Ride along with the Chang Gang: Summer of Fun- Weeks 8 & 9

Thursday, August 05, 2021

Summer of Fun- Weeks 8 & 9

SAW-HEARD-DID

Week 8: 7.17-7.23 Week 9: 7.23-7.30

SAW: Like most summers, this last half of my summer just flew by. Here I sit trying to play catch up, trying to remember what happened when. I got to admit- it is all sort of blur. Thankfully- between my hubby's more real-time blogging and google-photos sorting my pictures by date- I think I can piece together the final days of our travels.

HEARD: Without a doubt, I heard in my heart- loud and clear- how important friendships are to both Dom and I. For the first half of this great adventure, it was just Dom and I. Which was of course, lovely and went way better than either of us ever could have imagined. But these final two weeks would center on time with our dear friends Jane and Larry.

Both proved to be gracious and generous hosts...

DID: Before we reached our final destination of Williamsburg- Dom and I opted to take a few extra days before re-connecting with the Halls. Maybe it was just me projecting, but who wants houseguests showing up just as you yourself are returning from a week's vacation.

Our first stop after leaving the Bourbon Trail was a small national forest campground called Twin Knobs. While the campground itself was filled (weekend camping, Hello-what does one expect) the sites themselves were rather secluded and the vibe of the campground was very relaxed.

I found myself settling in with a good book

and savored the solitude of Cave Run Lake

Being road weary- we decided to break the remaining miles up into two more stops-

For a one night stand at Hampton Summer Wind RV park..

Where we found ourselves unwinding with a little moonshine

and catching up on laundry-

My last night of camping would be at Misty Mountain- just outside of Charlottesville Virginia. A dear friend had just moved from CO back to VA to help her mom out...what a surprise to discover she lived just 10 minutes from our camping location.

Thanks Tracy for a wonderful dinner-

and a chance to formally wish you good luck on your new adventure!

We arrived at the Halls on 7.20- which left us with plenty of time to explore the area.

Of course, no trip to Williamsburg is complete without exploring "the Big Three" historical sites of this region.

Jamestown-

Colonial Williamsburg

and Yorktown...

with their new and very well curated museum...

This was not the first for us to visit several of these iconic historical locations, but at every stage in one's life, you look at things through a different lens.

My first trip to Williamsburg was as a kid, and a lasting memory was how the re-enactors stayed so true to their characters. This had not changed- and we enjoyed a lively conversation with the Marquis de Lafayette-

General Washington...

and Mrs. Washington were also out and about on this very humid day

Some memories were a little less vivid- and I found myself wondering- how did I possibly forget the impressive collection of arms inside the Governor's Palace?

And I had no recall of ever visiting Jamestown- but pictures I found when I got home proved otherwise- as Dom and I had visited there together back in July 1994. I suppose one can forget things over the course of 27 years...Fortunately- we've never lost the connection we formed with the Halls...

and spending time with them was indeed the highlight of our time in Williamsburg.

We enjoyed some time on their back deck...