The East Coast

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After exploring DC, we headed south to Newport News, Virginia to visit my cousin Ben. The first time we were in Newport News, we were impressed by how fake it seemed. Being so close to Navy activities seemed to mean that everything in the town had to be perfect. Each blade of grass must be xx inches high, each tree must have x number of leaves. It was a lovely city, but we couldn't help feel it was too perfect. Our second impression was a bit better.

We met Ben in historic Williamsburg. He gave us a bit of a tour of the older buildings and we all enjoyed meeting a group of Bernese mountain dog owners (and the dogs!) who happened to also be there that day. We took the scenic road back to Ben's, running along the river. Ben's place was picture-perfect cute, a little red-brick house with plenty of green yard and a fire place. We didn't stay there for long, because Ben wanted us to see the sunset on the river. And what a sunset it was. It was one of those sunsets that becomes the most spectacular after everyone else leaves.

That night, we shared fondu and drinks, played drunken darts and watched movies, with several of Ben's coworkers and friends. The night may have resulted in headaches the next morning (I was fine!).

We decided to see the Mariner's Museum, just down the road. We learned all about shipbuilding, the first iron-clad ships during the US Civil War and the story of the USS Monitor, one such ship. We even got a view of the wet lab where conservation of the USS Monitor took place. The real gem, however, was an easy-to-miss small room off to the side. In the dark room, beautifully hand-crafted miniature ships looked suspended in air, illuminated by tiny lights. The ships were built by August F. Crabtree and were stunning in detail and accuracy. The volunteer showed us that one of the ships was even designed to steer and float. These ships were amazing.

But then it was time for football! Ben had a bet going on the Arizona Cardinals, so off we went to a bar to watch the game. We then hopped to another place, which had a dizzying array of TVs and projection screens to choose from, to watch the Pittsburg Steelers win their game. We lamented over pints of water about the second place's policy of requiring American ID to drink...very un-friendly towards tourists!

The next morning, after a tour of the Müller Martini plant (ever wonder how magazines are put together?), we headed for North Carolina's Outer Banks.

The weather wasn't fantastic, but the scenery was beautiful anyways. The Outer Banks are certainly off the beaten path in January, with the towns often looking like ghost towns. We managed to see a few sights, however, such as the sight of the first flight, Kitty Hawk, and watched dolphins playing in the surf at Kill Devil Hills. We also stopped at the Bodie and Cape Hatteras lighthouses. We found a deli serving up yummy sandwiches, and relaxed in a delightful hammock shop. We saw the town of Ocracoke and its lighthouse by night, and stayed the night outside of a campground in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The next morning, we took the ferry back to the mainland, and continued heading into snow.

Wait, SNOW? I thought we were heading south! Sure enough, we hit snow in South Carolina. The going was slow, and we saw plenty of drivers who couldn't handle it. The worst part of it was that these Carolina drivers were making normal Quebec drivers look good. They drove faster and more erratically, while signaling was apparently out of style. Combine that with snow on the roads, and we couldn't wait to get out of there! We saw our fair share of accidents and trucks jack-knifed in the ditches. We also saw lots of kids sledding down the steep hills off the highways, so at least someone enjoyed the snow. We stopped for the night at a motel after discovering the coupon booklets often found at the rest areas on the interstates.

The next day, we set off further south, and the temperature seemed to have dropped even more. We reached Savannah, Georgia, late in the morning. The city is absolutely beautiful. Legend has it that it was spared from burning during the Civil War because of its beauty. Big live oaks draped in spanish moss decorate the various parks between beautiful historic buildings. The riverfront is lovely too. Dave decided it was one of the cities in the US that he could live in, because it was just so pretty and relaxed feeling. But it was really cold! So after lunch, we decided we would try to head further south in hopes of warmer weather.

Florida, here we come!

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Photos

Beautiful Hues
The lovely sunset over the river in Newport News, VA

Miniature Ships
At the Mariner's Museum in Newport News

First in Flight
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The wind reminded us why the Wright brothers chose this location!

Bodie Lighthouse
On the Outer Banks, NC

Live Oaks & Spanish Moss
In Savannah, Georgia

Puppies!!
We met the local Bernese Mountain Dog club in Colonial Williamsburg