First Day of Summer in Washington!

June 21, 2011:  Today I drove Aaron's car 40 minutes north on I-5 to Mukilteo, WA to spend the day with friend Jill (from Daily Pics)! She lives in a lovely condo complex on the water with a wonderful view of Whidbey Island!  Here are some photos from that day:

Jill and I, in front of her condo (photo taken by neighbor Laura)

After a tour of her lovely home, we drove into the town of Mukilteo for a look, and stopped at the beach and walked around a bit there. It was a perfect first-day-of-summer!

We then drove to the town of Edmonds, and had lunch at Arnie's.  We both had a wonderful chicken club sandwich and did a lot of talking in-between bites! After lunch we drove through Edmonds and stopped at a store that Jill wanted to check out, called Rick Steve's Travel Store. I ended up buying two great bags, one for my camera and one for general use and travel.

On the drive back to Mukilteo, we stopped at what Jill described as the world's smallest park.  She wasn't wrong! It was basically two benches side by side, a drinking fountain and this beautiful view!

 I took these photos using the timer on my camera:  

When we got back to her house, we sat on her second floor deck for a couple of hours, just talking, talking, talking!  This is her spectacular view:

I left around 4:30PM, and made it back to Seattle and Aaron's apartment before he returned home from work!  It was a great day!

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Fall 2010 Road Trip: Day 6

10/21/10:   Myrtle Beach to Charleston!  

We started off the day with an amazing sunrise on the beach that just seemed to go on and on and on!

Following that amazing experience - just a continuation from last night - we packed up, checked out and then had a meager breakfast in our hotel.  But I didn't think we were even getting a complimentary breakfast here, so I'm not complaining.

The first stop on our agenda for the day was Tanger Outlets.  Bob saw a sign for it on our way into Myrtle Beach yesterday, and he wants to stop at Timberland and see if he can get another pair of the shoes he likes. Timberland is all he wears, and every year or two he gets the updated version of that style. 

After our GPS led us to the wrong Tanger Outlet (apparently there is more than one in this area!)   we discovered there was no Timberland outlet store there.  But I did get this great shot of a Carolina Mockingbird in the parking lot!

So our GPS didn't seem to have an address or direction to the Tanger Outlet we'd seen the day before.  Most of the time "she" is very good, but once in a while she fails us, and this was one of those times.  But to give her the benefit of the doubt, it's probably a newer outlet, and wasn't in her database! But... we thought we knew how to get back there, and after following a rather confusing road sign, we got on a highway that seemed unfamiliar, and .... we drove and drove and drove!

It quickly became obvious that we were going in the wrong direction....however we weren't seeing any exits on this highway, so we could get ourselves turned around.  We literally drove for nearly 20 minutes before we found an exit.  At that point, Bob declared that he was never going to come back to a state that didn't have exits on it's highways!!!

Eventually we made it to the Tanger Outlet that we wanted, after wasting over an hour and a half of our morning!!   We found Timberland, and Bob bought two pairs of shoes, a belt, a jacket and a fleece vest!  He did very well for himself that day, and it helped make up for the lost time!

At some point during the morning,  I had discovered that I didn't have my camera battery charger - I'd left it plugged into the wall in the motel room!  (I wasn't doing very well with my chargers on this trip).  So when we left Tanger, we had to return to the motel to pick up the charger - but at least it wasn't out of our way!  We actually had to pass by that way to get back on U.S Route 17 (Business) which would lead us through Pawley's Island toward Charleston.

So, with all of that out of the way, we were finally off to do some more sightseeing in the area, like Pawley's Island!

Pawley's Island is a place I've wanted to see for some time.  I've read novels that were set in Pawley's Island, and I'd seen photos posted on my Daily Pics photography site and I had some kind of vague image of what it must look like.  But when we arrived there and took the bridge across the marshes, it was really not like anything I had imagined.  We drove around looking at the expensive beachfront homes, which reminded me of Westhampton or Long Beach Island on the Jersey Shore.  But the marshes - oh, those marshes!!!  That's what I wanted to see, the famous lowcountry marshes, and it's wildlife.  We were rewarded well that day, with several kinds of seabirds: Great Egrets, a Small Blue Heron, and some Great Blue Herons!

Most homes in the area seemed to have these boardwalks into the marshes:

A Great Egret:

Great Egret and Small Blue Heron

Then we saw some Great Egrets and... juveniles?  That's what we thought at the time.  But in doing some research since we've returned, I now wonder if the smaller egrets are really Cattle Egrets, minus their summer plumage? I'm not at all sure about this one...

The black bills on the smaller egrets make me think they are NOT the juveniles that I originally thought they were!

After spending over an hour on tiny Pawley's Island,  photographing these gorgeous birds, we got back on the highway toward Charleston.  U.S. Route 17 wound through more low country marshes and rural areas.  As we neared Charleston we started to see roadside stands popping up along the side of the highway for Carolina Cider Company.   Billboards announcing Peach Cider and other scrumptious-sounding items went on for miles, and caught my attention!  This was a place I wanted to stop! We did and I purchased three kinds of cider and several other items.  Bob tried boiled peanuts - something we'd seen down here for days now - but he didn't like them.  I haven't tried them yet. 

Carolina Cider Company (photo not mine)

Carolina Cider Company Cider (photo not mine)

boiled peanuts (photo not mine):

And then we started seeing the stands for the sweetgrass baskets!  I love baskets and I'd heard about the famous Carolina Sweet Grass baskets made by the Gullah people of this area!   At the first stand we stopped, I was totally taken aback at the prices!  Yikes, the smallest, cheapest mini-basket was $80; a decent sized basket (10 or 12") was way over $100!  I had no idea they were so expensive!!  So I decided to ask my friend Deb about it - she lives in Charleston and would probably know the best places to buy and the best prices!

Sweet Grass baskets (photo not mine)

We arrived at our motel late afternoon, checked in, then went to explore Charleston, and have dinner!  After exploring several seafood restaurant recommendations, we decided on dinner at A.W. Shucks!  Great food!  Bob tried the "she-crab soup" and I had my first "fried green tomatoes" and loved them!

Palms

After dinner, we walked around the market area.

Charleston Marketplace:

When it started to get dark, we went back to our motel.  And that was the end of Day 6, a great day in the South Carolina Low Country!

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Fall 2010 Road Trip: Day 5

Moving right along....

10/20/10:  Asheville, NC to Myrtle Beach, SC!

Day 5 was a driving day, 300 miles total!   I didn't take many photos this day, so it will be a much shorter post!

We started off the day with breakfast at Waffle House - okay, so now we know!  But at least the waitress was cheerful and attentive.  After breakfast, we drove through the city of Asheville to get a feel for it - but we would be back again next week for the last leg of our trip and explore it more thoroughly.

On the highway, we passed some signs for towns with very interesting names - like Bat Cave.  At first I thought it was a tourist attraction:  either with real bats, or perhaps where Batman and Robin lived, but it is an actual town, not far outside of Asheville!  

We got off the highway at Hendersonville, about 25 miles northeast of Asheville, just to check it out, since we are looking at possible retirement places in this area!   Hendersonville is a cute little town, it reminded me a lot of Olean, NY, (the "next town over" from where I grew up), especially the downtown area.  Cute bear statues lined the streets.  I remember when the cows were all the rage in NYC.  Since then I've seen different kinds of animals in different places:  horses on Long Island,  salmon in Alaska, squirrels in Olean and now bears in North Carolina.  Makes sense to me.  Here I noticed that the statues were often a depiction of the kind of business inside. 

This is a bear outside a doctor's office!

And a bear outside an ice cream parlor:

Back on the highway again, we drove on toward our destination, a long, strange, cloudy day with on-and-off sprinkles. Glad we didn't have any outdoor activities planned!

Once we crossed the state line and got closer to Myrtle Beach, we saw some cotton fields which excited me!  I just knew I was in the south when I saw cotton fields!  (and I imagine that is probably a very stereotypical northern reaction).

By late afternoon we finally were nearing Myrtle Beach. There was no missing this place!  The billboards and signs advertising various attractions and events started more than 100 miles away!!   The heavy commercialization was reminiscent of the Orlando, Florida area.   I can just imagine this place during the summer - and no, I wouldn't want to be here then!!  I rather like being the odd ones who enjoy these kind of places during the off-season!

The main strip - Ocean Blvd (Business Route 17) - was packed tightly with motel after motel, with a few larger, grander hotels and resorts thrown in.  Our motel was pre-booked, and I had purposely chosen a chain motel, as it had some familiarity, as well as the cheapest prices.  Days Inn was certainly not glamorous, but it was sufficient for our needs.  It was advertised as beachfront, how bad could it be? 

When we checked in, I realized I had not requested an oceanfront room when I booked, but we asked if one was available and we received, without question!   The room was really a suite, consisting of two bedrooms connected by a shared bathroom, and the second bedroom (which also contained a kitchenette) had a terrace on the ocean!  Great upgrade for the same low price!

But first we had to eat dinner.  Here on the coast, there had to be some great seafood restaurants, which is what I was craving!   We were referred to Murrell's Inlet, a few miles down the strip, and told there were quite a few good restaurants there.  Indeed there were, many right on the ocean.  But most of them seemed to have more of a boisterous, beach club atmosphere, and we were looking for a nice quiet place to have a leisurely meal.  So we settled on Lee's Inlet Kitchen!  Great choice!  Great food!  Great staff!  Great desserts!  I had my first peach cobbler of the trip and it was divine!

The sun had set by the time we finished dinner.  It was quite dark by the time we got back to our motel, and there was an almost full moon.  The temperature was in the high 60's - it felt almost balmy to me!  Perfect night for the cliched moonlight walk on the beach!!  So off came our shoes and out on the beach we went!  The water was so warm, and it all felt really magical!  

That night Jupiter was visible right below the nearly full moon! You can see the bright dot to the right of the moon in this shot:

Bob, enjoying the ocean view!

looking north along the strip:

then south...

End of Day 5!   We fell asleep that night with the terrace door open, lulled by the sound of the surf against the beach, in our $42.99 oceanfront motel room!  Priceless! 

Could it get any better????  Stay tuned...!

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A Day At Coney Island ~ and South Street Seaport!

September 10, 2010:  Bob's brother (David) and sister-in-law (Val) are visiting New York this weekend. They stayed with us Thursday night, and on Friday we all took a trip to Coney Island in Brooklyn!  Aaron is also here visiting from Seattle, and went along with us too!  It's been ages since I've been there, and I was up for the adventure.

We did the tourist version: spent some time on the Boardwalk, rode on the Wonder Wheel (my first time!) and took lots of photos.  And what better way to top off the day, than with hot dogs from the original Nathan's!?!? 

Boardwalk and Parachute Jump* looking west!

*The Parachute Jump is one of three rides at Coney Island that are protected as designated NYC landmarks and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  At 262 feet tall and weighing 170 tons, the Parachute Jump was originally built for the 1939 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadow Park, and was the first ride of its kind. Patrons were hoisted 190 feet in the air before being allowed to drop, using guy-wired parachutes. The ride was moved to its current site, then part of the Steeplechase Park Amusement Park, in 1941, and is the only portion of Steeplechase Park still standing today. Although the ride has been closed since 1968, it remains standing as a Coney Island landmark and is sometimes referred to as Brooklyn's Eiffel Tower!

Boardwalk looking East, toward the NY Aquarium

Bathhouse near the pier!

Pier at Coney Island

Boardwalk Delights

"Shoot the Freak" is not very politically correct,

but this attraction drew lots of attention!

Basically it was shooting a moving human target with paintballs!

Deno's Wonder Wheel* Amusement Park ~ 

a separate Amusement Park within an Amusement Park!

*The Wonder Wheel is the second of three rides at Coney Island protected as designated NYC landmarks and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Built in 1918 and opened in 1920, this steel Ferris wheel has both stationary cars and rocking cars that slide along a track. It holds 144 riders, stands 150 feet tall, and weighs over 2,000 tons. At night the Wonder Wheel's steel frame is outlined and illuminated by neon tubes. It is part of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

Yes!! We rode the Wonder Wheel ~ in one of the rocking cars!  It was my first time on this ride!  But I have to say I was a bit disappointed that a $5.00 ticket bought only 2 complete revolutions and 4 rocking episodes!

Suzi & Bob (credit to David)

Val & David

View from the top of the Wonder Wheel!

  
 Carousel:

More amusements!


Tickets to Adventure!

The Cyclone*

The Cyclone* roller coaster is the third of three rides at Coney Island protected as designated NYC landmarks and listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Built in 1927, it is one of the nation's oldest wooden coasters still in operation. A favorite of some coaster aficionados, the Cyclone includes an 85-foot (26 m), 60 degree drop. It is owned by New York City, and was operated by Astroland, under a franchise agreement. It is located across the street from Astroland.

All three of the New York City historical landmarked rides:  the Parachute Jump (left background),  the
Wonder Wheel (right background) and the Cyclone (foreground)!

Back on the Boardwalk
(Bob & David):

Suzi & Val (credit to David)

Suzi & Aaron (credit to David)

What's a trip to Coney Island without an original Nathan's hotdog?!

Nathan's Hall of Fame!

There's always a line at the original Nathan's!

~
A fun Day!!!!

To be continued......
at South Street Seaport!

While driving David & Val into Manhattan to their hotel, we decided to stop at South Street Seaport to do a bit more sightseeing!

Four of us (minus David, who took this shot)

Classic Brooklyn Bridge:

Circle Line Tours


Downtown Brooklyn, seen from the Seaport

Seaport

New York Water Taxi

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