Shawboro NC

Monday, August 17 - 8:30 am we left OW Williamsburg Campground, Williamsburg Virginia and drove to Shawboro, North Carolina to the North River Campground.

Beautiful sunny skies. We passed through the town of Newport News, VA. Newport News is part of Warwick County, one of the eight original shires of Virginia formed by the House of Burgesses in the British Colony of Virginia by order of King Charles I in 1634. Referred to as "Newportes Newes" as early as 1621. The county was largely composed of farms and undeveloped land until almost 250 years later. A major feature of Newport News, the Mariners' Museum, has grown to become one of the largest and finest maritime museums in the world. Drove across the James River, a new four-lane lift bridge that was completed in stages from 1975 to 1982 at a cost of $75 million. The 415.0 ft lift span over the shipping channel, with a clearance of 145 ft when raised and 59.7 ft. when lowered, is about 1/4 of the way along the 4.39 mile bridge. This allows ocean-going ships to pass en route to civilian port facilities in Hopewell and at the Port of Richmond. The mouth of Chesapeake Bay is one of the world’s great natural harbors at Norfolk/Hampton Roads. We saw huge derricks for boat repairs and even an aircraft carrier was in the harbor.

We arrived at North River Campground in Shawboro around 11:20 am. At check in, the owner complained about our early arrival. The road coming into the park is so narrow, two RVs would not be able to pass. She charged us $5 for the early check-in even though we were never told about it. Regardless, I don’t think we would have waited until 1:00 pm.

Shawboro is an unincorporated community located in Currituck County, North Carolina. Elizabeth City is the closest town about 30- minute drive time. Elizabeth City was founded as the town of Redding in 1793 on land acquired from Adam and Elizabeth Tooley. In 1794, the town was renamed Elizabeth, and in 1801 Elizabeth City. The name change has been variously attributed to honor either Queen Elizabeth I of England, who 200 years earlier spearheaded the colonization of the Carolina and Virginia coasts, or Elizabeth "Betsy" Tooley. The city is located alongside the Pasquotank River, which connects to the Albemarle Sound and is part of the Intracoastal Waterway. There is plenty to do in this area for nature lovers.

We rode our bikes around the park on asphalt drive that encircles the pond. It is all flat so it is very easy to navigate. Two circles is ½ mile. The 15” of rain the past two weeks has soaked the ground so the smell is quite musty or moldy. Ugh! Mitzy sneezed as we rode our bikes - she was sitting in her basket with dad.

Weather shows that the hurricane season is certainly heating up. They have Ana and Bill right now. It is certainly hotter here because there are no trees around the RVs. The a/c struggles all day to keep us comfortable.

Tuesday, August 18 - We took a drive to the Outer Banks today on Rt. 158 to see the Atlantic and also visit the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. There are acres and acres of farmland with either corn or soybean.

Crossed over Wright Memorial Bridge to Kitty Hawk in Currituck County. Wright Memorial Bridge crosses the Pamlico Sound and is an amazing view. We passed through the towns of Duck and Corolla. Duck is a favorite vacation spot because of its unspoiled beaches, small-town atmosphere with plenty of dining and shopping opportunities. Duck has classy places such as the Sanderling Resort & Spa.

The Currituck Beach Light is a lighthouse located on the Outer Banks in Corolla, North Carolina. On December 1, 1875, the Currituck Beach Light, after two years, was completed. It is located between Cape Henry Light and Bodie Island. It has the largest of seven Fresnel lens sizes. An example of Gothic Revival architecture, the Currituck Beach Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1973. Now open to the public, The Outer Banks Conservationists, Inc. continue to maintain and restore the structures on the lighthouse property.

We took a driving tour of some of the Atlantic shoreline neighborhoods and saw there were about half of the homes with small “for sale” signs on them.

We crossed over the Dismal Swamp Canal. It is located along the eastern edge of the Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia and North Carolina. In May 1763, George Washington made his first visit to the Great Dismal Swamp and suggested draining it and digging a north-south canal through it to connect the waters of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia and Albemarle Sound in North Carolina. It is the oldest continually operating man-made canal in the United States, opened in 1805. It is part of an intracoastal waterway, an inland route, which parallels the east coast and offers boaters shelter from the Atlantic Ocean from Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey to Brownsville, Texas. The route runs through bays, lakes, rivers, streams, and canals, and includes the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway running from Norfolk, Virginia, to the Florida Keys.

Thursday, August 20 - We drove to Elizabeth City over the Pasquotank River. Plenty of road work showing that the stimulus dollars for American Recovery Act are being used in North Carolina. Massive project to four-lane miles of road.

We stopped at the Museum of Albemarle on Water Street downtown. This museum was three stories and very interesting with very diversified information.

Through regional collections, historical interpretation and professional assistance, the museum encourages visitors to explore and understand the past, to reflect on their place in history, and to preserve regional history for future generations.

The Ancient Albemarle has a history as old as America's. From the first English colony in the New World to the discovery of powered flight, every American epoch is represented in this museum.

Downtown also notes the 1927 Virginia Dare Hotel that is still standing and has a two-story sky light arcade.

We also stopped by the historical Christ Episcopal Church (Cir.1856). Elizabeth City is home to one of the United States' few airship factories. Many of the nation's commercial blimps are made and serviced here. The current airship station evolved from what was previously a US Navy air station.

Historic homes along tree-lined streets, a picturesque downtown with a scenic waterfront, friendly people and few traffic jams, Elizabeth City offers the best of small-town Southern living within an hour of both southeastern Virginia's bustling Hampton Roads area and North Carolina's famous Outer Banks. Saw a building marked 1703 - First known School in North Carolina.

Technorati Tags: Shawboro,Newport News,Mariners' Museum,James River,Port of Richmond,Elizabeth City,Pasquotank River,Currituck Beach Lighthouse,Wright Memorial Bridge,Kitty Hawk,Pamlico Sound,Duck,Corolla,Museum of Albemarle,Virginia Dare Hotel,Hampton Roads,Outer Banks

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Williamsburg VA

Monday, July 27 - We got up at 5:30 am to get a jump on traffic leaving Outdoor World Sea Pines in Swainton New Jersey to our new park in Williamsburg. It was a long seven-hour drive to Outdoor World Williamsburg in Williamsburg Virginia. We had some very rough roads to contend with, but other than that, the drive was uneventful.
We crossed the Delaware Memorial Bridge and had to pay $16 toll. The Delaware Memorial Bridge links Delaware and New Jersey in graceful twin-suspension spans that soar high above the Delaware River, just north of the mouth of the Delaware Bay. The twin spans touch down in New Castle, Delaware, and in Pennsville, New Jersey. The bridge is a lasting memorial to those soldiers who gave their lives in World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm. Each year on Veterans Day, a special ceremony is held at the Bridge War Memorial, which overlooks the Twin Span.
Around 11 am, we crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, where we had to pay $14 toll. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (commonly known as the Bay Bridge) is a major dual-span bridge in Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the more urban Western Shore. The original span opened in 1952 and at the time, with a length of 4.3 miles, was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure. A parallel span was added in 1973, giving rise to the bridge's current dual-span nature.  Glad we could help with the upkeep of the bridges and the road repairs paying our toll.
"The name DELAWARE was given to the people who lived along the Delaware River, and the river in turn was named after Lord de la Warr, the governor of the Jamestown colony. The name Delaware later came to be applied to almost all Lenape people. Their ancestors were among the first Indians to come in contact with the Europeans (Dutch, English, & Swedish) in the early 1600s. The Delaware were called the "Grandfather" tribe because they were respected by other tribes as peace-makers. They were also known for their fierceness and tenacity as warriors.
We arrived at Outdoor World Williamsburg in Virginia around 2:30 pm. This park is not large and does not seem to be filled up, even though it is high season. There are a lot of trailers/ campers that look to be permanent vacation homes for the locals to come and relax on the weekends. One site looked good to get satellite and after a lot of on and off and resets, Marsha finally got it to work around 8:30 pm. Our site is C-3, not too far from the entrance. Roads are asphalt and sites are gravel, so not a lot of dust- yeah!
Ray’s Remarks:  In the past we have visited historical Williamsburg from a distance, allowing only a few hours to tour the area. This time we stayed within a few miles of the city.
Williamsburg, outside of the historical district, is very modern with scattered shopping centers in every direction. A large outlet center is located on Rt. 60 just north of town. Another large center is located in New Town, just west of downtown.
Marsha and I drove into Hampton, Va to see Fort Monroe on the Chesapeake Bay. We had no idea the Fort was located on an Army base. License, insurance, and registration were required to get on base, which I truly appreciated. The museum at the fort was well worth the trip, the entire museum was displayed within the fort’s great walls where the soldier’s quarters and the cannon placements were located. I can’t imagine being in that confined area with one of these cannons blasting a 12 lb ball of steel across the bay several miles and recoiling the entire cannon backwards 6 to 8 feet. The red brick walls and interior archways were 3 to 5 feet thick in places. The museum took well over an hour to read about its history and see all of the artifacts from that era. We did not have enough time to visit but a small part of the top of the fort with its surrounding mote. It was very impressive and highly recommend, if you are into old forts. Fort Monroe reminded us of Dry Tortugas 60 miles +/-off the Florida Keys. We still marvel at the construction of these forts during that era. On another day we took Mitzy  to The York River State Park. Beautiful day with the wildlife running free, turkeys, rabbits, deer, humming birds, etc. There was a group of teen canoeist with chaperons preparing to invade the York River.
I rode the motorcycle throughout the entire area and most adjacent roads including the Colonial Parkway from Jamestown through Williamsburg to York Town.  This road is made of concrete with sea shells in it, making it a little rough but OK. I missed a turn and found myself at the entrance of the US Naval Supply Center on the York River. The security guards have very little sense of humor.  Actually they were helpful and gave me directions back to the Parkway. They allowed me to make a U-turn past their gate with a escort after I submitted my drivers license which was returned upon my exit. A few miles down the Parkway along the river I noticed a very long pier jutting into the river. At the end of the pier sat two Navy ships.  One appeared to be a destroyer and the other a much larger vessel, the USS  NEW YORK,  with two very large steel towers at mid-ship. This ship was built with some scrap steel from the twin towers in New York City. This was a neat surprise, kind of gives you goose bumps. I took a couple of photos.

The cities of Newport News, Hampton, Norfolk and Suffolk surround the harbor where the James River, York River and the Chesapeake Bay converge into the Atlantic Ocean. This waterway’s shoreline is dotted with shipyards with huge loading and repair derricks.  Very impressive seaport. Next time in this area we would like to see this up close.    
Wednesday, July 29 - It looks like a beautiful day, although 60% showers later. Ray is taking the Gold Wing out for a drive through and around Williamsburg. We drove to Williamsburg and found shopping to be very close. Stopped at Prime Outlets and Columbia Outdoor Clothing store was having a fantastic sale.
Jamestown began in 1607, when a group of 104 English men and boys et foot on the bank of the James River in search of profits and resources ripe for commerce. In the 13 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, they would endure hardships, Indian encounters and the struggles of daily life, but would triumph as America’s first permanent English settlement. The Jamestown Visitor Center features museum exhibits and a multimedia theater presentation about Jamestown’s 92 years as the capital of Virginia. It is quite impressive.
Yorktown is just a tiny village in comparison to Jamestown, but is important in American history because in 1781, the decisive battle of the American Revolution was won there by George Washington.
Monday, August 3 - We drove 27 miles to visit Hampton Virginia. Hampton is a coastal town and is an independent city in Virginia, and therefore not part of any Virginia county. One of the Seven Cities of Hampton Roads, it is on the southeast end of the Virginia Peninsula, bordering on Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay, one of the oldest cities in the United States. It has a clean, glistening waterfront and many things to doo and see while visiting.
Our first stop was Sandy Bottom Nature Center - Hampton's premier park is a 456 acre environmental education and wildlife management facility. Born from borrow pits and garbage dumps, the park is truly a success story of reclamation of our natural resources. From the 10,000 square foot nature center overlooking Sandy Bottom Lake to the elusive creatures that inhabit the wetland marshes, there is something for everyone at the Sandy Bottom Nature Park.
Little England Chapel - Virginia's only-known African American missionary chapel, The sanctuary of this chapel holds a permanent exhibit that helps visitors understand the religious lives of post-Civil War African Americans in Virginia. The display includes handwritten Sunday school lessons, photographs, a 12 minute video, and 19th century religious books. The Little England Chapel was built in the late 17th Century and was also known as the Ocean Cottage Sunday School. Emancipation Oak is a historic tree located on the campus of Hampton University. On September 17, 1861, Mrs. Mary Smith Peake taught the first classes to African American children on the grounds of what is now Hampton University at Hampton Roads in Virginia under the shade of the Emancipation Oak. 
Hampton National Cemetery - Through Fiscal Year 2008: 28,003 interments. Located in the vicinity of where the historic Civil War naval battle between the Confederate Merrimac/Virginia and the Union Monitor iron-clad ships occurred in 1862.
The cemetery’s first burials took place in 1862 and the cemetery is among numerous national cemeteries with origins that date to the Civil War. Hampton National Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 26, 1996.

8/3/09 Historic Fort Monroe - We were not aware that Fort Monroe was founded in 1609 and active since 1803. It is an Army facility. We went to eat lunch at the base café, Old Point Comfort Marina, before taking a tour of the grounds and museum.

Fort Monroe guarded the approach by sea of the navigational shipping channel between the Chesapeake Bay and the entrance to the harbor of Hampton Roads.

Beginning by 1609, fortifications had been established at Old Point Comfort during Virginia's first two centuries. However, the much more substantial facility of stone to become known as Fort Monroe (and adjacent Fort Wool on a man-made island across the channel) were completed in 1834. Completely surrounded by a moat, the six-sided stone fort is the only one of its kind left in the United States that is still an active Army post. Fort Monroe played an important role in the American Civil War. The Casemate Museum, opened in 1951, depicts the history of Fort Monroe and Old Point Comfort, with special emphasis on the Civil War period. http://www.monroe.army.mil/Monroe/sites/installation/museum/Casemate_Museum.aspx

Fort Wool is located adjacent to one of the man-made islands of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel and is accessible only by water. The availability of public tours of both Fort Wool and Fort Monroe are subject to Homeland Security Alert conditions.
Friday, August 7 - We drove to see the York River State Park. The Virginia State Parks mission is to conserve natural, scenic, historic and cultural resources of the commonwealth and to provide recreational and educational opportunities consistent with good stewardship of these lands, water and facilities that leaves them unimpaired for future generations.Eleven miles west of Williamsburg, York River State Park offers visitors an opportunity to experience the environment of a coastal estuary. This park is known for its rare and delicate environment, where freshwater and saltwater meet to create a habitat rich in marine and plant life. The main focus of the park is to preserve a portion of York River frontage and its related marshes while providing an area for passive day-use recreation for visitors. The drive to the park is tree-lined and very pretty. Their focus is on the history, use and preservation of the York River and its marshes.
Monday, August 10 - Grocery store called Ukrops. From gourmet recipes to simple snacks, you'll find something fresh every week. Prices are great and the produce is the freshest ever. It was so hot walking across the tarmac and forecasted to reach 102 degrees here in Williamsburg.

Technorati Tags: Outdoor World Sea Pines in Swainton New Jersey,Delaware Memorial Bridge,Chesapeake Bay Bridge,Newport News,Hampton,Ukrops,Norfolk and Suffolk,Williamsburg,York,Jamestown

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Atlantic City-Cape May,NJ

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - Still at Sea Pines Swainton NJ We had read and heard about the Atlantic City region as one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations.
Ray's Remarks: We spent three weeks (Outdoor World Sea Pines) in this area and toured from Cape May to north of Atlantic City, mostly the coast line. Marsha and I toured most of Cape May and Atlantic City by truck. I rode the bike a little. The small beach towns and barrier islands were crowded from bay to beach with mostly expensive beach houses. Can’t see the beach for the sand dunes and houses. There are public beaches (no dogs). And public access walks, parking is a problem. We did not go to the beach, just a quick look and left.  The south end of New Jersey from east to west was mostly farm land.  It seems like the entire population of eastern states head to the beaches on the weekend —do not try to travel east or west on weekends.
World-famous beach and boardwalk, luxurious casinos, nonstop gaming action, the hottest entertainers, the best in dining, and quality sporting events. “America’s Favorite Playground” is renowned for all this and more. The boardwalk is six miles long. First built in 1870 and voted one of the best boardwalks in America. Atlantic City is a resort community located on Absecon Island on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Atlantic City was incorporated on May 1, 1854. Atlantic City has had its major ups and downs over the years and in an effort at revitalizing the city, New Jersey voters in 1976 approved casino gambling for Atlantic City. On July 3, 2003, Atlantic City's newest casino, The Borgata, opened with much success. Another major attraction is the oldest remaining Ripley's Believe It or Not! Odditorium in the world.
The famous boardwalk was one destination I didn’t want to miss seeing.  It was a very overcast and fog banked day. The sun tried to peek through dense clouds off and on. We drove down to the end of the streets to see the Atlantic Ocean.      Took pictures of the Absecon Lighthouse. It is noted for being New Jersey’s tallest Lighthouse; the country’s third tallest Lighthouse; 150 years old, 1857-2007. For $7 you can climb to the top.
I wanted to see the Trump Taj Mahal. We had a very hard time finding a parking space within easy walking distance to the Trump Taj Mahal. We were shocked to find that their self-parking garage has a maximum height of 6’4”. Our truck would never make it. Finally, Ray saw an Emergency / Fire Department parking lot.  The EMT was very nice and said we could stay in their parking lot for a few hours. Therefore, we didn’t have to pay for parking nor have to worry whether our truck would be in the same condition once we returned. You notice a lot of very old homes and row homes, a lot of them boarded up or falling into disrepair. Also a lot of empty lots everywhere. The community looks plagued with poverty. Scores of homeless addict types scattered everywhere. However, you can see that as a major player comes into town, they are buying up the land and building new high-rise casinos and hotels.





It was close to lunchtime, so we decided to try the “food court” inside Trump Taj Mahal. It is located on the second floor and we were awestruck by the three huge hanging chandeliers that lit up the otherwise dark atmosphere.               At a fast-food restaurant called Burger, we ordered $10 cheeseburgers and $3 sweet potato fries. Figured we wouldn’t find anything any less expensive at the white tablecloth dining rooms around the perimeter. I will have to say the burgers were great - nothing like McDonald’s or Wendy’s. After the long wait for the food, we ate and hurriedly headed out of the hotel to the boardwalk. Smoking is only allowed in the casino area and I read that they are only allowed 25% smoking in the casino area. As we walked by the casino, we could catch the smell of smoke, even though it was contained.
The boardwalk - it was not busy at all yet it was noisy with loud music and/or advertisement announcements over the loud speakers. We saw the “famous” Steel Pier and I’m sure it is fun for the kids that come here on the weekends. It is an amusement park. We walked out to where we could see the beach and there were a lot of people out enjoying the sand and water. The sad discovery I made was under the pier.
There was a “homeless?” man feeding about 15 feral cats under the boardwalk. There are many containers under the boardwalk that house the cats. We were surprised to see that nothing has been done to “clear out” such activity, as it does nothing to attract people to return to the boardwalk.
We saw many of the man-driven carts lined up in a row waiting all in a row waiting for customers.
There was not much activity as most of the people walking around were probably not there as tourists, but locals. The tourists probably come out at night. I would not call it glamorous.
As we drove away from the strip, we saw many of the familiar upscale stores and the scene changes from neglect and poverty to the rich and not so rich that wants to shop or catch a latte at Starbucks. Total transformation one block away.
Friday, July 24 - We passed through Wildwood again and traffic wasn’t too bad. We stopped for lunch at the Lobster House at Fisherman’s Wharf. A Seafood Restaurant, Raw Bar and Take Out, Fish Market and Gift Shop. The interior has a wonderful, nautical atmosphere that we always tend to look for. Since 1922, the Lobster House is known for the freshest seafood available as they have their own supply of ships and go out and return to unload their catch daily.
Today would be out last opportunity to travel to the Cape May area due to weekend warriors that drive the gauntlet to the beaches. It is more than an hour wait from what we hear. Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Being the Southern-most point in New Jersey, Cape May has fairly mild wintertime temperatures. Contrary to that, the summertime has lower temperatures than most places in the state, making the town a popular place to escape the heat.
Cape May began hosting vacationers from Philadelphia in the mid 1700s and is recognized by the United States government as the country's oldest seaside resort. It is noted for its large number of well-maintained Victorian houses — the second largest collection of Victorian-era homes in the nation after San Francisco. In 1976, the entire city of Cape May was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. It is the only city in the United States wholly designated as such. That designation is intended to ensure the architectural preservation of these buildings.

The Emlen Physick Estate, Cape May's only Victorian house museum. We did not take the tour but thought the architecture was worth noting. http://www.capemaytimes.com/history/physick.htmThe Stick Style design is attributed to renowned Victorian architect Frank Furness and features jerkin-head dormers, "stick"-like grids overlaying clapboard walls, "stick"-like brackets on the porch, and corbelled or "upside down" chimneys. The mansion has 18 rooms with several out-buildings. . Back in its heyday, the Physick Estate housed a rather unusual household: Dr. Emlen Physick, who never married; his widowed mother, Mrs. Ralston; and his Maiden Aunt Emilie. Dr. Physick's grandfather, Dr. Philip Syng Physick (1768-1837) was known as the Father of American Surgery. Emlen Physick followed family tradition by completing medical training, but he never practiced. He lived the life of a country gentleman and animal breeder. He is remembered for having the first automobile in Cape May. In the 1970's, after decades of decline, the Physick Estate and the nine outbuildings on the four-acre Cape May estate on Washington Ave. were saved and restored by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts (MAC).

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We cruised the Cape May Beach area as well. We were amazed at how the homes, bed & Breakfast Inns, hotels, and restaurants all look like they just got a new coat of paint. I love anything Victorian, so Cape May is a beautiful spot to hang out.

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Stone Harbor, Oceanville, NJ

Friday, July 17, 2009 - We decided to visit the Wetlands Institute for Education, Research, and Conservation at Stone Harbor NJ.
It is geared towards children as they are out of school. But we were still able to learn a few things during the presentation on facts about Horseshoe Crabs. The Terrapin Station is the first exhibit in the world that is dedicated to the life history of the diamondback terrapin (turtle). I was not familiar with the Terrapin. I was looking forward to walking the boardwalk into the marsh where unparalleled views of migratory birds, fiddler crabs and other creatures are up close and personal. We also wanted to take a walk up the spiral stairs of their Observation Tower. The most recognizable feature of The Wetlands Institute, the tower stretches forty feet above the building to provide a view of the surrounding wetlands area, and, on a good day, the Jersey Shore from Sea Isle City to Wildwood. The Osprey differs in several respects from other diurnal birds of prey. Its toes are of equal length, its tarsi are reticulate, and its talons are rounded, rather than grooved. The Osprey is the only raptor whose outer toe is reversible, allowing it to grasp its prey with two toes in front and two behind. The Osprey is unusual insofar as it is a single species that occurs nearly worldwide.
Walter Cronkite died at 92. What an amazing career and family man. "the most trusted man in America" because of his professional experience and kindly demeanor. He also liked to have a good time, according to Tom Brokaw.
Saturday, July 18 - Ray took the Wing for a ride 140 miles roundtrip. He ran into traffic from all the New Jersey folks going out to the beaches.  We have 38% humidity and it is 81 degrees. So beautiful here with the trees dappled with sunlight peaking through the leaves. Everywhere we drive you can see beautiful daylilies in lavender, peach, gold, burgundy, apricot, rose, pink, purple, red, yellow, orange, and near-white.
Sunday, July 19 – We wanted to visit the natural wildlife preserve, Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge at Oceanville and protects more than 40,000 acres of southern New Jersey Coastal Habitats and tidal wetlands. We enjoyed the Wildlife Drive. It is a one way, unpaved, eight mile drive. The flies were out in major numbers and wanted to get inside the truck whenever we wanted to take pictures. We were constantly killing or driving them back out of the truck.

There are hiking trails for the more able-minded. We saw cars and trucks stopped along the way taking pictures with very expensive  cameras.
We continued to drive along Rt. 9 to visit Historic Smithville. Nothing but shops and closed on Sunday morning. Then on to see Tuckerton Seaport, a working maritime village. It was disappointing. You have to pay a fee and then browse the shops.b:if cond='data:blog.pageType !="item"> >

Swainton and Wildwood, NJ

Monday, July 12 - Left Artillery Ridge Campground around 7:30 am to drive to Outdoor World Sea Pines, Swainton NJ. Our drive through Pennsylvania was mostly Rural Routes and in very bad need of repair. As we neared the New Jersey border, we saw pastoral landscapes with a lot of horse farms. On Route 322, the roads just got worse. We were on Baltimore Pike for a while and passed through Concordville around 10:30.

It is located 20 miles west-southwest of Philadelphia. Modern Concordville occupies the junction of two of the earliest public roads in the English colonies: Baltimore Pike or US Route One, and Concord Road, laid out by William Penn's surveyors. The old homes along the main drag do not show any signs they are under a Historical Society but I have read they are trying to get recognized. We crossed over the Delaware River on the impressive Commodore Barry Bridge . We saw tugboats and a lot of industry on both sides of the bridge, as well as the Philadelphia cityscape in the distance. The bridge is named after the American Revolutionary War hero and Philadelphia resident John Barry. making the bridge the fourth longest cantilever bridge in the world, and the longest in the United States.

We arrived at the Outdoor World Sea Pines Resort in Swainton NJ.

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There was no way we could get satellite because of the trees so we took their cable for $3 per day. Our site is at least spacious, however everything in this park is dirt and dead leaves, but lots of shade. The closest beach is Avalon Beach, which is very popular. In 1949, Avalon, NJ was a sleepy sea-side town without much more than a bar, a hotel and a real estate office. A lot of the sites are filled with annual/seasonal residents that leave their trailers/RVs here and then come out on the weekends to enjoy.

Tuesday, July 14 - Beautiful day here at Swainton New Jersey. Sun is filtering through the surrounding hardwood trees.

Ray took the Gold Wing out for a quick ride before the heat got too bad. He visited both Avalon and Stone Harbor. Cape May Courthouse is a name of a town with shops, etc. I went to the park office and collected a lot of literature on what to do while we are here.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - We drove south of our park in Swainton NJ to visit the town of Wildwood. Wildwood is a resort city that is very popular with vacationers and tourists mostly from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and even nearby parts of Canada during the summer months. Its most notable features are its beach and 1.8-mile boardwalk, home to Morey's Pier amusement complex and Raging Waters and Ocean Oasis water parks owned by Morey's Pier. The boardwalk features a trolley called the "Tramcar", which runs from end-to-end. It is also home to Splash Zone Water Park. Built in 1999, Splash Zone features the world's highest dumping bucket and the biggest family raft ride on the east coast, The Beast of the East.

In June 2006, Wildwood’s Doo-Wop-style motels were placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual Eleven Most Endangered List, described as "irreplaceable icons of popular culture." It was ranked the best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Rock Around the Clock, often credited as the first rock and roll record, was first performed on Memorial Day weekend in 1954 at the HofBrau Hotel in Wildwood by Bill Haley & His Comets. The song's status as one of the first rock and roll hits has given rise to the city's claim as "the birthplace of rock and roll".

We had lunch at the local restaurant, Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck. It was such a beautiful day with a slight breeze and very low humidity. Their marina is huge and filled with many large boats. The deck is quite large, but at noon was not busy at all. Open since 1989 they specialize in fresh seafood, steaks and sunsets. I had a crab cake sandwich roll and it was delicious. Ray ordered his usual, very well done hamburger.

Next, we visited the Victorian Hereford Inlet Lighthouse built in 1874 in North Wildwood. Located near the entrance to Hereford Inlet, which leads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intra-Coastal Waterway linking Maine to Florida. The fixed white Light is 57 feet above sea level and visible at a distance of 13 nautical miles. www.herefordlighthouse.org.

I was thoroughly impressed with their gardens with over 200 plant varieties of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Some flowered shrubs are certainly not seen down in Florida. The Victorian cottage-style gardens have won many awards and is such a beautiful place to visit.

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Gettysburg, PA

Monday, July 06, 2009 - Beautiful day to travel the two hours to Gettysburg and Artillery Ridge Camping Resort next to Gettysburg Battlefield. We left Thousand Trails Hershey Preserve around 9am. We will really miss this park with paved roads, beautiful tall trees, rolling hills that surround us, and very large sites. The geese that bothered us last year with all their poop were not a problem as we were located up the hill and our neighbor was up early each morning with a broom to shoo them gently back to the lake below. We are not “allowed” to harass the geese, but this gentle reminder is acceptable.

We arrived at Artillery Ridge Camping Resort around 11 am. We are all the way in the rear of a very large park. They cater to people with horses as well and have plenty of stables available.

We saw the rental horses leave several times on their one- hour guided ride. This is one park in our opinion not up to par, especially for what they ask in park rents, $42 for Saturday/Sunday. Thankfully we used Good Sam and RPI discounts to get the average day to $18. The dirt/gravel roads really caused a lot of dirt on all three vehicles. We found out that this is Gettysburg’s Annual Bike Week. Everywhere we looked there were bikers.

The Gettysburg Battlefield is much larger than most people expect--more than 10,000 acres--and it is crisscrossed by more than 40 miles of battlefield avenues. Most of these avenues are one-way, posing something of a challenge to first-time visitors driving themselves over the field as they often wish to backtrack as the sequence of battle events becomes better understood.

If you love history of the Civil War, Gettysburg National Military Park is the place to be. The state-of-art facility has 30 min. film and Cyclorama Painting, and great collection of artifacts and interactive exhibits.

Rays Comments: A New Birth of Freedom 1860. One out of every three whites owned slaves. There were four million slaves at the start of the Civil War. Main Battle July 1 - 16,000 either died wounded or captured on both sides. 3rd Day - Union Army was winning -- Cannons in action 150 Conf. 100 Union Union Army held the HIGH ridges - the Confederates retreated 1863 Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address - the Civil War lasted two more years. 7,000 died and 44,000 wounded. The Emancipation Proclamation consists of two executive orders issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War. The first one, issued September 22, 1862, declared the freedom of all slaves in any state of the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. The second order, issued January 1, 1863, named ten specific states where it would apply. Lincoln issued the Executive Order by his authority as "Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy" under Article II, section 2 of the United States Constitution. Some slavery continued to be legal, and to exist, until the institution was ended by the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment on December 18, 1865. The Gettysburg Address is a speech by Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens, and that would also create a unified nation in which states' rights were no longer dominant. Rays Comments: A New Birth of Freedom 1860. One out of every three whites owned slaves. There were four million slaves at the start of the Civil War. Main Battle July 1 - 16,000 either died wounded or captured on both sides. 3rd Day - Union Army was winning -- Cannons in action 150 Confederate 100 Union Union Army held the HIGH ridges - the Confederates retreated 1863 Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address - the Civil War lasted two more years. 7,000 died and 44,000 wounded. Tuesday, July 07, 2009 - If you love history of the Civil War, Gettysburg National Military Park is the place to be. The state-of-art facility has 30 min. film and Cyclorama Painting, and great collection of artifacts and interactive exhibits.

Thursday, July 9 - We decided to get some errands done and go to lunch at Historic Farnsworth House Inn in Gettysburg.

Built in 1810 with over 100 bullet holes (white spots) in the house left from the Battle of Gettysburg. Very friendly staff and the interior is filled with photos and a case of artifacts from the Civil War era. It is one of the most recognized Inns in America.

Some of the pictures taken around the town.

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Schaefferstown, PA

July 2, 09 - we drove to see Schaefferstown, PA, founded in 1763. Along the road towards our destination, there were plenty of dairy farms, sheep, cattle, and rolling hills filled with corn crops. Sometimes we saw potato crops as well, and a myriad of flowers everywhere. We stopped to see the noted Fountain Park on South Market Street, the oldest documented public works system and oldest Chartered Waterworks in the United States. It is spring fed fountain. Not much to look at but the water is still used by the townspeople for portable household water. We saw an historic tavern The Franklin House Tavern and Inn on Market Street and after taking pictures of the town square, we decided to eat lunch there. The food was excellent and much too much to eat so took some home. Loved the sweet potato fries.

It was a real treat to speak to the owner who took us upstairs to an outside patio he had built for patrons to enjoy the outdoors. I asked the owner if the tavern was noted for being haunted and found out it is. Several paranormal groups have visited and found odd things, especially in Room #3 where there is a lot of energy felt. The owner two years ago purchased the run-down dilapidated building and proceeded to make it look like it did in its hay-day. When he had changed out all the light bulbs the bulbs blew all at one time, although they were on separate circuits. When he had started to paint a room, leaving late one night with three cans of yellow paint, lids on tight, he arrived in the morning to find the lids off and the paint had been tossed up onto the ceiling and walls. Once the three new stoves were installed, they all stopped working every Friday for a month. Each Saturday, they would start working again.

The tavern was established in 1746 and was a stopping place for travelers where they could rest in the rooms upstairs and also stable their horses. The owner told us there are underground tunnels to this day and were used to hide from the Indians. There were two known Indian raids in Schaefferstown. Schaefferstown is one of the only surviving Baroque-planned Germanic towns in America, and is a rare example of the culturally-distinct German building typology. 

We took another route to return home and passed through small communities like Newsmanstown. 

 

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