Leesburg, VA

We drove 8 hours and around 45 minutes from St. Matthews, SC up to Leesburg, VA on Sunday. Have to say that the traffic wasn't too bad, and for most of the day, we had cool temperatures. We followed the GPS, which didn't take us on any of the routes that Joe and his dad discussed. We didn't head up 77 to 81, or take 95. Instead, we took 77 to 85, and then followed 29 for a long way.

(29, by the way, reminded me of 84- 4 lanes of traffic with on and off ramps. The biggest difference, though, is that some of the traffic dove across from the opposite side to (supposedly) join the traffic flow. They didn't really accomplish that, though. They usually ended up nearly stopping, once they merged with traffic. It was usually in front of our rig, too, like the Suburban pulling a travel trailer would be able to stop rapidly, while they figured out where the gas pedal is. sheesh!)

I have been attempting to take photos of all the "Welcome to our state" signs as we pass them. I missed several on the way to Alabama, which really irritated me, but caught the two we passed on the way north. Yay!

The drive, aside from the thoughtless lunatic drivers, was beautiful. It got hotter as we headed north, which seems backward to me, but the scenery was gorgeous. If we hadn't had to stop and get out, it would have been much like Oregon- lots of greenery and beauty in the countryside. Of course, one look at the thermometer would have clarified that illusion- it was 96+ for most of our trek through Virginia.

Joe had figured that with our stops, we would arrive near 6:00. We got on the road around 7:40, much earlier than we often do, for a change. We had to stop for gas and grub, and then were on our way. Even with two more stops for restroom breaks and to fill up with gas, we made it to Jennifer and Steve's by 4:50 something. I tell you, not having to deal with regular week traffic made the trip much more doable.

We chatted for a bit, and then Steve got the charcoal grill going, Jennifer whipped up an Asian inspired cole slaw, and I made hamburgers, following Jennifer's specs. Dinner was delicious! It was great to see Jennifer and her crew again, too. We stayed with them the summer before last, for about a week. All the cousins got along pretty well then, and they still do. I think Kira and Koen were glad to hang with some kids close to their own age, after spending 10 days with a 4 year old!

On Monday morning, Jennifer headed off to work- she is a surgical nurse- as did Steve- who works on purchase analysis for clients connected to the military. Steve's daughter, Becca, took Ian to gymnastics (at which he is excellent) and Joe and I decided to take a bike ride.

There is a cool bike/walk path that goes from Arlington to Purcellville-some 45 miles or so, but we didn't do the whole thing. By the time we got ourselves going, it was already in the upper 80s. We still managed to do just under 10 miles of riding, though, since lots of the middle was in the shade. Joe did stop at a bike shop here in town to get a new computer for his bike- it is much simpler to keep track of mileage when you have one of those!

We were in town earlier than the shop opened, though, so we stopped at Ben Franklin (which does still exist outside of Oregon, apparently!) and bought fabric to make a bag for our portable shower. We tried to follow the same path back, so we could calculate our mileage- except for the cul-de-sac drives that I did on the way out, to get my legs more exercise- it was TOO hot to do them on the way back!

For the afternoon, we just relaxed. When Jennifer got home, she made poblano chicken and I made flatbread from scratch. Dinner was again yummy!

We did decide to do the local water park on Tuesday. Ian had gymnastics again, from 9:00 to 1:00, so the rest of us walked (the girls told us it was a short walk over there- which it may be when the weather isn't so blinking hot!) We spend almost 3 hours in the water, which was much colder than in Myrtle Beach, as well as being much more fun, in terms of the style of Lazy River, the pool area, and the slides. The kids all had a blast. We also bought food there- a decent sized pizza for $12.99! 8 slices, which meant that Joe and I each got one, while the kids each got 1 1/2 pieces. It wasn't too bad, either.

The walk home was a bit shorter, since we took the shorter way! Instead of following the sidewalk/walkway, we went through a park. It was cooler, since it wasn't on asphalt, and shorter, since it was closer to a straight line. All day, the sky had looked threatening- we were glad it didn't lightning while we were at the water park! During dinner, there was a thunder storm, with rain, which cooled the temp down to a mere 89 degrees!

Right now, the kids are all watching "The Green Hornet". We will head out tomorrow, for Springfield, MA. to stay the night. It promises to be another 7 to 8 hour drive. We have a place in Maine, too, near a 7 mile stretch of sandy beach. (Possibly the only one in Maine, the way they talk it up!) Looking forward to that. My USA book has suggestions for places to eat while we are in Maine, so I am excited about fresh seafood!

I am not excited to be leaving Jennifer and crew, though. If she had been able to take any time off, we would have stayed a bit longer. Ah, well, maybe next year they can come out and stay with us. We always enjoy our visits- and this one has been way too short!

I did get a bit of my sweater done, though. It is looking pretty good- and I have the pattern established, so might be able to knit on the road. Will take a photo when I get a minute and add to the next blog.