance for Peaches half mile ahead” (We didn’t stop) then 2 miles latter another stand that said “Last chance for Peaches” but we kept on driving, I have never heard the saying South Carolina Peaches anyways, Georgia Peaches of course. We then crossed the bridge from S.C. to Georgia and we could see Savannah to our left and industrial complexes on the river to our right. We circled the off ramp and it brings you right into town. On the right were several bus tour facilities. We continued on and took a left on MLK drive and then a right on Broughton, that seemed like a main street in town and also the street our Bed and Breakfast (The Marshall House) was on - More to come about the Bed and Breakfast tomorrow. We arrived at our hotel, pulled up to Valet parking, they got our bags out, we checked in, and the bellhop walked us to our room and gave us some basic information about the city.

After we got settled in, we decided to walk around and see what the city had to offer. We started by going to the riverfront. You have to walk down probably 30 small brick stairs and at the bottom is a brick road with trolley tracks going down the middle of it, with shops and restaurants on one side and the river on the other. I wasn’t that impressed with this area; it is definitely the “tourist” part of town. I feel like they could do a lot more with the waterfront, there was a little park that went along the river, but it didn’t seem that well thought out. We then decided to head to the City Market, about a two-block walk. This is another tourist area, but done well. There are all kinds of little shops with local artist and taffy/ice cream shops. We went into several of the galleries one was of Thomas Kinkade. I thought a lot of his work was really nice, but some of it was very gaudy, like his Disney work. Across the street from there was a really great artist A.T Hun that had paintings with subjects from The Big Labowski (Right as you walk in) to a huge John Wayne with a Raccoon hat on.

After the City Market we came back to the Hotel, I have to tell you my first impressions of Savannah was not that great, I thought if this is all that’s to it, I have no idea what we are going to do here for two days.

We re-grouped at the hotel for about an hour, got a local map, and realized we have not even begun to see the city. There are squares every couple blocks in every direction from our hotel. These squares are individually beautiful. They have huge Oak trees with Spanish moss hanging from them; there are park benches and usually a monument in each one. Most of them have a beautiful church across the street.

As we walked through square after square we finally made our way to Forsyth Park were the below fountain is located.

Here you will find things like people walking their dogs, couples sitting and relaxing as tourist walk up and take their photo with the fountain as their backdrop

On the walk back to the hotel I stopped and took some photos. I came across a chair hanging on the wall next to the entrance of an office, a door surrounded by ivy.

It was a hot 95 muggy day. We decided to grab something to eat and get into some air-conditioning. We came across the Moon River Brewing Company. It had the first key ingredient (Air-conditioning) it also had Arnold Palmer’s and water. I had Chicken with Sausage and Diane had Crab Cakes with Escalloped Potatoes that were to die for (Not as good as my Mom’s but pretty close) Diane decided to call it a night, and I walked around for another hour or so taking photos before calling it a night myself.

So the first hour in Savannah I was not a big fan, but by the end of day one, I was starting to get what all the hype was about.

Bristol - Asheville - Cherokee

7.22.12 we got up and started our drive to Cherokee NC, where we are staying in a cabin for two days before heading to Savannah. We woke up and went downstairs to get some of the continental breakfast, but it was really basic and very picked over, we did get stuck talking to a couple from New Jersey, that in 5 minutes told us their life story. On our way out of town we stopped by Bristol Speedway, just to check it out.

Then we were off to Asheville to get some lunch, we asked a local where they recommended for BBQ and she instantly said Luella's. So we took her word and drove about 5 miles, and just when we started to wonder if we were going in the right direction we turned the corner and there was a big neon BBQ sign.

We went in and looked at the menu, it all looked great but why have one thing when you can have a little of everything, so I ordered a meal with three meats, Chicken, Sausage and Brisket with a side of Mac and Cheese, and Spicy Grits. Diane had Chicken and Pulled pork. It Melted in our mouths.

Next stop was the Cabin about an hour and a half drive. We got checked in, then went to the stream, put our chairs right in the water and relaxed after a couple days on the road.

Smokey Mountains

7.23.12 Smokey Mountains

A rooster crowing over and over is how we started this day. I guess it’s time to get up and find something to do; today the road would take us from Cherokee to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and back all through the Smokey Mountain Nation Park.

As you enter the park there is a welcome center that was not yet open at 7:30am, but what was ready was the mist in the air and the dew on the ground, as we turned the very first curve once we entered the park, we saw a herd of Elk in a field to our right, we pulled over and watched them for a few minutes. There were about 50 in the park in 2000 and now there about 125.

Off again we went. After a few miles we could hear the sound of a stream running, the same stream our feet were in the day before, just several miles upstream. We got out and I took some photos as Diane wandered around, she found a path to the stream, she read a sign that said “5 7inch Trout/Bass and 20 Redeye with a NC or TN License, No bait”

About ten miles later of curving uphill roads we came to a sign that read “Left 7 miles to Clingmans Dome”. I had been there last summer so I knew it was worth the 14 miles round trip, as we drove up we saw a couple taking photos of flowers, and then the rain started coming down very light. As we got closer the clouds got thicker and thicker. When we first got out of the car you could barely see the hills, but just a few minutes later, there it was. You could now see 10 maybe 20 miles, with rolling hills, the clouds in and around them, this is why they are called the Smokey Mountains. Below is my first attempt at Panoramic Photography where you combine several photos. Some people might start with a couple photos but I decided why not 6, and this is what I created from the Dome.

On the way down heading towards Gatlinburg we came across another valley and I tried my second Panoramic with 3 shots this time.

When you are exiting the park heading north it dumps you right into the main street of Gatlinburg. We saw families walking with matching neon shirts, dragging their tired kids through T-shirt shops, souvenirs shops and every other cheesy tourist trap things you can think of, with names like, Ripley’s believe it or not, Fanny Farckles, Cotter’s Dukes of Hazard Museum, House of Illusion, and a Black Light Miniature Golf course. The we get to Pigeon Forge just a 7mile drive, where you can go to Dollywood, or see more attractions like a huge Dinosaur, Jurassic Boat Ride, a Dragon and a Mermaid next to each other, or many other just as impressive, cheesy, money pits.

 After seeing all of this, we needed to get back to the Park, and finally back to the cabin, so a slower drive back with a lot more traffic then the way there this morning, we made our way the 35 miles of breathtaking country in about an hour.  So here we are with the night ahead of us, most likely some swimming, or feet in the stream, it’s just time to kick back and relax!

Day 1 On the road to Glenville and Bristol

Diane and I started this southern adventure at 2:30am on July 21 2012. This is the first day of a 9 day vacation that as of now will take us through most of West Virginia (W.V.), down through the Smokey Mountains, Savannah, South and North Carolina, Washington D.C. and finally home. Most of you that know me are probably wondering what the hell I'm doing driving a couple thousand miles (then again maybe you are not) on my vacation when I drive at times a thousand miles in a week for work. I absolutely love seeing the country, so any time I get a chance to go somewhere I do. This trip is ever more special, because it's Diane and mine first long trip together with just the two of us. 9 days, a couple thousand miles, and when we get back we move in together, now that's a test!

So as I said we started out at 2:30am. I picked Diane up at her place and started heading across 50, to 94, 23, 75, 23 through Columbus Ohio and on our way to W.V. If you have ever done that drive you know why I skipped through it, there isn't much to see. Once you get through Columbus it at least starts to get a little hilly with some better scenery. 

Once in W.V. we found our-self on a two lane road (32/50) and passed a store called the "Hillbilly Sandwich Shack" and all the sudden you realize you are in a different and very remote part of the country. We passed abandoned after abandoned barns and houses, there are plenty of trailers, and muddy pick up trucks with tires as tall as my car, all this with a few nice houses along the way.  We then come to another 2 lane road (47) where we see the "Hillbilly Inn" and cross roads with names like County Road 45 and County Road 56. As you are seeing all these things, you are also swerving back and forth on the side winding roads, with beautiful mountains on each side, wildlife all around, the fog was rolling over the hills and along side the road is the very muddy "Indian Creek" where you can see bridges like the one below every few miles.

Our destination for the morning leg of our trip was Glenville W.V. where Gilmore Federal Prison is located. One of my best friends has been there for a few years and I had not been to visit yet. When you arrive in Glenville you come to a four corner stop sign, the main street is straight ahead and consist of just a few businesses. We arrived in town about 10 and visiting hours were not until 10:45, so Diane and I went to the only restaurant we saw called "Audrey's Family Restaurant" We parked on the street and Diane asked if we needed to pay for parking, and my standard answer is no I will take my chances, she decided to walk over anyways and it was 10 cents for an hour, so we went ahead and dug deep into the pockets and paid the dime. As we walked in the door everyone looked, realized they didn't know us and then went back to their business of eating breakfast and talking. The customer base was exactly what you would expect for a small town, nice down to earth people, talking with accents (Of course so do we to them) the waitress called us hon, and was very polite, Diane got a couple pouched eggs and I got an omelet, and both were great.

We then drove a few more miles to the prison. As you walk in you hand the guard your ID, they check to see if you have received clearance for visitation and then you wait to go in. Once they let you back they check your shoes, you take off your belt and do all the other security measures, you are then escorted through a big fence with barb-wire all over it, and walk about 100 yards, were you can see inmates walking in the "Yard" you then enter a big room with chairs, vending machines, tables, and bathrooms. There were inmates visiting with their families, and I had a seat. I waited for my friend, he finally walked through the door and I waited for him to give the guard his ID and then we could hug and sit down for a visit. It's not like at the county jails or in movies were you are talking through glass, you are able to sit and talk and catch up. It was a great visit and well overdue. It did us both good to see each other. I stayed a couple hours, then we said our goodbyes and I took off.

After this Diane and I began our journey to eventually get to the Smokey Mountains the next day. We drove a few hours and came across the New River Gorge Bridge. It's the longest steel span in the western hemisphere and the second highest in the United States, you may have seen footage of people jumping off it with parachutes once a year when they allow it.

On the way to our final stop for the night (Bristol TN), we came across some crazy stuff as you do on the road, we saw a traffic jam going the other way that was backed up a good 7 or 8 miles, and then we came across a car tailgating a school bus, we thought wow that's pretty dangerous, but then when we got closer we saw that the school bus was actually pulling the car, as you will see in the two camera phone photos below. 

 So that's our adventure for today, let's see what tomorrow brings!

Hot day in Chicago

7.16.12 Lansing - Chicago - Green Bay

This is my 4th week in the past 5 working in Green Bay. I'm hoping (and it looks like) this will be my last.

Yesterday I started my day by working out at the South-side YMCA in the morning and then hit the road about 9:15am. As I was driving West on 94 some clouds started to form, I was glad to see them. The last few times I drove through Chicago there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and that makes for pretty boring photos with no depth of field, you just have your subject and a blank blue sky. As I got closer and crossed the Sky-way bridge I could see the Chicago cityscape and there was a line of clouds that seemed to go right down the shoreline. 

I decided I would head to the Aquarium where I have shot many times. It's probably the best place to shoot the entire Chicago skyline and you have water in the foreground.  As I arrived I knew parking would be tough, there are meters there, but they stay full most of the day, there is a parking lot, but the last time I was there, they charged $17. I got lucky, on my second pass I got a meter, and even better the lady pulling out, walked up to my window and handed me her parking receipt that still had plenty of time on it, so I guess that was her way of "Paying it forward"

I got out and walked to a spot I'm very familiar with, and set up my camera and tri-pod. I used to not shoot with a tri-pod during the day, but I found that when I enlarge the photos any movement I create really shows up. The clouds were perfect and it was a really blue sky. 

After I shot a few dozen shots here, I wanted to head over to the Buckingham Fountain. The problem I ran into is they are dong construction all around it, so there wasn't any parking. I was lazy so I didn't want to park a few blocks away and walk in the heat. I figured I would grab something to eat, so I went to La Bamba (One of my favorite burrito places in Chicago) or really anywhere. 2557 North Halsted, their slogan is "Burritos as big as your head" and they are. 

On the way I captured a couple shots in my side mirror while I drove (Shhh I didn't say that). 

While I was on the north side I went to Wrigley. I knew I could park at the McDonald's across the street, when I got there I discovered they just put a new Cubs souvenir store where the big parking lot used to be, so I circled the block and found another meter. 

 While getting the above shot, there was a family trying to take a family photo with each of the parents missing, so I offered to take their photo, they each handed me their camera phones, I captured their family photo, and did my good deed for the day. as I walked back to the car, I looked at the Cubby Bear Bar/Restaurant across the street and notice the reflection in the window of Wrigley.  

I could have shot in Chicago all day, but it was time to hit the road, I started my 3.5 hour journey to Green Bay. There was one more photo I knew I wanted to get that day, this one was for my series "Side of the road" in that series, when I come across weird things or art on the side of the road I try to capture it. This item is a little different than the rest of the series.

 

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John McGraw Photography

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