After Baltimore, Joe and I spent a night with my mom and my aunt and uncle in Richmond, Virginia. My Uncle Jack is a history buff, not to mention the creator of an incredible website that tells the story of the Battle of Kontum in the Vietnam War, and pays tribute to the soldiers that lost their lives there. Joe and I spent hours listening to Uncle Jack's stories, and I came away with a new perspective- both about members of my family and the experiences they have undergone, as well as about history and my minimal understanding of our country. The conversations left me motivated to learn more, which is what I intend to do.
Our next stop was Savannah, Georgia. Joe and I fell in love with this little city! Our first night was spent wandering the river-front, listening to street musicians, and enjoying the warm and balmy climate. We had true Southern cuisine at The Cotton Exchange Tavern, right down on River Street. The food was great and the tavern was casual, comfy, and mellow- exactly what we wanted after driving the whole day. After dinner, we wandered over to Bay Street Blues and saw a FANTASTIC, fun, raucous blues band, Bottles and Cans. We sat there for 4 hours and could not stop smiling. It was a great night.
The historic district of Savannah is beautiful, with fantastic architecture, streets lined with huge trees draped in Spanish moss, countless parks, and a number of old, creepy cemeteries, (which pleases me....I have a thing about cemeteries.)
There is also a sophisticated music scene and food scene in Savannah. On our second night there, we had a fabulous dinner at the Olde Pink House, where we sat in the tiny downstairs tavern and listened to a very enthusiastic piano player while we dined.
Savannah was our last big stop before we needed to start our trek home. We had allowed 5 days of driving for the journey which, from Savannah to Seattle, equals roughly 10 hours of driving per day. We spent our first night outside of Nashville, TN and from there we came up with the brilliant idea of driving through the night in order to get home a day early. SO, we left Nashville at 10am, and ended up driving until 3pm the next day. Yes, you read that right.
In one stretch, we went from Tennessee, through Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and into Idaho, where we spent the night. We drove 1900 miles and only stopped for gas, (which, by the way, is cheaper than Washington's gas prices in EVERY other state except California. Just a little info from me to you.)
As insane as it sounds, we actually ended up having a blast. We saw sunset and sunrise and, with the help of very loud music, were able to keep our spirits and energy up the whole time.
On the drive from Idaho to home, we stopped in Prosser, WA to visit a few wineries. My particular favorite was Kestrel Vintners. I highly recommend the Winemaker Select Co-Ferment Syrah. Mmmmm....heaven.
We are home now, getting back into the routine of our lives, enjoying Spring, (which arrived in Seattle during our absence), and trying to hold onto some of the perspective we gained from being away.
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