I have a lot catching up to do after spending the weekend with my brother and sister-in-law in Maryland. Lots of visiting and not any computer time – but more on that when we get to Maryland!

After we left Durham, NC we drove to Danieltown, Virginia where Larry’s dad’s ancestors settled generations ago. An “s” was added to the family name in the recent past. It was very cool to look around the small town and talk to the general store owner about changes that had happened since we last visited 20 years ago with the kids. It really makes us want to go collect all the family tree history we do have about the Daniels side of the family when we get home.

We then went to Appomattox where the Civil War ended. It was fascinating to see where General Lee surrendered to General Grant and hear the details about how it all went down. It effectively ended the war, but then still took a few more months for the word to get out and for everyone to stop fighting.

After spending the night in Waynesboro, Virginia we started out the next morning on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. We were on the road fairly early Friday morning so there were very few cars, but that also meant there where quite a few deer running around. I’m sure the trees will be much prettier in a few weeks, but the road was fun to drive and there were some beautiful views of the countryside along the way.