After 4 wonderful New England Autumn weeks, Tim and I have come home to Virginia. We left late last night and drove 6 hours to arrive in Smyrna, Delaware at 3 am. At 7 we were on the road again and arrived in Salisbury in time for the work day to begin.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel
Yet again Panera Bread was our oasis of internet, great food, and good coffee. I can’t say enough good things about this chain. The booming franchise focuses on local ingredients, cheap prices and unlimited free internet. In an age when everyone seems to be raising prices, Panera provides huge value inexpensively. And based on the lines at every Panera we’ve been to, people appreciate it.
We packed up early and got back on the road towards Williamsburg in an effort to arrive at a decent hour and to get some overdue sleep. I took the first leg and drove down the Delmarva Peninsula on 13. Despite the frequent stop lights, we were glad we’d taken Mark Weiser’s advice and avoided the main southern artery, I95. Apparently, every William and Mary graduate within 500 miles is coming to town this weekend and all the major highways to town will be jam packed. Tim and I have both repeated Weis’s true statement, “I never thought I’d see the day when it’s impossible to buy a seat to a Tribes game, but I can’t give away my Redskins season tickets.”
Traveling wide interstate 13 was downright relaxing after the fast paced narrow roads of the North East. While we loved New England, Frank fits better in the open spaces of the South. We drove over and under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, an amazing engineering feat of 23 miles. With two tunnel stretches of 1 mile each, interspersed by bridge sections across the Atlantic Ocean, it has earned its place as one of the 7 Engineering Wonders of the Modern World.
Every Gull Has His Post
We finally arrived to Williamsburg by 7 and got comfy in our little campground just 2 miles from downtown. We had finally begun to relax when the ground started to shake. Tim and I thought an 747 jet was about to land on our van, but it ended up being the the Amtrak commuter train racing through town 15 feet from our camp site. I hope there isn’t a redeye…but as tired as we are tonight…it may not matter.
Hampton Roads and Naval Shipyard
What Say You?