RV Trip: The Civil War Lives On in Virginia
I've Moved! The Boomer Chronicles has closed after 6 years, but you can keep up with me on my new blog at http://www.rheabecker.com
You may have noticed I was missing in action yesterday. You see, each campground has different Internet access rules. Some places you can hop right onto the Internet, one place I had to pay, and last night it was impossible to get on without a code. I called the emergency after-hours phone number that each campground provides to get the code, but no dice. I called twice. So this morning I went to the Aquia Pines Camp office, got the code and posted today (for yesterday): We did our first RV sewer disposal. It went pretty well. We had a lot of driving ahead of us. We went first to Appomattox Court House. We parked at the Appomattox park made sandwiches in the RV, then sat outside and ate them. Then we walked around park. This is the spot where the Confederate army surrendered to the Union army. There’s a bunch of restored or reconstructed Civil War-era buildings on a beautiful stretch of land. In the gift shop, they sold Confederate and Union flags. As a northerner, born and raised in New Jersey, Confederate flags have always scared me.
We stopped for gas and in the convenience store I saw what I’m calling The World’s Largest Selection of Beef Jerky (click on photo above). Then another long drive over to Fredricksburg. We filled up the gas tank on the way. We saw some historical buildings in Fredricksburg and ate at an Irish pub. Fredricksburg felt very cosmopolitan and Northern. I was sad that we were no longer in the South. I missed the friendliness, the quiet, the food. We found a campground in Stafford, Virginia. It was woodsy but you could hear the traffic on the nearby highway. We spent about a half-hour getting rid of travel brochures and other paraphernalia we no longer needed, and packed our suitcases. Tomorrow we return the RV to the RVIA in Reston. Lights out.
October 8th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
How goes it? Now, you’re in my neck o’the woods. I was born and raised in Arlington/Falls Church/Fairfax but right before I moved from Va. I lived right there in Fredericksburg/Stafford, actually all over there. I owned a home right there off of Garrisonville Rd. right where you are. I lived in the farm house right next to the H.S. too.
Be very careful as my brother is a Sgt. for Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Dept. He’s a real prick, too,lol!
Any minute now, that area is bound to be beautiful with the fall leaves. Enjoy!
Big Hugz
October 8th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
There’s a Robin Williams movie(that I can’t remember the name of) where he rents an RV with his family and the waste disposal scene is pretty funny. The name of the movie may be “RV” not sure.
Nice adventure -
happy trails, Rhea!!!
October 8th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
PS, take notice; right there in Fredericksburg is chock full of history about my many greats grandfather, Gen. Jubal Early with streets named after him right there in Fredericksburg as well as the highway going through Winchester. The bridge that goes over the Rappahannock river, right there on Rt. 1 is really historic. BTW, if you can go eat at Sophia Street Station, the food is really good but my fav’s are in Arlington if you make it up that way. If you do go north, you must stop at either Mario’s for the best subs/pizza in town or Hard Times Cafe for the best Texas style Chili, known to man!
October 8th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
Well, if you really want to see the Civil War living on just go down to Richmond! It’s still being there according to many of its citizens and the number of memorials and statues you see…
October 8th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
Welcome to the south…I love it!
To be quite honest, the only people in the United States that have ever made me nervous, and I’ve been around, have been people from New Jersey.
This is not meant to be a cut either, just a statement of fact.
We remember the flag here as a memorial to our sons who died in that awful war. Please don’t hold that against us, ’cause we wouldn’t bring all that back for anything.
October 8th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Mushy, I am from New Jersey (but maybe you know that). I won’t take it too personally. Thanks for explaining the flag thing.
Rich, It’s called simply “RV.” I saw a few minutes of it. Maybe I should see it, now that I have some actual RV experience.
Babz: Yep, we wuz in Stafford. Never caught sight of your bro. I liked the old tavern and apothecary in Fredricksburg.
Emily, I didn’t see Richmond on this trip, but went there a number of years ago and recall the memorials in that town.
October 9th, 2008 at 9:12 am
ya mean, you couldn’t just pop into the neighborhood Starbucks for internet connection? LOL!
Luv the “World’s Largest Selection of Beef Jerky.” What I wanna know is: Did you take advantage of it and partake of any?
~ hb33 ~
October 9th, 2008 at 9:26 am
Honeybee, as a kid my dad owned a store that sold, among other delicacies, beef jerky. I grew up on Slim Jims. I don’t partake today.
July 20th, 2010 at 8:16 am
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