Guess what we did today? We crossed over ICW mile marker ZERO in Norfolk Virginia! Yahoo! What an awesome feeling...we've counted down the miles since leaving "the keys" nearly 5 weeks ago...and today's anticipation of that moment was filled with so many emotional experiences...
I am no longer a "Lock Virgin"! Double yahoo! We went through the very first lock of our voyage just south of Norfolk in the Virginia Cut (also referred to as The Chesapeake-Albemarle Canal). It was so much easier than I thought it would be...and the lock tenders were so helpful.
Along the way today we spotted so many ospreys and their babies perched atop nests in most of the channel markers...we also saw herons and bald eagles. For much of the trip we had to be on the lookout for "dead heads" (no, we didn't see any 60's hippies listening to The Grateful Dead along the shore). Dead heads are logs which aren't water logged enough to sink, but enough to float just below the surface. We decided to take the Virginia Cut as opposed to The Dismal Swamp mainly because of depth issues, but if we ever do this trip again, we may try the other route (did I just say, "If we ever do this trip again"?) Just the sound of the name: Dismal Swamp...I want to go there.
Then into Norfolk Harbor we cruised...until you actually see this port in person and especially from the water you can't imagine the expanse of military represented: the region's rich naval history...countless battleships and aircraft carriers, jets flying overhead, numerous signs depicting restricted areas, Coast Guard boats patrolling the basin, American flags waving off the stern of every ship! We passed the USS Wisconsin and will try to make the time to tour her. She's the length of more than 3 football fields-one of the largest and last battleships built by the U.S. Navy.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary on the east coast (we were in the 2nd largest just a few days ago; Pamlico Sound, which separates the inner from the outer banks). We are looking forward to exploring the areas around Norfolk and Hampton, Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown...then we'll criss cross our way up the east and west coast of this magnificent body of water. (an informative website is: www.baydreaming.com )
Life is filled with milestones, big and small, many of them end in zero...and everyone knows,"zero means so much"! Okay, starting tomorrow we're back to mile one, but the numbers go up from here!
I am no longer a "Lock Virgin"! Double yahoo! We went through the very first lock of our voyage just south of Norfolk in the Virginia Cut (also referred to as The Chesapeake-Albemarle Canal). It was so much easier than I thought it would be...and the lock tenders were so helpful.
Along the way today we spotted so many ospreys and their babies perched atop nests in most of the channel markers...we also saw herons and bald eagles. For much of the trip we had to be on the lookout for "dead heads" (no, we didn't see any 60's hippies listening to The Grateful Dead along the shore). Dead heads are logs which aren't water logged enough to sink, but enough to float just below the surface. We decided to take the Virginia Cut as opposed to The Dismal Swamp mainly because of depth issues, but if we ever do this trip again, we may try the other route (did I just say, "If we ever do this trip again"?) Just the sound of the name: Dismal Swamp...I want to go there.
Then into Norfolk Harbor we cruised...until you actually see this port in person and especially from the water you can't imagine the expanse of military represented: the region's rich naval history...countless battleships and aircraft carriers, jets flying overhead, numerous signs depicting restricted areas, Coast Guard boats patrolling the basin, American flags waving off the stern of every ship! We passed the USS Wisconsin and will try to make the time to tour her. She's the length of more than 3 football fields-one of the largest and last battleships built by the U.S. Navy.
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary on the east coast (we were in the 2nd largest just a few days ago; Pamlico Sound, which separates the inner from the outer banks). We are looking forward to exploring the areas around Norfolk and Hampton, Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown...then we'll criss cross our way up the east and west coast of this magnificent body of water. (an informative website is: www.baydreaming.com )
Life is filled with milestones, big and small, many of them end in zero...and everyone knows,"zero means so much"! Okay, starting tomorrow we're back to mile one, but the numbers go up from here!
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1 comment:
Dear Michel & Chip, We are enjoying following your travels but miss you on the home front. Keep us posted on your journey and we will count the days until your return!! love, Grandpa and Grandma Fischer
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