Vacation 2014 - Day 2

http://www.joeyspancake.com/

The husband was told to check out Joey's Pancakes when going to Maggie Valley, North Carolina. It was not a disappointment. Even though it was a Monday morning people were waiting. We lucked out and waited maybe 10 minutes. The waitress was peppy and friendly. The husband had country ham, eggs etc. I had an Tuscan omelet. It was all so good. definitely going back next trip there.

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Then we went to one of the planned points of interest... Wheels Through Time.

www.wheelsthroughtime.com/

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I found a Groupon for this museum a few weeks back. I jumped on it. The museum has a $12 entrance fee, but I always love saving. It was perfect for my now motorcycle obsessed husband. February he finally bought his first motorcycle, the Harley that he has wanted since he was a kid. So a museum filled with motorcycles and they all run, how could I not go there.

The museum is so well put together. There is something everywhere. Lots to look at and not too much reading. The man who runs the museum has a TV show - What's in the Barn? It's on the Discovery Velocity Channel. We don't get that channel, but we are checking into it.

The people working at the museum are so friendly and helpful. They will tell you about the exhibits and are there for questions. The husband snapped a ton of pictures.

After hours wandering around, watching them start up motorcycles, talking to other visitors, as well as Andy - a volunteer from England who was a character, we went to the gift shop. We both got a T-shirt. The husband bought a sticker for his helmet, a year membership to support the museum and chances to win two motorcycles they are raffling off this year. We will definitely go there again. If anyone is in the area they should check it out. So cool!

We drove down the road and the husband told me about his visit to Ghost Town in the Sky when he visited there before we met.  Ends up it has been closed down, but is opening again this month. I told him we will have to check it out on the next visit.

Down the road was an observation tower. With an entrance fee of 50 cents a person I figured it would be fun. We climbed the 9 story tower and took photos.

We continues driving. The husband said he has heard of a oad called the Tail of the Dragon that a lot of bikers talk about. Ironically we ended up on it. It has 318 curves. The husband loved driving it. He wants to go back with his motorcycle.

It was after that drive that the husband announced his new collection - Harley-Davidson poker chips. I had seen them at the dealerships we have been to since he bought his bike. He said he wanted to start collecting. We made multiple stops that day and every other day on our trip.

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We ended up eating chain restaurants the rest of the day (how boring), mainly since the husband was on a quest for poker chips - 4 in that day.

We found a cheap place to stay in Lake City, Tennessee since we were on our way towards our second Groupon stop. I have gotten quite good at navigating on my phone's GPS. I need to get better at using our car GPS so I won't use data. I do wish that my Google maps had different colored stars for saved places or a way to list them. I haven't been able to find an app I like for saving places i want to go to... yet.


P.S. The husband called our satellite TV company and got us upgraded (no extra cost). We now have the Velocity channel. we cab watch What's in the Barn? the TV show by the guy who runs the Wheels Through Time museum. We already watched a few episodes. How cool is that.

Vacation 2014 - Day 1

We decided to leave on Sunday since our weekend plans changed the week before. We like to travel during week days to avoid crowds and traffic. We woke early on Sunday and threw our bags into the car. The husband decided to go through Helen, Georgia since that was a place on my list to check out.

http://cityofhelen.org/

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Helen, Georgia regards itself as an Alpine Village. The buildings are all the classic German style. It is adorable. It is very touristy. I had never been there before. The husband had passed through years ago. We looked in a few stores. It was lunch time, so the husband randomly chose a restaurant. He picked the Old Heidelburg restaurant. It was one of those "while in a German town" things.

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We were thrown when we saw the prices. Then we figured it was a tourist place and we were on vacation. We ordered the cheaper meal - Bratwurst. We also ordered a giant pretzel appetizer. Since I am not a reviewer I will cut to the chase - it took forever, it was over priced and the service sucked. Also the online reviews are poor.

My though 20 minutes in to leave the money for the drinks was probably a good idea. The husband complained and got money taken off the bill. New rule - check prices first.

We had fun watching people tube down the river. I think I would pass through there again.

We meandered up to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm

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I scored a T-shirt and a magnet right off. I realized I had been here before during a trip to Pigeon Forge years ago. The husband had been to Cades Cove years ago. We ended up driving over 5 hours through the park. It is HUGE. It is also beautiful. Cades Cove was worth the trip - lots of buildings and wildlife. We saw several animals and great scenary.

I got most excited when it started getting dark and I saw fireflies. I haven't seen fireflies since I was a kid. They don't have them in Florida. It's such a shame because they are so magical. I think I got most excited by seeing so many lighting up as we drove.

We ended up eating a very late dinner at Waffle House and finding a motel. We crashed out from a day that started at 5 am.

Let the Vacation Begin!

It has been nutty for a while leading up to vacation time. I worked so much and had so many work issues. We are getting ready for vacation today - laundry, cleaning, plus buying the drinks and snacks for the road today. Tomorrow we hit the road. All I have is a couple coupons and ideas. It is a super freestyle vacation to get out of Florida. North we go!!

Back to Thrifting

I wasn't thrifting for a while with the kitchen remodel and the puppies. I was also trying not to accumulate so much stuff. I rooted through the pictures I finally downloaded from my phone. 

We love this Pepsi menu board. The husband glued the Pepsi at the top. It lives on the wall in the dining room by the kitchen. We have been using it to count down to vacation. 

This isn't a thrift, but it is cute. We have seen the Disconnected K9s multiple times. We bought this glow in the dark Frisbee and an autographed used on. It's made out to all our pets. 

Finally a bowling ball bag for our growing collection of bowling balls. This beauty was $2. I love the pin that was on it with the pins and ball. 

 I had to get these Mr Peanuts. This reminds me I still haven't sent one to my niece. I keep sending her peanut stuff since she has a peanut tattoo. 

I found a bag of kitchen stuff at one of my favorite thrifts. How cute are the bottle openers. 

I bought 20 something records for 50 cents each. The Disney ones, like the Small World above will go to my Disney freak friend. I am keeping the Sesame Street ones. 

At a yard sale we happened upon a cart. Four wheels and $5. How could we not get it. We took it with us on our trip to a flea market and found the red bag that goes in it. The in-laws are using it when we aren't. How cool is that. 

Armed Forces Day

The Military Museum in Green Cove Springs, FL hosted a car show for Armed Forces Day.

http://militarymuseumofnorthflorida.com/

It was small but had a bunch of military vehicles. Here are a few of my pictures.