Creek near Gap Cave

Cumberland National Historic Park

We left West Virginia and headed in our optimal direction – Southwest. After a short 6 hours and several stops, we made it to Cumberland National Historic Park on the border of Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. In the early days of Westward advancement, the Appalachian Mountains were the blockade. The mountain range goes from Canada […]

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View from Grandview Trail

National Parks of Southern West Virginia

Our unexpected journey back North to escape Irma led us to Southern West Virginia. The area has several state parks and three NPS parks: Bluestone River National Scenic River, Gauley River National Recreation Area and New River Gorge National River. Our jaws dropped when we drove through the parks, they are breathtaking. If you are […]

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Beach view, Fort Raleigh NHP

Outer Banks, North Carolina

I am not sure what I thought the Outer Banks would be like. As a Californian, the only time I see that area on the TV is when a storm or hurricane damaged it. For East Coasters, the Outer Bank is a great getaway – beaches, restaurants, trails, surf, and sun. Our main reason to […]

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Burnside Bridge

Springfield, Virginia

We flew back to Virginia at the end of July to a warm, friendly “Giusti” style welcome. By the way, “Giusti” welcome involves tears of joy, big dramatic hugs and fancy signs. We were exhausted but elated from our travels. After a short week in Virginia, we made it to Walt Disney World with the […]

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Pandora Land, Animal Kingdom

Walt Disney World – Animal Kingdom

…Continued from Hollywood Studios…   Animal Kingdom I have to admit, I love love love this park. The park opened on Earth Day 1998 and as you may guess it, is based around animals! The park is actually accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. One of […]

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