A few weeks ago, my buddy Todd and I headed south after I picked him up in the Subi early Thursday morning. We had that thing loaded up with hiking, fly fishing and biking gear and were prepared to do everything over the next four days. And it was going to be a scorcher outside. This was going to be fun.
The main goal of the trip was to check out a sweet Toyota Land Cruiser Todd had been keen on purchasing. He wanted to see it in person, take a drive, kick the tires. I had seen pics prior to the trip and it looked like a perfect fish truck.
Our first stop was near Gettysburg. We spent the morning casting to (most likely very pressured) trout. Only saw a handful as noon approached. But the scenery was spectacular. As we worked our way back to the car, I saw a nice little undercut and tossed a wooly bugger.
One of the largest trout I’ve seen there emerged from the darkness, took two swipes at the fly, and then disappeared again. Ugh! I almost had it, but seeing that big guy come out was almost as much fun as landing him. Next time. I know where he lives.
We ended up stopping at a pub/restaurant called The Cottage. Miller High Life quenched our thirst. We had some food and hit the road. Next stop: Gettysburg and the battlefields. Now I’m not a history buff, and I have been there once before. But, to be honest, I didn’t remember much from the first time as a boy scout. I think that was pretty neat actually, because this time I felt much more appreciation and really felt like it was like experiencing it for the first time.
We drove to various locations, first starting on the Confederate side and then worked our way to the Union stronghold. We shot photos and read the monuments. It was probably 90+ degrees, and luckily we had some trees along parts of our walks to keep us a bit cool. Oh, and then the beers tasted pretty good in downtown Gettysburg too. But what topped the day off was the steaks. Oh my they were good.
We hit another bar – the name escapes me – and then to the hotel. I slept like a baby.
The next day we caught breakfast at the hotel and then it was off to Virginia to check out the ride. Man was that thing sweet. Sort of a baby blue and white. Everything had been restored from the bottom to the top for the most part. Todd was digging it.
We looked it over as the current owner – Brett – gave the extensive history of the vehicle. Cost $4200 to ship it to the states from Columbia. Jump seats in the back. Loud as hell. And almost impossible to tip. Brett showed us that. It was fun.
Todd spent the rest of the time that day deciding if it was the right choice for him.
From there, we hit Shenandoah National Park to check out Skyline Drive. We entered and drove along the route, shooting photos along the way. We hit some visitor’s centers. The place was beautiful, and one would need to spend much more time there to really get a good handle on the sights and sounds. On my list for a return though, for sure.
The next day was rad. We drove to Harper’s Ferry and parked near the visitor center. We hopped a bus with the bikes and shuttled down to the town and rode around. We snapped photos on our 18 mile trip along the C & O tow path. Didn’t snap any of the bikini hatch though.
We finished in town with some bar food at the Almost Heaven Pub & Grill, and I had a beer in a styrofoam cup, since you couldn’t have bottles on the outer patio. It was probably still 90+ degrees and it tasted like I should have another one. But we paid the bill and headed back to catch the bus back up to the car.
The next coolest thing was that we found a Long John Silvers. And we gorged ourselves and sipped on the last two Miller High Lifes from the Yeti. We crashed hard, full from greasy chicken, fish and hush puppies. And it was awesome.
The next day we headed for home, or at least Cranberry to drop off Todd. We said our goodbyes…(he still hadn’t decided on the vehicle)…and I headed home. The 950+ miles was just what I needed to mentally regroup and reset my system. ~Drifter 07
Brushes with Brookies & Beer 