Paddling the James

 Last September we drove over to Buchanan and had the best time floating down a section of the James River. As soon as we finished last year we said we wanted to do it again so it got added to the Virginia list.  This section has a really steady flow and some really exciting rapids. Its so much better than the other sections of the James we have floated.  It was a beautiful day and even though 3/4 of us got a bit sunburnt we had a really fun time.  The high was only around 75 today so I was concerned Jared and Lydia would be really cold in their innertubes, which would make for a long three hours but they quickly adapted and we were grateful it wasn't any hotter.  

This time around the Swinging Bridge was open which was a bonus. It was closed due to COVID last time so it was cool to check it out.  Jared brought along his fishing pole and was happy as can be floating down the river and casting.  He did not catch anything but did have two nibbles.  One was so strong Mark felt it in is kayak as he got pulled back a little. 

 

We also took time to stop by the rope swing and Jared attempted 3 swings on it.  His first was his best, he was so brave.  This is a tricky rope swing.  The rope is pretty far out from the tree trunk (which someone helpfully nailed pieces of wood onto to make a sort of ladder) so in order to swing someone had to get the rope to the person attempting to swing.  It was really hard to get the timing right because as you are swinging the rope from the bottom they have to balance and reach out to grab it and as there is a decent current you are not staying in one place.  Eventually they matched up and he got his swings in.  He sadly got decent rope burn the second and third tries but the first try was picture perfect. Lydia did not attempt to climb the tree and swing but she did play on the rope from the bottom before we moved on.  Her favorite activity while floating was standing up in the innertube and balancing like it was a paddle board.  It seemed like she did this a majority of the time we were floating. 

I got a really good arm workout paddling and towing Lydia for 6.5 miles! 

We saw a family of ducks with 13 ducklings and later a family of geese with 5 adorable goslings.  They were so cute and fuzzy. The rapids were really fun and we managed to maneuver them well enough that neither Mark or I got stuck and Lydia and Jared did not get bumped too hard when there were big rocks.  Today felt like it took a little longer than last time, its 6.5 miles on the river but we are glad we took the trip over.  The water was fresh and so clear, its seems to be some of the prettiest water in Virginia, less green/brown than most rivers and lakes because it has more rocks and therefore flows faster.

On Friday Lydia had a school assignment to read an article about Memorial Day and write down three facts about the day.  She informed us as we were floating that at 3:00 there is a moment of silence observed nationally, to remember those who had died defending our country.  So we observed that and were able to discuss why it is an important day.  As I was floating along taking in the beautiful scenery and peaceful surrounding I felt a lot of gratitude for those who sacrificed so much for me to enjoy the life I have here.  It felt especially poignant today knowing that soon I would be leaving America to move somewhere vey different.  

We had a bit of a crazy drive home.  There were 2 accidents on 81 which caused big delays and after driving only 30 minutes or so I noticed one of the kayaks had shifted considerably.  I pulled over to adjust it but not long after I started driving it slipped again.  Fortunately Mark and I met at an exit and he was able to reposition the kayak and it was fine the rest of the drive.  Then just before I took the Charlottesville exit we came across another accident that had just happened, like maybe 5 minutes before we passed. I think it was just more people on the road and we were especially glad our kayak didn't cause another problem. We have really enjoyed kayaking as we have lived here.  Its been a great family outing but its a lot of work and I think we are ready to pass them on and sort of take a break from kayaking.  We have some friends who plan to buy our kayaks and we hope they love them as much as we did. 

Water Country USA

One of two pictures we took. 
We just decided to not bother taking our phones with us and it was nice to not worry about them. 

Also on our list was to visit a water park and luckily for us Williamsburg, which is right next to Jamestown has an awesome waterpark.  We realized that we had never taken Jared and Lydia to a big waterpark, just small ones with one or two slides and now that they were both tall enough to ride all the slides it would be fun to go and try out. We were not disappointed, we had the best afternoon/evening there. We actually decided to buy the summer pass which is slightly silly because we will not be here 1/2 of the Summer but when looking at prices we decided it was worth it.  The original plan was to spend the morning at Jamestown and then go to the park until it closed and also visit the park again Saturday morning before driving home. We got to the park around 2:00 and stayed until it closed at 8:00.  All week the forecast had thunderstorms forecasted for Friday which was the worst case scenario for a waterpark but our luck held out and we had perfect partly cloudy skies and decent temperatures. There was a quick shower as we parked and a brief cell as we got into our car at the end of the night, the timing was awesome. The last hour of the day was the best as most people had gone home and we could ride all the rides without waiting in line.  There was really only one or two bad lines, the rest of the time it was quick and easy.  Yes, we had to wait but it was not long at all.  Just 1 or 2 really long lines and we rode most of the slides, a few were closed so hopefully we will luck out and they will be open next time we go. Due to COVID you have to make reservations ahead of time and there is a limited number which is actually really nice because it means less people in the park.  

Lydia was really nervous to try out slides when we got there but she quickly warmed up and had a great time.  She has been so nervous/scared of things lately but we felt pushing her on this instance would be fine and it totally was.  She did great and loved it. There was one ride, The Colossal Curl that I was nervous to go on but I decided to be brave and went on it with Jared and am so glad I did. It was definitely the scariest and I did feel scared but it was the fun scared. Mark and Jared rode it first while Lydia and I did another slide together.  I actually ended up going on it twice with Jared and loved the thrill of it. It was the last one we rode together which was so fun. Mark and Lydia headed to the car while we quickly went on it one more time. It was awesome because it and the Cutback Water Coaster normally have really long lines and that last hour we could basically walk on to them both.  There was not more than 10 people in front of us and the rafts seat 4. The last hour at the park was so fun.  Just riding a slide and then grabbing a new tube and doing it again.  I loved that all the rides we went on, (I think there is only one that has you go on your back and it happened to be closed) have you use tubes.  I definitely prefer it that way. 

The Colossal Curl.  Before we got all wet. 

We all loved the Lazy River, its so long and wide and we just had such a fun time at the park together.  I am so happy we waited to go to a place like this until they were both tall enough for all the rides.  We had a great hotel and after we picked up dinner to take back to it we all took warm showers and laid on the bed watching "Lottery Dream Home" on HGTV.  We rarely stay in a hotel like this.  We either just drive home late or are so busy we are hardly in the hotel so that was  added bonus too. We went out to breakfast the next day and then I vetoed the fun by saying no to the waterpark.  The high was only 68 degrees and it was cloudy and rainy all day.  They argued that no matter what you are going to be wet at a water park but it just really sounded unpleasant and we had so much fun and luck the day before I just wanted to end on a positive note.  We will for sure be back and fingers crossed we will get lucky with the weather again. 

Jamestown Settlement

Since Jared missed his 4th grade field trip to Jamestown due to COVID and we had never visited there as a family we added it to our before we leave VA list. To make it more fun and like his missed field trip we invited the Shaw's to come with us.  We met at the Giant parking lot on the way out of town and had Lydia move into the Shaw's van and Tyler come into our car so they could ride together like they would have on the bus with their class. Tyler and Jared have been great friends since Kindergarten and it was so nice for them to do this together.  Both families were so happy when they were placed in the same class again last year (they had not been in the same class since Kindergarten) so it was too bad the year got cut short but at least we could make our own field trip to Jamestown. 

We had no real plan for touring Jamestown, just to let Tyler and Jared lead the way. I joked with Jared that I was ready for him to be the tour guide and teach me but we mostly just let him and Tyler walk around and spend as much time as they wanted listening to people and checking out spaces. I was surprised at how much they enjoyed it and how interested they were.  They were really happy to be there and I think going together made it really fun. They lasted much longer than I did listening to people. We started at the Fort saving the museum and video inside for the hotter part of the day. After the fort we toured the boats and then stopped at the Powhattan village.  It was nice for Lydia to go as well since we are leaving and it would be her field trip next year. Jared enjoyed the fort the most and Lydia liked the Powhattan village the best. The ships were my favorite. And we were all happy we did it together. 

Richmond Capital Trail and Belle Isle

 

We crossed two more items off our list Saturday.  Bike a section of the Capital Trail in Richmond and visit Belle Isle.  I have really loved all these family bike rides we have gone on.  Jared doesn't mind them and Lydia doesn't like them but she was pretty happy on this last one. We actually had to borrow a bike for her and myself to go on this ride.  Her tire popped in TN and we tried to patch it but it didn't hold.  Luckily some friends had a spare bike and Mark and I stopped by their house to pick it up the night before.  

We started with the Capital trail and biked 5.5 miles.  Its a very popular paved trail.  It makes me so happy to see communities creating and taking care of paths like this.  We rode from Dorey Park to Four Mile Park. When we arrived (about 9:30) we saw a ton of people with race bibs on and were concerned the path would be really crowded but the race was done by the time we were ready to bike.  Lydia was terrified to ride downhill on a new bike but got braver with more time on the bike.  She has been afraid of SO many things lately.  I'm really not sure where its coming from but if feels like every time we talk about doing something she is afraid of it for some reason.  I hope it doesn't keep her from experiencing things and it is a quick phase she is going through. The path was lovely. Mark and I did a lot of tag teaming with Lydia as she was not feeling very confident the first half but we have photographic evidence and her own statements that she did enjoy the ride. The bike we borrowed from our friends is a little bigger than her old bike and I think she realized bigger tires do make it easier to ride so she was not as tired as other rides.*  

Killing time while we waited for Lydia to walk her bike down the hill

Photographic evidence of Lydia enjoying herself 

We planned to play some Disc golf after our ride but unfortunately there was a tournament going on so we couldn't play.  Jared and Lydia enjoyed the playground for a while and then we ate our picnic lunch before moving on to Belle Isle.   

Belle Isle is a super popular place to hang out by the James river in Richmond.  To get to the island you cross a suspension bridge that is underneath the Lee Bridge.  The bridge was my favorite part. The island is 54 acres in total but to ride all the way around it is just under 2 miles. It has rocks to sunbathe on and places you can wade in the river, a mountain bike trick park, trails to hike and ride and a spot for rock climbing. It also offers a great view of the Richmond Skyline.  It was a prison for Union soldiers, a quarry and a hydro electric plant, so quite the history. 

As we took this picture we could feel the bridge swaying it was a little crazy. 

Since we went on a hot Saturday afternoon it was really crowded. We could spread out once we picked a spot but there were a ton of people around.  I did not love it but I think if we went on a weekday after school was in session it would be much nicer.  One problem was that since we borrowed bikes we wanted to make sure they were close to us so that limited what rocks we could go explore by the water. At the spot we ended up at there were a group of girls smoking weed and it smelled so bad. It was gross.  We did have a great view of some kayakers going through rapids which was fun and we saw 3 snakes so it was not a total loss.  If we were sticking around I might try it another time but for now once is enough for me. 

*Mark and I both commented on how much more diverse it was than other paths we have been on.  We noticed a few cyclist wearing shirts that read "black rides matter"  and it was a powerful message.  It gave me some good things to think about while riding. 

Michie Tavern

 

Michie Tavern is located about 1/2 a mile from Monticello.  We have driven by it more times that I could ever count but never stopped in.  Its on most all of the "top items to do when visiting Charlottesville" lists. I added it to our "before we leave Virginia list" and so we stopped in for lunch on Friday.  When I described it to Jared and Lydia neither were particularly excited but they both loved it and want to go back.  We do not plan to go back any time soon as its quite pricey but it was worth it to go.  

The servers dress in period attire and "the rustic restaurant setting renders a lunch dining experience rich in southern culture and hospitality." You go through a buffet line to start and then once you are seated you have an assigned server who brings you whatever you want more of. The food is very southern and provides a "taste of the 18th century with southern fried chicken, marinated chicken, hickory smoked pork barbecue, stewed tomatoes, black eyed peas, green beans, buttermilk biscuits and corn bread."  Our server really did show us "southern hospitality", she was so attentive and we ate so much chicken! I did my best to try foods I would not normally eat (stewed tomatoes and the beans) to have the whole experience and did not enjoy them but am glad I tried them.  Mark and I split a peach cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream and Jared and Lydia spilt a Root beer float made from a local distillery.  They actually use honey in the Root beer and both Jared and Lydia could not stop talking about how good it was. Lucky for me, Jared was super full from his midday meal so I got to help him with his float. It was delicious.  I loved the pewter like plates and cups and the feel of eating in the past at an old tavern.  

This was some of the freshest water I've had. 
 If I weren't moving and trying to get rid of all our stuff I would consider getting some cups like this. 

After eating we walked around the grounds and visited the store.  Sadly the extra shops were closed because of COVID but it was nice to walk around, it was a beautiful day and a fun experience.  The ages Jared and Lydia are now were definitely the right time to try out the Tavern. We had time to learn about the old tavern and how important spaces like this were at that time.  All of the buildings there were painstakingly taken apart piece by piece and put back together at this location.  The tavern itself was originally in Earlysville and dates back to 1784. It was great to enjoy delicious food and some history.