Road Trip 2010- Amish country to Leesville (Pt 2)

Hi again, just back again from Halifax, NS, sadly without Toni whose flight was to cancelled due to the ash from the volcano in Iceland.
So back to out travels. After one and a half days in Gettysburg we travelled to Lancaster PA, which is 60 miles (100 km) east of Gettysburg (on the way to Philadelphia) and the centre of the Pennsylvania Amish people. It was a real walk back in time to see the Amish men working in their fields using exclusively horse drawn equipment. While in this location we enjoyed lunch at the Cafe below. We had a traditional Amish meal which which can best be described as a delicious chicken, vegetable pie. The waitress was a happy, joyful young woman aged 24 years with a 6 six year old son. Next semester she is going back to school and will be doing her nursing degree.


From Gettysburg we travelled to Richmond, VA which was the HQ for the Confederate Forces during the civil war. The area was also the cradle of European settlement in North America (dating back to 1607) and is also the area made famous by Captain John Smith and the many folklore stories regarding Smith and Pocahontas. You will see in the two photos below the James River which flows through the city and a detailed map of the river system and its significance to this areas during the civil war period.

Out over the river there is a walking bridge providing civil war timelines. Set at intervals along the bridge there are quotes from the citizens of Virginia who expressed their emotional thoughts during this tragic time in American history. The quote below reads 'better lay the whole city in ashes than give the enemy....one drop of aid and comfort' , the author was Kate Mason Rowland, Confederate Nurse. A chilling reminder of the venom and hatred that was evident during the civil war.

Richmond is a very pretty city as can been seen from the two pictures below showing the real contrast between the old and new architectural styles.

From Richmond we travelled to Myrtle Beach, SC where we spent 3 days looking around. Myrtle Beach in some areas is looking very tired and needs a new face lift. It reminded us of how the Gold Coast (about an hours drive south of Brisbane) was in its early days before big money moved into the area. The area is now attracting large resort type accommodation which in time will change the landscape of this area. Below is a typical summer Sunday in this area and the boats where settling in for a concert hosted by the local pub. The boaties reminded us of a summer day in OZ.

From Myrtle Beach we travelled to Leesville SC, where we stayed at a striking B&B called The Able House Inn. To enjoy a better look, see http://www.ablehouseinn.com/index.htm

Annabel and Jack Wright own and run this B&B and are the parents of Scott Wright who our military friends will know was an Officer in the US Army had a posting to Canberra in the early 2000s and has just returned from living in Australia for 3 years. Annabel and Jack were the most delightful hosts and made our stay so very pleasant.

Once again we wnjoyed meeting great people and eating good food. Across the road from the B&B was Angelo's Greek & Italian Cuisine Restaurant where we enjoyed over the 2 nights of our stay in this area great food and we met very friendly people. Elaine and Leah, our servers were happy folks and made us feel right at home as did the head chief and the owner's father. For a look at their menu have a look at the website http://angelosofsc.com/

Over the couple of days we stayed in this area we took a drive to Augusta and to Aiken which were about an hours drive from Leesville. Augusta is the city known as the site of the Masters Golf Tournament. The course cannot be seen from the outside and has very strict admission to the course.

Aiken on the other hand is a pretty little place with tree lined streets which allow for many outside eating places. We enjoyed a Cuban lunch whilst there and learnt that the town has a history as a spa town.

Until the next post please stay safe and well.

Love Bev, Ross and Murphy