Dodge Mahal-n'

Our east coast tour began up the east coast of Florida to Savannah, Georgia (although, still considered a part of the south). Giant live oak trees line the streets, old brick buildings are crammed one-on-top-of-the-other and cobble stone roads lead the way. A little gritty yet extremely charming, Savannah is a not-to-be-missed town when driving through Georgia.

We walked the River Walk, ate buckets of 'you shuck' oysters, toured the historic neighborhoods, had a few beers and enjoyed great conversations with locals.

We camped that night in a lush, damp forest just a few miles from town.

After Savannah, we made our way up the coast of South Carolina. We found ourselves at Edisto Beach and stayed a few extra days.

It was so beautiful. We had rain, wind, sun, you name it. We met many great people at this campsite. Including John, from Texas, traveling in his Volkswagon Van.

After three days we headed up the coast to the very charming town of Charleston, South Carolina. But first, we stopped for blue crab and snapper at a local seafood shop to cook for dinner.

We pulled into Charleston and needed a few minutes of rest. We parked in a beautiful neighborhood along the bay to regroup. Enormous victorian-style houses lines the streets to the left. To the right, Charleston Bay dotted with sailboats and dolphins (many, many dolphins!).

Charleston has an extremely classic and historic charm. It's old, clean and lined with brick and cobblestone.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was our next stop. Very, very touristy and a little dated, Myrtle Beach was actually quite beautiful.

From here we made our way up to the college town of Raleigh, North Carolina and enjoyed a little 'North Carolina' style BBQ at The Pit.

BBQ here is composed mainly of apple cider vinegar, creating a sweet and tangy finish. So delicious! Especially the 'chopped pork'. My-oh-my... my mouth is watering as we speak.

(Although Memphis BBQ is still our favorite).

We continued west and connected with the very scenic Blue Ridge Parkway that travels hundreds of miles north towards Shenandoah National Park. Rolling hills and lots of fog led our path through the Blue Mountains.

Shenandoah National Park was peaceful and absolutely beautiful. Dense fog, lush forest and rolling hills. We enjoyed a gorgeous hike and some much needed time in the woods after weeks of 'city travel'.

We took a minor detour back south to Monticello to tour Thomas Jefferson's estate. It was well worth the cost and probably one of the best 'tours' we have paid for.

We zig-zagged our way northeast through the beautiful countryside of Virginia to Washington DC. We were lucky enough to find a campsite that was part of the National Park System just outside of town. We were a subway ride away from the city center. It was very convenient, considering we were camping in DC.

We toured the sites and museums, partied with our old friend Dom and (most importantly, of course) celebrated Joe's 33rd birthday. Joe even got a haircut and clean shave from the man himself who cuts Obama's hair! Well, he's cut it once, but still...

Washington DC is an incredibly historic city. Of course that's an obvious statement, but the overwhelming feeling of pride and curiosity when walking the city limits was, well, surprising. It seemed that any and every corner we turned led to a historic monument or memorial. We stayed a few extra days.

The Washington Monument.

The Lincoln Memorial.

The Jefferson Memorial.

The White House.

The Capitol Building, just to name a few.

We took advantage of the free admission to the Smithsonian Institution and enjoyed a full day at the History of Natural History and Air and Space Museum's.