Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

During our travels to Cape Hatteras, we went through northern North Carolina and saw many fields of cotton. Some had already been harvested at that time (mid-October), but some fields were still green, and even other fields were still in their seedling stage. This led us to believe that the growing season is very long, perhaps year-round.

We camped at the Kitty Hawk RV Park, which was bordering the beach, so right away the boys got out their boogie-boards and tried out that sport as the waves rolled into the shore. They seemed to get the hang of it, and they appreciated that the ocean water in the Carolinas seems a lot warmer than in the northern states. We also spent some beach time when we went to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, which was beautiful with grassy dunes and warm sun. The kids had a sand-castle –making competition. At the National Seashore we also went to the Bodie Lighthouse, which is a 156-foot tall brick structure that was built in 1870.

North Carolina has the slogan “First in Flight” written on its vehicle license plates, and Kitty Hawk is well- known for being the location of the Wright Brothers’ first successful flight. After years of testing gliders in the area, Orville and Wilbur Wright built an engine-powered cloth airplane which had four successful flights on December 17, 1903, the longest of which was 852 feet long and lasted 59 seconds. Unfortunately this prize airplane was flipped over by the wind shortly after their tests were completed on that historic day, and was damaged. That didn’t stop the inventive spirit that was so prevalent in that era.

We were surprised to find another National Parks Service jewel at Cape Hatteras, and that was a place called Fort Raleigh. Also described as the ‘Lost Colony’, this was the location of the first attempted permanent English settlement in the New World. Sponsored by Queen Elizabeth I, the colony was established in the 1580s, but by the time the British came back to check on the colonists after the wars with the Spanish Armada, everyone in the settlement had disappeared. Sir Walter Raleigh made many voyages trying to locate any survivors, but it still remains a mystery as to what happened to the settlers. It was a very interesting location, steeped in history and mystery, and was an excellent ending to our North Carolinian coastal experience.

Colonial Williamsburg Peninsula, Virginia

From Washington D.C. we travelled south to the Colonial Williamsburg peninsula in eastern Virginia. We camped at the Williamsburg Christian Retreat Center which was a fine facility. From there we made day trips to some impressive historic sites.
Historic Jamestown is called the ‘birthplace of America’. 400 years ago, in 1607, the first permanent British settlement in North America was established there. The 104 men and boys that sailed across the Atlantic in three ships built a fort at that location. The area was originally inhabited by Powhatan natives. Chief Powhatan was the father of the famous Indian girl named Pocahontas. It was very interesting to discover more about her story there, and also the life of Captain John Smith. We saw an active archaeological dig site, and also many artifacts that were unearthed at Jamestown. It was a really neat place, especially with its special position in history.

Our next visit was to the Yorktown Battlefield. Here was the last major battle of the American Revolution, occurring on October 19, 1781. Britain’s Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General George Washington, and established the groundwork for America’s true independence from England. The mock-up of a naval ship in the Visitor Center was interesting, although being only one-fifth of the ship’s actual size made it quite ‘fun’ for Allan to go through.

We saved Colonial Williamsburg for our last location to tour. Having seen so many reconstructed historic sites, it was nice to see a town with a great number of original buildings in it. In the Capitol building we learned how colonial government was run, and also some of the grievances that the colonies had against the mother-country of England. The Courthouse indicated how people were tried in that day. We also visited the ammunition magazine, a milliner’s shop, the blacksmith, silversmith, foundry, weaver, apothecary, taverns, and original homes of famous and influential people. Probably the most impressive for me was going into the Bruton Parish Church, which has had continuous services since 1715; there we got to sit in George Washington’s and Thomas Jefferson’s personal pews. Will we ever live up to the greatness of such men? A thought-provoking idea as we wrapped up our tour of the Williamsburg peninsula.

Washington D.C.

We left Luray, Virginia when Allan returned from Silver Valley, and then moved to a campground closer to Washington, D.C. The fun started even before we left the campground, when our new neighbors let us try out their Seg-Way riding machines.

We packed a whole lot of sight-seeing into our few days in Washington D.C. First, we did a walking tour of several miles in order to visit the major monuments and memorials around the ‘National Mall’. The World War Two Memorial was our first stop. Its sunken location and splashing fountains make it a fitting tribute to those who fought in that war. We then walked along the ‘Reflecting Pool’ to see the grand Lincoln Memorial, in which Lincoln’s statue sits regally on a huge chair. Lincoln saw the US through some of its toughest days in history during the Civil War. Allan read out the Gettysburg Address to our family, which was engraved on the memorial’s wall. Looking out from the steps of the building we saw the view that Martin Luther King Jr. saw (minus the thousands of people of course) when he gave his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in 1962.

On either side of the Lincoln Memorial sit two other memorials, honoring the sacrifices of the soldiers at Vietnam and Korea. The facial expressions on the statues at these two memorials showed the anguish, heart-break, and determination that the soldiers must have felt. We continued on to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. This president also witnessed his country going through difficult historical periods, namely the 1930s Depression and World War II. The rock walls and waterfalls reminded me of strong mountains, and there were many famous quotes displayed. Allan and I were both surprised and impressed with this unique monument. As we walked around the peaceful Tidal Basin we soon arrived at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Once described as ‘the muffin’, I thought the round building looked very elegant along the waterfront. It honors a president who was one of the major writers of the Declaration of Independence which called for equality for all people, and one’s rights to ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’. We ended our tour of the memorials by going up to the top of the 500-foot tower in the middle of the National Mall, called the Washington Monument. From there we had great views including the White House, the Capitol, and the entire ‘mall’ area.

Part of the National Mall is taken up with the numerous museums that make up the Smithsonian Institute. We were delighted to be able to go through several of them.
The Holocaust Museum described the heart-rending story of the Jewish people and other minorities in Europe during World War II. On a lighter note, was the Museum of Natural History that had displays of animals from all over the world, as well as geological wonders. We saw the famous Hope Diamond there. We also went to the Air and Space Museum which told the story of air travel from the days of the Wright Brothers to the modern Space Shuttle. There was also a section there called Treasures from American History; I was delighted to see things like an autographed baseball of Babe Ruth, Albert Einstein’s pipe, R2D2 and C3PO, Dorothy’s red shoes and the scarecrow costume from The Wizard of Oz, a cotton gin, George Washington’s uniform, Helen Keller’s watch, General Custer’s coat, an original John Deere wooden plow, and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat.

We have seen many ‘treasures from American history’ in our travels so far, but I think we’d all agree that the National Mall area of Washington D.C. contains many of them. We had a great time in this nation’s capital city.

Country Waye Campground, Luray, Virginia

Country Waye Campground was our 'home' while Allan was in Silver Valley at the end of September. It was a beautiful, quiet, comfortable location. Our view included the Shenandoah Mountains, the well-groomed campground lawn and pavillion, and a corn-field and silos in the distance.

Luray Caverns, Virginia

Camping near Luray for an extended period made the Luray Caverns an understandable location for one of our fieldtrips. The cavern was discovered in 1878, and opened for tours a mere three months later. I was impressed that almost the entire cave surface was decorated with formations. Because early tourists were encouraged to break off stalactites for souvenirs during the first few decades of operation, some areas of the caverns suffered obvious damage. But on a whole it was an underground wonderland. Some of the neatest features were the reflecting pool, giant columns and flowstones, the 'wishing well', and the 'stalacpipe' organ.