Traveling Sisters take on NC and Augusta, GA May 13th - 21st, 2017

As we were deciding where to go on our 2017 traveling sisters adventure, we received word that our brother Jon was retiring in June.  His family was having a party for him on 5/18 so we decided it would be the perfect time to see family and get together for our sister’s adventure too.  So, where to go was the next question.  Since the retirement party was in Augusta GA, it made sense to fly into Atlanta, take a little side trip, then back to Augusta for the retirement gala.

With a little planning, we decided to go to Ashville, NC, which is in the Blue Ridge Mountains, about 3 1/2 hrs from Atlanta.  We planned to stay 5 nights in Asheville, then drive to Augusta (about the same distance), and spend 3 nights. 

Carol and I flew in to Atlanta Saturday May 13^th, arriving about 3:30 or so.  We got a bite to eat at the airport, then went to get our rental car.  By the time we had eaten and got the car Ruth’s flight was arriving.   We picked her up about 6 then got on the road for our drive to Asheville.  The weather was beautiful and it was an easy drive.  We stopped for dinner at Toss Pizza Pub in Greenville, SC, about an hour and ½ before Asheville. Pizza and salad hit the spot, and enjoyed the fun atmosphere.

We stopped at a grocery store shortly before we arrived at our Airbnb, The Red Gate Cottage about 10pm.  It was nice and cozy with a country feel. There were 3 bedrooms and two baths which was nice for the three of us. The beds were comfortable and had beautiful quilts. We had a little trouble with the TV the first night, but after speaking with the owner the next day we realized that the remote was programmed a little different than we were used to.  Once we figured that out we could watch a movie one of the evenings.

Sunday morning we had yogurt, fruit and granola, then headed out for the day.  Our first stop was the Asheville Visitor’s Center where we got some ideas for the few days we were staying in town.  At the visitor’s center, we bought tickets for the Hop On/Hop Off tour bus.  We had done the same type of tour on several other adventures and we all felt it was a great way to get to see the different areas in town.  We had a fun driver who gave us all the history of Asheville and pointed out different historical locations.  After the 1 ½ tour we headed to the Haywood district and had lunch at Isa’s Bistro. After lunch and a little shopping, we headed home, stopping at Trader Joe’s on the way.  We bought sweet and sour chicken and rice which we cooked at the house and watched a movie.

Monday we went to the Biltmore Estate.  What a beautiful building with lots of history.  In addition to our regular tickets we purchased a special tour called the upstairs / downstairs tour which gave insight into the maids and servants quarters and different workspaces.  We also took time to visit some of the gardens on the estate, although the day was hot so we didn’t see as much as we could have.  We had a bite to eat between tours and overall we spent about 6 hrs at the estate.  Later that evening we went to Zambra, a Tapas restaurant.  We ordered several small plates including olives, cheese, pork spring rolls, and hanger steak.  We enjoyed them all.

On Tuesday we decided to take a drive through the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  We drove to Weaverville which was the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway and a short distance from where we were staying.  We had a bite to eat and coffee at the Well Bred Café before heading up the mountain.  We stopped at Three Knobs Overlook (elevation 3875) then went on to Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center.  On our way back we stopped for lunch at 12 Bones Smokehouse BBQ.  You can't leave town without having BBQ.  This place was said to be Obama's favorite and in my opinion it was great!   Then we headed back to the house for a restful evening.  We ordered pizza from Vinnie’s which was a local restaurant and was very good.

Wednesday we all had spa appointments at the Omni GroveHotel and Spa.  Because we had appointments we also had day use so we took advantage of that by going over to the spa around 11:00.  We took a tour of the different pools, indoor and out and ordered lunch by the outdoor pool.  The weather was hot but the water was nice and we were able to get a table with shade.  Ruth and Carol both had facials and I had a pedicure which was so relaxing and included a paraffin treatment, warm neck compress, a mimosa and chocolates.  Not much like my local pedicure (however also nowhere near the cost of my local shop!)  I was done before them so I was able to rest and catch up on reading with my iPad.   After their treatments we went over to the Hotel area and had drinks on the terrace before heading to dinner to Avenue M.  

Thursday we left the house about 10 and went to the Corner Kitchen which was in town in the Biltmore Village shopping area.  Biltmore Village is a series of houses that originally were for the staff of the Biltmore Estate.  They have since turned the houses into retail shops including Talbots, Chico's, White House Black Market, etc.  Before we left the area we stopped for coffee at the Well Bred Café (Carol was hoping they had the coconut cake that she hadn’t purchased at the same café in Weaverville, but wished she had – they didn’t…).  Then, we were on the road to Augusta, about a 3.5 hour drive. 

Once we reached Augusta, we found the condo we were renting through AirBNB.  It was in the downtown area which we found to be quite a depressed area. The condo was nice and clean and had a vintage décor with a mix of reds, oriental motif as well as a bright yellow kitchen and pink bathroom (floor, tile and tub).  We had two bedrooms, one with a king bed and the other with a queen where I stayed.    After getting settled we headed to dinner across from the Savannah River at the Whiskey Bar Kitchen.  We were surprised to see how much of the area was abandoned/closed businesses with sporadic restaurants or other businesses.  Dinner was good and the menu included hamburgers and salads.  My hamburger was great!   

In the morning we had made arrangements with Dave to drive about 45 minutes up to see Hannah who was not going to be able to make it to Augusta for Jon’s retirement party due to the imminent arrival of her twin boys (Miles and Asher, born 2 weeks later on 6/1).  It was great to see Hannah and to meet Elle (20 months).  Jonathan (Hannah’s hubby) came home for lunch so we had a few minutes to visit with him too while we ate sandwiches.  Elle was due for her nap after Daddy left and I’m sure Hannah was ready to lay down too so we bid farewell with well wishes for the upcoming birth. 

We went back to the house to freshen up for Jon’s retirement event which was held at the Savannah Rapids Park Pavilion.  It was great to see family and to see all Jon’s patients come out and wish him well.  We spoke with a few and they all had such kind words and that they would really miss him.  We noted that most were middle aged and older and when we talked to Jon he said that he aged right alongside his patients the last 36 years, and though he did have some younger the majority were older.  There were plenty of appetizers and desserts, and tables with mementoes and photos.  There was even a proclamation from the mayor proclaiming June 30^th “Dr. Jonathan Reimer Day” in Augusta.   It was good to see the respect and love for him. We left without having much time to talk to him, however we knew we would have time the next day.   On our way home we stopped at a baby store and bought a gift card for Hannah and Jonathan for the twins and a book for Elle.  We got it ready to give to Hannah’s mom Cindy when we saw her the next day.  That evening we finished up the pizza that we had left over from Vinnies the other night.

Saturday morning we met up with Cindy Reimer (Dave’s ex) for breakfast and coffee at the Inner Bean Coffee Shop.  It was good to talk with her and catch up on things in her life. She is looking forward to helping Hannah with the twins and Elle in a couple weeks.   After spending time with her we went over to Jon’s house.  Tim, Julie and the kids and Ben, Jeanine and their kids were there as well as Dave. Cindy came also and our nephew Josh.  Josh’s wife Tiffany was helping a friend with a wedding so was unable to attend.  The kids were enjoying the nice weather and swimming in the pool.  Tim and Ben did a “low country boil” which consisted of crawdads, shrimp, sausage, potatoes, corn on the cob and lots of spices.  They cooked it outside in a big pot then strained it and poured it on newspapers on the counter.  Everyone dished up what they wanted – yum!  There was lots of food left from the night before so we had salads, chips and an assortment of desserts.   After stuffing ourselves we visited with Jon for quite a while before heading back to our place.  On the way we decided to stop at Giuseppe’s for pizza and salad (beginning to see a pizza trend here J )

Sunday it was time to head to the airport for our flights.  We stopped at a local Starbucks then were on the highway heading toward Atlanta, about a 2.5 hour drive from Augusta. We reflected on our 8 day trip and started thinking about next year.  Where to go… we all thought it would be fun to go to New Orleans or Branson… we can have some sister time and then invite the guys to join us.   We have more planning to do! 

Atlanta to Miami, September 2008

Doug’s annual conference was scheduled for Miami, so we decided to take an extended time and do a road trip. I had been to Savannah and Charleston in the past, but Doug had not and I was anxious for him to be able to see that part of our country. Since we were going to be down that way we decided to fly into Atlanta and drive to Augusta to see my brother Jon and his family while we were there. We flew into Atlanta on Wednesday night the 17th. We had hoped to be able to see a little bit of Atlanta however, our flight was delayed and when we got to Atlanta they were unable to find our luggage. There was another flight coming from Seattle in a couple hours so we decided to have dinner at the airport. That was a fun experience! We were eating dinner at one of the little bar and grills in the airport. The table next to us had ordered their food and beers. One gentleman had beer in his glass and suddenly it exploded! Beer and glass went everywhere. It was quite loud, and along with the commotion around their table there was a lot of confusion. One of the waiters came over to assess the situation and to get things cleaned up which included moving their table and cleaning the floor, the wall, etc. When one of the other waiters stopped by to see what in the world happened I started to explain it and as I moved my hand to show him I hit my coke glass and knocked it over! Is this how our stay in Atlanta is going to start? First the luggage, now the dinner fiasco? What next? We finally got our luggage and headed to our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn about 9:30. By then we were not hungry, and it was too dark to check things out. We were planning to get up early to head to Jon’s. In the morning I got up and went down to the pool when they opened at 6am. It was a nice, indoor pool and I had the room to myself. I had looked forward to swimming so it was enjoyable. As I was getting out of the pool and took one step on the floor the tile was just like glass and I started to go down without any way to stop myself. I fell hard on the tile, flat on my chest. I knew immediately that this was not good. I tried to get up but the floor was so slick that I could just crawl to one of the chairs on the side of the pool area. I finally made it up and went back to our room. I didn’t even want to mention it to Doug because of all the little things that had happened on our trips. It was becoming comical- and would have been if I wasn’t in so much pain. I was sure I had broken a couple ribs. We headed to Augusta in the morning to Jon and Joyce’s house. We got there about 11:30 and my brother Dave and his son Josh were there, as well and Jon’s son Tim and wife Julie. After visiting for a little while we all headed over to a local restaurant and had a great barbeque lunch. After lunch Josh had to go to work, but the rest of us went over to see Jeanine (Jon’s son Ben’s wife) and their new baby Madeline who was about 3 weeks old. We had a nice visit, and then we headed for the hospital where Ben was working so we could see him for a few minutes. They live in South Carolina on the border of Georgia, and Ben works at Aiken Regional Medical Center. Once we left after visiting Ben we were on our way to Charleston. On the way however we wanted to stop at South Carolina Barbeque to take something with us. Jon had taken us there a few years earlier and it was such a hit we wanted to try it again. It wasn’t too far from the hospital so Jon led us there and we picked up something and Jon took dinner home. I guess this was the day of BBQ – both lunch and dinner! We arrived in Homewood Suites in Mt Pleasant which was a suburb of Charleston. Once we got settled we headed downtown to look at the city. The weather was beautiful and we had time to look around for a little while before heading back to our hotel for the night. In the morning we went back downtown area and took a ride on the horse drawn carriage, getting the history of the area. Charleston has wonderful architecture and beautiful buildings. Rainbow Row is a group of row houses that are each painted a different color. We also took a walk around the town and went through the market area downtown. The market has some unique crafts specific to the area, including the sweet grass baskets which are weaved by hand. We walked down to Shem Creek Bar and Grill . The next morning we left the area and stopped at Magnolia Plantation and Gardens. The grounds are beautiful and it is rich with history of life on the plantation. We were able to walk on a self guided tour around the grounds and see the gardens, the different buildings, a petting zoo, and lots of nature trails. It was informative and very interesting. We left the Charleston area and headed over to Hilton Head Island where we had rented a condo through RCI exchange. Hilton Head Island is divided into sections called Plantations. We were staying at Port O’ Call Resort which was in Shipyard Plantation. We checked in at the business office in town where we got the keys, then headed to our condo. After we got checked in we drove down to the Lighthouse point and had dinner at The Crazy Crab Restaurant . We toured the area, then headed back to our place for the night. There was a nice patio and swimming pool. The weather was nice so I spent some time down at the pool. I was still in a lot of pain from my fall so it felt good to relax in the water. On Monday we were on the road again, this time on our way to Savannah. Once we got to town we checked in to our hotel, the trolley to get a feel for the area in the short time we planned to be there. One of the things we wanted to do for sure was schedule a dinner at Lady and Sons, the restaurant owned by Paula Deen. It is such a popular place they limit the time you can make reservations. While we were on the trolley, our guide indicated that we could get off in that area and see if they are taking reservations outside of the stated times. She said they often do that. We did and were able to make plans for that evening. Savannah is a pretty town, with cypress trees, beautiful flowers, and just a different way of life. The historical part town itself is made up of “squares”. Each one with it’s own name and uniqueness. After our trolley ride we took a walk around the area and visited the Colonial Park Cemetery which is in the middle of the historic district in town. There are graves and crypts dating back to 1750 and it is interesting to read some of the markers. There is also a sign that tells how during the civil war the union soldiers came in and demolished several headstones, and moved things around, changed dates, etc. so it is not unusual to find a tombstone that shows a person dying before they were born! That evening we went over to Lady and Sons and had a wonderful dinner. I had chicken pot pie that was to die for! The crust was flaky and hung over the edge of the bowl. On Tuesday we had breakfast in town then headed on our way to St Augustine . I was still in considerable pain with my ribs and had not been able to sleep well. We had some pain meds with us but they were just about gone so I called home to my dr and she suggested that I go to the emergency room. She was concerned that if I did have a broken rib I might puncture a lung. So, we pulled into St Augustine, and the weather started getting stormy. We located the hospital and spent the next few hours in the emergency room. The xrays didn’t show a fracture but doctor indicated that the cartilage could be broken, or even the ribs and just might not show yet. She prescribed pain meds and something to help me sleep. After our hospital visit we went down to the waterfront where there are shops and restaurants. The weather was threatening to be stormy, although it was warm. We had dinner along the waterfront and headed back to our hotel for the night. We were staying at the On Wednesday we got up had breakfast and headed to Miami. This was the longest stretch of our trip, about 4 1/5 hours compared to the 1-2 hrs between the other cities. We stopped along the way to stretch and have a bite to eat. We got to Miami about 3pm and checked into our hotel, the Trump International . We also turned in our car since we wouldn’t need it in this area. Doug went to his reception and I went down to the poolside. The weather was stormy and warm. I was looking forward to swimming, well, getting in the pool – I wasn’t able to comfortably swim, but just as I was got down to the pool area it started to rain and blow and they closed the pool. That evening we stayed at the hotel and had dinner and walked around the beach area. I arranged a tour for the next day of the Everglades. Fortunately when we got up the weather was nice so I was able to go and enjoy the tour. The tour company picked me up at the hotel and we drove out to the National Park entrance. The tour included a ride on the boat through the marshy water. We stopped several times and watched for alligators. After we were done with the boat portion I went through the museum and the other areas of the park. They had an exhibit with a alligator wrestler which was fun to watch. I also had the opportunity to hold a baby alligator. I ate lunch before heading back to the hotel. That evening the conference members were invited with spouses to a party at Nikki Beach Club which is in South Beach . It wasn’t much of a party, especially for the $40 each that we paid. We had a bbq dinner but there was no entertainment or anything else going on. Most everyone left within a couple hours. We headed back to our hotel by 10pm. The next day I just stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the pool, and relaxed. That evening, which would be the last of our trip, we went back to South Beach area and walked around. We had dinner at a Puerto Sagua , which is a Cuban restaurant on the main strip. Our time was coming to an end - We were able to see and do a lot in the 10 days we were on the road. On Saturday we got up early and headed to the airport to fly home. I didn’t want to leave, but I think that is my mantra for everywhere I go. That and “we’ll be back”.

To see more pictures click below