It's All Good...

Finally, a decent WiFi signal...



Let's refresh our memories of the Outer Banks. The Hatteras Lighthouse was great. While Jerri climbed the lighthouse, Kathy sat in on a lecture on the plight of the endangered Piping Plover. There were only 7 nesting pairs last year. Of course, humans are the largest detriment to the little birds. The ferry trip to Ocracoke was nice as was the island. Ocracoke is a good 40 miles from Waves. BTW the Outer Banks is the longest group of barrier islands in the world at 130 miles in length.

This is a photo of sunrise at the Outer Banks. Because we are so far East, the sun rises around 6AM. The light is so bright and intense, there's no sleeping in after that.



As we said in a previous post, we are still mourning the loss of the 'Beach Bum' flag. It blew away one night never to be seen again. Another night we were under a tornado watch and saw rotating clouds right above us. Another camper that had been through a tornado told us that if there was just a little more wind it would form a funnel cloud. Whew...close call....

Waves is centrally located about halfway in the OBX, which makes it convenient for several day trips. One trip was to Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers Memorial. Lots of history and information to be found here. The interpretive rangers set the stage for the birth of independent air flight by the Wright Brothers who had a bicycle shop in Ohio. Pretty fascinating, especially if you've ever flown on a modern flight to think of how it all began.



Loved the OBX and will definitely plan to come back again and maybe stay longer next time.

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We left the OBX and traveled to Pohick Bay Regional Park in northern Virginia. The park was a nice change from the beach with lots of trees and mountain laurel in bloom - very shady and cool. The roads were paved, which made riding the bicycles nice. The park quickly filled to the max over Memorial Day weekend, and just as quickly emptied on Monday, leaving us and a quiet handful of campers to enjoy the beautiful nature trails.



We took the Metro into Old Town Alexandria one evening, which was a very nice change. The park is just down the road from Mason Neck National Wildlife Preserve and Gunston Hall. We spent a day exploring the immediate area. Pohick Bay Regional Park plus Gunston Hall plus Mason Neck totals 5,500 acres of nature and preserves with lots of hiking and bike trails. Pohick Bay is a small bay off the Potomac River across from Ft. Belvoir, while Mason Neck is located on Belmont Bay across from Maryland.



Gunston Hall was the plantation home of George Mason, author of the Virginia Declaration of Independence which served as the blueprint for the Bill of Rights to the US Constitution. Mason attended the Continental Congress but was one of three who refused to sign the Constitution on the basis that it gave too much power to the government and failed to ensure the rights of the individual [go George Mason!]. The tour of Gunston Hall and the grounds was rich with history and we had a docent all to ourselves for the tour.



Left Virginia this morning, bypassed Washington and Baltimore to a small campground in Intercourse, Pennsylvania. We arrived in the heart of Amish country this afternoon. The campground is just across the road from a working Amish farm. During dinner we watched the farmer harrow part of the field with six mules and a manual draw plow that he stood and rode on. There are lots of Amish and Mennonites in the area and we are curious about their beliefs and differences. Everywhere you look there are horse-drawn carriages riding up and down the roads. We were fascinated by a bicycle-like contraption - it looks like a bicycle but has no pedals or chains. The rider stands on one foot on a platform and pushes with the other foot - more like a scooter than a bicycle. We'll try to get a photo of it so the description will make sense.



There are more things to see and do here than one would think. Gettysburg and Hershey's Chocolate World are short day trips away.



Happy Travels, K&J.