[Magdalen] Frustration

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

Alas, while I can read the repeat of Roger's note, I'm not sure if anything
else is included.


James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better
for people coming behind you, and you don’t do it, you're wasting your time
on this Earth.”  -- *Roberto Clemente

On Thu, Oct 30, 2014 at 7:30 AM, Kristin Rollins <kristin at verumsolum.com>
wrote:

>
> > On Oct 29, 2014, at 8:15 PM, ROGER STOKES <roger.stokes65 at btinternet.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > 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.
>
> Heather and I love 460 because it is a reasonably fast alternative with a
> lot less traffic than the Interstate. Most trips to Richmond and points
> west, we take 460 between here and Petersburg.
>
> > 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.
>
> It’s been a few years since we visited the museum, but what has impressed
> me most has been Fort Monroe itself. It is a very beautiful place and I
> wish it was just a tiny bit easier to get to from here. I have been there
> once since it was turned over from the military to the state and the park
> service. And it was so wonderful to walk around, and felt so peaceful
> despite how close we were to the Interstate: close enough that it’s easy to
> get there, but not close enough to be noticeable once you’re there. It’s
> one of those places that I want to get there more often than I do, but is
> just
>
> > 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.
>
> And I am sorry about that. It was much too late when I realized that the
> tolling was added recently enough that your GPS might not know it yet. And
> yes, traffic flow is the big reason, because the tunnel crossings are very
> busy during rush hour. And there’s also a space issue with the Downtown
> Tunnel, because on one side, there are exits almost immediately after
> exiting the tunnel on both sides, so there isn’t a good spot to set up toll
> booths. If it is any consolation, I have visited that museum and was very
> underwhelmed, and I rarely feel that with museums. And at least we got to
> share dinner Tuesday night.
>
> Kristin