Monday June 10th The long drive

I really liked Charleston, but we arrived too late to really see any museums. But we could see that it is a very pretty town.

Today we had a long drive up to Richmond.  I have the AAA tour books and other travel books so that I can find interesting places to stop along the way.  I found what looked to be a pecan plantation, but really turned out to be an outlet store. The Young Plantation grows and sells pecan. They have all flavors of pecans and a sampling bar so you can taste the different types. I tasted praline pecans, honey crisp pecans, chocolate honey roasted pecans, butter roasted and salted pecans, and chocolate pecans. We stayed long enough for me to sample and buy a bag of pecans (butter roasted and salted were the best).

Our next stop was South of the Border, SC.  All during the drive up I-95 we saw signs for South of the Border. They were cartoonish Mexican signs and had nothing to so with anything actually Mexican. When we got to the town we saw a tourist trap. There were Mexican gift shops, restaurants, a reptile lagoon, motel, and gas station all with a Mexican theme. The town was hard to describe.  There was even a car dealership with a sombrero on it. I thought the people in the town had a great idea. They were in the middle of nowhere, with no industry, and they turned that nowhere into a tourist destination. Just think of all the parents with kids who see the signs and have to stop.  After that we drove on through to Richmond.

The drive was a challenge today. The South Carolina police were everywhere. We actually saw two drivers being chased and pulled over. There was a lot of traffic and we picked up a lot more trucks as we got farther north. We also had about an hour of rain. So far, we have driven through rain every day, but it is over by the time we get to our destination. 

After resting up, we walked around downtown heading toward the river. We walked around the Virginia State Capitol and saw the statue tribute to liberty, maybe. The are statues of Washington, Patrick Henry, Jefferson, Mason (as in the Mason-Dixon Line), and a few others. Maybe, all these people were from Virginia, who knows? But the Virginia Capitol along with Alabama and Florida make Columbus look pretty lame.

...one more thing on the drive. You know I am not allowed to drive, right?  Rob is doing all the driving and I am the navigator/driver's assistant, just like last time. Well, I have perfected the art of backseat driving. I should write a book called How to Backseat Drive and Stay Married. Yesterday we were behind a guy driving the speed limit in the left lane (something that drives me nuts). Cars were passing us on the right.  I very nicely told my husband that the middle lane was clear and he finally moved. What I wanted to say was "Dude, what are you doing? This is the fast lane".  The other day we were in a line up of 12 cars in a lane in the Keys when the other lane was empty. I said "I wonder why that lane has no cars in it?" Then he finally woke up and moved. What I really wanted to say was "Dude, get in the other lane".  Sometimes when we are on the highway Rob goes out of his lane while he is sightseeing.  I ask very nicely "Are you okay driving?" What I really want to say is "Dude, pay attention to the road or let me drive!" I have been backseat driving like this for years.  So if you want to have a successful marriage, subtly and choosing your battles are key.