So, my period of mourning over the sad fate of my Maui Jims is done. Still sad, but I guess it's time to update here on how our trip is finishing out.
So, the biggest thing to say about Chincoteaque is that I was not sad to see it in the rear view mirror. After our donation of blood there, I was glad to be back on the road, headed towards Williamsburg.
The crossing of the Chesapeake Bridge-Tunnel was pretty uneventful. Excepting for very skinny lanes in the tunnels (there were two tunnels) and having to turn the propane off (resulting in less than frozen popsicles in the freezer) the crossing was easy. No traffic to speak of there. The idea of the bridge-tunnel is pretty cool, and made for some great views of the bay. Normal car toll is less, but our rig cost $20 to cross.
The roads through the Norfolk area were pretty rough. We were bouncing around from all the dips and bumps and Melissa was pretty freaked. It was so rough, in fact, that just a few miles from our campground near Williamsburg we were flagged down by a passing pickup, and told to stop and check our rear. Turns out we were inches from losing the bikes. The bouncing had knocked them loose. Lesson? I need to be more diligent in making sure the bikes are loaded and tied down well. We moved one bike to the back of the truck, tied down the rest, and were back on the road. Re-entering I-64 there was interesting, as traffic was heavier and it was a downhill grade. But, we finally caught a small break, and a few cars moved over for us as we merged in.
Turned out the KOA in Williamsburg had a Jumping Pillow, just like here in Niagara. I didn't jump this time, but Melissa did!
What was very different at Williamsburg from Niagara is that in Niagara, the spots were flat. The spot in Williamsburg was anything but. Not sure what the "grade" was, but it was steeper than we'd seen anywhere else. In fact, we ended up using all of our leveling blocks just to get the tongue high enough. With no leveling blocks left (and none for sale in the camp store) we ended up using stacked firewood under the jacks (our neighbor gave us the idea, as they'd done the same thing), and it STILL wasn't completely level. But, it was good enough.
There was a movie showing that night at the campground (Over The Hedge) and the campground had a nice outdoor theater, with stadium style seating (wooden benches), and a huge blow-up screen. All enjoyed it, and bedtime was quiet.
The next day, we ventured to Colonial Williamsburg where, since I had purchased tickets from the KOA, and they didn't ask the kids ages, I overpaid and paid for Fin when she should have been free. Next time, Melissa handles the tickets.
Williamsburg was neat, though it was quite warm. There were less "characters" roving about than we had expected. We had lunch at a tavern, and the food was good. Cadence and Finley had fried chicken strips and Harper had fried shrimp. Melissa had a roasted vegetable stuffed ravioli, and I had a chicken pot pie.
After a visit to the Apothecary, a tour of the Capital building, and the Gaol (thats how they spell jail), a storm hit. A big one. Things were blowing all over the place, branches were breaking out of trees, and Harper was screaming. So, of course, instead of seeking shelter, we walk through all that towards the visitors center where we parked the truck. We were soaked. Power was out at the visitors center (so couldn't buy postcards) and we had left the windows cracked (which we were wet from the rain anyways).
When we got back to the camper, luckily everything was ok. We were fearing there might be damage, especially to the awning, which we had left extended. Save a few limbs on the ground and no power at the campground for a couple hours, everything was fine.
That night we got to know the family in the spot next to us. They were from just outside NYC. They had a couple of kids similar in age to ours, so they got along great, and we sat around the fire and talked until after 11. They were nice and shared their beer. :)
The next day we headed towards The Natural Bridge in VA. This time, our lack of planning didn't work out as expected. We had made it so far through the trip without having any issue with campground availability, even without making any advance reservations. But, the KAO at The Natural Bridge didn't have any availability. So, when we stopped at a rest area, we looked up alternative campgrounds. Our friends from NY had said they were headed to a Jellystone in PA, so we found one nearby Natural Bridge and they had room. Turns out it also has a small water park, with a regular pool, a splash park and even water slides. They also have a jumping pillow and a mini-golf course. So, we spent the next day playing at the campground. Never did actually see the natural bridge, though we did visit the gift shop.
Tomorrow, we'll be heading towards Milford. Our journey will be just about over.
No comments:
Post a Comment