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Family Road Trip: Pennsylvania to Hilton Head

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"The 'Terrible Twos' have nothing on the threes." I say that now to people whenever they ask me about my daughter. I had this in mind when my wife suggested we drive down to Bluffton, South Carolina to stay a week at a golf resort owned and developed by my wife's employer. I looked forward to the trip and a round of golf or two, but not so much an overnight trip with my headstrong and willful little girl strapped safely into a car seat. I took a deep breath and considered our options. We could fly, but even with soaring gas prices, we'd still spend less out of pocket to get down there. Plus, despite the many miles I've so far logged, I haven't driven through this area much just yet. We would have to spend a good chunk of the trip on I-95, but my wife assured me we'd have time to take in some local color along the way. On the way down, we originally planned to shoot down the Interstate at least to Richmond, Virginia, but heavy traffic in Delaware redirected our excursion down the DelMarVa peninsula, putting us on the scenic route a little earlier than planned. [b]Arner's Restaurant[/b] I had already visited Arner's once about a year and a half before. My interview with Phil DeRaffele tipped me off that the first diner he built after taking over the company from his father still stood right outside the New Castle Airport on Route 13. Sure enough, driving south, you'll see the remains of this diner behind a sign large enough laid flat to park a few Hummers upon it. From the outside, the diner now sports a Wrightsian prairie look to it -- hardly diner like, but still handsome and inviting. Once inside, the veteran diner spotter will discern the basic outlines of the original diner behind probably a couple of renovations, at least. Food-wise, Arner's still functions much like a well-run family diner. Known for its desserts and its crab cakes (I think every restaurant in this region claims its best crab cakes), we lunched on an excellent crab cake caesar salad and a chicken cheesesteak sandwich. The operation hums with a busy, professional staff, and the menu is priced for value. Tomorrow, a report on our visit to the [b]Exmore Diner[/b] in Exmore, Virginia.