Outer Banks Day 3

Day 3: Monday April 11, 2010

Another beautiful day. We decided to go to Roanoke Island to visit Fort “Raleigh, the lost village, the Elizabethan Gardens, Manteo Heritage Park and walk around the town.

We arrived at Fort Raleigh and Lost Village area which is a National Park and started to walk the paths. We were not told that a lot of construction was going on and most of the area was blocked. It did not take us long to walk through the area. There was nothing to see or take pictures of.


We then went to the Elizabethan Gardens which is not part off the National Park. If you like English gardens with many flowering shrubs and trees, you will love the gardens. It is almost 100% wooden area with beautiful sculptures placed throughout the gardens. The trees were in bloom, but a lot of the flowers were not.




We left the gardens and went into Manteo for lunch. We went to a diner called Big Al’s which was built in the 50’s and looks like it has never been upgraded. It was well maintained and the food was very good. They had a lunch buffet and we decided to take it since we could try a lot of the things they had on their menus.

After lunch went to the Heritage Park which is a museum and park that is dedicated to the early settling of Roanoke Island. They had displays on the early Indians which showed how they lived, canoes, utensils and information on early farming. One of their displays was a camp that showed how the early settlers lived before they built permanent quarters. All were interesting.

A lot of the displays in the museum were interactive so the children who visited could use the items. There was a 45 minute movie about the early Indians that we watched. It was ok, but I would not cut the museum portion short to see the movie.

We drove back into town and took a stroll along the Broadway that goes around the city. There was a light house mounted on top of one of the buildings in the dock area. We also stopped by a marine museum. It was closed so we only got to see what was outside and what we could see through the windows. We then continued our tour of the town. Some of the restaurants and shops were closed. I guess it is too early for them to open. We did find an interesting antique store to visit. Their prices were very reasonable, but we did not find anything that we wanted.


We drove back to Seascape and took a walk up to their club house for a beer. It was a slow day for them and there were only 2 people in the bar. We both had a draft Belgium white beer which was good and reasonably priced. I suppose we will go back for another beer.

We went back to the room and watched a move of Patricia Cornwell’s At Risk. Linda popped popcorn and that was dinner for us. The movie was great .

Outer Banks Day 2

Day 2, Sunday April 10, 2010


What a beautiful day! Although a little cool, the sun is shinning brightly and you can see for miles--sometimes on the coast, it can be a little hazy early in the morning. After a light breakfast we went to the beach near our quarters. The resort is not on the beach but we can walk to the beach or drive to the free parking lot on the beach. We chose to drive and park.


It was a little cool early in the morning so the walk on the beach was invigorating. Since we are here before the tourist season, we had the beach to ourselves and what a view we had. A lot of the tourist shops are not open, but, enough are for us to enjoy a little shopping from time to time.

After a short visit to the beach we went to the Wright Memorial. The memorial is a national park and admission is free to people with a senior pass. I have a pass so it did not cost us anything to go to the museum and park. We have seen a lot of the Wright Brothers sites in Dayton; however, this is our first trip to where the first flight took place. The park is well laid out and has an excellent description of each event of the first flight. It was interesting looking at all the exhibits and monuments. We also sat through a 30 minute presentation on the Wright Brothers.



After we left the park, we went to a little restaurant call Rundown Cafe. We had watched the local TV network and had seen a program on restaurants on the Outer Banks. This one sounded like it would be worth a visit. The food was good and if we lived in the area we would probably go back. We shared a bowl of fish chowder that was very good. I had Baja fish tacos with black beans and rice that must have been cooked with a little curry. Linda had a fish burrito with the same rice. Both were very good... We will be here for a week, but, there are so many good restaurants that I doubt that we will go back.

After lunch we went to a Corolla, NC to visit the old town and a light house built in the 1870’s. They also had a heritage park that we visited. The light house was in excellent shape and Linda and I decided to walk to the top--160 steps of spiraling staircases. The view was great. When we got back to the bottom we decided that maybe we should start exercising more. We walked around the grounds then took a drive through their old town--not much to see and probably not worth the drive.




We visited the heritage park which has the Whalehead Museum, boat house and other buildings. The buildings were built by a gentleman whose wife liked to hunt. No hunting club would let her become a member so he bought the property and build the lodge in 1921. The lodge has over 21,000 square feet of space and really is a great building. Unfortunately, it is closed on Sunday and we were unable to take a tour.

We left the heritage park and went to check out the beaches. They were great. We did discover the northern parts of the Outer Banks have much better houses and the scenery is much better. If we do come back this way, I think we will try to rent one of these units.

We drove back to our quarters and watched the last of the Masters’ golf tournament. We have missed the entire tournament until today.

We took a walk around our complex; visited the recreation room and finally made it back to our quarters. We are still not very hungry after the large lunch so we are having a light snack for dinner. Tomorrow is supposed to be another great day and we are planning on checking out the southern end of the Outer Banks. After doing a little research, we think there is more than enough to keep us busy for a week.

Outer Banks Vacation

I guess it is time to get our thoughts and pictures together about our vacation to the North Carolina Outer Banks in April of this year. The posts may be short since we are doing most of this from memory and our memories are not that good anymore. So here goes.


OUTER BANKS
KITTY HAWK, NORTH CAROLINA VACATION
APRIL 9-16, 2010

Day 1: Saturday April 9, 2010

A long drive was ahead of us so we got up around 5 AM and got ready. The car had been packed the night before so we only had to put a few things in the car. We finally got on the road around 6 AM.

The weather was perfect for driving. It was pretty warm and a bright and sunny day. There was very little traffic until we got about 30 miles out of Norfolk, Virginia. Although it was a little heavier, we were able to maintain the speed limit. We never saw a signal wreck the whole distance--I think a first for us for a trip this long.

The drive through West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina was a beautiful drive. The trees had a full coat of leaves and everything was so green. The flowering shrubbery and trees were also in bloom. We saw many trees with pink flowers, some that looked like dogwood covered in white flowers, and miles of tall trees covered with wisteria in full bloom. Linda was a little envious--she has planted some wisteria vines and they still have not bloomed.

Arrived in Kitty Hawk and tried to use Expedia’s directions to get to the time share. The directions were wrong. Linda finally looked at the information we had received and used their directions and we finally got to the time share. This only caused a short delay. Expedia had us turn left about 1 mile from where we should have turned right.

We finally got checked in around 7 PM and went to our quarters. We have a two bedroom, two bath unit. We are in a unit with two time shares and we have the upstairs unit. It has all the comforts of home and is very clean.

Texas vacation

It was time for our annual trip to Texas and then to Arkansas for the Keeling family reunion. This year has been a busy travel year for us and we have not done much at home. A lot of the travel has been to Arkansas for Relay for Life events and family responsibilities, but it still keeps us away from home and doing the things that really need to be done.

Back to our current road trip. We left Trotwood last Thursday with a little threat of rain, however the sun came out and it turned out to be a great day for driving with the exception of road work in Indiana, Illinois and Oklahoma which added about 1.5 to 2 hours to our drive.

We stayed Thursday night and Friday with Don and Nancy Perrin in Mountain Park, Oklahoma. We arrived a little later than usual due to traffic, but, Don and Nancy had the grill going and steaks ready to grill. I don't know how Nancy did it, but the steaks were fantastic--great taste and so tender you could cut them with a fork. We finished the dinner with apple cobbler and ice cream. Yum Yum

Friday we had a down day and just enjoyed the company of the Perrins. Don and Claude went out to one of the farms for a few minutes. Nancy and I went to The Flying Pig, the antique/flea mall where Nancy has a booth. I saw several things I liked but came home without them. Most of the day we just sat around enjoying our visit, sitting on the back porch enjoying the breeze, marveling at the pretty red building and recharging our batteries. Our visit was much too short, but, we needed to get to Burkburnett to visit Chris, Suzi and the girls.

Parker and Jacey have really grown since the last time we visited. They are beautiful young ladies and are a pleasure to be around. It is great visiting then, but it would be better if we were closer and could visit more often.

I took the girls to shop for school clothes one day at the Sikes Mall and Claude tagged along and went to a sports store to buy him some shoes. He then went to a book store in the mall and bought 4 books. He told the clerk that his wife and granddaughters were shopping and he would probably be back to buy more books before they were done. The girls and I had lunch in the mall, visited a few more stores and then returned to Burkburnett.

We took the girls to Medicine Park and the wildlife refuge yesterday and had a great visit. Medicine Park was one of the first places in Oklahoma to be developed as a tourist resort in the early 1900's and was very popular in its day. Unfortunately, like a lot of places, it had a significant decline. However they are trying to renovate many of the older buildings and it is a great place to visit.

The old buildings in the town were mostly made of cobblestone. Many have been restored and a few new ones are being built to resemble the old.

We left Medicine Park and went to the Wichita Wildlife Refuge. We decided we were hungry and went to Meers for a Meers burger. When we got there, Meers restaurant was closed. The sign said closed on Tuesday. The only place to eat was back in Medicine Park so we returned to Medicine Park and had lunch at the Plantation Cafe. The food was great although service was a little slow. Claude and I got to spend some quality time with the girls. The more we spend with them, the more we are amazed at how they have matured and how well adjusted they are. They genuinely enjoy each other and it shows, maybe that's a sign of good parenting.

After a long and leisure lunch we went back to the Wildlife Refuge to visit the Prairie Dog Village and see the buffalo and long horn cattle. The scenery was great and we had a wonderful time.

Today we are taking the girls to Skate Whirl and to shop for school supplies. Tomorrow it is off to Arkansas for the Keeling Family reunion. While there Claude will help work on planning a softball tournament as a fundraiser for Relay for Life. Back home to Ohio on Monday, August 2 for a little over 2 weeks, then back to Arkansas for the softball tournament. Retirement is supposed to be a time to rest and relax, but Claude and I get involved in so many non-profit fundraisers and belong to a few that we have been more busy then when he was teaching full time. Maybe we will slow down, but I don't see that happening soon.

We will post slide shows when we get home and get a chance.

Day 7 & 8: Victoria and Return to Seattle

Day 7: Victoria British Columbia was our last stop of the tour. Arrival time was supposed to be at 7:30 but we were later than that. Departure time was 11:30 and once again we didn’t have very much time to see the sights. This was a night stop and we had decided to do our own touring again so the delay in arrival--other than reducing the amount of time we had in Victoria--did not impact our trip. We took a bus from the port to the city center. We only had a couple hours because the buses stopped running around 10:30. We walked the streets, window gazed, took pictures of the Empress Hotel and city lights. We found a local pub with good food and great beer, which we thoroughly enjoyed. We’d like to go back to the Pacific Coast area and, if we do, I am sure we will take a trip back to Victoria. It was beautiful at night, but, I am sure it looks a lot more beautiful during the day.
We returned to the ship, enjoyed the late snack for the last time, listened to the music and savored the last moments of the cruise before returning to reality.

Day 8: Friday 6:30 AM we arrived back in Seattle. Our flight back to Dayton was around 12:00 noon so by the time we disembarked and got the shuttle back to the airport, we had about 2 hours to go before departure. We needed extra time to clear the security check point as the lines were long.
We enjoyed the cruise, but, we were glad to get back home

Alaska Cruise: Day 6, Ketchikan

Day 6: Arrive in Ketchikan, “Salmon Capital of the World”, at 6:53 am. 55 degrees, rain, overcast. This was our wettest day but Ketchikan is Alaska’s wettest city; on average 13 feet of precipitation falls annually. We did not have much time at this stop, departure was at 12:00 noon. We had made reservations before the cruise to go on a DUCK (amphibious vehicle) tour of the historic town and harbor. Our tour was through the rustic streets of Ketchikan, the new and historic sights, the salmon ladder on Ketchikan creek viewing the spawning grounds and live salmon in season, picturesque Whale Park with its beautiful flowers and antique clock, and Creek Street where we learn of Ketchikan’s colorful past and salty beginnings, (a brothel story). Next we get ready to pick up our feet and our hands in the air (and wander “can this thing really float”) and drive into the scenic harbor of the Tongass Narrows. As we pass the local fishing fleet, we motor down the channel for up close view of Bald Eagles (two adults and two babies) in their natural habitat. We could see them; however, it was raining so much that we could not get any good pictures. We arrived safely back on shore and spent as much time as possible walking around the city. This would be our last stop in Alaska.

Alaska Cruise: Day 5, Sitka

Day 5: Arrive 7:00 am and anchor off Sitka. This stop, we have to be tendered to the port. The lifeboats are used for the tenders. After Juneau, we decided that we would do our own touring rather than take a group tour. Sitka is not very large and we could easily walk from place to place.
Sitka is known as “Alaska’s Little Russia”. It is located on the outer coast of Alaska’s Inside Passage and was once the cultural and political capital of Russian Alaska. Remnants of the Russian influence may be seen throughout Sitka: the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Bishop’s House located in the downtown area serve as the most prominent reminders. When Russia sold Alaska to the U.S.A. for $7,200,000 in gold, the transfer was formalized in Sitka on October 18, 1867, and it was in Sitka that the American flag was raised for the first time over Alaskan soil.
A 15 – 20 minute walk from the city docks takes us along the scenic Lincoln Street, past lovely historic homes, churches, museums and to the fort site of Sitka National Historical Park. Set aside as a Federal Reserve in 1890, this is the oldest national park unit in Alaska. Two miles of trails wind through the park’s 113 acres of a tranquil rainforest environment, along the beach of Sitka sound and the banks of the Indian River. Spawning salmon are abundant in the river throughout August and September. Along the park’s trails, we experienced 28 magnificent hand craved totem poles. Some are more than a century old and one is nearly 60 feet high. Detailed totem poles are carved for a number of reasons: to depict legends (story poles); to honor a deceased family member (mortuary poles); or to pay homage to some other momentous event. The park museum contains an exhibit of Tlinget and Russian artifacts.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Sheldon Jackson Museum. It features the collection of Dr Sheldon Jackson, General Agent of Education, between 1880-1900. It is one of the oldest Native culture collections in Alaska. It is the oldest concrete building in Alaska and was erected in 1895.

We took hundreds of pictures and included a few in a slide show. Of all the stops, we think that Sitka probably was the best.

The Russian Bishops House, located across from Crescent Harbor, was built in 1842 by the Russian American Company as a residence for the Bishop of the Orthodox Church. It is the oldest intact Russian building in Sitka. The building and grounds are managed by the National Park Service. The building has been restored to the 1850’s historic period when it functioned as a school, Bishop’s residence and chapel. It includes many original furnishings and icons.

No visit to Sitka is complete without a stop at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Built in 1844, the church was restored following a devastating 1966 fire. The traditional Russian Orthodox structure is filled with antique relics, gold, jewels, vestments, altar cloths, and a 19th century silver-bound Bible. Its collection of priceless Russian icons ranks among the world’s finest..