Family Vacation

A loosely planned auto vacation was one of the best vacations we ever had. We intended visiting Smoky Mountain National Park and we did. We took along a tent in case we wanted to camp out. However, someone had been killed by a bear in the park the night before. Suddenly the idea of sleeping in a tent lost its appeal. We decided something with stronger walls surrounding us would be preferable.

We did some exploring in the area. Then my husband said he had an old army friend in South Carolina, he always wanted to look up if he was ever there, so how about we extend the trip to South Carolina. We found Melvin’s friend; they invited us for lunch, and we had a very nice visit.

After that Melvin asked, “Where next?” I replied that I had always wanted to see Virginia, so how about we go there? We greatly enjoyed Virginia, especially me. Then Melvin said since we were this close, he thought I should see the ocean, being the only person in the family that had not done so. We went to Virginia Beach, Virginia. It was a gray, cloudy day, and you could hardly tell the difference between the sky and the ocean. But I was glad I got to stand there on the beach and see that great expanse of water. On some point along the east coast we got to tour a large military ship and that was something too. The two guys really liked that. Years later I saw the ocean in Florida, a beautifully blue sea and sky, with lots of sunshine. But that first glimpse of that gray ocean at Virginia Beach was a special thrill.

Now, it was time to think about which route we would take to go back home. Our teen age son spoke up and said, “Since we’re this close to Washington, D.C., I think we should go there and take a look at the White House.” We drove to D.C., visited the Capitol Building, saw the Washington Monument, Arlington and so on. We drove by the White House, stopped and looked around. Unfortunately, we only got to see the outside. It was Monday, and the White House was closed to visitors that day. Even so, I was glad our son suggested it, because that was the only time I got to visit the nation’s capitol.

Swinging westward, we drove through Pennsylvania, stopping overnight at a motel where the altitude was rather high, with red water in the faucets, and clouds you could almost touch. From there we made our way home. A thoroughly satisfactory vacation.