On Saturday morning, we got up early and went down for breakfast. We ended up being early, which made our two sleepy children unhappy. Luckily there was a lobby with couches, so they laid down until breakfast was ready. Before we left Charlottesville, we stopped at Bodo’s Bagels. It was jam-packed, so that was a sign of a great place to get breakfast. We got bagels and honey pecan cream cheese. The Imaginative One loved the plain bagels so much that he had two on the ride down to Folly Beach.
Stop #2 was Appomattox Courthouse. The location of Lee’s surrender to Grant at the end of the Civil War. This significant event in our history occurred days before Lincoln was killed. Tears rose in my eyes as I saw the reconstructed McLean house where the peace document was signed.
Before we got there, we had to drive through the backcountry of Virginia. At one point, we even were in the geographical center of Virginia. Some of the roads reminded me of Oz, with the cornfields on either side of the road. We stopped for gas at this little country gas station. It was called Duck Corner, and it would quack whenever someone opened the door. The boys loved this. I had to apologize to the clerk because the boys wanted to hear the quacking.
Oh, and the Imaginative One complained about his stomach hurting while driving down those roads. Luckily I had packed peppermints, so I told him to suck on that. There was no car sickness that day. Mommy saved the day.
We only spent an hour at the Courthouse. I could have spent much longer, but we were on a tight schedule. Our favorite things were the living history people. It was interesting to talk to Corporal Robert Fields from Pennsylvania. He kept in his character the whole time we talked to him.
We also met Jeff Toalson, who has taken letters written during the Civil War and put them in order and in a book. I got the book called Send Me a Pair of Old Boots & Kiss My Little Girls. These are letters between husband and wife Richard and Mary Watkins. I’ve read about a fourth of the book but had to put it down because it was hard to keep putting it down and then picking it up. WI will read it whenI have time to dedicate to reading it. It’s that good.
After we were finished with Appomattox Courthouse, we traveled to Folly Beach. Outside Raleigh (Lynnwood), we stopped for lunch and a little playtime. Soon afterward, we were back on the road. When we were at the South Carolina border, it started to pour. It was so bad that we could barely see in front of us. We stopped at the welcome center, and the boys and I didn’t get out because of the puddles and how fast the rain was falling. Hubby needed to check on his bike rack, so he got out and was soaked. The rain stopped as quickly as it started.
The boys were restless at that point. They wanted to be at the beach, but we still had a few hours to go. At one point, Hubby and I decided to rock out to Pink and put on a performance to Get the Party started. I even had motions and danced in my seat to the song.
Finally, I saw the Bridge and knew we were in Charleston. Only 20 minutes were remaining until we were at the beach. Those 20 minutes took forever, especially with the boys being loud in the backseat. But we made it at about 7:45 pm that evening. After we got there, the boys got to walk in the sand and dip their feet in the ocean. They were so happy to be there. No one went to bed until 11ish that evening.
Click on the picture of the McLean House to go to other pictures of the day.
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