The Historic Triangle

We left Assateague Island Maryland on Oct. 28 headed to Williamsburg Va. heading down the eastern shoreline, (as they call it out here.) The first adventure of the day was the crossing of Chesapeake Bay. The bridge tunnel is nineteen miles long running across the bay and on this day the winds were gusting out of the NW at up to 35 MPH. After paying our toll of $28 we headed across. It was kind of fun, but with our rig, Bruce said it was work holding it steady in the wind on the bridges and then maintaining our lane in the narrow tunnels. This sure beat the alternative of going back around Baltimore, DC and Richmond, and saved us a few hundred miles AND all that traffic.


After the crossing we continued on to Anvil Campground in Williamsburg, a nice, (50% for 2 of our 3 days), Passport America Discount Park located right in Williamsburg. We kind of felt like we were on our Alaska trip with the highway on one side and the RR on the other. It takes longer than three day to get used to the trains, so Lynn got out her earplugs.


Being on a budget, what with diesel fuel prices and all else, we decided that we would see what sights we could on Bruce’s National Park Pass at little to no additional cost, (except for an occasional souvenir!). We discovered that the Williamsburg Area Transit had an all day pass for $1.50 each, and there was a stop right at the campground, so we could take the bus to Williamsburg and then take the free Historic Triangle Shuttles to Jamestown and Yorktown National Historic Sites. That evening, who should knock at our door? Dave and Stephanie Grau, our new friends from Tenn. whom we met on the Cape May ferry. They were parked just across from us!


Wednesday morning was cool and blustery so we dressed in layers and headed out to catch the bus to Williamsburg and then the shuttle to Jamestown. All went well except the WAT bus driver did not stop at the Williamsburg bus stop, (someone pulled the cord or we’d have really gone for a ride!), he left us at the end of a parking lot that resulted in our missing the bus for our return to the campground that evening because we weren’t at the bus stop. We had to find the REAL bus stop after the bus whizzed right passed us even with Lynn waving her arms to try to flag him down! (What a nice guy...NOT).


We arrived at the Jamestown site and the wind was very strong coming off the river making walking around outside not much fun. They do have a very interesting “Archeorium” their word for a museum of the artifacts from the archeological digs on the site. We found it very interesting and entertaining with “hands on” and well displayed and explained artifacts. Interesting thought about Jamestown: It was settled for English trade in 1607 and remained an active community until the 1800s yet our education system celebrates the Pilgrims and the Mass. Bay colonies with barely a mention of Jamestown which was 13 years older! (Perhaps this has changed in the 45 years since Bruce was in school?)


We visited the glass blowing shop at Jamestown and watched as two young men worked on glasswares to sell to the tourist, standing next to the hot furnace was the place to be today.
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Lynn found a hand blown green glass jar just the right size to hold EVOO in our cupboards with her dispenser top, which actually fit! As with blown glass each piece is unique and all the openings where different. With much deliberation, she picked the right one even without the lid as a guide!


The next morning we took the WAT to Williamsburg and caught the shuttle to Yorktown. This site is significant to our country’s history because this is the site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War. Here Geo Washington, with the help of the French Navy and Army, drove Cornwallis and the British back into the sea. Yorktown has a free trolley that will take you into and around the town.


We went into town and jumped off at the Waterman Museum. Waterman is the name that the men who have worked on the Chesapeake Bay have been called forever and the museum is dedicated to their boats, fishing, crabbing and life. The burled wood in the boat room was amazing! The grain when every which way!


We walked around the little town and ended up at a historic local pub for lunch so Lynn could have some locally caught scallops. Yummy! (Bruce had beef, no yucky seafood for him!)


After our late lunch we returned to Williamsburg and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon walking through the restored village and Market Square shops. (Just window-shopping, although we did find a cute little guitar ornament and an old fashioned clip on bird that took us back to our youth.)


We left the next morning for the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a visit with family.