Day 8, Friday: We had a reservation on Assateague Island tonight, but there was still so much we wanted to see in Virginia that we needed to get an early start.
We headed off to Norfolk first. Our family member is friends with a man that just retired and he took us onto the base and drove us around. It was really like having our own personal tour. There were no aircraft carriers on base which was disappointing, but we still enjoyed the tour immensely. We had originally planned on taking the Victory Rover cruise that takes you in the water next to the boats. Our version was way better I'm sure. We just happened to be lucky!
You're not allowed to take photos on base. Maybe I managed to sneak a couple when the guys with the guns weren't looking, but I'll keep those to myself. ;)
Our next stop was Jamestown. This was a must visit destination for my 12 year old. We did not want to go to the Jamestown Settlement as we have similar type things in our area and we can do that at home; same with Colonial Williamsburg. We wanted the National Park.
It was hot. Really hot. And muggy. I'd go in the morning if I went again; but now that we've been there once, there's no real need to go back again. The visitor center video was very informative and we walked the grounds. The visit didn't take too long. We went into the museum that houses artifacts and that was thankfully airconditioned. Also, the lady at the desk gave the kids a game to play. She gave them a card with a picture on it. If the kids could match the picture with something they found at the museum, and tell her about it after reading the description, they'd get a prize. The kids really enjoyed this and I think this is the only way they actually read any of the info listed next to each artifact. The prize was a Jamestown cinch sack. That impressed me. Now they had a souvenir too. Nice.
This guy was hanging out in the tree. Turkey vulture maybe?
We headed back to pick up our camper and say goodbye to our family. The boys played airsoft guns with each other while we trudged our feet leaving. We'd only just gotten to know our family and now we wanted to spend more time with them. Plus, Virginia is just bursting with history. I wish we could have stayed longer but we had to move on. And it was HOT. Yikes. Maybe we'll go back in early spring next time.
En route to Assateague we had to cross over the CBBT. That was pretty cool actually. 17 miles of bridge and 2 tunnels. Very pretty at sunset.
We underestimated how long the drive would take. We didn't arrive until nearly 10:45pm. There was zero traffic, which was great, but we almost got locked out of the campground. Fortunately, I called ahead and made arrangements with the staff so we could get onto our site.
My boys were so giddy with sleep deprivation that they were actually licking each other 5 minutes before our arrival. Yes, licking each other. You'd think we'd learn that night time is not the best for us to travel, but it couldn't be helped.
Next up, Assateague!
