Post #17: Planes, Helicopters and BIG Ships—Oh, My!

 Monday, October 19, 2020

We got going at first light again this morning.  Up to this point in my life, I think I’ve only witnessed a handful of bright sunrises, most on Easter Sunday morning after trudging up Nason’s hill in West Boxford.  We were treated to another spectacle this morning, without having to take a step.

The duck hunters were awake, too.

As well as a pod of five dolphins—an ancient symbol of good luck to mariners!

We passed by two historically significant rivers today.  Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington at Yorktown at the mouth of the York River and Jamestown on the James River is the “original site of the first permanent English settlement in America.” We knew we wouldn’t be able to easily visit these two sites by boat so David and I took a day trip to the area by car while staying in DC, visiting the outdoor exhibits open during the pandemic. I highly recommend a 3-4 day trip (at least) to learn more about this area (Williamsburg is close by, too) and its significance in our nation’s history.  

I say this as a Massachusetts native whose family has resided in the Commonwealth since 1630.  I realize now how parochial my elementary school sense of American history was—that we beat the British back to Boston after the battles of Concord & Lexington and that was that.  We won.  (I can confess now that for decades I thought Yorktown was in New Jersey!)  Nathaniel Philbrick’s eminently readable In the Hurricane’s Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown set me straight.  I have much more to learn.

Likewise, it wasn’t until reading an article in Smithsonian Magazine some 30 years ago that it ever occurred to me that there could possible have been a permanent English settlement before Plymouth. It wasn’t until the 1990s when archaeologist Bill Kelso began excavations that would eventually unearth the footprint of the old fort at Jamestown.  Eventually hundreds of thousands of artifacts were discovered and a more accurate and complex story of the settlement has emerged.  Much more to learn here, too.

There were two messages heard over the VHF radio today that cemented the fact that we are no longer in New England.

    1.) “Bubba Blue Ray calling Sugar Daddy.  Come in Sugar Daddy.”

    2.) “This is Warship 58 calling Cosco Vietnam”

The closer we got to Norfolk, Virginia, the more congested the route became.  Not only with commercial cargo carriers but also helicopters, fighter planes, barges and tugs carrying gravel and dirt, huge container ships, warships, destroyers, a hospital ship, and dredges. The military presence is everywhere.

I used to say that Newport was “where the big boys keep their big boats.”  Nope.  It’s Norfolk, VA.  I guess this really is my federal tax dollars at work!!

That cargo ship, Cosco Vietnam, finally caught up to us.  We learned our lesson yesterday, slowed down, and pulled over to the side of the channel to let her pass. It was as long as a football field.  This photo was not zoomed in!