Review pg. 2

Florida sure went by in a hurry, as did the whole trip actually. Next on the trip was getting to the Smoky Mountains with a stop along the way. If I had a choice again, I would have stopped in Charleston, but it just wasn't directly on the route. This was one of the many choices I had during the trip, which is one of the reasons that I could have spent another month going to more areas of the country. Anyway, one of the biggest surprises on the trip was the Biltmore estate in Asheville. I had no idea this place was here, but it was well worth the time I took to go for a visit. This was one huge structure with all the trappings of a castle in Europe, except for the moat. The Smokies are everything I remembered from our family vacation when I was a lot younger. The only thing I missed was the glass blower in Gatlinburg. That still fascinates me to watch those people work. After a few days in the Smokies, I went ahead toward the Northeastern part of the country, with a couple of days in Roanoke, excellent ribs, and the Natural Bridge. Those George Washington initials still get me to thinking about surveying during that time in America. That was some tough work. I think the only place I would have skipped during the trip was Washington, D.C. Although I spent a couple of days there, I found myself not really wanting to fight the traffic, parking, etc. that getting down to the National Mall would have entailed. Once again, if I had it to do again, I would just have gone on down to Annapolis. For spending only one day there, I saw a good bit, and could have really enjoyed at least 2 more days checking out the waterfront and seeing some of the Naval Academy. Next on the road was some time in the Philly area, before trucking on up to Maine. I'll get to that in the next review. So far, so good.