Shenandoah

In the spirit of adventurers who have gone before, our Corp of Discovery's mantra for this year is "carpe diem."  We promised each other before we took on this opportunity that we would use every spare minute to see some historic site or take in a museum or artistic or cultural event.

Last Sunday we had our first chance to do just that.  We packed a picnic lunch and headed out the door!

Shenandoah National Park is only an hour and a half west of the DC-metro area.  It was a beautiful, sunny day, so we decided to drive a portion of Skyline Drive, a road that runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are part of the larger Appalachian mountain range.

We entered at the farthest north entry point at Front Royal.  The fall colors had probably peaked about a month before, but it was beautiful nonetheless.



There were overlooks around every corner, and we saw lots of deer.








The views looking down on the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the layers of mountains as far as the eye could see were breathtaking.



We reluctantly left Skyline Drive at Thornton's gap, one of the passages through the Blue Ridge mountains used by Confederate General Stonewall Jackson to move his troops during the Civil War.  There were many Civil War battles fought in and around the Shenandoah Valley from 1862-1864.  The Union ultimately took control of the Shenandoah Valley, but the Confederates had some successes and used it to screen their movements and make headway towards Gettysburg.

We look forward to seeing more of the Shenandoah Valley when the wildflowers are blooming in the Spring!

Vicksburg

Random post for those Civil War buffs out there . . . .

We weren't really planning on doing any sightseeing after leaving Louisiana.  We had some seriously long driving days ahead of us to make it to DC by November 11th.

However, we couldn't resist making an unscheduled stop when we were cruising along I-20 in Mississippi and saw the signs for Vicksburg, MS.  How could we pass by the hallowed ground of one of the most important strategic battles that proved to be a turning point in the Civil War?!?

We quickly downloaded the "app" and set a dest on the ol' map app for the Vicksburg National Military Park.  Thank goodness for smart phones, and the Battle Apps put out by the Civil War Trust are amazing!

In case your Civil War history is a little rusty, Owen's synopsis of the significance of Vicksburg during the Civil War is as follows:  "It was one of Grant's greatest career achievements during the Civil War.  By laying siege to and capturing Vicksburg, he had taken control of the key Confederate-held Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two."

There's something about seeing the actual terrain on which a battle is fought that really brings history to life.  The views of the Mississippi River from the Confederate works on the top of the hill were spectacular.  Samuel was amazed at how many pieces of artillery they staged on these hilly positions because it had to be an arduous task trying to get the guns up the steep slopes.

We also saw the remains of the USS Cairo, a ironclad gunboat that was dredged up from the bottom of the Mississippi River about 50 years ago and was partially reconstructed for display in the park, and we paid our respects at the National Military Cemetery, where 17,000 Union souls were put to rest.

All-in-all, well worth the time and time well spent!

Small miracles

WE MADE IT to Northern Virginia!!!

Well, okay . . . to be accurate, we made it here exactly TWO WEEKS AGO today, but we've been too busy getting my husband started at work, unpacking, enrolling the kids in school and settling in to reflect much on the journey.

As we pulled in to the Courtyard Marriott in Dunn Loring, VA, on Veteran's Day, the trip odometer read just over 4,000 miles logged during our epic nine-day, 13-state driving adventure across the US!

During this week of Thanksgiving, it seemed fitting to take a moment to reflect on the trip and the many small miracles that blessed us along the way, among them:

Miracle #1:  Timing.  By some huge miracle, the timing actually worked out so that we could make the drive across the country as a family, instead of via some separate combination of planes, trains and automobiles.  Despite delays in military orders, etc., everything came together during our last week in Oregon so that we were able to schedule our household goods shipment to be packed and picked up a few days before we had to leave.

Miracle #2:  Weather.  We managed to travel during what was probably the last week of the year that the weather was good and worry-free for driving across the country.  News reports of places we had been through made it sound like the roads were literally icing up behind us, but we managed to avoid any treacherous winter driving.

Miracle #3:  The Trailer.  Held together by duct tape and prayers, the "Rusty Scupper" survived the bumpy detours off I-40 on Route 66, the howling winds of west Texas, and the miles and miles of neglected interstate.  We thought for sure we'd have a blow out because her tires had barely any tread, but the man at the Newberg U-Haul rental place said she'd make it, and much to our surprise, she did!

The photo below was taken as we were pulling away from a U-Haul lot in VA, where we dropped her off at the end of the journey.  If trailers could talk . . . at least she has a few more adventures from our trip to add to her stories!



Miracle #4:  Our Stuff.  Even with a cable lock on the tongue and a lock on the back door of the trailer, we were convinced that either the trailer--or our car--would get broken into, and all our valuable possessions would get stolen.  Somehow we chose the right hotels and lucked into well-lit parking lots, and our worst fears weren't realized.  Whew!

Miracle #5:  The Dog.  How lucky were we that we didn't lose the dog in Flagstaff, AZ?!?  Best dog ever!!!

Miracle #6:  The Driver.  Although the moving van driver transporting our household goods beat us to the East Coast, he (due to health problems he was attending to) had not yet offloaded our shipment into temporary storage, so we only had to camp out in our empty house for a few days before we were able to contact him in South Carolina and arrange to deliver our household goods.  He was willing to deliver it to us on a Sunday because he was anxious to get it off his truck. What a blessing to sleep in our own beds and get a good rest the night before the boys registered at their new schools!

Miracle #7:  Family Visit.  Somehow we managed to stay enough on schedule that we were able to connect with family for a quick bite when we passed through NC.  It was great to see family, and we're hopeful we'll get to see more of them during our time on the East Coast.





Miracle #8:  Breakage.  So far, we have discovered only one broken furniture item and one broken glass.  That's pretty impressive considering how many boxes were packed and how crammed they were into the moving van.



Miracle #9:   The Rental House.  We lucked into renting a great house in a great location with great schools!  We managed to negotiate and sign a lease right before we left Oregon, and the house was ready the day after we arrived in Northern Virginia.  It's an easy commute to work for hubby.  He walks just a few minutes to the bus stop, which is right around the corner.  Visitors are welcome anytime!  We have plenty of room for guests, so consult your calendars and book yourself in if you feel like a trip east.



Miracle #10:  Changing of the Season.  We arrived in time to see some beautiful fall colors, right in our own yard!  And not too long after we arrived, we got to rake up all those beautiful leaves . . . but I can think of worse things to do as a family on a nice sunny day.

Happy, happy, happy

Okay, we'll admit it.  The weather was good enough when we launched that we COULD have taken a more northerly route for our cross-country adventure and shaved almost a thousand miles off the trip.  But that would have meant giving up on the "quest" . . . the epic journey to peek behind the duck blind and immerse ourselves in the setting of what has become one of our favorite TV shows.  

We rolled into West Monroe, Louisiana at about 11:00 on Saturday (yesterday).  To say we were tingling with excitement was an understatement.  It was nothing short of a miracle that 2700+ miles later, with the Rusty Scupper in tow, we made it pretty much on time as planned.

Our first observation:  West Monroe is MUCH bigger than the sleepy Louisiana burg A&E depicts in the Duck Dynasty TV show, as least as compared to our own Yamhill County.  West Monroe itself has about 13,000 people and Monroe right across the river has about 49,000 people.  It was big and urban and there was lots of traffic and people!

Our first stop for a mid-morning snack at Haskell's donuts (the scene of the famous donut-eating contest, for those of you who are fans of the show) did not disappoint.  Owen was thrilled to sit on Jace's autographed stool.  In addition to the sweet donuts, we got our first taste of what it feels like to be lavished with true southern hospitality and terms of respect and endearment (ma'am and sir, honey, baby, sweetie, baby doll).

Just a few hundred yards down the road, we saw a sign with the familiar flying duck logo.  Our pilgrimage to the land of beards and camo was over . . . we made it!

We followed the signs into the building, hoping to be greeted by Uncle Si or Godwin even Willie Robertson himself.  We had read online that visitors will sometimes get glimpses of Duck Dynasty royalty as they are entering or leaving the building.  

Apparently they no longer do tours (too many visitors), but we spent quite a bit of time in the Duck Commander store, testing out duck calls, admiring the 40th anniversary largest duck call ever made, picking out souvenirs and watching expectantly each time the overhead door to the warehouse side was lifted up for staff to bring merchandise through, just in case we caught a glimpse of a familiar face.  Owen thought he saw a glimpse of Jace walking to the office, but the rest of us are unsure.

Our hearts were happy and our shopping bags were full as we left the Duck Commander/Buck Commander HQ!

We had some fine Cajun-inspired cuisine at Willie's Duck Diner (gumbo, jambalaya and red beans, sausage and rice).  Then we spent the rest of the day taking in other sites from the show (White's Ferry Road Church of Christ, Debbie's Snoballs, Danken Trail BBQ, Excalibur Family Fun Center (what a zoo!) and even Landry Vineyards!  

As if all that wasn't enough for one day, we were treated to an amazing sunset as we retired to our hotel for the night.  We are truly blessed, and that's a fact, Jack!

Halfway there

We finally found that Route 66 diner we were seeking in Winslow, AZ.  There we were, standing on a corner . . . when a girl in a flatbed Ford told us where we could get a great breakfast right across the street, and boy was she right!

As we reach the halfway point on this cross-country adventure, we thought we'd post some random observations and some photos from yesterday's drive (big driving day--Flagstaff, AZ to Amarillo, TX!):

Owen:  "Fun fact--New Mexico has these fireworks stores that are open year-round, and it has lava from volcanoes that used to be active, which means I will never live here."

Samuel:  "The farther east we go, the smaller the urinals are."

Ava:  "The margaritas in Texas are A-MAAAAAZ-ING!!"

Eric:  "It's very difficult to find a Starbuck's when dragging a trailer."

Spike:  "My family seemed really upset in Flagstaff when they came out to the car and found that the rear hatch had opened and I wasn't inside the car.  I may be a dog, but I'm not crazy . . . I wasn't about to go wandering off and get left behind! Some nice man came up and decided to tie me to the tongue of our U-Haul trainer anyway, just in case.  I don't know what all the fuss was about, but boy, was my family happy to see me!"

We'll close this entry with some photos of the beautiful scenery on the drive: