March 31 Saturday Day 34 Norfolk Virgina tonight to somewhere up the coast to DC

We are at "The Lake Wright" Sleep Inn Norfolk.

First I must say, I have been negligent in mentioning this before, Shirleen has become a brilliant navigator. She has found where we are going and where we are staying each and every night. What a help!!!!!!!

We took off from Jackson NC and headed up to New Bern, I remembered a guy from boot camp, a Rutlidge from there. A little later we took the back road Hiway 264 to Roanoke Island to check out the National Park Lost Colony site. We stopped at the visitor center and they asked where we came from we told them we came on 264 and there eyes just opened widely. They were surprised we took the back roads. We found them magically enchanting. A touch of real America, this is what we are trying to accomplish on this road tour – gypsy travels (we are bohemian) or what ever you want to call the travels we are taking.

We grabbed a quick lunch at the “Weeping Radish Restaurant” in Manteo NC on Roanoke Island. It was a Bavarian restaurant with the blue and white squared flags out front. I had a Weissen (Wheat beer), need not go back for another. Shirleen had a brat with kraut and a scoop of potato salad, good brat. I had a chicken schnitzel with spaetzels and a good purple cabbage. The schnitzel was lightly coated ¼ inch thick chicken fried in butter, the spaetzels were of the noodle type. You flatten the stiff flour, egg and water dough and cut the spaetzels with a knife and boil like ours. They were blended with a light gravy. Schmeck’s Gute!

We then went up to the Roanoke sight that was settled around 1584. We walked the grounds and saw the earthen wall and ditch from where the earth was dug with a couple of log post sticking out of the ground, looked like a ill made fortress. That is where they were supposed to of had placed around the living site. It was interesting, I had seen a piece on Discovery about this. This where the first English (England) baby was born, Virginia Dare. Dad always liked that wine, now I know where the name came from. It was a really sweet wine, supposedly like a little lady? The group had come to this sight, had problems with the local Indians, we killed one of their chiefs and they retaliated by killing one of ours. With little food and salt the English wanted the governor to go back to England and get them help. The English were in a war with the Spanish and needed all ships, even the passenger ones. Three years later the governor returned and found no trace of the family and daughter he left. The houses, outbuildings and other things the 50 or so people had there. A mystery that for over 400 years has never had a conclusion to.

In this location there was “The Elizabethan Gardens”. The walkway into the garden was lined with crept myrtles that were pollarded. The brick gate walling into the garden was flanked by flowers and flower pots. Behind the building was a little garden with knot gardens containing blue poppy’s and tulips. The camellias were in full bloom, as we’re now more north. The azaleas are just starting to bloom, they also had a miniature azalea that we had not seen before.

We walked down the paths and found many little nooks that contained statuary. A nice lookout to the Abermarle Sound. There wedding area was all white flowers among beautiful green leaves with a fountain in the center of the area. More knot garden areas with green hedges around tulips and poppies. They also had a live oak of around 400 years old. Just another must see.

Up we traveled through Nags Head, another of those places where the rich and wealthy live. Neat looking place along the intercostals.

We found this motel after another around the circle to get back to where we should be. They suggested “The Aberdeen Barn” for dinner, doubt again ran through my mind. I told Shirleen about it but we decided to try the restaurant at the motel. Well what a mistake, thank goodness we looked at the menu and went to the suggested restaurant. We were seated and Thanked for coming. We had ordered a bottle of Trumpeter Argentinean cabernet wine, nice selection. They had the old bread sticks with a mild cheddar cheese. Shirleen’s 7 oz tenderloin and my Cowboy Delmonico steak were some of the better we have had anywhere. We found this motel after another around the circle to get back to where we should be. They suggested “The Aberdeen Barn” for dinner, doubt again ran through my mind. I told Shirleen about it but we decided to try the restaurant at the motel. Well what a mistake, thank goodness we looked at the menu and went to the suggested restaurant. We were seated and Thanked for coming. We had ordered a bottle of Trumpeter Argentinean cabernet wine, nice selection. They had the old bread sticks with a mild cheddar cheese. Shirleen’s 7 oz tenderloin and my Cowboy Delmonico steak were some of the better we have had anywhere. The manager of the restaurant has been a friend of Twins player Michael Cuddyer. jerr