Our latest adventure started off with us packing up the car on a beautiful, warm, sunny day. So beautiful that, being overdressed for the temperature, I opted to change my clothes before we left. We headed to Virginia Beach with plans for a day of wilderness sightseeing. I had checked the weather forecast earlier in the week and expected a very cold night (our whale watch had already been canceled due to the expected wind) but for now, it was gorgeous.
Our first stop was at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. We were there to board a tram that would take us into False Cape State Park. False Cape is a very primitive stretch of land between Back Bay and the Atlantic. Visitors are not permitted to drive into False Cape. It is accessible by foot, bike, boat, beach transport (the Terra-Gator) or tram from April 1 to October 31. Over the winter you can hike or bike along the beach or take the Terra-Gator on weekends at 9 am to return at 1 pm. There is also a Winter Tram Tour that runs a few times a month leaving at 1 pm and returning at 4:30 pm. The tram ng. As we boarded the tram the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. The park ranger offered to trade our open-air tram for an enclosed one and most of the group wanted to do so. As she went to change out the vehicles the rain turned into a torrential downpour and the temperature dropped 30 degrees.
As the slow ride through Back Bay and into False Cape progressed, Bob, the interpreter, shared information on the history of the area, the people who lived there, and the wildlife we were seeing. It was difficult to see through the windows as they kept fogging over. As we came upon an area full of swans, geese, and ducks, I mentioned to Chris that it was too bad I wouldn’t be able to get a good picture through the window. At the same moment, they stopped and allowed us to get off the tram for a photo opportunity. I found it interesting that the park is pretty much shut down to outsiders (other than hiking along the beach) to allow the migrating birds to live in peace with minimal disturbance in the winter.
The tram makes a stop at the Visitor’s Center for a coffee, snack, souvenir, bathroom break before continuing on to the Wash Woods Cemetery site. Bob entertained us along the way with information and anecdotes related to what we were seeing. (The only downside to the ride were the extremely rude, loud-mouthed people in the back who kept interrupting him.) At one point we crossed a small intersection where we saw several deer staring at us as we rode past.
When we got close to the cemetery we left the tram to hike the half-mile. The landscape was beautiful with the gnarled live oak trees growing out of the sand. As much as we wanted to hear the stories Bob had to tell, we ended up drifting to the back of the group for our own private exploration of the area. We discovered a beautiful mushroom growing on a stump, which opened up a discussion Alexa, the park ranger, about mushrooms. Chris told her that he was specifically looking for Lion’s Mane. As we approached the cemetery we came upon a church steeple (the only remains of a church that once stood in the area). The steeple has now been encased in a small shed with glass sliding doors to attempt to keep it safe from the weather.
I found the cemetery fascinating, with graves dating back to the 1800s. Seashells adorned the graves. Apparently, the people who lived in Wash Woods around the turn of the century decorated the graves with seashells instead of flowers. This served a two-fold purpose…adornment and, more practically, it helped prevent the sand from blowing away. The park rangers have continued the tradition. Chris was in heaven as he discovered a tree full of honey mushrooms and amber jellies.
As we walked back to the tram Alexa showed us pictures she had taken earlier in the day of mushrooms she had seen. We rounded a bend and Chris spotted, not one, but two Lion’s Mane mushrooms growing on a tree just off the path. Half of the group came back to see what the excitement was and he was happy to share just how amazing these mushrooms are with them.
On the trip back Bob shared more stories about the history of the people who once lived there. In his research he has actually interviewed some of those people and shared some fascinating stories, my favorite being the “hotel” that was once in the area (not in the history books) which on further investigation turned out to actually be a brothel.
As we got back into the car, the sun broke through over the water creating a spectacular photo opportunity. We headed to Tapped Crafthouse for a late lunch. We were not that excited about the food but did enjoy watching the end of the playoff game that was on. As we walked to our car after eating, we were happy to see that the clouds had cleared off so that we would be able to watch the eclipse later.
We arrived at the campground after dark. By now it had gotten extremely cold and the wind had picked up with gusts around 60 miles an hour. We knew our tent was able to withstand some wind but had some concern that they had put us on a campsite full of trees. We had already seen one very large limb that had come down as we drove through the campground. We picked a spot that seemed to have the least exposure to any potential falling branches and set up camp.
Chris anticipated that the wind would cause the wood to burn fast so we hunkered down in the tent and watched the end of a very exciting playoff game. After the game, we ventured back outside to get the fire going just as the eclipse was starting. This wasn’t just any eclipse. It was a super, wolf, blood moon total eclipse. We had a spectacular view! He was right about the fire. We went through four bundles of wood in no time. It lasted long enough to keep us somewhat warm while we watched the eclipse and to cook some steaks. We decided to eat inside the tent.
I do wish that I had remembered to bring the extra comforter (I am sure that I forgot it because it was so warm while we were packing up). It was a bit chilly, but definitely not unbearable sleeping in the 17-degree air. The hardest part of the journey was packing up, as it had only gotten up to 21 degrees at that point.
We got a bit later of a start than we had planned so we had to find alternate breakfast plans. We ended up finding a great spot, Mary’s Restaurant, not far from the beach. After breakfast, we went to the aquarium. The aquarium was busy as it was a holiday, but we enjoyed wandering around. At one point we saw a Komodo dragon actually moving around. One nice feature of this aquarium is there are windows (also a patio, but too cold for us to venture out) overlooking water full of birdlife. We saw gulls, of course, but also pelicans, hawks and a pair of bald eagles.
It was still early when we left the aquarium so we googled indoor activities in Virginia Beach and found an indoor, 3-D, blacklight mini-golf course. It was a small 10-hole course. We put on our 3-D glasses and wandered into a magical, enchanting room with vibrant sea creatures everywhere. The glasses made the game more challenging. On one hole it looked like we were aiming down a set of stairs. As the ball bounced back, it looked like it was under the floor. Chris crushed my score, but I did beat him on one hole.
After our game, we went to Waterman’s Surfside Grille for a wonderful dinner before heading home.
Cost of trip-campground $38.17, firewood $27.98, tram $16, aquarium admission $49.90, mini-golf $14, parking $3.31, gas, just over half a tank, $15.
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