A Cross-Country Driving Trip in Our Morgan
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The Hendersons Staunton and Yorktown with day trips |
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A Cross-Country Driving Trip in Our Morgan |
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Tuesday, July 4 - Shepherdstown, WV to Staunton, VA Two years ago, TTS and TTF joined a Ranger led tour of the battlefield at Antietam - they were very impressed with the Ranger's knowledge of the battlefield and his descriptions. The battle, on September 17, 1862, resulted in more casualties than any other day in the history of the United States - about 24,000 killed, wounded or missing. The Confederates, lost over 10,000 men, the Union over 13,000 - but the Confederate losses, as a percentage, was much higher - about 25% of the total. Today, we were fortunate to be able to join the Ranger led tour. He started at the Visitor Center with a talk about the battle and the tactics of that day, then we got into our cars and followed him to three different points on the battlefield. He was an excellent guide and his descriptions, photos of some of the people and aftermath of the battle, and quotations from letters and journals of the day made the experience very educational - I wouldn't say 'enjoyable' because you couldn't help but imagine the awful carnage.
After we completed the tour, we headed to Skyline Drive, at the ridge of the Shenandoah National Park - it is another long drive with no commercial traffic. The speed limit is 35 mph (unless it drops to 25!) so it is enforced leisure. There aren't the historic landmarks on this drive that one sees along the Blue Ridge Parkway or Natchez Trace, but it is lovely. Our destination was Staunton, VA, which we found without difficulty. We had reservations at the Frederick House, a small hotel in the historic district - it sort of reminds me on the Inns at Great George in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island - a series of historic or older buildings that have been converted into hotel rooms - each a bit different. It is quite charming - not the cookie cutter kind of rooms of a Comfort Inn! We went out to find dinner, not knowing that almost everything was closed for the Fourth. We checked a number of restaurants, all closed, before finding the Baja Bean. We got there just in time. Shortly after we went in there were a family of five, another family four, a group of seven and so on. They must have been the only game in town that evening. We had a decent meal and a couple of Marguerites, then strolled back to our room. Wednesday, July 5 - Staunton to Yorktown, VA It was a beautiful day and we had a wonderful breakfast at Frederick House - fresh fruit, banana bread and a wonderful sausage strata, flavored with Mrs. Dash, which gave it an extra 'zip.' We really liked Frederick House - it was comfortable and quiet, not at all a cookie cutter place. We drove toward Charlottesville, our destination Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe, our fifth President, most well known for the Monroe Doctrine, which basically admonished European countries to keep their noses out of the affairs of the Americas. While not a posh home, by any means, it was comfortable and interesting. Monroe, we learned, had served in more offices than any previous President (probably any President ever) - Senator, Minister to France, England and Spain, Governor of Virginia, Secretary of State and War. What we enjoyed the most were the people who explained the lives and crafts from the era in which Monroe lived. I didn't know that tea was shipped to this country in 'bricks' - they looked a lot like trivets - one 'shaved' a bit of tea off the brick into hot water, let it steep, then strained the tea. Turns out that it wasn't loose tea leaves dropped into Boston Harbor at the Boston Tea Party - it was 'bricks' of tea as well as bales. I didn't know that!, Also we learned that lamb's ears leaves quickly stops bleeding - the quilters at Ash Lawn use it whenever the prick their fingers.
Next, we watched a man demonstrate the craft of straw filigree. He had dyed straw, which he twisted around a little metal skewer. The picture tells the story much better than I can.
Our drive to Yorktown was generally pretty good, for the most part we stayed off the freeway (for some reason, drivers here are terrible about tailgating, which makes it really unnerving - for the first time in my life, I 'flipped' someone off - he was tailgating us on the freeway while talking on his cell phone.) Once we got to Yorktown, we were very pleased with our lodging, Marl Inn. We have a suite with a full kitchen, a small sitting area, a little outdoor sitting area. The garden area is charming. Ah, the weather! We unloaded Moggie and relaxed for a few minutes - we noticed that the skies were darkening, so we headed to the nearest supermarket, in the direction of Newport News - before we got there, we were in a downpour. We borrowed the awning of a church so we could put up the hood and side screens. By the time we found the market, the skies had opened up - typical Southern downpour - thunder and lightning, huge downpour. We got our shopping done, loaded up Moggie and drove back amidst great lightning flashes and thunderous claps. We were so glad to arrive back at Yorktown safe and sound - and we didn't park Moggie under a tree! People often comment about the weather in Washington - it rains all the time - well, we have encountered more rain - and harder than any we typically experience in Washington, on this trip than we could imagine. Thursday, July 6 - Around Yorktown, VA Once again we gathered things to send home. Douglas Hallawell had brought us two tins of confit de canard and we had other items we wanted to unoad. After breakfast we drove to the UPS Store. Their cost to pack and ship our things was way too high. We returned to our digs and used our host's internet connection to locate a Kinko's. We took our things there and got them shipped, then went to a discount mall. There we were able to acquire a couple of light weight waterproof jackets and a collapsible cooler. That will make packing the car much easier. We had been plagued by an electrical problem where the left brake light was not working properly. We had spotted a defunct business that had an awning and pulled Moggie in and got to work. It took a while but I finally found that the ground connection in the light fixture was the problem. I clamped it tighter with channel locks and that was the end of the problem. Back at our digs, we took a walk around the historic district, had an iced latte, and scouted out the restaurants for one night out. Then it was back to cook dinner (paste e fagiolli) and have a quiet evening in. Friday, July 7 - A day trip to The Outer Banks We have wanted to go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for ages, so today we took the opportunity - it isn't that far from Yorktown, although it can be slow going through Norfolk. We had heard people rave about the little town of Duck, and it is very near the bridge from the mainland. The drive was pleasant - no rain, thank God, but we started getting a little nervous as we got closer to the bridge - there were hundreds of billboards - hotels, time-shares, restaurants, shops - all trying to entice the unsuspecting tourist to part with some coin. Once we got on the island, at Kitty Hawk, we turned northward toward Duck. It wasn't at all what we had imagined! Row upon row of shops or rental houses, you couldn't see the beach and the traffic was dreadful. The only open space we saw was a site owned by the Army Corps of Engineers - used for dud testing and strictly off limits. We turned around and headed south, toward Kill Devil Hill and Nags Head. It got worse - rather than the truly beautiful homes we saw in Duck, it was nothing but one long strip mall. It was truly dreadful. However, the day was saved by the Wright Brothers Memorial, owned by the National Park Service. It was very interesting and well kept. It is on the site of the historic first flight of the Wright brothers in 1903. The Visitors' Center has interesting displays showing the process the Wright brothers used to figure out how to build a successful heavier than air machine. On the grounds are replicas of the camp house and hangar where the Wright brothers worked. There is a monument to the Wright brothers and a really interesting statue group depicting the first successful flight.
We drove back to Yorktown (got caught in the evening rush hour at Norfolk, which was pretty bad - not quite as bad as a Seattle rush hour). Now we both feel we've gotten the Outer Banks out of our system and won't feel compelled to return. Saturday, July 8 - Colonial Williamsburg We had visited Colonial Williamsburg many years ago - when we made a trip to the East Coast to explore colleges for TTS, so it must have been summer of 1992. The place was very interesting then, but the foundation responsible for operating the site has made some significant improvements since then. During the morning and early afternoon, they have people dressed in Colonial period costumes reenact scenes leading up to the American Revolution. It is a history lesson listening to these people, much more interesting than reading a history book or watching a film, because they engage their audience in the conversation. We listened for a while, then began strolling the streets of the old town, stopping at shops that seemed interesting to us.
Our first visit was to the wigmaker - the woman making the wigs was very knowledgeable and went to lengths to explain the fashion and customs of the time. Wigs were made from human, yak, horse or goat hair. Turns out that there was actually trading between Tibet, where the yaks were raised, and England as early as Colonial times.
What people go through for fashion! They had to shave their heads so the wigs would fit well, and they used various powders to get the desired effect. Sometimes they had wigs died to match their costumes - pink or green for example. And the kids running around with pink hair think they are being original!
We had lunch in one of the 'taverns' in the settlement, and just as we finished up, the fife and drum corps, playing marshal tunes, marched past the window. I chased them up the street for several blocks before I could get a couple of shots. Our next stop was the gardener's home. It was staffed by someone very knowledgeable (probably a Master Gardener) and he would answer questions people raised about the crops in early Williamsburg. Tom spent time capturing images of a particularly industrious butterfly who was busy with the flowers. We have noticed that the butterflies in the part of the country are special - large and more colorful than those we have in Washington.
After our visit to the garden, we continued our stroll around - to the book binder's, cabinet maker, cooper. At each stop we listened to the people doing the reenactment - they really know their history and the trade they are representing,
We weren't able to see everything - to really do Colonial Williamsburg justice, you need at least two full days. I would really like to attend some of their special programs - for example, they have a program about making and using quill pens. Alas, we were too late for that. We visited the home of George Wythe - one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and apparently a great friend of Thomas Jefferson. He wasn't a wealthy man, but he had a comfortable home. There was a man there, in period costume, playing an instrument that looked like a recorder, but which he claimed was an English flute. We peeked at his music - it was a copy of an 18th century music book, and looked surprisingly like the musical annotation we use today. The weather has been cooperative - the mornings are really pleasant, the afternoons warm, but not oppressive. We have been very grateful that we haven't had any more storms like we had on Wednesday. I have found that I am a very popular meal with the local no-see-ums and have been taking Benedryl to combat the effects of the bites. They don't seem to bother Tom - lucky him, because I have welts on my welts at this stage.. Sunday, July 9 - Colonial Jamestown This day we went to Jamestown, both the National Park site of the original settlement and the Jamestown Settlement reconstruction. At the National Park site we went on a ranger-led walk (once again excellent) and attended a brief service in the reconstructed church. It was a comforting experience. Then we went to the adjacent Jamestown Settlement. There is a visitors' center with a museum, a reconstructed Indian village, a reconstruction of the original fortress, and replicas of the three ships that brought the settlers from England. The Indian village was very different from what we had expected. These Indians apparently stayed in one place rather than following game, so their dwellings were more permanent looking. There were reenacters demonstrating things such as burning out the inside of a piece of Tulip Poplar to make a large pestle for grinding the corn, and cooking corn cakes on a piece of slate.
Next we went to see the ship replicas. It is difficult to imagine a 4 1/2 month voyage from England to America in any kind of ship, but these ranged from surprisingly small to tiny. The Susan Constant was the largest at about 116' long. She had a gun deck with eight guns and carried over half the settlers, as well as much of the equipment and supplies. The Godspeed was about 63' long and carried 39 settlers and a crew of 12. The Discovery was only 49.5' long and carried 12 settlers and a crew of 9. We found it unbelievable that anyone would voluntarily set out on such a voyage.
Last stop was the reconstructed fortress. There was a woman demonstrating doing the laundry and a man demonstrating building canon rounds. The laundry was washed in a large pot over an open fire and agitated with a long paddle. The canon round was two halves of hollowed out wood that would be about 12" long and about 3" in diameter. One end was left solid and the other was open. The two halves were lashed together and filled with musket balls or other material and then stoppered with a rag. When the canon was fired the lashing came apart and the wood casing parted as it came out the muzzle. The musket balls then fanned out like shot from a shotgun. Very effective.
The final demonstration was of the musket. The bandolier contains little wooden bottles of gun powder that were poured down the muzzle. The ball and wadding went in after and were rammed down. A small amount of powder was poured from a separate flask into the firing pan. A piece of smoldering treated rope was attached to a swivel that was pulled down to the firing pan by the trigger mechanism. The rope ignited the powder in the firing pan (a flash in the pan) which ignited the main charge through a small hole in the side of the barrel. An experienced settler could load and fire the musket two to three time a minute.
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