Williamsburg, VA
Busch Gardens, Europe

This week we headed to Busch Gardens Amusement park it has been a long time since we had been to an amusement park. Great rides, excellent food, high energy shows, and a beautifully clean park we had a ball spent two days inside the park..... We did do the Brewmasters Club, you go into a private room and taste beers -this is not your ordinary beer tasting from about two dozen different brews you pick four to taste (that was a hard one) then you are served crackers, cheese, grapes, strawberrys, and chocolates and the tasting begins, I almost thought I was wine tasting. GREAT experience!!! Actually learned a lot about beer and food pairings.



John the Pizza Head


The Adventure Begins........

The Rides

In Germany the Curse of Dar Kastle, is a 4 D ride, you put on special glasses and are whisked thru a haunted castle great special effects!!!

In Italy Escape from Pompeii, this was my favorite ride. You ride up to the top and go thru fire, crumbling buildings and fianally the big escape splash down. Heart pounding adventure


In Ireland- Corkscrew Hill, this is a 4 D ride simulator, you are greeted by a leprechaun who is going to shrink you and take you on wild adventure you won't soon forget. GREAT special effects.


In France- The Griffon- Not for the faint of heart and NOT FOR ME!!! This roller coaster is tallest dive roller coaster in the WORLD. From 205 feet above you will drop 90 degrees to more flips, turns and just too much adventure for me. Double click on the picture and you can see there is no FLOOR

The Entertainment

From New France (aka Canada)
These are the dancers from the American Jukebox this dance was a tribute to the Disco era
Burn Baby Burn- Disco Inferno


In Ireland in the Abbey Stone Theater Irish dancers what a high energy show!!!

In Italy at the San Marco Outdoor Theater a rendition of Tony and Tina's Wedding.


In Germany inside the Das Festhaus was a re-creation of October Fest complete with all the UMPAs and the Beer Barrel Polka !!

Virginia
Shenandoah National Park

Our campsite at Big Meadow Campground in Shenandoah National Park. Looks like a beautiful day... Well just a few hours after this picture was taken we had the most horrendous lighting and thunder storm I have ever been in. I wanted to leave and run to the bath house for safety, but couldn't because lightning was striking all around us...... This lasted about 2 hours, but, to me, it seemed like a lifetime....... WOW was I missing California weather

Two of the most spectacular views among hundreds. There was a constant haze or fog in the area at all times.

Early morning fog was so thick you could see it move in and out within in seconds you had no visibility to full visibility.

So many yellow daisys so beautiful and tons of monarch butterflys


While on Skyline Drive we happened upon these bears there were three mama, and two cubs as cute as could be up in the trees playing and breaking branches and falling to the ground then climbing back up in the tree. We were about 15 feet from these bears and they were oblivious that we were even there, it wasn't long before a crowd appeared and the little guys just kept on playing.... We were in the car under this tree and the mama bear was above us!!


Deer everywhere.

Michie Tavern ca. 1784

We stopped here for lunch after Monticello. This is the original tavern once you step inside you are transported back to the 18th century. We had lunch in the Ordinary- that is the building to the right, the two story building was sleeping quarters for travelers

Monticello

The home of Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson's inspiration for the design of this home came from his time he spent in Paris. Monticello is a three story, 21 room plantation home on over 5000 acres. It took 40 years to complete this house. Jefferson quote- "... all my wishes end, where I hope my days will end, at Monticello" and his wished did come true he ended up dying on July 4, 1826 in his bed chamber. Its ironic that the author of the Declaration of Independence died 50 years to the date of the signing. Little trivia- did you know that just hours after Jefferson died- John Adams also died. There is a cemetery at Monticello where Jefferson is buried there and all decedents of Jefferson can be buried there.

This is the front view of the house, below is the back of the house. Cameras were not allowed inside


This was the kitchen area underneath the house all the dependencies were underneath the house including the privi there are two of them, beer cellar, wine cellar,and ware storage.

I kid you not, when I walked into this smokehouse I could still smell the smoke!

West Virginia

Harpers Ferry is a restored 19th century town just loaded with history there are period costumed guides thru out the park. The park is broken up into six themes; Industry, Natural Heritage, Transportation, John Brown, The Civil War, and African American History. The story of John Brown grabbed our interest. I tried to give you a very brief bio of his story.



This old footbridge takes you to the C & O Canal and this is where the Potomac River and the Shenandoah River converge.


John Brown
John Brown believed he could free the slaves and he selected Harpers Ferry as his starting point he and 21 men which consisted of three of his sons, and five free African Americans seized the 100,000 weapons at the arsenal on the evening of Oct 16, 1859. Thirty six hours after the raid began with most of his men killed or wounded, Brown was captured in the armory fire engine house (below) when U. S. Marines stormed the building. Brown was brought to trial and was found guilty of treason against the Common Wealth of Virginia, conspiring with slaves to rebel and murder. He was hung on Dec 2, 1859. The attention that the trial and his execution drew raised the moral issue of slavery and headed the country toward civil war. Depending on who is doing the storytelling - Was John Brown the reason the civil war was started or did was this the real beginning of the civil war?? We were also told by the period costume guides that a lot of African Americans feel that this is their Independence Hall.