Day 14

Smithsonians?

May 20, 2013, 6:08 PM

Well it was the plan to go to the Smithsonian Museums today, but we got a late start because of making a couple phone calls and we decided to explore the Manassas Battlefield and Skyline Drive today instead. I like to keep you guys on your toes. Make sure you are paying attention to these blogs. So if you were going back to check that I said today we'd be at the Smithsonians, good!!!!!

We got to the Manassas Battlefield just as a tour was starting so we hurried through and caught up with the group. There was a ranger giving a very dramatic retelling of the Battle at Bull Run and Manassas at the Henry home. This guy was so excited about the story and he had hand movements involved and he was constantly moving from one side of the group to the other. He was very interesting to listen to. It was really a lot of fun. So many times you take those kinds of tours, especially at National Parks, and the rangers are about old enough to have been giving you first hand information and you just want to fall asleep on your feet. This was not like that, I was actually sorry there wasn't more. 

After that we watched a movie that basically was the retelling again, that was 45 minutes. It was pretty good too. It gave you a chance to visualize what the park ranger had been talking about. All in all a good battlefield stop. 

We stopped home to get a quick lunch, pick up a different lens, and then off to Syline Drive. The weather which started out pretty gray and overcast was already improving. Skyline Drive is rather like the Blue Ridge Parkway. Again Steve's rest of your lifetime National Park Pass got us in for free, it did in Manassas too. Woohoo!!!!!!

When we had gone about twenty miles, stopping at every lookout (and I do mean every) we turned around and went back cause we were getting hungry. We had decided to try to find a nice little place for dinner and eat out. We went through a list of places on the GPS and I looked up some reviews on Yelp and we tried the Knotty Pine Diner on Main Street in Fort Royal, Virginia. It looked cute from the outside. When we went in it was set up like and old fashioned diner. There were only six people there when we came in. The waitress was very friendly and we had a really nice dinner. Then it happened!! The waitress and one of the customers went outside for a cigarette. The cook or someone from the kitchen was behind me talking to the person that had been with the customer that went outside. The cook decided he was going to go out too. Now mind you, let me give you a visual here. The diner is small, there is an old fashioned counter with attached stools as you walk in to the left, right across from them there is a row of booths, there is another row of booths attached to them moving toward the right and then a aisle. Then another row of booths up against the outside wall. We were in the middle row of booths, I had my back to the kitchen, Steve sat across from me with his back to the door. We were back far enough I could see someone's back as they went out the door. 

So now to pick up the story, the cook guy is going out the door, as he's going down the aisle between the counter and the booths across from the counter, he turned to have another word with the woman in the booth across from the counter who's dinner companion had gone outside to have a cigarette with the waitress, when the cook turns back around and goes out the door I realize he is wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and an apron. The apron ties at about the same place the t-shirt ends, then it happened, I see the butt crack from hell!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD, really! He could have removed a pan from the stove with that thing. There could have been food dropped in there. Of course the place is so small I can't tell Steve what I saw. 

A few minutes later the cook guy walks back in, at this point Steve will have a clear shot of the guys back. I watch Steve's eyes. They start out just taking in the guy walking past then I see them drop, I can hardly contain myself. Thank God in heaven above, by this time we are pretty much done eating, we get the check, pay, get out the door, into the car, and we both crack up. The adventures of traveling!!!!!! But then again if it wasn't for stories like this I would have nothing to blog about.