Roanoke Island and Cape Hatteras Nov 6-7

View from our campsite on Roanoke Is

We camped on Roanoke Is. at a very pleasant RV park along a lake.  Roanoke Island was the site of the first English settlement established in 1585 by Sir Walter Raleigh.  It lasted about a year, but when Sir Francis Drake showed up the settlers said “We’re out of here! Take us back to England.” The next year Sir Raleigh brought in another batch of settlers, and promised to re supply them in a few months.  Unfortunately, England was at war with Spain, and did not get back to the settlement for three years.  When they arrived, the settlement was empty, 116 settlers disappeared.  We would like to think that the settlers went off and joined the Indians, but there is no evidence to support that outcome.  They might possibly have been saved by space invaders.  It remains a mystery.

The last vestige of the "Lost Colony" (recreated of course)

Today Roanoke Island is a fishing and seafood processing center, or a tourist trap, depending on which end of the island you visit.  The north end of the island has the tourist stuff, the south the harbor. The harbor reminded me very much of Moss Landing, lots of working boats, and weathered buildings.

Toursist Harbor on Roanoke Is

I went to a concert put on by students of the North Carolina Agriculture and Technical University.  It is a traditionally black college, (I am not sure how these schools deal with integration) and the music was a combination of Spiritual music, scenes from Porgy and Bess, and a jazz ensemble.  The music was great and it was quite enjoyable.

Blowing sand on the road to Cape Hatteras

Today we took a day trip down the outer banks to Cape Hatteras.  The lighthouse was built in 1870 and is the tallest on the east coast at 208 ft.  In 1999 it was moved a half mile inland as its original location was getting too close to the ocean.

Pats,Dede at the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

It took 2 years to separate the lighthouse from its foundations, put a steel structure underneath that could be jacked up on to a track so that the tower could be moved 5ft at time.  It took 23 days to move the lighthouse 2900 ft.  It sits today like it had always been there.  They also moved the brick lighthouse keepers house and put them in the same relative positions at the new location.  They call the project “The move of the century.”  Lighthouses today are of marginal value to navigation, they are totally automatic, but they make great tourist attractions, and climbing all those steps can help in the battle or fight obesity.  I think we should build more.

Kitty Hawk, the Outer Banks of North Carolina Nov 5

First flight

The Kitty Hawk Memorial to the Wright brothers Orville and Wilber is an inspiring place.  I had no idea that it would impress me as it has, as a monument to everyday people who do great things.  On this sand dune, Kill Devil Hill, the brothers tested kites and gliders for two years, and then flew their flier four times on the beach at the base of the dune.  At the end of the day a wind gust took the flier and smashed it to bits.  Luckily for them, they had a guy take a picture of their accomplishment, and were able to show that manned flight was possible.

Wright Bros Memorial

I guess what I find inspirational, is that these guys discovered how to fly on their own, and they did it at Kitty Hawk because in those days the area was pretty much deserted.  They did not want a lot of people around to distract them from their pursuit of flight.

They lived and worked in Dayton Ohio.  They built their kites, gliders, and the flier there.  All was disassembled and shipped by train and by boat to Kitty Hawk a journey of seven days.  They lived and worked in a garage like structure out on the dunes.  The reasons they chose Kitty Hawk was that it was consistently windy, sparsely populated and that it was sandy. They knew they were going to crash a few times and sand is a lot softer than hard land.

The Wrights airfield

Today the dunes are covered with grass and there sit replicas of the two wooden buildings they used,  and monument stones which depict how far they flew on each flight.  On the top of Kill Devil Hill there is a large memorial to Orville and Wilbur erected by Congress in 1932.  There is a visitors center with a replica of the flier (the original is in the Air and Space Museum in DC)  One of the pictures on display is Wilbur with Amelia Earhart taken in 1932.

Kill Devil Hill

Williamsburg, Jamestown, York Va Nov 2-4

The Governor's Palace

Patrick Henry discussing the concerns of the day (July 17, 1776)

These are the settlements that the Virginians would have you believe were the beginning of everything American.  They may be right.  Jamestown, founded in 1607 by the English, (James Smith, Pocahontas. Etc) struggled to evolve into the beginnings of the Virginia Colony with representative governance (free, white, male and propertied) and were the first to declare independence from England.  They also were the first to separate church and state. (Sharon Angle take note)

The locals here with the help of John D. Rockefeller, have turned all this history into multiple theme parks, at Williamsburg, Jamestown and York.   It is kind of cool, we attended a diatribe by Patrick Henry who in character spoke quite candidly of the state of affairs in 1776.  He was not very kind Thomas Jefferson.  We met with members of the House of Burgesses who engaged us in a debate as to whether voting was a God giving right or a privilege granted to citizens by government.  We had coco in a coffee shop where we conversed with the local pastor and the innkeeper about the stamp tax and how unfair it all was.  We visited the blacksmith where the smithy was forging a hinge out of wrought iron in coal fired hearth.  We went to a glass factory in Jamestown, and watched as the glassmaker made a pitcher out of molten glass.

In purgatory again

At Jamestown we went to the national park and attended a ranger talk that was quite good, The presenter was very informative  and gave us a an understanding of why they came, what happened when they got here, and how they overcame the difficulties that they experienced here.  It was pretty grim.  Over 50% percent of the settlers died within the first two years.  Average life expectancy was in the mid 20s.  If you survived two years, then you could figure , then you could figure you successfully adjusted to the new world and would be okay. 

   Pocahontas, In real life she didn't wear so many clothes

One interesting item, it was thought that the original fort had been washed away in the James River over the last 400 hundred  had been washed away in the James River over the last 400 hundred years.  In 1994, archeologists discovered the foundations of the original fort  and have found over 1 million artifacts from the site.  The museum on the site is quite fascinating and has recreated many details of what life was like in the area in the early 1600s. 

Shenandoah Mountains – Monticello Oct 31- Nov1

View from Skyline Drive

Left Washington  DC Sunday morning in bright sunshine headed for Virginia.  We were not sure exactly where we were going but we wanted to travel along the Skyline Drive above the Shenandoah valley.   Skyline Drive was built in the '30s to give people from the city a way to see and appreciate the scenic beauty of the mountains. We got on Route 66 and drove to the village of Front Royal  where we started up Dickey Ridge on Skyline.  We soon found out two things, Skyline Drive is narrow, steep, and full of tourists who want to travel the 105 miles of the road not behind a slow RV that at best can go 30mph up the steep hills,  and that it is 105 miles long .  We went about 30 miles and bailed out.  The views were great, the trees in full color, but the traffic a little intense.  We went west into the Shenandoah Valley and stayed outside of Luray, a town known for its caverns.  Pastoral, and peaceful countryside.  Reminded me of  rural New Zealand everything neat, tidy and mowed.

Monticello

Pats, Tom, and I

We drive on south to Charlottesville and on to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s plantation home.  It is on a beautiful hillside with commanding views of the piedmont below.  The house was designed by Jefferson and took some 40 years to complete.  It had a number of innovations that Jefferson is credited; three tiered sliding windows, that allowed windows to be turned into doorways, or adjusted to create maximum cross ventilation, dumbwaiters for wine and beer bottles to be hoisted up from cold cellars into the living quarters, storm windows built into the window openings, and the arrangement of all the utility buildings (dependencies), kitchen, stables, ice house, cellars and slave quarters  built into pavilions that were below the level of the main house so that the view of the gardens and landscape would be unobstructed.  One of the attractions was a wonderful vegetable garden with all kinds of fruits and veggies and herbs.  They even had a huge artichoke field.  They made their own beer and wine although Tom preferred French wine when he could get it.

Ash Lawn Highlands

We also visited James Monroe’s home, Ash Lawn-Highland.  Jefferson requested that like minded friends live close by to him and James Monroe bought an adjoining estate.  It is quite small compared to Monticello, but Monroe was quite busy doing various government jobs so he didn’t need a big place.  He had other estates closer to Washington.  In those days it took three days to travel from Charlottesville to DC.  Monroe’s place is comfortable and he had 30 slaves to look after it.  After he left the presidency, he was forced to sell all of his properties to pay his debts and he moved in with his daughter who lived in New York.

  

Washington DC- Annapolis Oct 26- 30

At the repair shop

Arrived early afternoon in Greenbelt Nat’l Park and set up camp.  I noticed that the trailer wasn’t sitting quite right and much to my distress, I saw that the forward mounting shackle had parted from the trailer frame.  This means that we are in danger of losing the axles and wheels off the trailer if the other two shackles were to break.   Using our Aircard and Google we were able to locate a welding shop only a few miles from our campground.  I called them up and they said come on over.  Slowly we made it to this big shop that looked like a scrap iron yard but they were able to weld the shackle  back on to the frame and put in some extra reinforcing.  Disaster averted!

Ed and Pats at Arlington

The next day we went into Washington and met up with our friend Sonya, whom we have known for many years, and has always welcomed us into her home as long lost family.  We spent the next three days catching up, visiting  with her kids and seeing some sights in DC.

Muster for Lunch  USN

I spent a day in Annapolis where I visited the Naval Academy.  It was very impressive, beautiful buildings, spacious grounds, great harbor.  The Navy does a much better job of showing off their Academy to visitors than does West Point.  The West Point tour was mostly by bus and you only got to visit the church.  The Annapolis tour was a walking tour, where you got to go in many of the buildings, see the midshipmen in formation, see what their dorm rooms looked like and get a better idea of what it was like to be a midshipman at the Naval Academy. 

Sanity/Fear

On our last day we went to Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity/and or Fear on the Washington Mall.  It was mobbed.  I think there was some 70 to 80 thousand people.  Unfortunately there were not enough giant television screens and speakers to see or hear very well, but it was fun seeing the crowd and all the creative signs people made.  It was a very sane crowd, I saw little or no fear.  We did manage to see Stewart’s and Colbert’s opening shtick, but the crowd move in around us and some we couldn’t see or hear much.    BUT WE WERE THERE. 

Lancaster County Pennsylvania Oct 24-25

This is Amish-Mennonite country.  I don’t know much about them, but what I have seen on TV and the movies.  The country is rolling fields with tidy farms and antique shops along the road.  The houses are large and look to be modern with cars and farm machinery in the yards.  What few people I’ve seen, dress in an old style, long dresses, white bonnets, plain pants and coats.  We saw an old couple completely dressed in black, pushing a wheel chair with an even older woman in black, down the highway.  On the way to church I suppose. 

We’ve seen many carriages, most of them completely enclosed, so the passengers were not visible.  We did pass one open carriage with two teenage girls.  It was a small carriage, pulled by a pony, the girls seemed to be enjoying their Sunday drive. 

The villages here have interesting names, Compass, Blue  Ball, Bird in the Hand,  Virginville, Intercourse, and Paradise.  It seems to me that there must be deep passion beneath those long dark dresses and straw hats.  I have the definite impression that this is a mixed neighborhood with Baptists and Presbyterians  mixed in with the Amish and Mennonite. 

Interlude in Intercourse

It is all very bucolic and definitely different from any other American suburbs and countryside.   We visited a quilt museum in Intercourse and the hand work was magnificent.  Next door was an antique shop full of authentic antiques made in China.  Just down the road from here is the town of York, which is the home of Harley-Davidson.  We passed the motorcycle factory on the way.

We took a day trip to the Brandywine Valley hoping to visit the Wyeth Museum, but it was closed on Mondays.  Instead we went to the Hagley Museum which is the home and gun powder factory of the Du Pont’s.  The Du Pont’s started the gun powder works in 1803 and it operated until 1916.  It was powered by the water from the Brandywine River.  Using canals to route water over water wheels, they ran grist mills that ground up charcoal, saltpeter, and sulfur to make black power.  Each mill could grind up to 500lbs at a time.  Dupont had 20 mills along the river to become the largest manufacturer of black powder in the world.  It was mostly used in construction and mining.  Only about 20% was used by the military.  The highlights of the tour were to watch the 16 ton wheels being driven by the water wheel,  and the explosion of 1 gram of black powder.  In addition there was a demonstration  of water powered machine tools used to make parts for broken down machinery.

Gettysburg Oct 23

Pennsylvania Monument

We left Newburgh and drove and drove and drove until we arrived at Gettysburg.  Along the way we went through the Poconos and the Catskills and saw miles and miles of trees turning into glorious reds, yellows, and golds.  We went through Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Harrisburg.  Did you know that Harrisburg is the capital of Pennsylvania?   I didn’t. 

 We arrived at Gettysburg to stay at the Artillery Ridge RV park and stables.  You can bring your horse here or rent one of the nags they have here and  ride in the battlefield.  This is a  and huge RV park and this weekend it is packed.  We have pretty much stayed in sparsely populated parks and camps since labor day, it was a real surprise to see all this activity here.  Not only the horseback riding they are doing a big Halloween thing for little kids and folks have decorated their RVs with Halloween stuff.

Union cannon

The battle field is quite large, 6-7 miles long, 4 miles wide or more.  Over 165,000 troops participated over 3 days.  It was pretty much a draw, until Pickett’s Charge where the Army of the Potomac eventually prevailed.  Fifty one thousand either perished or were wounded  and it was a turning point in the war which continued on for another two years.   Of course this is where Lincoln delivered his “Gettysburg Address” five months after the battle.

Eternal Flame

Today it is a National Military Park with hundreds of monuments erected by the states who provided the military units dedicated to the soldiers who served.  There are cannons in place where the artillery was used in the battles, and plaques explaining the events that happened at those places during the three day battle.

At the visitor center there is a movie (narrated by Morgan Freeman,  of course) explaining the events leading  up to the war, and of the battle, and Lincolns address.   There is also a 360 degree painting  40ft tall and 380 ft long painted  in the round in 1884  depicting the battle.  You stand in the middle of the room and the picture is all around you.    With all depiction of death and privation it is a sobering experience.  The visit to the battlefield is by a self guided car tour.  Follow the signs and stop along the way at the sights that interest you.  I don’t think it would be possible to stop at each spot in one day, I certainly didn’t have the attention span to do it.  But it gives one a good perspective of where the battles were fought and size and scope of the encounters.  I think this would be an excellent place for our West Point cadets to visit.

General Meade's view of the field of battle