Annual Trip to Visit Relatives in NC, KY, and DE

Both my wife and I have relatives who live in the southern part of the U.S., namely in the States of NC, KY and DE.  During the last two weeks of March 2013, we made our annual pilgrimage to visit our family members.

We have found that trying to fly to each of these locations is a logistical nightmare.  And so, we do this journey as a road trip by renting a car.  The round-trip mileage for this odyssey is about 2,500 miles!

Most of the photos and stories associated with these annual visits are of interest only to our immediate family.  However, there are usually at least a few snapshots that others sometimes find to be mildly interesting.  Shown below are a few of general-interest photos taken during our March 2013 southern visit.

The following photo was taken at sunset near Hazelton, PA while en route to NC.

Photo taken at sunset near Hazelton, PA while en route to NC

Although a bit unusual for late March in NC, we had a light covering of snow for our outdoor adventures.

Light covering of snow in the woodlands of NC during late March

There were no general interest photos taken in KY.   However, for the last stop of our journey (in the State of DE), some snapshots were taken that might be mildly interesting to a few readers.

We hiked a trail just outside Wilmington, DE which was interesting in that the corridor is shared by hikers, as well as by folks on horseback.  During this hike, we saw a bluebird, a red-tailed hawk, and our first wildflower of the spring season! (I'm told that the wildflower is a Lesser Celandine.)

Collage of photos taken on hike just outside Wilmington, DE

Also during our visit to DE, we did a day trip to Longwood Gardens which is located a short distance away in nearby Kennett Square, PA.  This venue has worldwide recognition for its horticultural collection. It consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, wetlands and meadows.

The following photo is a very abbreviated composite of some of the many indoor exhibits at Longwood Gardens.

Very abbreviated composite of some of the many indoor floral exhibits at Longwood Gardens

The next photo shows examples of the sights to be seen from trails that traverse the wetlands and meadows on the Longwood Garden property.

Examples of wetlands and meadows on the Longwood Garden property

But, as nice as it was to visit with family members, and to see a variety of beautiful scenes, there is truly no place like home!  The next photo shows the scene in our very own backyard when we arrived home in New Hampshire!

The scene in our own backyard that greeted us when we arrived home in New Hampshire

To sum it up, our annual visit to relatives in NC, KY and DE was enjoyable and filled with very pleasant memories.  However, it truly is good to be back home! :-)