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View from Skyline Drive - Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

For lovers of nature there is the Shenandoah National Park in the northwestern part of the state. This 195,000 acre park of woodland and meadows stretches along the Blue Ridge section of the Appalachian Mountains. It is a sanctuary for approximately 100 varieties of trees, 200 species of birds, and 1100 types flowering plants. Since we were on a tight schedule, we chose to take in a very limited part of the park, like most visitors, by driving along Skyline Drive and stopping occasionally at one of the many scenic vistas. Skyline Drive is a paved road that runs the entire length of the park and parallels approximately 95 miles of the Appalachian Trail (the 2100 mile-long footpath that stretches from the state of Maine to the state of Georgia). Perhaps the best time to visit the park is in autumn when the leaves have all changed color. Too bad we didn't have the time to explore parts of the park that can only be reached on foot. Maybe next time.

Camera: Canon Sure Shot Zoom Max 35mm P&S
Lens: Canon 38-76mm f/3.8-7.3
Film: Fuji Super G 400
Photographer: Janet
Story: Jim

South of the Shenandoah National Park is an interesting natural landmark called the Natural Bridge. Considered one of "The Seven Natural Wonders of The World", the Natural Bridge differs from the many such bridges that can be seen in the southwest part of the United States. The bridges in the southwest are generally made of sandstone that was eroded by the wind. The Natural Bridge is composed of much denser rock and was formed by water erosion. What's interesting is that the Natural Bridge is a real bridge. U.S. Route 11 actually goes across the bridge, although as we discovered, when you drive across it you don't even realize it. Underneath the bridge, 23 feet up on one side are the initials of the first U.S. president, George Washington, who as an assistant to Col. Peter Jefferson was one of the first Europeans to survey this area. Later the bridge and surrounding land was purchased from King George III by Thomas Jefferson. In the evening there is a light and music show based on the Biblical story of Creation. This show basically consists of the projection of various colors of light onto the bridge in synchronization with pieces of classical music. Unfortunately, we happened to be there when they were pumping water from the creek and could barely hear the narration over the sound of the pumps. Also in close proximity to the bridge is a lost river, which is really a stream that no one has been able to find the source of, an old saltpeter mine, and a small waterfall.

Camera: Canon Sure Shot Zoom Max 35mm P&S
Lens: Canon 38-76mm f/3.8-7.3
Film: Fuji Super G 400
Photographer: Janet
Story: Jim

Traveling all the way across to the eastern part of the state, we arrived at Colonial Williamsburg; a re-creation of an eighteenth-century town complete with people who are hired to play the part of townspeople of that age. Except for a few old buildings, we felt that the town looked fairly modern-looking. We arrived late in the day so most of the colonial activities had already completed and were replaced by many tourists and local people walking, jogging, and bicycling the along the streets. We saw a few people dressed in colonial clothing. We really were not that impressed with Colonial Williamsburg and were certainly not impressed with the somewhat high priced entrance fees and completely outrageous price for souvenirs. Our suggestion is that unless you really need a bus ride around the town or are really interested in seeing the inside of some of the old buildings, skip paying for a pass, find a place to park in the adjacent non-colonial part of town, and walk to the colonial section. In all fairness the passes are good for one year which is great if you live not too far away or are such a history nut that you don't mind traveling a long distance for a repeat visit. However, for the average tourist, we don't feel that it's worth the expense.

Camera: Canon Sure Shot Zoom Max 35mm P&S
Lens: Canon 38-76mm f/3.8-7.3
Film: Fuji Super G 400
Photographer: Jim
Story: Jim

Just down the road from Colonial Williamsburg is Busch Gardens. Despite the name, Busch Gardens does not have row after row of flowers and other plant life. Busch Gardens is an amusement park which has a European theme. The park is divided into different areas representing Germany, France, Italy, England, and Scotland. The rides in the various sections fit right into the theme with the LeMans Raceway ride in the French section, the Der Katapult ride in the German section, the Escape from Pompeii ride in the Italian section, etc. The food and souvenirs in each section also follow the theme.

Would you go on this Busch Gardens ride? - Williamsburg, Virginia

The park has three big roller coasters including The Loch Ness Monster, the Drachen Fire, and the Big Bad Wolf. All of them are quite impressive with the Loch Ness Monster probably being the winner in the number of loops on the track. Of course there are many other attractions including some wildlife and yes, even some flowers. Overall we found to park to be very entertaining and fun, even after being there for seven hours. The entrance fee seems reasonable considering that once you pay to get in, you can go on as many rides as you like, as many time as you like. As with most tourist attractions, souvenirs tend to be somewhat pricey, which you won't realize until the fun is over and it's time to go home.

Camera: Canon Sure Shot Zoom Max 35mm P&S
Lens: Canon 38-76mm f/3.8-7.3
Film: Welcome to Busch Gardens-Fuji Super G 400, Rollercoaster-Kodak Gold 100
Photographer: Janet
Story: Jim

Further toward the Atlantic Ocean is the city of Norfolk a major maritime center and home to a large U.S. Navy base. One of the attractions in downtown Norfolk is Nauticus, The National Maritime Center. Nauticus is basically a museum with many hands-on exhibits and several virtual reality simulations, including the AEGIS interactive navy battle simulation, and VIRTUAL ADVENTURES, an underwater expedition simulation. Beyond the simulations, there really isn't enough to keep ones interest for more than a couple of hours, so it's probably a good idea to plan on taking a harbor tour on one of the nearby tour boats. We chose to take a ride on the Carrie B, which resembles a paddle boat. The boat actually has a paddle on the back, but it is not functional in propelling the boat. This particular boat tours the Norfolk Naval Shipyard which includes everything from submarines to aircraft carriers. On our visit we were able to observe the aircraft carrier U.S.S George Washington. Quite a piece of machinery.

Camera: Canon Sure Shot Zoom Max 35mm P&S
Lens: Canon 38-76mm f/3.8-7.3
Film: Kodak Gold 100
Photographer: Janet
Story: Jim

Morning Sun - Virginia Beach, Virginia

About twenty minutes east of Norfolk is the beach; Virginia Beach. Being regular visitors to Ocean City, Maryland, we were a little disappointed with Virginia Beach. This is most likely because it didn't meet our expectations based on our previous experiences with Ocean City. Ocean City has a boardwalk made of real wood and has small shops, restaurants, game arcades, and even an amusement park along the boardwalk. Virginia Beach has a concrete boardwalk and all the shops, restaurants and game arcades are along the adjacent street. I suppose that this is ok if you are interested in taking quiet walks on the concrete. One thing we did like was that you could bicycle along the boardwalk almost any time of the day or night. In general we found Virginia Beach to be more of a relaxed family environment compared with Ocean City's more party-like environment.

Camera: Canon Sure Shot Zoom Max 35mm P&S
Lens: Canon 38-76mm f/3.8-7.3
Film: Kodak Gold 400
Photographer: Jim
Story: Jim

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