Sandy and I needed some things at WalMart, water for one. With the hurricane watches getting more insistent, I decided it would be better to do that here rather than in the Outer Banks, just in case. We also got two camp chairs. These were more bulky that our other ones because, being labeled "Big & Tall", they were larger, stronger and padded. We topped the visit off with some Sargiento cheese and nut snacks.
Out west, the WalMart gas stations are branded Murphy. This was the first actual WalMart gas station I could remember. We paid $2.319 per gallon, the best price I have since the beginning of the month.
Our successful Walmart expedition
WalMart pumps
I was surprised to see a gas station named Wawa with a goose on the sign. The town of Wawa in Ontario means "wild goose" in the local Ojibway Indian dialect. It turned out that there was an unincorporated community in Greater Philadelphia named Wawa because of flocks of geese found there. Why they new Ojibway was a mystery to me. The east coast Wawa chain includes gas, convenience stores and retail food.
A familiar name in an unfamiliar place
US 17 had some very nice tunnels of trees. The forests had a completely different feel from those yesterday in Pennsylvania, which again feel different from ours back home.
Tunnel of Trees
Bob stopped on the main street of Tappahannock, Virginia. It was quiet on this Sunday morning and we got out to explore the oldest town in Essex County. Apparently Captain John Smith landed here in 1608, operating from the newly founded Jamestown colony, but was driven away by the local natives. Still, settlement started in 1682 and the includes a number of historic buildings. We walked down the main street to the river and back.
They claim history back to John Smith's first landing in 1608
This building looks so "Virginia"
Photographer at work
Another monument to Civil War soldiers
But we're south of the Mason Dixon line
Another well built old house
Down by the "rivah"....
Everything is closed on Sunday
This place needs a little work
Bridge over the Rappahannock River
Kudzu - the vine that ate the south
Main Street - Tappahannock Virginia
This is what a really good photographer looks like
Self portrait
Ritchie House built in 1706
Still in use today
The pause that refreshes
Even the fountain is historic
This is as close as Sandy will get to a Mexican restaurant
After a bathroom break and snack stop at another Sheetz, we continued southeast. We crossed the York River at Yorktown and then traffic got busier as we approached Newport News and Hampton. Linda had wondered whether it would be better to take the bridge over the James River, or the tunnel. She really did not want to go under the river and the very long bridge worked out quite well.
Whoever sees Crossfires any more?
Approaching the James River Bridge
It's a long way across
Shipyards at Hampton
Still not across the James River
Interesting pilings with a story
Chesapeake side of the river
Does anyone know what this is?
Tidewater
Time to reread Michener
Another water tower for Tom and Heather
"Oh, to be kept" - Inquiring minds want to know......
We stopped in Chesapeake and went a ways off the highway to find a McDonald's for lunch. I relented and had a triple hamburger (two patties from my double and one more from Sandy's). The demographic here seemed to be almost exclusively African-American but with a distinct middle class feel.
Fed again, we continued south and crossed into North Carolina on State Road 168. This took us all the way down a peninsula to Point Harbor, where a long bridge took us over to the Outer Banks (aka OBX). From there, we wound our way north on the narrow spit of land/sand, using the only road through Nags Head and Duck to Corolla.
Tugboats on the Elizabeth River
First Outer Banks sign
We are almost there
Apparently tractors are a hazard
Another water tower for the kids
We are off the mainland
There's a reassuring thought with a hurricane in the neighborhood
The vegetation is lush
In Duck - anyone going?
Our friend Duck should like this
Rows and rows of beach houses
This is our road
This is our house for the week
We pulled into the driveway about one minute before the 4:00 PM check in time. Denise, the organizer and a friend of Linda and Bob's, was already there and greeted us warmly. There was an elevator in the house which we used to get our luggage up to the 3rd floor. Our king bedroom was very nice and the en suite had a large walk-in shower. We started meeting new folks but name tags would have helped.
A few of us struggled to get the various TV's working. Eventually someone, Donnie I think, changed the HDMI cables on the big TV to a different plug and that was in business. Bob and I sorted out the one in the kitchen. The one in our bedroom worked right from the start.
Main sitting room
Dining room and kitchen
Pool and surf
Red flag means no swimming
Bob checking out the beach
The house as seen from the beach
Nice sandy beach
The surf hasn't ramped up yet
Our neighbors
Our bedroom is top left
Sandy is on the balcony
Looking west
Red sky at night
Lovely sunset
Denise ordered pizza
Bob looks like he is enjoying it
I will eventually sort the names out
In the meantime, meet "the folks"
Social lubricant
They said that Hurricane Maria may get closer than they thought this morning. But they really don't know for sure, so we were not worried. Stay tuned for further adventures. Sandy and I turned in early as has been our habit lately.
Today's Route (233 Equinox miles):
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