Wow!! Sounds like a full day!

We just have to add our two cents being the extrememly food oriented
individuals that we are. In full appreciation of your stomach driven
adventures -- you missed a really, really good restaurant at the bottom of
Wintergreen -- Bistro something! (not it's official name although Bistro is
in the title -- I think the second part is a number) Anywhoooo it is very
yummy!

Once we discovered it (the food on the mountain isn't that hot except for
one salad at the golf club with pears, gorganzola and balsamic vinegrette --
the kids could give you the low down on the chicken nuggets situation for
the greater mountain area...) we ate at that Bistro twice for lunch and once
for dinner. Did I mention we were only there for an extended weekend?...

Luckily, our first day there, we thought we were going to lose our brakes
going down the mountain, thus careening around the killer curves at greater
and greater speeds, holding on to eachother for dear life as we finally flew
out over the tree tops... I say luckily for two reasons: One, because this
didn't happen (obviously, although Pandora, being the amazing mountain woman
that she was forced to become would have probably limped out of the wreckage
and found her way back {said with love and admiration}. We were told, in a
very nice way by the service station at the bottom of the mountain, that we
were just another in a long line of pathetic tourist families who are not
used to actually really using their brakes on such steep descents and thus
are freaked out by the smell of the burning brake material -- which is
apparently to be expected, none the less the reason we will be trading the
Explorer in soon.... Anyway, I digress, it was lucky too (and probably
almost as importantly as not perishing off the side of the cliff) 'cause,
while we were waiting for the service station to examine the car, we had no
choice but to use up an hour or two within walking distance of the gas
station. Lo and behold, a restaurant across the street. Run those kiddies
accross the highway (slight exageration on my part). And, that is how we
discovered the Bistro place whose name is not as memorable as its super
yummy food! Wow, I'm getting hungry just writing about it! What's in the
fridge? oooooh some great fudge from the OBX (we devoured the fantastic
Kill Devil coconut custard before we headed home -- have to leave that
rental fridge clean....) But, that is another story....

Just also have to mention that Wintergreen is the first place the BeMa
family actually hiked (or took any type of walk in the woods since those
streaking days at summer camp...) We consider it the quasi official start
of our letterboxing days although we didn't know at the time that there were
any boxes there (doh!...) But, it is what gave us the impetus (big word --
told you we were more intellectual than physical....) to pull out that
letterboxing article in The Post and the rest is history (or at least
emailed in excrutiating details in earlier posts!...)

Glad you all had fun! We're jealous you got to meet Ryan and Amanda!
Hoping that Harper's Ferry will somehow still come to be! BeMa

>From: "Mary from Virginia"
>Reply-To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
>To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [LbNA] 12 hours with Ryan and Amanda
>Date: Mon, 16 Jun 2003 00:04:01 -0000
>
>Amanda and I had arranged for me to meet up with her and Ryan on
>Saturday at 11 am in Waynesboro, VA. Y'all have read his latest
>posts so you know that he is spending a few days off trail.
>
>Our first order of business - Food. We grabbed something at the
>Waynesboro Wendy's, did our exchanges while we had a nice dry flat
>surface, and then decided to make a pilgramage to Monticello. We
>spent a few hours taking the tour, walking the grounds and learning
>all things Jeffersonian. And who did we run into as we were getting
>ready to leave? Eileen and Bern of Celtic Pride. They knew we were
>going to Monticello and decided to drive down to join us. What a
>surprise! So since they had just gotten there, we couldn't leave yet
>and we all hiked back to the house, too impatient to wait in the
>loooonnnngggg line for the shuttle.
>
>Spent more time absorbing historical facts and finally, having
>completely sated our appetites for Mr. Jefferson, we left Monticello
>and headed to Wintergreen Resort for the 5 letterboxes planted by
>BlueMoon. The first thing we were supposed to do is pick up a trail
>map at the Trillium house. Aargh - it took us so long to get there
>that the map place was closed. We had to go back to the Mountain Inn
>to get a map. Note to future finders - YOU MUST HAVE A MAP. They
>cost $3.
>
>By now it is after 7 pm but we know we have at least 90 minutes of
>daylight left so it should be possible to find some of the boxes. We
>were very efficient at stamping in and managed to find all 5 before
>it got dark. We found them in this order - Megan's Magpie, Maggie's
>Mousie, Old Crow, Julia's Monkey and Emily's Elephant. The trails
>are great. You should have heard us oohhing and aahhing at how prety
>the trail was as we were walking to the first two boxes. But it
>would have been embarrassing for you to hear us wheezing and gasping
>as we went up some of the steep paths for the other three boxes. All
>in all - a very enjoyable search. These boxes have not seen many
>visitors and they should. It is rather a long drive but the trails
>are worth it.
>
>It was now getting dark and it's time for food. The only thing we
>passed on the way in was a BBQ place by the BP station. We rushed
>back, mouths salivating for some pulled pork and coleslaw. OH NO -
>they closed at 8!!!! So on to Charlottesville. But just to make the
>drive a tad more interesting, we were hit by a mighty storm. The
>windshield wipers couldn't keep up with the rain. Finally, we found
>a Ruby Tuesday just as the rain was letting up a bit so that we
>didn't get completely drenched walking in.
>
>I won't go into what everyone ate, although for some of us food-
>oriented people, that's the most interesting topic of all. Suffice
>it to say, we ate. We were happy.
>
>Our little party didn't break up until 11. Celtic Pride and I had to
>head north and Amanda and Ryan began searching for a new hotel,
>having decided that they had seen enough of the Super 8 in Waynesboro.
>
>So that's the story of my very long day with Amanda and Ryan.
>
>Mary
>

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It was sooo great for Mary (and Eileen and Bernie) to come out and
meet with us. We had a great time letterboxing with them! Those
Virginia 'boxers are the best!
:-)

--Amanda

PS. for those that are keeping track, Ryan took 2 Zero days while in
the Charlottesville area. He was back on the trail Sunday and headed
for Front Royal!
For meeting him at Front Royal, you will have to email him directly.
(just reply to him thru any of the posts he has made to this board)

I'll bet you say that in every state Miss Amanda :D

samanark wrote:
It was sooo great for Mary (and Eileen and Bernie) to come out and
meet with us. We had a great time letterboxing with them! Those
Virginia 'boxers are the best!
:-)

--Amanda

PS. for those that are keeping track, Ryan took 2 Zero days while in
the Charlottesville area. He was back on the trail Sunday and headed
for Front Royal!
For meeting him at Front Royal, you will have to email him directly.
(just reply to him thru any of the posts he has made to this board)




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VMama
of the TripleV Gang

F19 P1 HH2 X2

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