Ramada Inn And Conference Center - Fredericksburg

Today was a travel day. We left a little late because we had to see our baby before we left! Pennsylvania was long and obnoxious... We ran into heavy traffic several times.. and the 55 zones really sucked. Our TomTom took us through Washington DC. We did ...

Had breakfast in the hotel.Learned from the Weather Channel that a storm is possibly coming to the Outer Banks,North Carolina.Decided to cancel our plans for the Outer Banks.<br>Stopped at Weldon,North Carolina for lunch.Ate at Ralph's restaurant.their barbecue sandwich.It is barbecue ...

... for breakfast. On Saturday afternoon we celebrated my birthday with hats and ice cream cake, then went out to dinner. My daughter in law gave me a great present. It is a laptop case that she knitted. It is so pretty and she is so thoughtful. So happy she is part of our family.<br><br> Monday my grand daughter and I had our alone time in the motor home. She ate her raisins and drank her pink milk. Grandpa stopped by to see what we ...

... activities), and I would have checked it out if I had a car. After a little traffic, we arrived at Kings Dominion!<br><br>I used to be quite an avid rollercoaster fan- back in middle and early high school days. I even got a season pass to 6 Flags over Georgia a couple years in a row... They were only $50 or so for the whole summer. My guy friends and I would strategize how to maximize our time by using the Flash ...

... up all around but not a lot of fun, local, mom and pop places. To find these head to the downtown area. Pretty good drive but worth the trip. I recommend Brocks by the River. The rest is work. I assume no one wants to hear about FASB 123R so lets move on to fun things.

... over $250. So the trip cost: Gas=$657, Lodging= $274, Meals=$215, Repairs=$250. That is a total of $1,396 for 17 days, or $82 a day. It doesn't take into account cost of the coach, nor groceries purchased on a regular basis that were used during the trip. It also doesn't include cost of sports equipment (fins, surf shirts) purchased for snorkeling which didn't get used. Does this seem like a lot? YES. Some might gasp and ...

... the are admitted to this special unit. They guard the tomb 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and chose not to leave their posts when a hurricane came through a few years ago and also surrounded the tomb when the nearby Pentagon was hit on 9/11. I didn't just visit countless museums and monuments while in DC. Many of us also met up for some good 'ol IES partying with Bing who is starting a new study abroad program in Beijing. Many good ...

... because I needed to go to the bathroom, but to go in we had to check my backpack and I decided if we were going to all the trouble to check my backpack, we would go enjoy some art! We saw some Monet, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Van Gogh among others. We left there and went to the nearby sculpture garden where there is a beautiful fountain. There we dipped our toes and rested for a bit and then went on. Our next stop was the Smithsonian building ...

... the people on the trek actually new each other already. I finally went and sat with the group and met a few of the people. Apparently many of the trekkers had been on previous trips, including the trip to Egypt and Thailand. The first people I met were Jennifer and Polly; Jennifer was from Texas and was one of the people from the Thailand trip. Afterward, I met Rosanne Pennella, our mentor and also a known travel photographer. Soon it was time to board ...

... is vegetarian, doesn't drink, and is constantly striving for personal goodness. After she gets her visa, she waits another 45 minutes for me to get mine so we can go to lunch. In celebration of our upcoming trips, we sit down for an Indian lunch. We talk late into the afternoon about morality, karma, and the energy that governs the universe. She is a wonderful person, and I feel alive after meeting her ...