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.
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.aspxFriday, 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.
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VA - Williamsburg / 7/27-8/10/09
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