We departed the Outer Banks on Mothers day and headed to Virginia Beach and our spot at First Landing State Park. We were in a bit of a rush because we had a special event planned for Mom. The ultimate Mother's Day activity - Monster Trucks on the Beach!
Back at the park there was a bit less testosterone and more tranquility.
The next evening we drove the jeep to visit friends in Newport News, VA. They have a wonderful house, perfect sunsets, and fun kids (Mom and Dad are fun too;)!
Everyone was excited about 'swimming' in Pokemon cards!
The next day we took Big Country into a truck repair shop to have a creaking noise triaged. They quickly determined the bushing on the passenger side spring is bad. Because there are no safety or mechanical risks, we decided we'll live with the noise for now rather than spend a couple days camped out in a very industrial part of VA. We departed Virginia Beach and headed north.
On the way we crossed the Chesapeake Bay "Bridge-Tunnel." It is the longest in the world. What's a "Bridge-Tunnel?? We soon found out when the bridge ahead of us disappeared into the water.
After a night in a Walmart, we arrived in Ocean City, MD. We took a field trip to Assateague State Park and National Seashore. We tracked down one of the 100+ wild horses in the park. Her wild instincts have taught her food is easy to find in the campgrounds....
Ocean City was having an annual car show so the park (Castaways) we stayed in was packed with classic cars.
We were near the local Human Society. The kids loved this one because it was FULL of friendly cats.
We walked a couple miles of the vast board walk in Ocean City.
The kids had their first Dippin Dots.
And we all had our first taste of a Cannoli. Mmmmm!
We departed Ocean City after two nights and headed towards Philadelphia. It was raining in buckets when we departed and continued most of the day. We attempted to visit Lewes, DE, but the wind and rain pushed us on to Philly.
In Philly we stayed with long-time friends from our days in MN. They had a long driveway and a perfect spot to park for a few days.
We visited the nearby Valley Forge.
The home George Washington occupied during the winter of 1777-1778.
The kids enjoyed spending time outside in beautiful weather. Playing in the creek, playgrounds, racing scooters/rip-sticks, rolling down the hills....and painting each other's hair!
Our friends took us downtown Philly where we visited the historic district.
No, they did not repair the crack on the Liberty Bell, that side was just too crowded for a good pic.
A local treat known as "Water Ice"was outstanding. It's flavored ice with custard in the middle!
Of course an awesome dinner of Philly Cheese steak!
Three more junior Ranger badges earned this week!
Assateague Island
Valley Forge
Independence National Historic Park
As promised, more cut-outs:)
We said goodbye to our gracious and fun friends in Philly and headed to NYC. More to come soon! God bless to all!
