When we left to explore Grand Haven, we were a little hesitant to leave our relaxing, peaceful campsite.  In the morning, the river is just like glass with a perfect reflection of the trees until the first boats stir up the water.  We saw a wild rabbit searching for some food and its just hard to leave.

By the way, the Park Hostess at this campground was right when she said that  dusk is very late.  It is actually at 9:45 pm.   Plenty of time to play 18 holes of golf even if you start at 6 p.m.  (This would be for you, Carl).  Sunrise is about 6:30 a.m. so there is lots of daytime to fit in plenty of activity.

Anyway, back to Grand Haven.  We drove into this charming town with a bustling downtown district filled with shops and restaurants of every liking.  We stopped at the Chamber to get the lowdown on activities and found out just how big the Coast Guard Festival is.This is the welcome area at the center of town.

This is the 225 Anniversary of US Coast Guard so you can imagine its going to be big.  Every year it is held here in Grand Haven and they call themselves the Coast Guard City.  We will only be here for the first few days but the festival will last a full week ending next Sunday, August 2nd, with a gigantic fireworks display.

Coast Guard Station – Grand Haven, MI

We had lunch at Snug Harbor Restaurant on the upper deck on the riverfront.  Spectacular view (below) and weather for eating outside which is probably why everyone else in town was there as well.

Entrance of Grand River from Lake Michigan

We decided to return on Sunday to see the Musical Fountain show at nighttime and wander through the shops.

We drove over to the beach, which was where all the other people were.

Beaches at Grand Haven

 The sign said the water temperature was 65 degrees so I have to question the sanity of all these people.  It’s interesting to see the State has an RV Park right at the edge of the beach with camp sites that looked like zero-lot-line housing.  But how else do you fit all those campers into such a limited space.

The beach was beautiful whitish soft sand and thousands of people slicked with sunscreen.  Within walking distance was a long walkway leading to the old lighthouse.  During stormy weather, the walkway is often underwater so there is an elevated walkway used by the lighthouse keeper to service the light.  Today,  the lower level is a promenade for walkers and runners.  On this walk we saw confirmation that the teen brain is not fully developed yet.  There were groups of teens running and jumping into this 65 degree water.  I know that doesn’t sound that ridiculous until I tell you that the spot they chose to do these gymnastics had two levels of seawall and if you didn’t get out far enough to avoid the lower level, well suffice it to say the damage would not be pretty or temporary.

Tomorrow we plan on taking in the sights and sounds of Holland.

This morning we left Lakeville, Indiana and headed to our first stop in Michigan, staying at the Conestoga campground.  Thanks to Jim’s planning we found ourselves with our rear window of the RV facing the Grand River just up the road from Grand Haven touted as having the best beaches in Michigan.  The campground sits high above the water level providing beautiful vistas of shoreline, water and trees and is incredibly peaceful and quiet.

The humidity is 34 percent and the temperatures are in the high 70’s.  There is also a mild breeze most of the day making the weather as perfect as you can get it.  For the first time in a long time, we are functioning with the windows open and no air conditioning.  Our plan is to stay here for six days and I am loving the idea.  Starting on Saturday there is some sort of Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven and we think it should be fun and interesting to visit along with some of the other sites in the area.

One negative is the remoteness of all this peace and tranquility.  We had to drive ½ hour to find a restaurant and grocery store.  I guess we will be doing more cooking while we are here.  On the way back from our excursion, we saw a large fruit and vegetable market on the corner of the road.  It was already 7:40 p.m. so I didn’t think it was still open but you know optimistic Jim.  He pulled in and found a nice lady who said, “we just sell on the honor system.”   “Just take what you want in a plastic bag and put the money in the cash box”.  We found the most delicious black cherries and blueberries I have ever seen.  Of course, we did our part to help the local economy.

By the way, in this part of the country sundown is not until after 9 p.m.  In fact, the hostess at the campground says it should be around 9:45 p.m.  No wonder at 8:40 p.m. there are still people boating and fishing on the river.

Tomorrow begins the Michigan part of our trip.  We have spent the last 5 days experiencing Nashville, Tennessee again with the California branch of our family.  Unfortunately, the temperatures all this time have been record-breaking.  Right now, at 4pm in the afternoon, it is still 97 degrees with a heat index of 104 degrees.  Fortunately, though, our grandchildren are all part fish and we got our RV campground fees worth of swimming pool time and our share of air conditioning.

Early in the week we took them to see the Nashville replica of the Parthenon.  It was really fun watching them put this replica into perspective with the photos of the real deal in Greece and the concept of Greek gods versus the One True God.  If you have never seen it, inside this massive building is a HUGE statute of Athena.  Although James is only 9 and Rebecca is 11 years old, they were very interested in what they were seeing and asked lots of questions.

On another day, we did the Country Music Museum, and a live show at Opryland.  Larry Gatlin and Vince Gill were two of the performers I recognized and we were there to hear Home Free (new acapella group) make their Opryland debut.

Country Western Museum in downtown Nashville

On Saturday, James and I got to set the agenda because this was the official celebration of our July 11th birthdays.  As my friends all know, this is keeping in step with my personal philosophy of celebrating my birthday the entire month of July.  James picked brunch at Cracker Barrel and a trip to the toy store, followed by swimming in the pool.  I picked a trip to the awesome hotel, Gaylord Opryland to walk through the lobby, take a boat ride and then have dinner in one of their restaurants.  I chose the Ravello Italian restaurant and it was not a mistake.  Most of the restaurants in the hotel feel like you are dining “al fresco” but it is perfectly monitored 70 degrees everywhere in that lobby.  If you have not seen this hotel, it is worth the trip. Waterfalls in the lobby of Gaylord Opryland

Think Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando times four and then add a little more.  It was interesting to see how high the water damage from the 2010 flood had gone and all they had to do to reopen.
The family left this morning for Atlanta, we went to church and then lunch at the restaurant at Belle Meade Plantation, one of our favorites.  Jim and I just woke up from a long overdue nap and now, Let the Trip Begin!!!!!

This morning we left for our 2015 adventure which includes a week with family in Nashville, Tennessee and then on to explore Michigan for six or seven weeks.

We are driving up the west coast of Michigan, taking in Mackinac Island and the U.P. and then back down the east coast.  We have lots of interesting stops planned along the way and hope you will follow along with us.  You don’t want to miss the mushroom houses in  Charlevoix, Ford Museum, Grand Hotel and other stops we think will be fun.

Right now we are spending the night in a campground in Perry, Ga where it is hotter than …….(you know the place).  The only consolation is it’s just as hot back home.

Several years ago we came to Williamsburg and I recall coming to Jamestown as well, but I sure don’t remember what we saw at the Jamestown Settlement yesterday.  If you have been there prior to 2006 its time to take a return trip because a lot has been going on there.  There have numerous archaeological findings on the property and active digs happening now.

 As the guide said, “archaeology is the embodiment of the saying that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure”.  In fact, they have built a museum on the Settlement property to hold the findings and at least two of the findings have been classified as the most important findings in the world during two consecutive years.  They now have the exact outline of the original triangular fort and portions of the additions changing the shape to a five sided structure.
Model of what original fort looked liked

They have the exact location of the church building where John Smith and Pocahontas were married forming an alliance with the local Virginia Indians.  They have uncovered 75 grave sites and remains including the gruesome discoveries of what happened during the starving period when they were forced to eat anything they could find including rodents, dogs, cats, and horses.  They also found forensic evidence of survival cannibalism and they were able to provide a reconstruction of a skull of a young teenage girl giving her the name Jane.  This is like an episode of “Bones” or CSI but for real.

There is also a glassblower demonstration on the site and you can actually buy pieces made during the demonstration.

I had no idea, but we learned that glassblowing is dated back to the early Egyptians over 4500 years ago.  Unfortunately for Jamestown, it did not turn out to be a good source of income to the early settlement and this entire region soon chose tobacco as the product of choice to export.

They have also added a nice little Cafe’with a porch facing the James River.  Of course, that was our lunch choice and we highly recommend it for your visit as well.

Tomorrow Carol will be leaving us heading to pick up her friend in Annapolis and we will be heading south to North Carolina for a few days.  We will miss our traveling buddy.

Pictures of Williamsburg Plantation where we stayed Entrance and Registration office

Our villa for the week

We decided today was a good day to visit two of the many plantations in the area and we were told The Berkeley Plantation and the Shirley Plantation were the two not to miss.  Berkeley Plantation actually publicizes itself as the location of the First Thanksgiving when the small band of pilgrims landed in 1612 and immediately knelt to give thanks for their safe arrival.

They built their small settlement for three years before the Native Indians massacred the entire community.  The plantation was eventually bought by the Harrison family and became the home of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Constitution, and birthplace to two subsequent Presidents.  This plantation has beautiful grounds right on the James River, used by many in the day to travel to the plantation.

View of James River from the Plantation

In fact, this plantation is where General McClelland had his men stationed during the Civil War after being pushed out of Richmond and where President Lincoln came to see him to relieve him of his command.

When lunch time came, we stopped at a restaurant highly recommended by someone at Berkeley called the Charles City Tavern.

Green Fried Tomatoes

Virginia Apple Salad with walnuts, blue cheese cranberries and chicken salad

Chicken Salad Sandwich

The Shirley Plantation on the other hand, was spared by the Indian uprising that destroyed most of the other settlements in the early 1600’s and was not touched during the Civil War.

As a result, this plantation has been in continuous operation for over 400 years with a member of the original family living on site all that time.  In fact, most of the plantations only open the first floor of the main houses to visitors because the upper floors are used as the residences of the owning family.  The youngest couple, married in the Spring, currently live in the two top floors of the Shirley Plantation but have their kitchen and laundry in the basement.  The only staircase in the building is a floating staircase, no visible means of support, and is still in continuous use today after over 400 years.  Now that’s good construction!

Entrance driveway into the plantation

One of the out buildings on the plantation with cotton field in background

After we left Shirley, we found a Wawa and Carol introduced us to their Iced Coffee.  All I can say is “now we are really in trouble!”

Back to Williamsburg to do some shopping before going to the Whaling Company Restaurant for a light dinner of clam chowder, steamed clams, ahi tuna, and french fries.  No one is ever going to accuse us of being nutritionists!

Only this time by bus!  We were up early so we could leave the Villa by 5:50 a.m. and stop at Wawa for coffee before we met our tour bus at K-Mart.  Don’t be judgmental.  We are not crazy.

The tour bus driver was a lifetime Williamsburg resident who filled the trip with interesting information and stops throughout the day.  For me, at least, the highlight was the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington.

It was obvious every detail was meticulously planned and monitored.  Each step taken by the guards is exactly like the step of every other guard in pace, length and execution.  Matt, our tour driver, told us that although many apply for the “Tomb Guards” very few are selected.  All the candidates have to fall into a specific height, weight, and waist size demographic to even apply.  They must also take a vow of abstinence from drugs and alcohol for life, even though their term in service is only two years.  In addition to the official ceremony, we witnessed a special presentation of flowers from a school.  I suspect this ceremony never gets old.

Many stops and facts filled the day.  Some of the stops were a repeat from our trip in March and some were new but all were interesting and worth the trip back into D.C.  I’m convinced you could visit this city many times and never see all it has to offer.  Matt gave us one of those informational facts that blows my mind.  There are over 1,300,000 items to see in the Smithsonian Museum Buildings alone.  If you spent one minute looking at each item, it would take you over 230 years to see each item.  I guess that means don’t even try!

Pictures of places we visitedJohn F. Kennedy memorial with eternal flame

Arlington National Ceremony where Tomb of the Unknowns is located  Korean War Memorial plaque above the memorial below

Lincoln Memorial

FDR memorial

World War II memorial  Lincoln Memorial in background

White House

Capitol Building dome being repaired

On the way back, we stopped at the restaurant at Bass Pro Shop and had a great dinner of salads and fried crawfish and calamari.  Who knew!

Calamari

 Islamorada Salad – cranberries, cashews, blue cheese and vinaigrette dressing

Crawfish Tails and Caesar Salad

Back to Kmart and the car by 9 p.m. tired but glad we went.  This trip has done wonders for my insomnia.

The prognosis was for rain all day, so after yesterday’s hectic pace, we decided to take it easy today.  It was almost lunchtime before we ever left the Villa but even then we weren’t in a hurry.  A little shopping, a little Wawa coffee, a little lunch and a movie, then dinner.

Part of our arrival package was a coupon for a restaurant that served dinner for two including appetizer, soup or salad, entree’ and dessert for $50.00.  This seemed like the right day to do this, so that is where we went after the movie.  Aberdeen Barn was a perfect choice and we didn’t have to drive very far.  As a matter of fact, I don’t think we drove more than twenty miles all day, which was good after yesterday.

At 8:30 p.m. we had reservations for a Ghost Tour in Colonial Williamsburg.  We dressed ourselves up to stay dry in the rain and off we went.

Three guides took the three groups in different directions through the dark streets of Williamsburg with nothing but the light of a single candle lamp.

Our guide with her lantern

We went into the Governor’s Palace and sat in a small room with chairs and very low lighting.

Before long, a young man entered the room and began talking to us about all that he had seen and heard since he left his wife and two small daughters to fight in the war.  At the end, we realized he was the ghost of a dead soldier.  Then off to a second room with a man playing a flute.  He was an incredible storyteller and told the story of a man who was sentenced to hang, but the rope broke.  While the Sheriff and Judges were debating if they could hang him again for the same crime, he grabbed the second rope put in place for a second man and hanged himself.  A true story!  The next and final story was in the smallest of the three rooms with only benches and a well dressed young man telling his story of desertion, trickery, deceit and murder.

By now the rain had stopped making the walk back to the car much easier, except for the “lumps” in the middle of the roads from the horse drawn carriages earlier in the day.

Nice day!