Summer of Fun- Weeks 8 & 9

 SAW-HEARD-DID

Week 8:   7.17-7.23       Week 9:  7.23-7.30

SAW: Like most summers, this last half of my summer just flew by.   Here I sit trying to play catch up, trying to remember what happened when. I got to admit- it is all sort of blur.    Thankfully- between my hubby's more real-time blogging and google-photos sorting my pictures by date- I think I can piece together the final days of our travels.  

HEARD:   Without a doubt, I heard in my heart- loud and clear- how important friendships are to both Dom and I.    For the first half of this great adventure, it was just Dom and I.   Which was of course, lovely and went way better than either of us ever could have imagined.   But these final two weeks would center on time with our dear friends Jane and Larry.   

Both proved to be gracious and generous hosts...

DID: Before we reached our final destination of Williamsburg- Dom and I opted to take a few extra days before re-connecting with the Halls.  Maybe it was just me projecting, but who wants houseguests showing up just as you yourself are returning from a week's vacation.    

Our first stop after leaving the Bourbon Trail was a small national forest campground called Twin Knobs.   While the campground itself was filled (weekend camping, Hello-what does one expect) the sites themselves were rather secluded and the vibe of the campground was very relaxed.  

I found myself settling in with a good book

and savored the solitude of Cave Run Lake

Being road weary- we decided to break the remaining miles up into two more stops-

For a one night stand at Hampton Summer Wind RV park..

Where we found ourselves unwinding with a little moonshine

and catching up on laundry-

My last night of camping would be at Misty Mountain- just outside of Charlottesville Virginia.   A dear friend had just moved from CO back to VA to help her mom out...what a surprise to discover she lived just 10 minutes from our camping location.   

Thanks Tracy for a wonderful dinner-

and a chance to formally wish you good luck on your new adventure! 

We arrived at the Halls on 7.20- which left us with plenty of time to explore the area.

Of course, no trip to Williamsburg is complete without exploring "the Big Three" historical sites of this region.

Jamestown-

Colonial Williamsburg

and Yorktown...

with their new and very well curated museum...

This was not the first for us to visit several of these iconic historical locations, but at every stage in one's life, you look at things through a different lens.   

My first trip to Williamsburg was as a kid, and a lasting memory was  how the re-enactors stayed so true to their characters.   This had not changed- and we enjoyed a lively conversation with the Marquis de Lafayette-

General Washington...

and Mrs. Washington were also out and about on this very humid day

Some memories were a little less vivid- and I found myself wondering- how did I possibly forget the impressive collection of arms inside the Governor's Palace?  

And I had no recall of ever visiting Jamestown- but pictures I found when I got home proved otherwise- as Dom and I had visited there together back in July 1994.   I suppose one can forget things over the course of 27 years...Fortunately- we've never lost the connection we formed with the Halls...

and spending time with them was indeed the highlight of our time in Williamsburg.

We enjoyed some time on their back deck...

Being charmed by Boomer- the best behaved black lab

Savored some tasty meals from brisket 

to smoked ribs..

The guys also checked our Larry's new toy--

with a little adventure to Kitty Hawk, NC

celebrated a birthday

and mostly had a fabulous time..

Until next time...may you find yourself with an opportunity to explore this great country we are so fortunate to call home...

Time to head home...

Summer of Fun- Weeks 6/7

 SAW HEARD DID

*Photos shared are mostly taken by my very talented husband…he takes the good ones, I take the weird ones.  

SAW-  These past 2 weeks we saw a significant shift in our activities and found ourselves surrounded by friends- some old, and some new.   Which of course, is exactly as we planned it!

Photo credit- Curt another Zuki owner

Back in February, Hubby tossed out the idea of attending a summer event in Kentucky- called Zookimelt in Bedford, Kentucky.  He had met a Samurai guru on his travels, and Mike (the guru) looped Hubby in on this gathering of fellow Suzuki enthusiasts.   

The name is a play on two words- Zook (referencing the  Suzuki brand) and melt (so hot you melt).   Each year a bunch (exact number of attendees tends to wax and wane through the years) of Suzuki owners gather at an off road park outside of Bedford Kentucky (slightly north east of Louisville, just across the river from Indiana) for trail rides and interactions.   Much like my scrapbooking retreats- most of the owners connect online with this annual in-person gathering creating a strong sense of community.  

Sounded promising- although I admit, Kentucky in July would not necessarily be on either of our personal  travel bucket lists, we were both  very curious to connect with others who own this rather unique vehicle type.  We were also eager to step away from our treasured rocky mountain views and explore some other areas of the country.   

So with a destination in mind, I started to build in other reasons to visit KY- and reached out to our long time friends (and match-makers) Jane and Larry.   Would they be interested in meeting us in Kentucky after the rally and check out the Bourbon Trail?    The answer as you will see later in this blog was a firm YES!

HEARD-

I heard the rumble of Samurais (in the mud)

I heard a host of stories of where Bourbon has been made

and how it is made

and stored

even through the era of Prohibition (hello-all you need is a prescription)

and just when we'd had our fill of Bourbon tales- we shifted gears to hear about the history of Bardstown

with the focus on two of their favorite sons...

Stephen Foster- famed composer-spent time here visiting his cousins-the Rowen family

Lt. General Hal Moore-

whose story was featured in the movie We were soldier once…and young

DID-

Lunch at the historic Old Talbot Inn-serving hungry visitors since 1779

Sampled bourbon

A time or

three

Sipped cocktails here (Woodford Reserve)

There (Limestone Branch-featuring Yellowstone Bourbon)

most anywhere....

until the bottles were empty..

as we reminisced by the fire

and gave thanks for just how happy we are that these two

introduced us so many years ago...

for without them...

there'd be no us....

Until next time...

May you find yourself exploring new roads with

those you hold most dear...

and if given the chance to meet new friends...

Lean into it and say YES...

You'll be glad you did!