Don't Stop Until You Reach The Ocean

Sunday the 28th, Rachel and I geared up to drive to Virginia Beach. We received plenty of conflicting advice from our cousins on which way to take to get there. Essentially, we were told if we valued our guts to back track, get on the freeway and avoid the mountains. I'm thinking to myself "wait a minute, I'm on a road trip and haven't seen mountains in way too long." So after leaving, Rachel and I took our chances with motion sickness and went for the mountain pass. I must say it was some of the nicest driving of the entire trip. There were certainly some hairpin turns but it wasn't like Colorado where all you see as you take that hair pin turn is a 2000 foot drop off. Plus, I was driving which meant it was more entertaining and kept me more alert compared to hours of flat countryside and straight roads.

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

Since we drove through a few state parks along the way we made some spontaneous stops to take in the sights and some history. I didn't realize the split between WV and VA came during the civil war when West Virginia sided with the union.

Here are some markers we found on the border of the states:

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

We were fortunate enough to take in a million wildflowers along our trip. I was surprised at how much was in bloom all over the country.

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

Along our drive in the south there were a few opportunities to get out and see some civil war sights. Once in Virginia, we came to an area that had an interpretive trail. It told the story of civil ward soldiers through letters by Lieutenant Pryor to his family in Georgia. It was called the Confederate Breastworks and consisted of a mile long trench that had been built to fortify Fort Edward Johnson in the Shenandoah Valley during 1862. The area was beautiful and it was nice to get out and stretch. We saw our only snake of the trip there. Right at the start of the trail Rachel squealed and I just caught what looked like a black, striped garden snake slithering into the bushes from underneath Rachel's hovering foot.

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

This is what remains of the trenches:

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

Since I drove most of the way and took a nap when I wasn't, the trip went by pretty rapidly and then we arrived in beautiful Virginia Beach. I fell in love with the area and can definitely see why people choose to vacation and live there. Apparently it's a great place to be stationed as well since most of the residents are pro military. Woohoo for military discounts!

The first night we got there we went with Rachel's friend Misty (who hosted us) and looked at all of the battleships in port and then went over to check out retired airplanes.



After a good night's rest we set out for one of the highlights of the road trip - the beach! I can't even start to explain how I feel about going to the beach. All growing up we lived very close to the ocean and whenever I smell sunscreen it makes me happy inside and I just want to find some sand to walk in. There are "beaches" here in the midwest, but it just isn't the same without the salt and the unknown creatures of the deep lurking beside you.

We brought books, blankets, food and our sunscreen for a relaxed day in the sun. Like most days on the trip the weather was perfect - hot enough to enjoy cooling off in the water and cool enough to not worry about heat stroke. One of the advantages of staying with the locals is getting the in on where to go. Misty told us how to get to Chesapeake Beach which is typically known to only the people in the neighborhood there. Hence, we avoided all of the tourists and had a quiet day. (It was also close enough where I got my run in when I realized I had to return to the apartment for my camera battery.)

I loved the entrance to the beach - right in between some spectacular beach front homes.

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

So there is a time of year when all of the jellyfish start spawning on the east coast. I remember some pretty horrible images of all of the ones I found on the shore as a kid. Fortunately, despite the fact that the season is near, we didn't see a single one all day.

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

Hooray for sunscreen!

From SC Road Trip Summer 2009

After Misty got off of work we met up with her to check out another beach where we went bodysurfing. We then went out for some great seafood. The restaurant we went to served what they caught. Rachel and I tried crab, scallops, tilappia, clams etc. We really enjoyed visiting with Misty and wish her well while she is stationed there.



Next Installment: South Carolina