We began the the day at 5:00 am after having and old fashioned sleep over at Michele's parents house. It was wonderful catching up with them and feeling like we were 18 again.
We jumped on the NYS Thruway and headed to NJ. Once on 287 we made a decision to take a pit stop in Edison, NJ to visit the largest Edison Light Bulb! The lightbulb is located in a neighborhood, we weren't sure we were in the right place until we came around the bend to discover a huge cement monolith with a GIANT incandescent light bulb mounted on the top! There is a small visitor center, and some cute nature trails. It was really cool, and well worth the stop. 
After leaving the lightbulb we had a hunger brewing and decided since we were in a state full of diners we would stop off and have some breakfast. After eating omelets in a diner that used cloth napkins (it felt really wrong), we headed to Virginia Beach to see Jessica, an old friend from college.
After 14 hours of driving, and way to much traffic on I-95 we walked into Jessica's Beautiful new townhouse.
This restaurant is special because their tables are made with glider benches and you can swing wile you eat! 
Jessica introduced us to Orange Crushes a VA Beach special, made with fresh squeezed orange juice, orange vodka, triple sec, sprite, and crushed ice. Delish! Next up was oyster shooters, these little treats are made with beer, hot sauce, a raw oyster, and cocktail sauce on the bottom. You drink it like a shot, and was actually pretty good, minus the cocktail sauce. 
The next day the three of us went to Virginia Beach. Our first beach day was a well deserved afternoon in the sun and sand after 14 hours in the car. 
It was hard to say goodbye to my old friend, but Michele and I were psyched, prepared and provisioned for our next stop - Conagaree National Park in South Carolina (but only after we stopped at Sonic for Breakfast Burritos-obvious choice because they have tatar tots in them!).
