Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia Beach, Virginia:  It stormed all night. We are under a gigantic oak tree and had a steady ping from dropping acorns and a steady downpour of rain all night. (The steady thunder of fighter jets seemed to stop around 11 p.m.) And, though it never cleared all day, it was warm, my hair was curly, and it never rained. This area is Navy. Navy. Navy. Navy Air, too. Virginia Beach is a tourist town and seems to be shutting down this time of year. We are going to have to head south to find a tacky tourist shop that is actually open. This morning, the three of us walked along the beautiful Boardwalk on Virginia Beach. Few fellow-strollers crossed our path. A few surfers were braving the waves - but they were not wearing wet-suits, so the water must still be pretty warm. (In Oregon, surfers wear wetsuits in August.) All of the restaurants have closed and, as Jimmy Buffett would say, "vacancies abound" in the hotels along the beach.  It makes for a very pleasant walk!

 
The empty Virginia Beach Boardwalk and a friendly reminder to watch your mouth

DT went into an ice cream shop to have an ice cream - but it wasn't even noon and I just wasn't in the mood, so I waited outside with Snickers. Young men from two different shops came out to chat and pet the pooch. They are closing up their stores at the end of the month. They had no business this morning and it was not looking to be a busy day. Along the main street you can get tattooed, body pierced, and buy body jewelry for your newly-pierced parts. There is a Subway sandwich shop on every block - every-other one is closed though. If you need a t-shirt reading anything dirty or beach-related (or dirty AND beach related) this would be the place. The shorts reading "booty-licious" across the booty were especially awful. There are signs urging us to not swear or have public displays of affection. DT and I obeyed all laws!

We headed out for a tour of the area - and had to go over/under two different bridge/tunnels today, both toll-free. Aircraft carriers and huge navy ships are everywhere. Fighter jets are buzzing around the sky. I have never seen so many radio, radar, cellular and who-knows-what towers in my life! We first stopped in Norfolk and walked around the pretty harbor. We talked with a couple who had just sailed their boat - probably 60 feet long - from Annapolis in the terrible storm. They had two little foo-foo dogs with them. They are just like us - except they travel in a boat... and probably have a lot of money.

  
Dry docks in Norfolk, Virginia and the BB 64 - The Battleship Wisconsin

We went to Nauticus - The National Maritime Center - where the Battleship Wisconsin is "parked". The Wisconsin has been out of service since the Gulf War, but can be called back to service at any time. You can walk on the teak decks of the ship, but cannot go below. Norfolk is dominated by the Norfolk Naval Base, the largest Navy installation in the world. So, girls… when I had the opportunity to have lunch with over 100 sailors - in uniform - I jumped at the chance. So, okay, it was at a Hooters restaurant - but DT didn't seem to mind that I was the only woman in the joint not wearing skintight orange shorts and a teeny tank top.

Next, we toured Newport News. The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, established in 1886, is the largest privately-owned shipyard in the world and the second-largest employer in Virginia (18,000 employees). It is the only shipyard in the country capable of building nuclear aircraft carriers. Newport News is also a community with beautiful oceanfront mansions - very old homes made of brick, and huge English-style "cottages" with elegant gardens. (Sorry, two "world's largest" in two paragraphs!)

However, this natural bay - the Hampton Roads area - isn't really very pretty. It is a Navy town and nearly every bit of shoreline docks a gigantic grey hulk of a ship. There are also port areas and, of course, massive dry dock areas. There are enough young men here to "sink a battleship"... sorry, couldn't help myself. Snickers was with us all day - sleeping in the car when we had lunch or went to a museum, but walking around with us the rest of the time. He is exhausted - as are we. Tomorrow we head south - no plans, no route, no hurry.

RV Park: Holiday Trav-L-Park in Virginia Beach, Virginia