Virginia is for Tourists

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Jutta Engelhardt, Caroline Wise, and John Wise on the Virginia State Line

Late last night, Caroline arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, where we picked her up and took a short 54-mile (87km) drive to Frederick, Maryland, for the night. We intentionally overshot Washington D.C., not only to skip the traffic, but as this adventure progresses we have big plans in the nation’s capital city.

Jutta Engelhardt and Caroline Wise at Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

Today, we drove southwest to Front Royal, Virginia, to join the Skyline Drive National Scenic Byway in the Shenandoah National Park – romantic stories say that Shenandoah is Native American for Daughter of the Stars.

Skyline Drive Scenic Byway in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

The curving, winding road over the mountain ridge took us up above the clouds and back down below.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

Speaking of being above the clouds.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

The Skyline Drive at the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and paralleling the Appalachian trail did not disappoint; it surely stands out as one of the dozen most scenic roads in America.

Skyline Drive Scenic Byway in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

With 75 overlooks and a 35 mph speed limit, the guidebooks that suggest allocating a mere 3 hours for this route do not allow an adequate amount of time to truly appreciate the drive, in my opinion. Maybe someday, this will be a bike-only tour in the warmer months.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

Along the way, we spied a fawn lying in the grass, gazed over beautiful vistas, and enjoyed the wildflowers.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

To the people who’ve already been down this road, things will only look familiar, but to those of us fortunate enough to wander far from home and, to a degree, off the beaten path, this feels like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for finding enchantment.

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

Sometimes, that enchantment is found in little things…

Shenandoah National Park in Virginia

…and should be obvious to anyone not jaded enough to have stopped looking.

James Monroe's Highland in Charlottesville, Virgina

As we arrived in Charlottesville, we signed up for a tour that would take us by bus to the grounds of President Jefferson’s home later in the afternoon. Tip: sign up for tours before you ever leave home. To pass the time until then, we took the advice of the ticket agent to visit President James Monroe’s home, referred to as Highland.

James Monroe's Highland in Charlottesville, Virgina

Sadly for us, there was a band playing a mix of jazz and contemporary music for a wine tasting on the grounds that day. Tip: check the events calendar on the Highland website before committing to a visit.

James Monroe's Highland in Charlottesville, Virgina

The loud music, along with a tour guide who spoke far too fast and tried to include too much information for a tour that was trying to push us through the house in 15 or 20 minutes, made for a frustrating experience. We left before the tour was over and were kindly given refunds by the gift shop staff – a big thanks to those ladies for their understanding.

Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia

We’ve arrived at Monticello – the home of our third President and principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Mr. Thomas Jefferson.

Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia

Monticello was perfect, and as with other locations we find so enchanting, it turned out we had not allocated enough time to adequately visit this mountain-top home. We make note that this is one of those places we must plan on returning to someday.

Thomas Jefferson's grave at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia

How this man just happened to die on the 50th-anniversary celebration of the day he helped usher in beggars’ belief. Yep, he passed away on July 4th, 1826.

Jutta Engelhardt, Caroline Wise, and John Wise at Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia

With Caroline now along for the journey, it’s as though we’ve begun vacation number two. Our first day into American history has been perfect with a lot more yet ahead of us.

On The Choptank

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Bird along the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

A morning drive south to Blackwater Wildlife Refuge was kind of gray and brief due to an 11:00 appointment with Captain Chris and his first mate Helen to take us out sailing aboard the Lady Patty on the Choptank River.

Bird along the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Turns out Captain Chris called our home number early in the morning, waking Caroline back in Phoenix to try to get a message to us that the gray weather was giving way to some high winds and we might, therefore, be experiencing some gusty conditions on the water.

Bird along the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

With nothing better to do and no real chance of turning around because that would be silly, we continued on.

Jutta Engelhardt sailing the Lady Patty on the Choptank river part of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland

Because we were up for some adventure and soon after arriving on Tilghman Island, we were underway.

Sailing the Lady Patty on the Choptank river part of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland

The blustery weather made for exciting sailing across the river but also gave rise to a bit of queasy stomach for the mother-in-law. Fortunately, that didn’t start to occur until the decision to turn back had been made, and we were on calmer waters.

Jutta Engelhardt sailing the Lady Patty on the Choptank river part of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland

While yesterday’s sailing on the Skipjack was pleasant, this was a thrill ride for Jutta, who, prior to this vacation had never been sailing before. Tender stomach or not, I think you can see the happiness on my mother-in-law’s face.

Jutta Engelhard and John Wise on the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

Thanks to Capt. Chris and Helen, for the wonderful time! Caroline and I look forward to coming back later in the year for a ride out Knapp’s Narrows onto the Chesapeake Bay.

On the road to Royal Oak, Maryland

Back the way we came as we have an appointment over in Royal Oak, Maryland…after a nap for jet-lagged Jutta first.

Jutta Engelhardt at Bella Luna Italian Market in Royal Oak, Maryland

Prior to leaving Phoenix and Jutta leaving Germany, I’d made reservations for us here at Bella Luna. What we ate is lost to time, but no matter as we’ve been having a great time out here, and tomorrow, we drive to Baltimore to pick up Jutta’s daughter, my wife, Caroline.

Jutta – The Mother-In-law

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Jutta Engelhardt and John Wise at Jessop's Tavern in New Castle, Delaware

Back for her 7th trip to America, my mother-in-law Jutta Engelhardt finally landed and found her way out of Philadelphia airport. I flew into Baltimore, picked up a rental car, and drove north to Philly. Typically, my mother-in-law and I spend some part of her vacation on a ‘son-in-law/mother-in-law’ trip, and this one would be no different, except this time, it was placed at the beginning of our journey. Actually, it was a strategy to cut down on the jetlag she experiences after traveling 20 or so hours to get to Arizona. By flying to Philadelphia on a non-stop from Frankfurt, Germany, she flew a brief 9 hours before touchdown.

Jutta Engelhardt sitting down for dinner at Jessop's Tavern in New Castle, Delaware

After fetching her bags, we loaded up the car and drove southwest to New Castle, Delaware, for dinner at the historic Jessop’s Tavern.

New Castle, Delaware

After leaving this old town founded in 1683, we made our way to St. Michaels on the Chesapeake Bay where we’ll spend the next three evenings before meeting up with Caroline.

Daughter

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Jessica Aldridge

A few days ago my daughter Jessica called while approaching Texas on a drive across America and reminded me that she was soon to arrive in Phoenix. Funny how these little things slip the mind. Really, tomorrow? Uh, aren’t you going to visit your mom first? I’ll stop there on the way back to Florida, ok. After nearly four years my progeny was stopping in. I know it seems like a long time not visiting one’s child but she’d been busy with the Navy, getting out of the Navy, getting married, working, and generally trying to find her own person while living in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Her husband had some training in San Diego to tend to along with about six weeks of vacation before reporting to his new duty station in Florida, so Jessica hopped into the Hyundai with Sparky the Dog and tried driving non-stop across the United States. She nearly made it, too, but sleep overtook her in Texas.

As the hours of her arrival shortened, my nerves began to fray. Oh my god, what should I expect? Does she have facial tattoos, piercings, brands, does she smoke, drink, do drugs du jour? Nope, none of the above. OK, an occasional drink but other than that she could almost be considered old-fashioned normal. Pride arose in me. Maybe I wouldn’t have to work to make her uncomfortable so she’d leave before she got situated. Instead, we began enjoying the conversation and catching up with what transpired over the intervening years. We got along so well it looked like she might even stay two days in Phoenix.

The second day gave way to a third, a fourth, and a fifth. We visited Rinku and Yagnesh who were soon to be married and had dinner with them. We visited Tonopah Rob’s farm and had lunch with Rob and Jerry. Jessica requested we have pani puri on one of the nights of her visit, an Indian snack she’d enjoyed on a previous visit. We looked at our travel photos, talked about some of the books she was going to borrow from my library, and she listened to a lot of the music Caroline and I have in our collection. Before she left I drew up an itinerary for her and Caleb, her husband, to take as they finished up in San Diego.

The plan called for them to drive up the California coast to Monterey, passing through San Francisco, visit the Muir Woods, continue north through Pt. Reyes on to the Redwoods before going to Oregon and taking a jet boat up the Rogue River. After visiting Oregon they would spend time with Caleb’s family in Montana and then drop into Yellowstone before staying one night in a tent cabin in the Grand Teton National Park. Their road trip would continue south through Utah into Mexican Hat, Monument Valley, across Four Corners into New Mexico, and then Texas for a visit with Jessica’s mother – Sheila.

It was so nice visiting with her, playing with Sparky, and talking with Caleb on the phone. Unfortunately, I’ve not had the chance to meet him yet, but from those who have it seems I’ll be honored to meet the guy, he made a terrific impression on my great aunt and uncle in Santa Barbara who they dropped in on as they drove north in California. Caroline and I are hoping to visit Jessica and meet the son-in-law over Thanksgiving this year as we are planning on being in Georgia over the holiday. I dare say, my daughter has the potential to do well, my fingers are crossed.

Doing Fine

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Woody Burns at 84 years old in Santa Barbara, California

Having spent three months helping my uncle Woody Burns get back on his feet after a fall that broke his hip, I couldn’t be sure how we’d find him this weekend after our 5-month absence. In fact, he is doing better than ever. Prior to his hip-breaking fall, my uncle had been on a heavy dose of pain medication for a back injury that ultimately required extensive surgery, creating more pain than it alleviated. While he now uses a walker for getting around, he is more sure-footed today than I had seen him in the previous years, which in part I attribute to being off the pain meds. The intervening five months were too long a break in our otherwise regular visits that my great aunt and uncle had become accustomed to expecting every 60 to 90 days – we’ll return with my mother-in-law in tow in early June.

The Return

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The disembodied floating head of my mother-inlaw

No, this is not The Return of Creature From The Black Lagoon – it is The Return of The Mother-in-law From Germany. Tickets are bought, travel plans are finished, reservations made for Jutta’s mid-May trip back to America. For the first time since she began visiting back in 1996, she will be traveling to the North Atlantic corner of the United States. Over the years Jutta has visited twenty-three of the fifty states primarily in the West but also some of the Southern states. This year she and I will meet up in Philadelphia and travel to St Michaels, Maryland on the Chesapeake Bay for a few days of sailing and rest while she gets over jetlag before Caroline joins us. Our road trip begins in historic Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and takes us west to Front Royal, Virginia for the one-hundred-mile drive south on the Skyline Drive National Scenic Byway to Swannanoa, turning east to Charlottesville, VA to visit President Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello and then on to Montpelier and President James Madison’s home before visiting Fredericksburg, Virginia.

After taking the James River Plantations Drive to visit the Berkeley and Westover Plantations we will visit Jamestowne – the Colonial National Historical Park – and then Williamsburg. A lantern tour and concert have already been booked in Williamsburg while breakfast at the Old Chickahominy House has been put into the itinerary, too. Traveling north we’ll stop at Mount Vernon for a visit to President George Washington’s home and then we have three nights booked in Washington D.C. From the nation’s capital, we drive to New  York City to visit the Empire State Building for a nighttime view of the city, and then the next day we go atop the Rockefeller Center for a daytime view. Of course, we’ll be visiting Times Square and plan for a guided bike tour of Central Park. Our last day in NYC has us taking a ferry to Ellis Island to see the Statue of Liberty.

From here we head up to Buffalo, New York, and Niagara Falls along with a short visit with my Aunt Lillian, but by now this leg of the vacation is quickly coming to an end and so we’ll point the car south driving to Lancaster, Pennsylvania to tour a small corner of Amish America before boarding our return flight to Phoenix.

Back in Arizona, we have a traditional Hindu wedding to attend for our friend Rinku and her soon-to-be husband Yagnesh. A week later a short trip to Los Angeles has us visiting the Griffith Park Observatory – James Dean has always been a favorite of my mother-in-law – and then we’ll take her to San Pedro for a fresh fish lunch at Ports O’ Call. Santa Barbara is also on the list of to-dos with a five-day visit. Under consideration but not yet confirmed is a drive to Monterey, California.

We close out this trip with a drive to the small town of Pagosa Springs, Colorado for the 4th of July with an old-fashioned downtown parade followed by a rodeo and fireworks. The next day we are booked on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad riding the historic narrow-gauge train through the mountains amongst the wildflowers.

Following this vacation, Jutta will have visited America for a total of 336 days and seen 30 states plus the District of Columbia. She has hiked in and out of the Grand Canyon, visited Death Valley a few times, snorkeling in the Florida Keys, strolled along the Appalachian Trail, dipped her toes into the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and the Gulf of Mexico, too. Jutta has enjoyed her visits to Washington’s Olympic National Park looking at moss and mushrooms in the rain forest and then walked on the glaciers in Montana before one of her many visits to Yellowstone. We looked up to the Presidents at Mount Rushmore and she helped drive across the Great Plains. She’s eaten beignets in New Orleans and visited Elvis Presley’s home at Graceland. My mother-in-law has been on a raft on the Colorado River, a steam train in southern Colorado, a fan boat in the Everglades, and the Ferris wheel at Disneyland. So for those of you who ask, and many do, how I can spend so much time with my mother-in-law – it’s easy with someone who enjoys herself as much as she does.