I got bit by the travel bug shortly after college. A friend and I took a random trip to Atlanta to visit a girl that I went to high school with who was working for CNN at the time. This was in 1996 shortly after the Olympic Games had been held in the city. We went for no other reason than to visit, drink at some bars and see some sights. We had a blast.
That led to more trips and more visits to see people and places over the years, mostly by plane, but a few by car. There have been work trips, pleasure trips and medical trips. One common denominator that has been present throughout is the amount of stuff that I manage to pack in.
Often I will research historical sites, museums, sports stadiums and other things that interest me and I will purchase tickets or book excursions ahead of time. Whoever is traveling with me gets little to no input as I am the big mouth organizer and planner…..unless you speak up, then it’s off to Alcatraz when I visit San Francisco, or I’m hitting a museum and if you don’t want to, then ya better suggest something cooler haha.
Recently, Vanessa and I traveled to Virginia for a wedding on her side of the family. It was held at a gorgeous winery and we had a great time seeing people that we don’t often see.
Due to my advanced age and the blessing of knowing a ton of people, I also make my best effort to meet up with at least one or two friends when I travel. On this trip, I squeezed a dinner and scotch tasting with my dear friend Gary who has lived in Virginia for years. We went to high school together and in the past 20 years, I’ve seen him twice. We picked up like we just hung out last week.
Vanessa and I had the wedding to focus on, but we are both the same at heart when it comes to seeing and doing as much as possible when we are on the road. Below I will share with you our somewhat spontaneous itinerary and you can guess how long the trip was. Hint: we flew.
Ready?
Trip to Gettysburg battlefield (2 hour guided tour…amazing and everyone should see it)
Meal at an inn that dates to the American revolution, meal at a diner that has been open since 1865, meal with in-laws, meal with wedding party, meal at wedding haha.
Trip to Manassas where there is another National Battlefield that saw terrible fighting during the civil war. Met and spoke with Civil War actors who showed us how to load and fire the rifles, took a walking tour and randomly met and spoke with a community arborist whose job is to manage invasive plants and other species of the 5,000+ acre site to keep it looking like it did in 1862! People always make fun of me for “talking with everybody” but I will stand on the point of the fact that I learn really cool stuff…..most of the time.
Trip to Air and Space museum out near Dulles airport. Saw the Discovery orbiter from the space shuttle, the Enola Gay which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima and a host of other amazing planes, helicopters and space gear.
Great trip if you have 48 hours and don’t need to sleep much. I always figure that I’ll get plenty of sleep when I’m dead. For now, let’s pack it in. Where are we going next?
Stay safe, stay awesome, and stay tuned.
Cheeseburger counter: 28
For my long time readers: Flew United. No problems with the power chair, staff at both airports was outstanding and stayed at a Hilton property called Tru. One of the best accessible rooms I have ever been in. It was perfect for us chair users. You abled people are really starting to catch on. Well done.
Patrick moeschen 