My wife had no idea where I was taking her for our anniversary. She was even more lost when I told her we were taking our bikes. I don’t think she had any idea until she seen the ferry boat landing. Then she turned to me and said, “I bet I know where we are heading?” Well, the ferry made it pretty easy at this point. But I didn’t tell her the final part of the surprise.
She figured out the final part of the surprise when I asked her to grab the bag from the back seat. She looked over from the passenger side and asked. “Are we staying on the Island?” We didn’t do that on our first trip to Put-In-Bay. I said yes. Then I told her that is one reason for the bikes. The hotel asked me not to bring the car over because it gets crowded on the weekends. We parked the car in one of the extended lots and headed for the ferry.
We could not have asked for a better weekend. The weather held up nicely and really the Island was not overcrowded because we found it was the end of the season. In our normal adventures when we go away we had to visit the winery and we found one brewery that was out of most of the food on their menu, we found out later it was their last weekend to be open for the year. Oh, the bikes you ask? Well, we rode them around the entire Island and had a good time just exploring on our own.
You don’t have to wait for your anniversary to take a weekend trip. We take a few a year just to unwind from the day to day grind of life and spend some alone time with each other.
Last note. Sorry I didn’t blog while we were on the Island. There was no desk in the room and I am not one for typing long posts on the iPad without my trusty keyboard. So I thought I would just wait until now and give you the update.
It took me awhile but I got the bikes loaded onto the car. These are times I really miss having my truck. I guess if you are used to using a bike rack it would not be as hard to get the bikes onto the car?
I could tell when I took the bikes out of our basement that we have not used them for some time. I first had to hose them off and get the cobwebs off. Next, I had to get the tire pump out and fill the tires. I also found out that I am really not in great shape. I took each bike for a ride to the end of our road and my body was yelling what the heck!
But we should be out of the house soon and be hitting the road. I will let you know later in a post how and if the bikes made it to where we are going.
Each year at this time I wonder where I will take my wife for our anniversary? This is our 13th year of marriage and each one of those years we have gone somewhere. This year I thought I would think outside of the box. I knew where I wanted us to go but the planning was a little more in-depth then past years.
Where we are going you can rent bikes, but I thought since we have our own bikes why rent them. But since I no longer have a truck how would I get the bikes to the location with us? I looked into buying a bike rack for the car but really didn’t want to spend the money for a test run. So asking around I found someone at work that said he would lend me his rack. There are nice people everywhere. He is a bike rider and was excited about my idea.
I must say my wife is a little nervous. This morning I wrote up my travel plans and what we may be doing today and tomorrow. I placed it on the table and told her she can see my plans if she would like? She told me that I have never let her down for our weekends away and she didn’t want to read it.
Well, I have to get away from the computer and get the bikes out and the rack on the car. We hope to be leaving our house soon to spend some needed time away alone. Keep watching the blog for updates on this crazy weekend trip.
Traveling at least by car has never really been my thing. Don’t get me wrong we have done a ton of it over the years even taking our children on many car trips. But in today’s fast paced world and everyone trying to get somewhere as fast as they can makes you wonder if it is safe anymore? We were on a highway yesterday doing 60 in a 55 zone and there were people trying to run over us. Then you get moving in the fast lane and you find a person driving 10 miles under the limit in the fast lane. Then we have the distracted drivers. Remember when our parents taught us to drive? Both hands on the wheel, hand over hand, eyes scanning everywhere all the time. Today you see more people looking down towards their lap, ie’ SMART PHONE then watching the road ahead. I am writing this in the hopes that someone will read it and think, “I could save a life today by paying attention!”
Life behind bars! Those three words are very scary. We took a trip to a local prison today. We have been in many prisons on tours before but this one was different. It’s difference is that is recently closed in 1995. YOu can still feel the pain and sorrow once you cross the main gate and enter the cell blocks.
I have watch a few You Tube videos on prisons after our visit and I was surprised to find some stories and felt it could happen to anyone. Once such story was of a real-estate agent who left the bar one night and had a little to much to drink. On his way home he hit someone and killed them. Now he is serving time inside. Think how many times you left a bar or party thinking I can make it home. Stop next time and just spend the night where you are. You do not want to go inside!
My wife and the girls visited the bakery today. They could not wait to call me after leaving the bakery and getting into the car. They walked right in NO LINES! Next after getting there I guess the Cake Boss’s mom was coming out to get some air. This is cool in many ways if you are a fan of a show and you get to grab a picture with one of the people on the show.
We went a year ago to Vegas and didn’t have a chance to see and of the Pawn Guys?
Here is the picture that the had taken from someone coming into the store that could not hold the camera steady.
Today there is no pictures for the first time in a long time. And for the first time in quit awhile I waved good bye to my wife and the girls. I normally go on vacation with all of them but this time I stayed back to work.
Really where they are heading I really didn’t care to visit. They are going to visit The Cake Boss or at least the bakery. They will be driving about 7 hours to buy some cupcakes and lobster tails.
But as with my trip to Walton’s Mountain, this trip is on my wife’s bucket list. And let me be the first to tell you the readers, if you have a place in mind go NOW! Don’t wait until you are to old and make that statement my dad always made. He would say son I really wished I would have done this or that. Now with his passing last November I never say NO.
Sorry about no pictures today but at least we have some daily thoughts.
When you travel try not to eat the normal fast food. We always try to find little out of the way places where we can enjoy local conversions and a good home cooked meal. Most of the time we find that the prices are close to what you would pay anywhere else.
This is one of those places. This is in Point Marion PA. Little hard to find but plug it into your GPS and you will be guided to the food of your dreams. Great food and better yet great owners. We almost felt like we were at home.
Here is a pictures of the outside of their building.
As we were driving home we decided to visit Natural Bridge Virginia. We found the brochures at a rest stop I thought when will be back to ever see this? We made the turn and drove almost 60 miles out of our way.
By the end of the day we visited the Natural Bridge, the wax museum and the caverns. So was it worth driving 60 miles out of our way to visit this attraction? YES YES YES! When ever you go anywhere I would say to take an extra day and visit the sites around or on the way to your destination.
This is a picture of the Natural Bridge.
To see more of the pictures from this location please use this link.
Today was the day of our big tour of the Walton’s Museum and Earl Hamner’s childhood house. As I said before this is been a place I wanted to visit ever since I found out it really existed.
I first told my wife that the entire tour looked like it would take about a half hour. I was wrong. The real reason for being wrong is that there are just some many pictures to see of the old cast and some scenes from the shows, you just had to stop and look.
Then we paid for a open tour of Earl Hamner’s childhood home. I could not have driven this far and not take a walk through the house. I has been restored by a local women who bought it for $122,000.00 and then looks like show put another $100,000 into it to complete the restore. We were impressed that they just hand you the key and say take as much time as you like. Very nice place to visit.
Here is a picture of me sitting at the very desk and in the very room as Earl did when he created his first book that started the Walton’s series. Thanks to Earl Hamner and the entire Walton cast for all of the year’s of memories with my father and my own family.
