My wife had never been to Delaware and wanted to go. (My parents told me I’d been there, but I had no recollection of it.) We decided to visit some famous historical sites along the way, but because there are so many and we couldn’t possibly see them all, we picked a handful of specific ones we wanted to see. Those we chose were Appomattox, Petersburg (specifically the crater), Mount Vernon, Ford’s Theatre, the Smithsonian, Yorktown, and Jamestown. So long as we were visiting Delaware, we wanted to find something to do/see in that state, so we chose the Cape May-Lewes Ferry across Delaware Bay to New Jersey. We also thought it would be a good idea to have a down day mid-vacation, so I suggested Chincoteague Island, which would give us easy access to the coast. It was also the setting of a book I read many times as a kid (and again in preparation for this trip) — Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry. We stuck to our plan throughout, seeing all the things we wanted to see. We added a few stops on the way — the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama and Guilford Courthouse National Military Park — to break up long drives. And we managed a couple spontaneous boat rides — a tour on the Potomac from Mount Vernon and a ferry across the James River at Jamestown.
Here’s an overview the trip.
Day 1 — Tuesday, October 20
We left home at 10:15 and drove to Winfield, Alabama. We stopped at McDonald’s in Brinkley, Arkansas for lunch. It took a long time for our food to be ready, and we spent the time observing how unorganized they were. The young man at the counter was earnest and friendly, but the system made his job difficult. Finally he handed a bag to me and told me it was our order. As I took it, he handed another bag to my wife. We thought it was weird that he placed our orders in different bags, but not much about the place made sense, so we took the food and left. We were about a mile away when we realized that our entire order was in the bag my wife had, and that I had someone else’s order. It was too late to do anything about it, but we felt bad for the poor guy who had to wait longer for his food and the poor employee who made the mistake.
Traffic was intense, with lots of trucks all the way to and through Memphis. We got a room in a Hampton Inn and looked for somewhere to eat. We settled for the Fajita Grill, which got the best ratings. The food was very good, made better by our friendly waiter who continually cracked jokes in broken English. When he would ask if we wanted something and we said no, he’d say, “Not today? Maybe tomorrow?” This became something of a bit during our vacation — when my wife would say no to a question I asked, I’d say “Not today? Maybe tomorrow?”
Day 2 — Wednesday, October 21
We drove from Winfield, Alabama to Braselton, Georgia. Along the way, we visited the Atlanta History Center to see the Cyclorama. From there we fought the horrible Atlanta-area traffic to Braselton where we spend the evening and night with my wife’s brother and his wife in their home.
Day 3 — Thursday, October 22
One of the longer drives of the trip. We left Braselton and drove north through South Carolina and North Carolina to Lynchburg, Virginia. We stopped in Greensboro to see Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, and enjoyed the break in driving. We stayed in a Hampton Inn ($158) and ate at the Chili’s next door. In the evening, I watched the Bears-Patriots game on my phone. The Bears won 30-24.
Day 4 — Friday, October 23
The day the fun started. We drove the short distance from Lynchburg to Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, where Lee surrendered to Grant to effectively end the Civil War. From there, we drove east to Petersburg, site of a long siege at the end of the Civil War. Just as we got to Petersburg, I took the wrong exit and had to drive eight miles south and eight miles back. We grabbed lunch at a Chick-fil-A before seeing the sights. From there, we headed north through Richmond and stopped in Stafford, Virginia. The beds at the Hampton Inns we’d stayed at so far were too hard for my comfort, so we decided to try a Holiday Inn Express. This was a mistake. To begin with, it was the most expensive night of the vacation ($215). The guy who checked me in kept saying the price as though he expected me to balk. I should have listened. The room was the least clean of any we stayed in, and there was mold around the bathtub. I left my wife there and drove a quarter mile to a Firehouse Subs for supper. At least that was my intention. Traffic during Friday rush hour was ridiculous. The local roads had three lanes in both directions, and all three were packed solid. I was almost to the sub store when I realized we were very low on gas. I headed across the street to a gas station, but it took about 10 minutes just to get there and another 10 minutes to get back. It was nearly impossible to change lanes, so to turn around, I had to go the wrong direction, then find a side street with a traffic light where I could turn around. When I got to Firehouse, I had to wait a long time for my subs. My wife texted me to see if I was still alive. I was only a quarter mile away, but I ended up missing my turn in the confusion and had to drive a couple miles in the wrong direction to find a place where I could turn around. I ended up doing a U-turn in front of a gated building of some sort. The whole adventure took about an hour — just to run out to get subs. I didn’t sleep any better in that hotel either. We decided to stick to Hampton Inns from then on, and we weren’t disappointed.
Day 5 — Saturday, October 24
Friday evening had been so chaotic that we decided to take a breather. Our original play had been to see Mount Vernon, then drive into D.C. and get a room near the Smithsonian. Instead, we stopped early in the morning at a Hampton Inn about three miles from Mount Vernon and reserved a room for that evening. We got to the mansion 15 minutes before it opened and watched as bus after bus after bus of high-school kids unloaded. This meant that our tour of the mansion itself was much shorter than we would have liked, but such is life. We saw almost all of what there was to see and added a pleasant 45-minute boat ride on the Potomac. Around 3:00, I dropped my wife at our room and drove about 15 minutes to Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Area to bird. I took a two-mile hike and didn’t see a lot, but after the crowds of the past few days, the solitude was a relief. I stopped at a grocery store on the way back to the hotel and bought some microwave entrees and fruit for supper.
Day 6 — Sunday, October 25
I didn’t plan in advance to visit D.C. on a Sunday, but it worked out well. The drive into town was uncongested. We parked in the basement of the Ronald Reagan Building. Since this was a federal building, we had to get inspected by a friendly officer who saw my Pepsi and my wife’s Coke in the backseat and commented on it. We walked to Ford’s Theatre and the Peterson House, then to the mall. Here especially we realized we were passing a lot of things we’d like to see — in particular the Archives — but we stuck to our plan. We arrived as the runners in the Marine Corps Marathon were streaming by, so here, the city was packed with spectators and participants. We threaded our way through the runners and sat down for a pop at a cafe near the original building. We chose the National Museum of American History, and enjoyed it, although we were suffering from sensory overload before we were through. We walked to where my wife could see the White House — we’d already viewed the Capitol from the Mall — then retrieved our car (after going through a metal detector to get into the garage). Traffic out of D.C. was busy but not terrible. We passed through Maryland and entered Delaware — the point of the whole trip. We stopped for a selfie in front of the sign then, a few minutes later, at Vanderwende’s Ice Cream. My wife got a dish and said it was very good. I can’t taste ice cream, so I passed. A woman attempted to cut in front of me to use the one bathroom. I stuck to my rights and was glared at — which gave me an impression of Delaware I never lost. Our Hampton Inn ($129) in Rehoboth Beach was clean and comfortable enough, but it was right in the middle of a congested area, the existence of which surprised me greatly.
Day 7 — Monday, October 26
We had about six minutes of driving to arrive at the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. We opted to park our car and just ride a passengers. The three-hour trip over and back was a highlight of the trip for me, especially since I managed to spot my life Great Cormorant. We ate lunch at a nearby Panera and were pleasantly surprised — several recent visits to Paneras have been a disappointment. We went to a 5 & 10 in Bethany Beach and bought our daughter a sweatshirt she probably doesn’t want.. We stuck to the coast as long as possible, although our view of the water was almost always blocked, occasionally by dunes, but mostly by high-rise apartments and hotels. We stopped at the Maryland visitor center of Assateague Island National Seashore and saw three of the famous wild ponies right along the entrance road. I asked the ranger for a park brochure and had a conversation that went like this:
Me: Can I have a park brochure please?
Ranger: Step down here and I’ll see how I can help. What are you planning to do in the park?
Me: We’ll mostly be down at the Virginia end of the park because we’re staying on Chincoteague Island.
Ranger: They’ll be able to help you down there and give you the information you need. (He pulled out a map.) There’s a visitor center right here.
Me:
Ranger: It’s closed during the week, but I can give you a park brochure.
Me: Yes, please.
We headed back inland a ways and drove the 50 miles to Chincoteague. Our Hampton Inn ($397 for two nights) was right on the channel that separated the island from the mainland, and our room had a balcony overlooking the water. I drove over to Assateague, about a five-minute drive, and birded. I started on the wildlife loop, but when I got out of the car I was assaulted by mosquitoes. I opted for the Atlantic beach. I spotted a herd of ponies on the way back. It was getting dark and we needed food. I spotted a place called Famous Pizza and Subs and called my wife to ask her what she wanted. But then I walked in the place and smelled the pizza and changed my plans. I brought one back to the room and, while it wasn’t Chicago pizza, we enjoyed it.
Day 8 — Tuesday, October 27
I got up early and drove to the beach, arriving just as the sun came up. The waves were crashing and it was beautiful. I walked about a mile up the beach and back, enjoying myself every step of the way. Around 10:00, I picked up my wife. We toured the Museum of Chincoteague Island (where they actually have Misty, stuffed and mounted), drove to the beach for a little while, then went back to Famous Pizza for lunch. I ordered clam strips and my wife ordered a chicken salad wrap and we split both. They were delicious. My wife wanted to relax in front of the view from our room, so I dropped her off and went back to Assateague to bird some more. I put on some bug spray and braved the hikes to the lighthouse and up the beach about a mile in the opposite direction from what I’d taken in the morning. We had leftover pizza for supper.
Day 9 — Wednesday, October 28
The morning stared out with a surprise — I spotted Willets and Marbled Godwits from our room! We drove south down the Delmarva Peninsula to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. We stopped at the north end to buy magnets and at an overlook, then drove across. We hit traffic and construction in Norfolk and had to fight our way through it to Yorktown. We stopped at the visitor center where I asked the woman in the gift shop about restaurants in town. She recommended the Yorktown Pub. We got a table on the deck overlooking the York River and split orders of fried shrimp and friend clams — both delicious. We hit a gift shop and a bookstore while in town, the went back to the battlefield and took both the tour routes. I’d planned on driving to Williamsburg on the Colonial Parkway, but it was closed, so I had to deal with rush-hour traffic again. Our Hampton Inn was in the middle of Williamsburg, about half a mile from the tourist area, but we didn’t visit. I guess not too may people were because our room only cost $106! We bought sandwiches and fruit at a grocery store for supper. I wandered around the hotel looking for birds in the woods. In the parking lot of the Days Inn next door, a guy was sitting in a remote corner in a van. I generally try to be aware of my surroundings, and something about him seemed weird. I gave him a wide berth and continued to the back lot of the Hyatt next door. After birding for a few minutes, I decided to quit for the night. Rather than pass the weird guy again, I walked along the Hyatt to go back on the sidewalk in front. Just as I reached the front of the hotel, the guy in the van pulled in and headed to the back lot. Maybe there was a perfectly good reason for him to skulk in the empty back lots of hotels — maybe he was an undercover cop watching for drug deals or something — but I was glad I’d called it a night.
Day 10 — Thursday, October 29
We arrived at Jamestown in the morning before it opened — I needed a handful of birds to get my date list above 50 so I planned on birding along the coast. But the park gate was closed. I found a few local spots — a small park and a public marina — and saw a few things. When we got back to the gate, it was open. We visited the Glasshouse, then went to the Jamestown Settlement and toured it. The Settlement, a recreation of the original site, is sponsored by Virginia. Next to it is Jamestown Island, which is part of the National Park Service. I thought it contained the site and excavation of the original fort, but we found out at the visitor center than a wedge of land where the original fort is located is operated by some other entity and would cost us an addition $30. I was rather piqued since I had my park pass which should have gotten us in for free, so we skipped it. We walked to the Tercentenary Monument and drove the tour road around the island, but we didn’t walk the paths past the ruins of some of the buildings built outside the park — if you’ve seen one building foundation laid out with a row of bricks, you’ve seen them all. All day, I’d been watching ferries traveling back and forth on the James River. I investigated and discovered it was a free ferry from Jamestown to Scotland, operated by Virginia. Since it wouldn’t add more than a couple minutes to our afternoon drive, we decided to take it, and we enjoyed it. It also gave us good views of the original fort that we’d not wanted to pay for, so we got the last laugh. We headed through Richmond and got a room at the Hampton Inn ($195) at Zion Crossroads. We bought a little food at the Walmart across the street. We stayed there because it was close to Monticello, which we’d decided to see since we were in the area. But when we saw that the tour we wanted cost $105 per person, and the two tours we would grudgingly accept weren’t available when we wanted to go, we decided we could live without it.
Day 11 — Friday, October 30
We drove from Zion Crossroads to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. There was a lot of construction and traffic through the mountains, but the fall colors were close to peak and it was beautiful. There was a part of me that wanted to go all the way home, but that would have been 16 hours of driving and that’s just stupid. As it was, we made the longest drive of the trip — 10 hours. We stopped at Jersey Mike’s in Bristol for lunch. My wife got a notice that she didn’t have jury duty on Monday. That was what was determined when our vacation had to end. We toyed with the idea of extending our trip — and if we’d found out earlier when we were close to the coast, we probably would have, but after coming up with several different possibilities, we opted for home. We stopped at a Buc-ees for some snacks (which we called supper) and a break. We stayed in Murfreesboro ($150) because the Hampton Inns on the most direct route didn’t get great ratings. We were next door to Stones River National Battlefield, but I’ve been there twice before so we didn’t stop.
Day 12 — Saturday, October 31
Five and a half hours to home with one stop for bathroom/gas. Traffic on I-40 from Nashville to Memphis was almost nonexistent on a Sunday morning. There were many times when I couldn’t see another vehicle in the west-bound lanes in front or behind me. After Memphis was a different story. We hit a knot of trucks that took us a while to pass, and we expected that to last all the way to Little Rock, but it didn’t. There were still trucks, but a lot fewer. When we got to Conway, we stopped for groceries and bought McRibs for lunch before getting home around 2:00. It rained in the evening, but we still had quite a few trick-or-treaters — until we ran out of candy.
We drove close to 3,000 miles. There was just one day when we had no driving at all (except for local driving on Chincoteague), and it felt like a lot. But we got to Delaware and we saw a lot of places I’ve wanted to see for a long time. There was no real drama or danger or trouble at any point. It was a good trip, although we think in the future we’ll probably take shorter ones and fly to an airport close to our destination and rent a car.