[Magdalen] Frustration

[ROGER STOKES]

Monday may have brought a sense of success in seeing fall foliage but today brought a double dose of frustration.  Yesterday I checked out of my room in Lynchburg to head towards the coast.  On my way I stopped in Petersburg, and in particular the old town which I swauntered (combination of sweltered and sauntered) for a bit in the heat of the day. Leaving the parking lot my route took me over some cobbled streets to a very elegant colonial style building - the local rail station.  I can't claim to have seen most, let alone all, of the Amtrak stations but this must be among the neatest on the network.

Most of my route was on US 460 rather than Interstate highways so I got more of a view of small town America, which was certainly worth getting.  I duly arrived at my hotel in Chesapeake and then went for dinner with Kristin and Heather at a diner they chose.  It's part of a local chain and met the requirements of being not too far for me to go and easy to find - insofar as any individual outlet is easy to find in a shopping center spread round a communal parking lot. We had a good chat, including mentioning some folks who used to post but seem to have disappeared over the years with ni news of what happened to them.

This morning, following a recommendation, I headed for the Hampton Roads bridge-tunnel.  Arriving at the other side it was almost as if the clock had been turned back a century as the place might not have changed in that time, apart from paving the streets and the traffic lights. Since I had arrived at Fort Monroe before the Casemate Museum opened I spent a bit of time wandering around, taking in the atmosphere. This showed clearly why the Confederate Army could not have taken it during the Civil War while the location enable it to be a crucial Union base in Confederate territory.  When the museum opened I was invited to tag along with what I took to be a group of students being given a guided tour. 

That was helpful in understanding the significance of some of the events that took place and helped shape American history, including in the abolition of slavery as slaves went there to claim their freedom, thus denuding the Confederate forces of a significant source of labour. Informative as the labels on various exhibits were the guide strung them together into a coherent story.

After that is when the frustration started.  I had hoped to visit the Museum of American Transportation but this is in an active Army base.  My lack of US issued ID meant that the guards could not check whether I was on a watch list so I was turned back and decided to make my way to Virginia Beach.  The beach itself is superb and it looks as if in the season it should be a vibrant and fun holiday resort.  There was a distinct breeze but it still felt relatively warm.  The trouble was that it is off-season so (as in most resorts) most of it was shut up so I did not stay there long.

At the Visitor Center I had picked up a flyer about the Navy Museum in Portsmouth so I thought I might try that before joining Kristin and Heatehr for Eucharist at their church. I had set my GPS preferences to "no tolls" but clearly the local authority have increased the number of river crossings where tolls are charged. Unlike a lot of other toll crossings you cannot pay cash (presumably to speed traffic flow) but need either a EZPass transponder or to have a "Pay by Plate" account.  Being in a rental car neither of these was really an option for me so whenever I saw the word "Toll" on a sign I had to turn off to another road.  This frustration at not being able to get through to Portsmouth meant eventually I had had enough and simply came back to the hotel.

Roger