The Haines family took our spring break vacation this week. We did a road trip down to Southside Virginia, then continued on to Southwest Virginia and Tennessee and back home again through the hill country of central Virginia.
Our first stop was in Petersburg. You can hardly do a tour through Virginia without at least one civil war stop. The Pamplin Park is located at the site of the "breakthrough", when the Union forces ended the seige at Petersburg. This was a hugely significant battle which forced the evacuation of Richmond and the General Lee's surrender within a week- essentially ending the war. We happened to show up on April 2, which was the anniversary of the breakthrough.
Next up, we traveled down to Clarksville, Virginia to camp at Occoneechee Park on Buggs Island Lake.
 |
| Spencer is demonstrating the stability of his camping hammock. |
 |
| This was just the day after Easter, so we decided to try roasting some Peeps. I almost didn't try it, because ordinarily, I think Peeps are disgusting. However, the fire transformed this into something incredibly delicious. The sugar melts into a delicious caramelized coat and the inside is an amazing, warm, gooey mess. |
The next morning we drove West until we arrived in Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee. One of the fun things about this town is the main street, which is called State St, is also the state line. So the city is half Tennessee and half Virginia. One of Bristol's biggest claims to fame is the birthplace of country music. They have a whole museum dedicated to the first major recording of the genre.
 |
| The kids are on the Virginia Side. |
 |
| Now Jen is on the Tennessee side. |
 |
| Spencer and Laurel are making a recording of an old-timey tune. We captured some audio of this event, but some things just shouldn't be shared online. |
After the Museum we went out for Dinner at Cootie Browns, then to our hotel for a splash in the pool.
The next day we went on the best bike ride of our lives.
It rained all night. It even rained hard as we drove up to the top of the trail, but five minutes before we arrived, the last rain blew out. It was plenty muddy and plenty chilly, but we were so glad to have the rain stop.
This was the Virginia Creeper trail. This is a Rails to Trails style trail. But this one is particularly awesome because of a 17 mile segment from Whitetop to Damascus, which is almost entirely a gentle downhill grade through beautiful Blue Ridge scenery along the Whitetop Laurel Creek. I got a lot of pictures from the bike ride:
 |
| Ha Ha Ha Good job kiddos! |
After our bike ride we drove to Natural Bridge, Virginia to tour the Safari Park. We got caught in a bit of traffic and almost didn't make it, but 5 min before they closed the gate, we arrived. I'd never have done that on purpose, but it worked out great. It was almost like we had the whole place to ourselves. We all had a blast driving up to the animals. Laurel tried feeding an elk, who managed to pull the bucket out of her hands and get the whole thing to himself.
 |
| Grant's Zebra |
We continued on to Charlottesville and took in a movie at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. This is not just any movie theater. This is a Dinner-Theater experience. And not just that, but we went to a "quote-along" interactive movie party. Remember Labyrinth? (David Bowie meets Jim Henson) It was a great show. Dad was singing along like he was an 80s rock star. The kids loved the movie and we had a lot a fun with the props. Balloons, poppers, streamers and whoopee cushions! (For the Bog of Eternal Stench, of course)
It was such a fun day. The kids couldn't decide what was the best part.
The next day we went to Montpelier, James Madison's home. We learned about the Madisons, a little about the Unites States Constitution and life on a plantation.
Our last stop was at Sweet Frogs.
When we moved to Virginia 6 or 7 years ago, I made a deal with the kids. I wanted to help get the kids excited about General Conference, and I have been excited about the possibility of a Temple here in Richmond. Anyway, I promised them if the prophet announced a new temple in Richmond, I would take them out for Sweet Frogs (premium frozen yogurt)- unlimited.
We were so excited and so grateful to hear the news of the new Richmond Temple during this historic General Conference.
So I made good on my promise:
