And now the conclusion... Continues!

Whew!

We have really covered some ground! Since the last update, DPM! has covered Virginia, North Carolina, Tennesee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, back to Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, then on out to California! Wow! What were we thinking?

To break it down a little, one of our reasons for visiting the East Coast was to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time in our lives, and more importantly, to scout out what the Raleigh, North Carolina area looked like for some friends who were going to move there. More on the move later.

At the end of the last posting, we had just left Maryland for Virginia Beach, Va. The trip was somewhat eventful, in that everyone around us seemed to have the need to crash into each other. Missey J and I witnessed three(!) different accidents along the way. Ouch! But we arrived unscathed in Newport News, found our hotel, and found out why finding lodging in that area was so tough. The Virginia Beach Neptune Festival was set for that weekend, assuring that all of the beachfront lodging was packed. If you want to see what the hubbub was all about, take a look at http://www.neptunefestival.com/2006/2006sandcastlewinners.htm. You will be amazed at what can be carved out of beach sand. We had a great time!

Our next stop after Va Beach was a reunion with a Pastor friend of mine in the thriving metroplis that is actually the charming small town, Powhatan. We left Newport News early on Sunday and made his Church service with 10 minutes to spare. We then spent the day catching up. Missey J was able to finally meet one of my friends from California, and it was a great time for all. We left that evening for Cary, N. Carolina.

Cary is an interesting place, in that it combines small town American charm with a technology industry that has the rest of the world calling it the East Coast Silicon Valley. The people are friendly, the town is clean, the scenery is beautiful, especially in the fall when we were there. G-d seems to truly be smiling on this area, and we gave Cary an enthusiastic approval to our friends.

Our next stop was Tennessee. We decided that, since we really weren't in a hurry, Knoxville would be a good place to stop and catch our breath. It then occured to me that I had been in this neck of the woods before. I suggested to Missey J that we go down to Chattanooga (I love that name!) to see both the aquarium there and the splender that is Ruby Falls. Missey J had been in caverns before, but an undergroud river complete with a waterfall was something new. And, as soon as the camera dries out, I will post some pictures. Note to any would-be photogs out there: Don't try to take a picture of a waterfall from inside the waterfall. Doah!

After spending a day in Tennessee we then embarked for Texas. We had the thought that, just maybe, we should set sail for home; however, we were unprepared for the sights and sounds of Memphis. The food was awesome. We don't generally indulge in Mexican food (due to my stomach) but in this case we had to try Pancho's at 87 S 2nd St. The food was fantastic. We decided to spend an extra day in Memphis just to take in the local scene.

We discovered, the next morning, where all the WWII "Duck" amphibious assault vehicles went. They are alive and perfectly restored into what is quite possibly the most unique tour bus/boat anyone could imagine. Naturally, we took a tour. Once on board, all the passengers were issued a "duck call", something I will treasure for, oh, a while at least. Anyway, we were able to find out where Sun Recording Studios is located, something I, as a fan of the late Man in Black, found to be interesting. The tour also takes a turn through the local Church Row. Now, while this may seem a little boring, you have to see these churches! They were magnificent edifices, especially the Methodist building. All of these were either 100+ years old or nearly so, and many had taken decades to build. Perhaps most interesting (at least to me) was when we drove off the road and straight into the Mississippi River. Remember, we were in an amphibious tour bus. We were then able to witness, first hand, the Duck's amazing top speed of 4 mph across the river. Ooooooo...
What a quack!

Later that night, after another wonderful meal, we decided to just have a relaxing evening at the hotel. Alas, this was not to be! It seems some lunatic decided to burn down the Methodist Church. We awoke to the smell of smoke in our room. Normally, this is not considered normal atmosphere for a multi-story hotel. Naturally, I felt inclined to investigate whether or not our hotel was, in fact, alite. It wasn't. It seems that the crazy who lit the church up had decided that Hotel Row was a good next target, but his plans were foiled by the Fire Dept as well as the local Police. However, this was not before he had reached the hotel next door (closed for remodelling) and lit it up as well. It was about then that Missey J and I decided that we had seen enough of Memphis, packed our bags, and headed for Good Ol' Texas. 13 uneventful hours later, we were home.

Whew!