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.
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NC - Shawboro 8/17-20/2009
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