THE ADVENTURES OF DAVE AND DIMPLES VOL 3.24

Springtime and everyone is back on the road…

INSIDE THE BELTWAY PART II…

We are meeting friends near the Friendship Park Metro station for dinner at a nearby Greek restaurant. On the way we check our urban spoon app and the closest Greek restaurant to our stop is The Parthenon  Reading the menu, we really hope this is where they will be taking us.  The metro is running behind schedule due to weekend repairs and we finally arrive 30 minutes late.  Sure enough dinner is at The Parthenon.  There is a line out the front door when we arrive and the place is packed… but no fears… it’s all about, whom you know, LOL.  Our friends are regulars here and although we have missed our reservation time by a half hour, we are promptly shown to our table.  After perusing the menu and discussing the dishes with our friends, all four of us decide on the Baked Lamb (3 with orzo and 1 with spaghetti), a large Greek salad to share and a bottle of red wine (Greek of course), as recommended by our server. Dinner is spectacular. The salad fresh and crisp with a light dressing, the perfectly seasoned lamb melts in our mouths, and the wine a perfect match.  Meeting up with friends is always fun, but an amazing dinner with friends is unforgettable. (Thanks Bill & Peggy you guys rock!)

Supreme Court
Building

Government and tourism are the two main industries in Washington DC.  We’re doing the tourist thing, but it’s time to check out the government.  We hike over to our Senator Diane Feinstein’s office and pick up gallery passes to the House and the Senate. On Capitol Hill we stop at the The Supreme Court  Building, watch an informational video, view historical exhibits and take a quick tour.  The majestic marble building and decorative carvings inside and out are fitting for the highest court in our country. President Taft, who later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is credited with persuading Congress to authorize construction, and his ever practical wife insisted that,  “the building be easy to clean.”

Three buildings hold the The Library of Congress with the centerpiece

Library of Congress

Thomas Jefferson Building.  This is by far the most beautiful building in the Capitol.  A cathedral to knowledge, with grand arches, marble columns, sweeping staircases, frescos, mosaics and carvings dedicated to learning, creativity, and intellectual achievement.  Regular tours are held throughout the day that start with and introductory video and then a docent led tour that includes information on the decorative interior while stopping to view the Guttenberg and Mainz Bibles and Thomas Jefferson’s book collection. After our tour we take the underground passage way to the James Madison Memorial Building and ride the elevator to the 6th floor cafeteria where we get a decent meal and enjoy great views of the river and

city.

Getting into the Senate Gallery is an exercise in persistence. First you have to get a gallery pass from Senator or Representative, then you have to go through a first screening much like the TSA screening in an airport and finally you have to turn over all cameras, cell phones and any electronic equipment which is held in a check area before entering the gallery.  Once you make it to the gallery it’s pretty underwhelming, unless you happen to hit a voting time.  The Senate was “in session” but we could not identify the speaking senator since he was under the balcony where we sat.  The chamber was empty except for a few aides, clerks and a designated president pro tem.  Yes, the wheels of government turn slowly… really, really slowly…

In Chinatown we stop at the New Big Wong Restaurant (actually we dine here twice so we could try more dishes.)  The decor is average, the service is ok, Sing Tao beers arrive cold, orders get taken and food gets delivered hot from the kitchen.  Portions are large (so lots-o-leftovers to take home.)  The Peking duck is better than Beijing, Pork Fried Rice has lots of finely chopped veggies, egg and meat, Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce is bright green, crisp and perfectly seasoned, Beef with Broccoli is tender and flavorful and the Vegetable Egg Foo Young is fluffy, chock full of vegies and smothered in a smooth creamy gravy.  Each dish maintains a distinct, unique flavor.   There are lots of choices to dine in DC and we are happy to discover this place.

The U.S. Botanic Garden established by Congress in 1820, is a living plant museum located on the National Mall.  Hundreds of orchids are in bloom. The Conservatory with its huge greenhouse showcases an impressive state-of-the-art indoor garden with approximately 4,000 seasonal, tropical and subtropical plants. Stairs and catwalks throughout the green house allow us to climb to view the tops of the palms.  We spend hours exploring the plants and gardens.  There is even a room with spices where we can smell the ingredients of curry mixes and essential oils.

The Freer and Sakler Galleries host an impressive collection of Asian art.  There is a special exhibit of Whistler in conjunction with a Kiyochika exhibit of Japanese wood block prints.  We sign up for a tour of these special exhibits, the docent leaves a lot to be desired and not being huge Whistler fans, we leave the tour after a bit and continue on to the Japanese prints. 

We don't know what to expect when we visit The National Archives so we start with the introductory

National archives

film. After getting our bearings we view the original Declaration of Independence  and the Constitution.  There are also numerous documents associated with the founding of our nation and one of the four remaining original copies of the English Magna Carta.  The museum and exhibits are well designed with state of the art interactive displays.  It's one of our favorite stops in the capitol.

And then there are the  Monuments and Memorials.  The Washington Monument reopens while we’re here, but since we never plan in advance and tickets have been sold out for months, we can’t take the elevator to the top, but we can walk around and touch the monument.  The WWII memorial is massive and grand with lots of eagles, flags and fountains. The Korean Memorial depicts the soldiers in the jungle. The Vietnam memorial is black and somber, a simple list of the dead. 

On our final day in the DC area we head over to George Washington's Mount Vernon across the

Mt. Vernon

Potomac in Virginia.  This eighteenth-century plantation served as home, farm, and business for our first president. Well-preserved out buildings, show the range of common plantation activities such as blacksmithing, cooking, laundry, and spinning. The 16-sided treading barn was an innovation that Washington designed himself to allow horses to thresh wheat indoors.  The outbuildings also include housing for the slaves that were essential to the plantation's success and the wealth of our first president. George and Martha Washington are buried on the plantation and fifty yards behind their vault is the slave memorial. This was the cemetery for slaves and free blacks that worked at Mount Vernon during the 1700s and first half of the 1800s. Because the graves were unmarked, the identities and numbers of those interred there are largely unknown.

Once we finish touring the mansion and grounds, we stop for lunch at the Mt Vernon Inn Restaurant.  We choose regional favorites, Fried Green Tomato appetizer, Turkey Pot Pie, Shrimp and Grits and Bread Pudding for desert.  The service and food is quite good.

Whiskey Barrels

After Lunch we head a few miles down the road to the Gristmill and Distillery.  We watch some corn being milled and tour the distillery.  Unfortunately there are no samples of Mr. Washington’s Whisky.  We could purchase a bottle of the un-aged stuff for $95.00, but for that price, we’d rather get something worth drinking.

It is finally time to leave DC… BTW today marks our two year anniversary on this adventure… who knows what year three has in store for us...

SPRINGTIME IN THE SMOKIES...

From Amicolola we head up into North Carolina to the town of Cherokee, the gateway to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We stay at the The Flaming Arrow Campground. This time of year it’s comfortable and quiet.  The road in is narrow but not a problem for us.  We have a back-in space among the trees and the WIFI works great.  The owner Joanie is super friendly and is a great ambassador for the area. 

Appalachian Trail Posers

Since it’s a bright sunny day, she suggests a trip to Clingmans Dome for a 360-degree view of the Smoky Mountains and five states. At 6,643 feet it’s the highest mountain in the Smokies, highest point in the state of Tennessee and highest peak on the Appalachian Trail. (AKA the AT)  So as soon as we unhitch and set up we head over to the The Great Smokey MountianThe Great Smokey Mountains National Park  for our second stop on the Appalachian Trail.

Great Smokey Mountains

At Clingmans it’s a good news - not so good news situation.  The park service provides a parking lot a half-mile from and 300 feet below the top of the dome. The not so good news, it’s straight up (no switchbacks here) and once you reach the top it’s another 45-foot climb to the top of the observation tower.  Once we reach the top of the tower the views are worth every step.  Below the tower the AT runs along the North Carolina /Tennessee border.  We laugh and hike a bit along the trail with a wide stance so we can be in both states at the same time.

On the way back to camp, we stop at Paul’s Family Restaurant (a Joanie recommendation.)   First impression: Service is not a high priority here.  When we finally order the Indian Taco, Fry Bread with Chili and the Corn Nuggets, they take forever to arrive and every time our waitress passes she apologizes and rushes off. (How can anyone appear to be so busy and accomplish so little?)  The Fry Bread dishes are OK, but we’ve had better.  But the Corn Nuggets – Ahhhhh…. a huge basket of little fried balls of cornbread and corn kernels super yummy!  The patrons here are a mix of locals and tourists. At nearby tables:  A group of middle aged Ducati riding road warriors, decked out in motorcycle leathers bitching about local police issuing tickets for driving 10mph over the speed limit, a Native American family laughing and teasing each other, and across the way a family that looks like cousins of the Duck Dynasty who are also laughing and having fun.

With over nine million annual visitors, the Smokey Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country.  The entrance from the south is through Cherokee, the capital of the eastern Cherokee Nation.  It’s a bit touristy, with some souvenir shops and a casino, but it’s also a charming town with parks, public art and open spaces.  The northern entrance is through Gatlinburg a tourist destination on steroids, celebrating hillbilly roots, bumper to bumper traffic and mobs of sightseers.

Cherokee Bear

While in Cherokee, we visit The Museum of the Cherokee Indian. The first exhibit is a film about the Cherokee creation story and then we meander through the exhibits. This is a well-designed museum that tells the history of the Cherokee Nation from the Paleo Period to the Trail of Tears. It’s both educational and moving.

Mingus Mill

The The Mingus Mill at Oconaluftee was built in 1886 and is still operational today.  While the mill's turbine is not as photogenic as the overshot wheels that power other mills, it is more efficient and requires less water to operate. The turbine generates approximately 11 horsepower (8.2 kW) turning at 400 rpm.  We stop to tour the mill, take some photos and purchase a bag of freshly ground corn meal.  Maybe I can figure out how to make those yummy corn nuggets?

No visit to this area is complete without a drive along at least part of The Blue Ridge Parkway. The views are great since the trees are just starting to sprout.  In summer this will be a sea of green and the variety of trees create great fall colors.  Hmmm… we may have to come back here in autumn.

One of the things we have to watch in this lifestyle is the weather.  We have weather aps and a weather radio.  Things aren’t looking too good right now.  A huge storm is headed our way so we pack up and head northeast into Virginia.  Two hours outside of Cherokee, our weather radio sounds the alarm… Tornado watch in Cherokee… looks like we got out just in time… hopefully it will be a bit calmer in Washington DC?

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GEORGIA… IT’S STILL ON OUR MIND…

View from our site

Now it’s onto Savannah and the Red Gate Campground and RVResort.  We arrive and our space is water and electric only… but the good news is we are off away from the main campground, nestled under the Spanish moss draped oaks with views of the ponds.  This family farm turned RV Park has great history and was a Confederate and later a Union encampment during the Civil war. They still find Civil War artifacts on the land.

City Squares everywhere

As we arrive in Savannah, pink tutu clad folks have just finished a Susan G Komen Race for the Cure. We stroll through the historic district.  This is a spectacularly beautiful city. It reminds us a bit of Boston… but Boston on Prozac.  No one is in a hurry.  In the historic district, every few blocks is a city square with statues or fountains and the ever-present moss draped oaks.

Splashing in Ellis Sq.

This is definitely a walking city. We stop by the Cathedral of St. John TheBaptist the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Georgia.  This is truly a beautiful cathedral with all the trimmings:  frescos, stained glass, statues… the works!  After, we stop at the Moon River Brewery for some tasty adult beverages.  The couple next to us orders brews that are served in a different glass.  Curious. We inquire and are introduced to Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale… Thank you young couple from Cincinnati, Ohio  On our way to the waterfront there’s a Tea Party Rally in the park.  Not much of a turn out tho… there are more kids splashing in the fountain.  Along the Savannah River there are lots of touristy shops and restaurants.  We grab a hot dog from a cart and watch huge ships come up the Savannah River. On our way back to the parking garage we pass through the park, the tea party is over and the fountain is still full of splashing children.
!

Beach

Tybee Island is Savannah’s beach.  Every April for almost thirty years, college students have an impromptu beach party: Orange Crush.  Town officials try to guess the date but it’s a social media event.  It doesn’t happen while we are here.  The Beach is quiet.

Tybee Island Lighthouse

The Tybee Island Museum is located within the walls of Battery Garland of Fort Screven. It’s a strange museum with continuity issues, limited artifacts but lots of laminated posters with information about the island. Battery Garland was constructed in 1898-1899 to mount a huge 12-inch “non-disappearing” rifled, long-range cannon.    Across from the Battery is the Tybee Island lighthouse.  We tour the grounds and light keeper’s cottage and climb up in circles for what seems like forever (ok it’s only four stories) to the top of the station for some incredible views of the area with a little acrophobia as the walkway seems a bit sketchy. (Guess that’s why they only allow 25 visitors up at a time.

Gothic headstones

The Bonaventure Cemetery is located on a scenic bluff on the Wilmington River, east of Savannah. It’s 160 acres of breathtakingly beautiful filled with history and pseudo-history. It was featured in the 1994 novel, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt and the movie based on the book.  In 1867 John Muir wrote his chapter “Camping Among the Tombs” about his six days and nights sleeping on the graves as it was the safest and cheapest accommodation he could find while waiting for money to be expressed from home. It is the final resting place of Oscar Wilde, Johnny Mercer and Conrad Aiken. It’s a “World’s Most Haunted Cemetery” in a World’s Most Haunted City. (Not sure how they qualify this.) But there’s really nothing creepy here… just a sense of beauty and tranquility.

Cannon Ball holes

Fort Pulaski sits between Savannah and Tybee Island. Originally built as a main defense against overseas enemies it stands as a landmark for the turning point in Military History.  During the Civil War the Union army blasted the masonry walls with a rifled cannon, breaching the perimeter. Ordinances landed perilously close the Confederate munitions supply compelling them to surrender.  The breech in the exterior walls was immediately repaired once the Union took control, but the exterior walls still show the ravages of war. 

Cockspur Lighthouse

The Cockspur lighthouse sits off in the distance marking the south channel of the Savannah River.  Although open to the public, it is only accessible by foot during low tide.

Well… Easter is coming and we have a date in Atlanta…

LONE STAR ADVENTURES

After Carlsbad Caverns we head south on the I-10 into Texas.  At the state line highway quality takes an abrupt change for the better (woo hoo!) but in all of our travels so far we have never seen so much trash on the roadside: fast food debris, aluminum cans, bottles and plastic bags fluttering from the bushes and barbed wire fencing.  The “Don’t mess withTexas” anti-litter campaign seems forgotten in this part of the state.

Calcite Formations

Our plan is to meet up with friends in Austin who migrated there from California a few years ago.  A perfect half way point to stop is Sonora, TX where the Caverns of Sonora have an RV park.  We arrive early afternoon; which gives us time to take a tour of the caverns.  These caves are some of the most decorated caverns in the world with many unique formations, including a famous butterfly, which unfortunately was damaged by some yahoo a few years back. Even damaged, this piece of calcite is pretty amazing.  Our tour guide also tells us a bit about the west Texas culture and economy… lots of ranching, horses, goats and white tail deer.  The deer are bred for freakishly large antlers and breeding bucks are sold to hunting resorts where “hunters” pay big bucks (pun intended) to put one of these heads on their walls.

The next day we head to Austin.  First impression here:  Traffic Sucks!  We stay at the Lone Star RV Park on the I-35 (home of the worst of the worst traffic) right next to the Adult Superstore MegapleXXX.  (Anyone in Austin knows exactly where this is LOL)

After setting up we ask Siri where to get the best BBQ close-by.  We are directed to Chief’sBBQ, a hole in the wall in a strip mall across the freeway.  The ribs are super smoky with a crispy dry rub and zesty vinaigrette BBQ sauce for dipping and pouring over the meat.  Not a bad first introduction to BBQ in Austin. 

Most of our time here is spent with friends who either show off their Texas acquired BBQ skills or treat us to meals at their favorite restaurants.

Best breakfast by far is at Juan in A Million where we have to order the “Don Juan” El Taco Grande, a secret combination of potato, egg, bacon and cheese in a deliciously hot tortilla. There is so much tasty filling that one tortilla is grossly inadequate and our waitress is more than happy to bring us more.  Ultimately we fill six tortillas with the yummy filling.  And the best part:  it only set us back $4.50!

Tako Pops

Most unexpected meal is at Uchi for contemporary Japanese cuisine.  In addition to unique combination sushi rolls they offer lots of tasty small dishes that mix local seasonal ingredients with the freshest seafood from around the world.  Everything we sample is mouthwateringly great.  With the exception of the Tako Pops – Grilled baby octopus on sticks – visually intriguing – emotionally disturbing (they are just babies after all) – gastronomically disappointing (like eating teriyaki rubber bands).

The weather is sketchy, with all of these bothersome April showers that come in March.  On one particularly dreary day we head 80 miles south to San Antonio to visit The Alamo. (Where the theme song from Disney’s Davy Crockett stays stuck in my head.)  The fort is well preserved and the docents are well informed.  In addition to the entry fee, we rent the audio tour (which is well worth it.)  The short film is fairly well done and another excuse to keep out of the rain.  Afterwards we head over to the river walk and have a forgettable Mexican meal.

Jamaica Beach

After biding tearful goodbyes to all of our friends, we head to Galveston Island.  We spend a couple of days in Jamaica Beach at the Jamaica Beach RV resort.  Our space is right on the road and we are actually glad that they could only accommodate us for two nights.  So we spend our one full day here exploring the less populated end of the Island.  Lots of fancy new houses high on stilts dot the beaches.

Galveston Visitor Center

Next we move to the Sandpiper RV resort in the city of Galveston.  It’s a great location with ocean views. Galveston has some incredible architecture.  The Galveston Visitor Center is housed in the spectacular carriage house of the Ashton Villa and offers a glimpse into the luxury side of the island.

Astronaut Exhibit

At the Gumbo Diner we enjoy BBQ oysters, these tasty morsels are coated with a Louisiana hot sauce with a blue cheese dipping sauce.  The Gumbo was a bland disappointment but the Beignets were absolutely to die for. We actually returned for the Oysters and Beignets.

A visit to this part of Texas is not complete without a day trip up to Houston and the Johnson Space Center.  This is where the astronauts train.  After touring the museum, we take the tour of the actual building housing all of the training equipment and marvel at the sheer size of the Saturn V rocket. Admission is a bit pricy, but it’s half the price of admission to Canaveral and well worth the money.

  

One thing that we need to keep on top of is the weather and avoiding golf ball sized hail is of utmost importance.  (Dimples on Dimples is so not cool!) There’s a storm brewing and we’ll start heading east and try to stay ahead of it… time to move on…

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