East Coast Family Trip

After James finished his conference we had a few extra days to explore the area a bit further.

We started by heading south into North Carolina.  We only had one day to fit a few things in, but now know we want to plan a trip back explore more of the outer banks.  It was beautiful!

We went to Kitty Hawk to learn more about airplanes and the invention of flight.

Brielle took her National Parks Passport with her and was able to add quite a few stamps to her book.

We continued down the island to see the Bodie Lighthouse.

And we stopped for some kite flying at Jockey Ridge State Park (the tallest sand dunes in the eastern U.S.)

 The next day it was time to start heading back north.  For this trip we were able to borrow a car from James' cousin, but she needed it to be brought from Norfolk up to Baltimore.  That was a great opportunity for us to fit in some more exploring.   We drove across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (map pictured) and up the Delmarva Peninsula, which again was gorgeous and in need of yet another trip back to visit.

We stopped in Cape Charles to test the onion rings at the recommended local restaurant called the Gingernut pub (they were indeed very yummy.)  We walked over to the beach with no intention of getting wet, but Ethan had other plans (see video below).  The beach was shallow and perfect for playing, so our 15 minute walk turned into an hour long swim.

We continued on to Assateague Island where the kids got some great hands-on ocean life lessons at the visitors center.  Here is Megan showing a horseshoe crab to the kids.

We were able to spot some more of these wild ponies that the island is famous for.  These ponies were captive, but we saw some that were wild as well, just a little too far for the camera's zoom!

And we found out that the local creamery makes some excellent ice cream.

We got into Annapolis late Monday night and woke up early Tuesday morning to be on time for a tour of the White House (no cameras allowed inside there!) and a stroll along the mall.    

And we were lucky enough to also get tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument.

We spent a bit of time at the Smithsonian Museums.  We were able to get to the American History Museum to see some of the naturalization ceremony.  Brielle was excited to see Dorothy's ruby red slippers, and we all enjoyed the downstairs exhibits about the inventions of play (toys) and science!  We went on to the Air and Space museum where Ethan was fascinated with all the different kinds of airplanes.

On Wednesday we had a few hours to tour Baltimore.  We took the train from the airport to the Inner Harbor. 

James and I enjoyed a tour of the Basilica of the Assumption (the oldest cathedral in the U.S.) it was beautiful.  It was however, not a very exciting stop for the kids, so we didn't stay for long.  We did get to go down into the crypts which was fascinating with dark tunnels and caves for the kids to explore.

And that is the short version.  We dropped of Jeannie's car, got to the airport and made it safely home.  What a trip!