Hickory Hollow - Somerset PA

We arrived at Hickory Hollow on the 24th and wanted to share some pictures on our last day here. This was a typical "country" RV park. Surrounded by hills, we lacked internet and cell phone access, but our 5 day stay was very nice!! Although there was apparently fish in the small pond, Wil wasn't interested at this time. (We would definitely return again.)

Johnstown & Somerset PA

All in all, our stay in Somerset has been a delight! (A far cry from busy, loud, and crowded DC to the lush, rolling hills of country-tranquility!) We thoroughly enjoyed DC, but this is a welcome diversity. Somerset is a quaint little town, but it does have a Walmart, which we've frequented more than once; although, no Costco. Oh well. By the way, Max continues to be a real sweetheart in evey way!




















It's Sunday, and we drove 30 miles out of Somerset headed for Johnstown. In 1889 this town was destroyed by a massive flood, killing over 2,200 people. We sat through a documentary video and got a devastating look at the cause and outcome of this disaster. The building pictured here is The Johnstown Flood Museum.

Somerset PA

During our 5 day stay in Somerset our sightseeing included 2 recent historical occasions. First, the Que Creek rescue in 2002 where 9 miners were successfully rescued after 3 1/2 days trapped in a coal mine approx. 240 ft below the surface. The rescue was made on the property of the man in the second picture. He is standing beside the 'capsule' used in the rescue.

From Que Creek we drove to see the crash site of Flight 93, the hijacked plane of the 911 disaster. A very interesting presentation was given, and the flag in the field is the actual site location where a memorable is to be erected in the very near future.

Ford Theater - Holocaust Museum

On our last day of sightseeing in DC we visited the place where Lincoln died, which is located across the street from the Ford Theater. The Theater was closed for the entire week....very disappointing!
Also, we walked through the Holocaust Museum, and this was truly heart wrenching!! The world cannot allow such a horrific nightmare to happen again.
Wednesday we will be leaving for Pennsylvania, and we'll keep in touch.

Arlington Cemetery

A place of honor, this cemetery consists of 624 acres and over 320,000 graves. It is a very sobering tribute to some of America's most beloved. The pictures we've chosen are of Wil at Kennedy's eternal flame tomb, the changing of the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier and, of course, Audie Murphy (WWII's most decorated soldier, including Medal of Honor recipient), and a "small" view of the MANY gravesites. By the way, Happy Father's Day to all you dads!!!

Memorials

All the Memorials touch your heart. The Korean, WWII and Lincoln are but a few of the many we have seen. Very impressive even in the rain........

Mt Vernon

This day was quite a trip back into George Washington's life. Before the tour, we enjoyed a 'movie' documentary that set the pace and meaning for the day. Judy is standing in the "back view" of the mansion prior to our visit. Then the part of the house overlooking the Potomac River has Wil standing on the front veranda. We were told that the tree in the last picture was there when George Washington lived in the house.

The Capitol

Wil is standing in front of the Capitol and definitely dwarfed by its immense size. The next picture is from the inside looking up at the ceiling of the dome, which is approximately 150 feet high. We were fortunate to have acquired tour tickets for both the Capitol and the Gallery of the House of Representatives. Also, we thoroughly enjoyed touring the White House, but photography was not allowed there.

Smithsonian Air and Space Museum

The Smithsonian Air & Space is truly a remarkable history of all things that fly, from the Wright Brothers' first motorized plane to the first manned capsule launched into outer orbit, and all things that have flown in between. Truly amazing!!!!

Washington DC

We're playing "catch-up" because the internet access has been anything but favorable! Guess who spent the evening with us the day after we arrived in DC.....our very dear friends from home, Gene and Kathy Bell.
We toured the city aboard a double decker bus in order to get our bearings of various locations to visit. The sword was worn by George Washington. The other is of Judy in front of the Washington Monument.

Williamsburg VA

This was truly a step back-in-time! We spent a day and a half here at Colonial Williamsburg. It's very hard to put this experience into words, and we could've easily posted many more pictures for you!


Early Virginia Capitol building.


This is Christiana's Tavern, which was George Washington's favorite dining place when he was in town.

Inside Governor's Palace with fireplace flanked with swords and rifles. Wow!

A 45-minute dialog by "Thomas Jefferson".

Governor's Palace.

Norfolk VA

1)"Time Out" for mom and Max.
2) We visited MacArthur's Memorial in downtown Norfolk. What an amazing man!
3) This is a cannonball fired in 1776 (the Revolutionary War), which remains "embedded" in the wall of St. Paul's Parish.
4) The pier in this picture is known to be the longest one in North America. It extends 1690 feet into the ocean. This is a "fishing" pier, and I believe we were the only ones there without a line in the water.
4) Finally, our campsite while in Norfolk was at the Elks Lodge. The swimming pool looks very inviting, but the weather was too cool and it rained on and off during our stay.
All in all, a good time in this city, but ready to move on. Next stop is Williamsburg!

Myrtle Beach SC

This is Myrtle Beach, and what a place!!! People, beautiful beach, miles of hotels, and money-money-money! We thoroughly enjoyed 3 days here and stayed in one of the nicest RV parks ever. I think this visit warrants repeating in the near future.
North Carolina is our next stop...a one-nighter.