It is a little Compact, Nissan Versa. Small, zippy, but a bit slow on the uptake. Waz says that it is my driving! The jury is out on that one:)
I am still not sure why he wanted to go to Virginia Beach, but that is where we headed, after first finding gas, then a supermarket, then lunch in town...which was excellent (Two good meals in one town is amazing!!:) ) and then bringing the food back to the boat, and finally heading out at around 1.30pm. It was a bit late to be going somewhere, but never mind.
We had done a tiki-tour of the area along the water at Elizabeth City, on our way to the supermarket...took a left turn instead of a right turn, and came upon the Coast Guard Air Station we had passed when motoring up the river last night. Of course we couldn't get inside the base but we could photograph the display at the front gate:) I did a great U-turn in the forecourt!:)
Too bad this aircraft has so much seagull poop all over it.
Lots of old buildings on the street that wound it's way along the top of the river.
Lovely homes in gorgeous grounds, right on the river front.
This is a B&B
Another private home....Fairly typical of the 'Virginia' kind.
and we came around a corner and saw this stunner, known as The Pond House Guest House.
With lots of swamp Cyprus in the foreground. The area is not much above the water level, so there was lots of water everywhere.
A Private dock.
...and a HUGE family home.
Couldn't resist getting Waz to photograph this Clematis, climbing over a mail box...
and of course this one, opposite the white one.
We arrived back in town for lunch. This is the old town main street. Lots of brick buildings...some of which are falling down. Lots of vacant buildings, as there are in so many little towns. The large part of the new town are way off this track.
On the way to VB, we went via the Information Center at the HQ of the Great Dismal Swamp. There is a public dock there...Free...which was occupied by some of the boats we had seen last night on the Elizabeth City town dock...again Free! We are too big for that one, so we are parked at a very inexpensive dock ( $35 per night for everything ) not far away.
The HQ, like most Parks Service places, is very well equipped. There are bathrooms open to the boaters, and the 9-5 HQ info center has everything you could want to know about the surrounding areas. The director was most helpful when we asked about our passage through the swamp.
And quite contrary to what you might think, the swamp isn't dismal at all. It is not wide, or deep (6ft on average) but wide enough for boats to pass each other...closely.
It was 93F today, and humid, as we talked to some of the boaters...one couple we had come across the Gulf of Mexico with back in early December. We had all shared a meal together in Tarpon Springs. We both looked at each other and thought we looked familiar...you know how that goes:)
That is our little car on the left..and HQ ahead of us.
I am standing on the free dock at this stage, looking north...
down the canal from the dock.
The boats are rafted up together..the back ones are three abreast, as it isn't a big dock. The first guy said there were 8 boats rafted last night:) He stays 3 nights. Motors alone, and enjoys all the other boater's company along the way.
The trip to Virginia Beach was eventful, with lots of construction going on...especially a new bridge. Holy Moly...HUGE!!!!
The view from the bridge.
and we are back in city type traffic. Blech! You definitely get out of the habit of driving in fast city traffic with people who speed and weave in and out. lol.
When we left the Marina to go to Virginia Beach, Waz had trouble making the GPS work, despite having it operate in the morning. We went back to the boat to get three different cords, but that didn't help...so we went to VB without. It got a little challenging when we got more local. It's fine all the time you can figure it out because the Hwy signs say "Virginia Beach" this exit, etc. When you get to suburban streets, it is another matter, however. We decided to go and buy a new GPS. The other one is 5 yrs old, but it has maps on that new ones don't have!:(
We found a Walmart and a complex with a Radio Shack in it. First went to the latter...looked expensive, so we went to Walmart...they didn't know what we were looking for and couldn't tell us anything about the units. Back to Radio Shack and purchased the original unit we looked at...poof! $200 (incl. Tax!!! But this unit does tell me which lane to be in, which is a bonus, as the old one didn't, so I consider the extra expense a good one, if only for that feature.
It was 4pm by this stage, and our light lunch had worn off completely. In the same complex was a McDonalds (fortunately)...I bought a 20 piece McNuggets with ranch dressing for $5! Dinner! We sat outside and ate it with gusto. I didn't say we enjoyed it! It filled the gap.
We bought dessert at the Boardwalk at VB. Yes, we made it with the help of the new GPS:)
I am off to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, and I have to pack a lunch basket yet. We are going down the Barrier Islands to Kitty Hawk and Cape Hatteras, if we make it that far. It will take 2 1/2 hrs motoring, at the best.
More photos and blurb, tomorrow. Night, Night
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