Hi All! First of all, let me thank each and everyone of you for the love and support you showed my family and I during my Mom's illness and passing. You filled our hearts! Thank you so much!
After returning to Indiana, Brian and I eagerly hit the road in search of BEACH 🏖 time.
August was a bit of a stressful month and we knew the beach would be the answer to soothe our souls and fill our cups. First stop - Maryland to see our oldest son, Eric. You know him - recent ASU graduate and all!
But first, our Lectric XP eBikes FINALLY arrived after a much anticipated wait of two months. We unboxed, set up and rode those bikes the very day they arrived and made a video of it. You may have seen it? If you're interested, here's the video link: https://youtu.be/c4QQT9zvq3w.
Well, as luck would have it, our route to Maryland took us right past the Great Allegheny Passage trail and we HAD to stop. Soooooo glad we did. What a trail! We rode only a small slice of the trail and saw such beauty along the way. Waterfalls, white water rapids, trees, rivers, small towns, wildflowers, you name it. If you ever get the chance and desire - check out this trail that stretches from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington, D.C.
Our YouTube video link of our ride on the trail, if you're interested:https://youtu.be/Mqr0DTLSM-A. There are YouTube videos of people who have traveled the entire length. I say "ouch, my butt!"
GAP Trail - Ohiopyle
So you may be asking - why did we purchase eBikes? We had perfectly good Segways! Well, the Segways were a ball, but they only go so far and so fast. Our travels have taken us to many small towns and past trails that we wanted so badly to ride our bikes on or through. Giving up our beach cruisers when we sold our "stuff" was hard and we miss them. So, the next best thing (for us) was a bike that would handle differing terrain and would fold up for convenience. The electric part was a really nice to have. After comparing prices, we found the Lectric XP that meets all our needs. We can now take those trails we wanted to (like the GAP), tootle around small towns, run around the campground as needed and get some much needed exercise along the way.
We couldn't be happier with our purchase. Yes, we had to let the Segways go for space needs, but I think we made a good trade.
Along the way to Eric's place in Maryland, we got the opportunity to stay at three Harvest Host locations. This was the first time we actually used our HH membership and we're so glad we did.
Our first stop was an apple orchard where we splurged on fresh apple cider and apple dumplings. I've never had apple dumplings before and they were delish!!
Second stop was my favorite - a winery and vineyard. It was magical parking alongside the vineyard and having that as our view out the front window and door. When in life do you get the opportunity to live in a vineyard? Also magical was being able to sip all the wine we wanted and have only a few yards to walk to get home. Bonus!!
Third stop was a Toy and Train museum. While this stop wasn't my favorite, the parking spot was in a quaint residential area in Wheeling, WV that made it a nice stop. If you're an RV'er, we highly recommend looking into a Harvest Host membership. I believe you'll find some magical stops along the way.
Our membership has already paid for itself in the first three stops and we have many more planned. In fact, our next stop is a Winery in MD. (Big smile happening here!)
Wesler's Orchard & Farmer's Market
Rockside Winery & Vineyard
Kruger St. Toy & Train Museum
Our son, Eric, lives near the Chesapeake Bay and was itching to get his Bayliner out on the water and we were the perfect "scratch" to make that happen. What a beautiful day. In fact, we couldn't have asked for a better one. According to Eric, the water in the bay was the best he'd ever experienced it. Calm waters and mild temperatures. We had a blast skipping across the water, chasing seagulls and loving the perfect temps.
Maryland is best known for its Blue Crabs that are plentiful in the "ber" months. Lucky for us it's Septem"ber"!! Soft shell crab sandwiches! While in Maryland, we HAD to make a trip to Annapolis and sip a cocktail on the waterfront at Pussers! If you get to Pusser's, try the Painkiller! We bought the rum and the mix to make our own at home. Shorter walk for us (wink).
Again, a beautiful day in Maryland. If you go to MD - make sure Annapolis is on your list.
Dobbin's Island, Chesapeake Bay
Brian eating a Soft Shell Crab Sandwich
Annapolis Waterfront
Well, we're getting closer to the BEACH each passing day. We'll soon be headed to our next Harvest Host winery location in MD and then on to one of our favorite beaches, right after Puerto Penasco, and that's Assateague Island! Love the white sand beach and wild horses. The beach is so close now, I can smell the salt water. Oh Yes!!!
Beach time is right at our fingertips and we look forward to sharing our time at the "horse beach" as I call it. Keeping fingers crossed that we have mild temps and absolutely NO hurricane warnings between now and then (probably shouldn't have even mentioned it). Especially since our travels will take us down the SE coast as we slowly make our way back to Arizona for Christmas. Next time we check in, hopefully we'll have sand between our toes, enjoying the salt life. Talk to you soon!