Monongahela National Forest and Seneca Rocks

 We spent most of the day, 1 October 2020, in Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia after staying in nearby Elkins.

The Sites' family homestead is near Seneca Rocks and worth a look at the building and gardens.

The view of Seneca Rocks is simply awesome.

We couldn't resist climbing up for a better view and some much needed exercise.

After crossing a stream, we hiked a tree-covered trail, which was steep in parts.

We were rewarded with great views at the lookout point.

At the end of the day, we logged over 7.5 miles. We headed for Charlottesville Virginia to see Monticello on Friday. Our final destination was Virginia Beach.

Following are a few videos of this day from my YouTube Channel

The Sites Homestead

Seneca Rocks

Deer along the Seneca Rock's Trail

And, before leaving Monongahela, we stopped at Cass to see the scenic railway.

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Virginia Beach, Virginia USA

 

We visited Virginia Beach in early October 2020 because I was feeling a bit desperate for the Atlantic Ocean having spent the first 20 years of my life on both sides of the Atlantic. The Covid-19 restrictions did not affect us on the beach or in the area. We had a nice room facing the ocean at the Holiday Inn Express.

In addition to walking along the beach and enjoying the warm water, there was some action near our hotel.

There's a variety of art works along the "boardwalk." The quotes are needed because, unlike New Jersey, the walkway is cement rather than boards. The photos were taken with our Pixel phones.

I took a few videos and posted them on my YouTube channel. The videos were also taken with my Pixel Phone- handheld.

Beach Football

A Beach Wedding

And, riding horses

As a finale, the Ocean Waves...

From a certain angle in our hotel, you can just see the ocean, which made us feel like we were on a cruise--cruises were cancelled this year due to the Covid virus.

Overall, a great place to relax and consume novels for a change of pace.

Learn more about Virginia Beach at the city website VBgov
WiFi: The hotel WiFi wasn't so good so we used Google Fi, which worked well.

Links to Connections

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Monticello Virginia

 We visited Monticello on Friday 2 October, 2020.

The visit was modified because of Covid-19 adjustments. We reserved a house tour online and arrived early. There's a brief film at the visitor's centre. 

We decided to walk up to the house, which was a surprising climb. We sat for a brief introduction then entered the house in small groups. Photography was allowed so I will include some photos.

Jefferson as a man of science

Georgian Silver

Outside, an actor provided an impressive talk as Thomas Jefferson. He answered all questions posed to him by the attentive and challenging audience.

There are a few cabins where slaves lived and locations marked where they worked. Jefferson enslaved more than 600 people during his life.

Here's a look inside a cabin representing the home of Sally Hemings (1773-1835) known as Jefferson's concubine. She was a half-sister to Jefferson's wife, Martha Wayles (1746-1782). According to the tradition, Sally and Martha had the same father, John Wayles.

There's also a furnished kitchen close to the main house.

It is not hard to detect which headstone is for Thomas Jefferson in the family cemetery.

Books about Thomas Jefferson and Monticello

Thomas Jefferson eBooks

Visitor notes

I suspect things are subject to change so I advise checking the website for current information.

Monticello.org

There is an app, which provides an audio guide to the rooms and text with additional information. There is WiFi in the home.

The website has an extended section on  slavery at Monticello.

I did not see people of colour among the guides and staff who interacted with us.

There is a gift shop, but we did not purchase anything.

There is a small museum at the visitor centre.

You can purchase food onsite, but we went back to our vehicle and ate lunch there. At the time we were there, you could take a water bottle with you to the house and grounds.

There are toilets and a place to refill water bottles.

Links to Connections

My Page    www.suttong.com

  

My Books  AMAZON          and             GOOGLE STORE

 

FOLLOW   FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton   TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton

 

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Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge Virginia

 

We visited the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Monday, 5th October 2020. We paid the $5 entrance fee and soon stopped to view an Osprey on the westside of the entrance road.

Next, we parked by the closed visitor centre and followed an short eastward trail to the beach.

We then walked south of the centre along available trails, which were not fully open to the public. Here's a sample of what we saw.

I took a couple of videos available from my YouTube channel.

Birds on the Beach video

Short video of an Osprey