FHRV Williamsburg 2014: September 7-14

Planning a visit to Williamsburg Virginia can be a daunting task; when you look at the blend of things to do, touristy and non-touristy influence, shopping selections to fill everyone’s needs and empty your pockets at the same time, the historical appeal and charm of the colonial tone in architecture and reenactment characters.

 Well, it felt like being the scarecrow at the crossroads, we just were not sure which way to go. So our pointed fingers aimed inward when we put the itinerary together so that each person joining the outing could fill in their days and evenings with their liking. And so, ten families of the Fairfield Harbour RV Club began their travel to Virginia to meet at the American Heritage RV Park for a week of laughter, food, drink and more laughter. As wagon masters, Dave and I leveled down on a corner lot that included a large patio, table, chairs and umbrella and fire pit. The site worked well as the host-spot for evening happy hours and after dinner campfires.

Unfortunately, Monday morning began with a continuous rain until mid-morning on Tuesday. Some campers weathered the precipitation and got soggy shoes, coats and umbrellas while ambling along the crushed-shell walkways of colonial Williamsburg. Several campers took to the outlet malls, while the remaining stayed warm and dry in their respective motor home or camper. A few of us gathered to meet for dinner at Bangkok Gardens, a local Thai restaurant. Due to wet chairs, wet wood and wet everything else, happy hour was postponed to the next scheduled dry evening.

Tuesday morning we were roused to the day with more precipitation having expected lakes outside our rigs because of the continuous downpour, but unhurriedly the skies began to clear, temperatures climbed a few degrees and it became tolerable toward the mid-afternoon. It did not take fellow rvers long to grab coats, umbrellas (for the anticipated return of fluid) and cameras and hit the roads to challenge cash registers along their way to our group dinner that evening in Colonial Williamsburg at Berret’s Restaurant. With cocktail hour underway we postured ourselves for the traditional group photo and then enjoyed Berret’s menu that included fresh seafood and cooked-to-order mignon, and the regional specialty of she-crab soup (sometimes it is best not to find out what is in the foods we eat!). After whimpering our way back to the campground because we are so sated, we enjoyed a pleasant campfire.

The remainder of the week everyone explored their preference of the many facets of Williamsburg, whether to walk near the footfalls of the first colonists of Jamestowne or listening to the intensity and passion of those who interpret and preserve the history of such noble historians such as Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson by breathing life into their historic words.

Each evening we gathered at site 38 for happy hour, where we shared our adventures of the day along with beverages and snacks, followed by evening campfires.

There are so many things to see and do in the area. Some days we just got in the Jeep and followed the colonial parkway to see where it would lead through the pine and hardwood forests. 

One of these days found us at the shoreline of the York River in Yorktown, where we sat on a shaded bench and watched the new class of Coast Guarders cast off for hands-on schooling and pondered the vastness of the Coleman Bridge, which spans the river to connect the tidewater areas of Virginia. This bridge is so massive its four-lane highway is the largest double-swing-span bridge in the United States. We meandered the bluffed streets of Yorktown, where there are limited reminders of its original position as a colonial hamlet. Yorktown suffered destruction from the Revolution and Civil Wars and a fire in the early 1800s that destroyed much of what remained. Unfortunately, Yorktown was not able to recover to its prosperous beginning but is once again showing its colors as the National Park Service has invested over 75 years of extraordinary effort to present and educate the public on the significance of this region in the founding and growth of our America.

There are so many various species of plant life in this tideland area. One is the BeautyBerry. It has the most interesting growing pattern. The tiny flowers become white blooms in the spring and then clusters of a purplish-red form berries in spheres on the branches of the plant.  One would assume the weight of these berries would crook the stem but they delicately spray the bough with simple elegance.