Meeting friends old and new

Meeting friends old and new

We left the York River and travelled to the MIGHTY Rappahannock and a berth at the famous Tides Inn Resort and Marina.  This is not your typical cruiser hangout and a refreshing change of pace.  If we were on a more leisurely pace and hit a warmer less stormy day, this would be a wonderful place to relax on the pool deck, bask in the spa, and recharge in the sumptuous dining room.  Needless to say the amenities were first class including a pass to the fitness center, huge towels, toiletries and a hairdryer in the bath house. (Oh, and a very, very nice gift shopJ) For us the real treat of this stopover was a visit with Cindy and Mike Greene who kindly retrieved us from the dock, toured us around the Northern Neck to their river home on the Rappahannock and treated us to dinner in a local – off the water –  hot spot. It never ceases to amaze us how friendships formed in Saudi Aramco endure and years of separation drop away when we have the chance to reconnect.  We hope to see them again as we move up to Alexandria, VA.

 

 

From the Rappahannock we went back out into the Chesapeake Bay on our way to the Potomac. Our trip up the Rappahannock had included some rock and roll that vaulted Frankie off the bench in the pilot house to hide hole in the lowest berth. We had hoped that the seas might have settled a bit after the big storm blew through overnight. While it was less rocky, we had some roll that slowed our progress and resulted in a late arrival at the Corinthian Yacht Club off Smith Creek near the mouth of the Potomac. We felt lucky to only be late since we heard a boat – Maycraft 25’ – had overturned in the rough water near where we had passed. The rivers were full of fishermen which we found hard to understand with the turbulent waters and freezing temps, but later learned this was the opening day of Rockfish (striped bass) season and the hardy souls were determined.  The friendly folks of the CYC welcomed us, tied our ropes to their T-dock for the night and invited us to their Mardi Gras themed mixer. This is a very historic club celebrating 110 years this season.  With the lively atmosphere, they will be here in another 100 years. Again, we experience the generosity and warmth of fellow boaters eager to share ideas and recommendations for our trip.

 

We had planned a very short day for Sunday – but in making changes earlier, I lost track of the small fact that our destination, St. Marys City, is not open on Sundays.  So, we flew with the rising tide up to Colonial Beach, VA and will stop at St. Marys on our return trip down the Potomac. Colonial Beach is a quiet small town on the river with an actual beach front and long history of serving as a retreat for city folk.  First it was visited by steamships from DC and then later with the better roads and cars, it was popular in the 50s and 60s. Recently the character of the town has been revived and preserved with a mixture of Victorian houses among some Art Deco motels and tons of cute petite cottages strung along the riverfront. One claim to fame is the house that was owned by the family of Alexander Graham Bell which is now a charming bed and breakfast.  Oh, yes, there is gambling here too due to a quirk in the laws. The state line between Virginia and Maryland is at the low tide mark in the river, so anything built over the water is technically in MD where liquor and gambling laws are less strict than VA.  It is still chilly, but a two mile bike ride to the grocery store warms the bones and there is enough warmth in the afternoon for Steve to work on his new paint job. Heading to the big cities shortly.…. This would have been posted sooner, but a virus crashed my PC resulting in an unplanned vacation from all computer tasks…

 

 

 

 

 

Revisiting the Revolutionary War

Walking the path of the Revolutionary War

A golden day – I purchased for $10 my Golden Pass to our National Parks – it gets me and three friends in for my lifetime!  Our tax dollars at work.  Steve and I used the pass to tour the Jamestown historic site and the Yorktown battlefield.  We spent the day revisiting the Revolutionary War era. We started with an archeologist who explained the tragedies of Jamestown and the courage which was needed to establish that first English settlement in what became the United States. The site is on the James River across the peninsula from Yorktown (on the York River where we moored.) However, unlike the hills and cliffs in Yorktown, Jamestown was founded on an island that is essentially a swamp. The location, however, was optimal from a military perspective. Ships approaching were vulnerable so the site was easy to defend from attacks by sea.  The enemies were not all Spanish warships as it turned out. Powhatan Indians strongly objected to the English living in their hunting grounds. (They did not choose to live there due to the absence of drinking water, another slight drawback.) In fact, we learned that the water problem probably was more serious than previously thought since it is now clear from the study of burial sites that the settlers were drinking the river water which was brackish containing too much salt for good health.  The wells also were unsafe with high levels of arsenic caused by the surrounding swamp water leaching into the ground water.  Recent research  from the study of giant Cypress stumps in the Great Dismal Swamp have shown that the settlement was founded at the beginning of a period of severe drought which lasted for more than 7 years further compounding all these water issues. In addition, the prevalence of diseases like typhoid fever and dysentery added to the hardships endured by early settlers. It is truly amazing that these  settlers managed to make peace with the Indians and find viable cash crops so they could survive. But survive and thrive they did making the first English laws in the Jamestown church and peace with the Indians including the marriage of Pocahontas to John Rolfe. The precise location of the first fort built in 1607 has been determined and research continues to identify the remains buried on the historic site as well as discover structures which were part of the settlement. Standing on the bank of the James River on a balmy spring day it is easy to see why those first settlers thought this might be a great spot to build a new world when they arrived in early May 1607.  However, the weather in summer is much hotter and filled with bugs while winter can be harsh and frozen. To understand their suffering we will have to return when the weather is not as perfect as we enjoyed during our visit.

The Colonial Parkway connects the major sites in the historical triangle of Virginia. We took a FREE national park service shuttle bus from the visitor center in Yorktown to Colonial Williamsburg and then another to Jamestown and back the same way.  We made excellent connections each way since the traffic was light – on both the leg out of Yorktown and back we were the only passengers. This entire 30+ miles of road is a national park. There are no, as in NO, ZERO, ZILCH businesses along the way. This route was laid out in the 1930s but not completed until after WWII. The bridges are all carefully constructed to depict the period in attractive red brick. Flowering dogwood, red bud and assorted flowers have been planted to enhance the beautiful  views of both the York and James rivers, tributaries and marshes.  I had expected an hour of city driving, but this route was almost as relaxing as a cruise on Erben Renewal. We ended our day with a film and tour of the battlefield where the last major battle of the revolutionary war was fought  - the siege of Yorktown.  As with any visit to a place where many have died, there is a profound sense that we owe those who sacrificed a debt which it is important not to forget. Yet, gazing out over the wide green fields on this glorious spring day with trees in bloom, leaves bursting out and gentle breezes it was hard to believe the cannons we saw had ever fired and broken the peace of this spot. We were encouraged to see the monuments to the historical significance of these locations and the crowds of people who visited to keep these lessons of history alive. Walking the streets of Yorktown is indeed a walk back to our country’s earliest days. I am grateful such places have been and are being preserved. The history lesson continues as we journey toward the Potomac and Washington, DC.

 

We ended our day with a film and tour of the battlefield where the last major battle of the revolutionary war was fought  - the siege of Yorktown.  As with any visit to a place where many have died, there is a profound sense that we owe those who sacrificed a debt which it is important not to forget. Yet, gazing out over the wide green fields on this glorious spring day with trees in bloom, leaves bursting out and gentle breezes it was hard to believe the cannons we saw had ever fired and broken the peace of this spot. We were encouraged to see the monuments to the historical significance of these locations and the crowds of people who visited to keep these lessons of history alive. Walking the streets of Yorktown is indeed a walk back to our country’s earliest days. I am grateful such places have been and are being preserved. The history lesson continues as we journey toward the Potomac and Washington, DC.

In the Yorktown Watermen Museum

 quiet Yorktown streets