May 30, Day 339 – In Norfolk

We woke up early this morning and went to breakfast – all of us. The kids got up with us and we all walked up to d’egg café. Pancakes were the choice for everyone but Gerry.

After breakfast, we slipped the lines and headed out for a short cruise. It was quite breezy (contrary to what the weather forecast had predicted), so the seas were a little rocky and rolly. We basically had two landlubbers on board that didn’t do too well with the sea conditions, but they did settle down for the return trip. The Norfolk area is not really the most picturesque area in which to take people for a cruise, but it’s where we were, so we didn’t have much of a choice. We did see a lot of military and commercial ships and the kids were interested in the way the small tugs could move the big freighters.

The temps were hot and it was humid, so that also decreased the comfort level on the boat. I think both Derrick and Drew will be glad to return to the cooler temperatures of Utah.

We went out for a farewell dinner at a restaurant in the Waterside Complex. During dinner we had a thunderstorm pass over and it cooled things down a bit.

Derrick and Andrew on the flybridge

We saw lots of Navy warships

and this small sailboat dwarfed by the big Navy supply ship

We cruised to Hampton -- where we were yesterday -- here's the Air and Space Museum from the water

.... and this is the waterfront where we picked up our boat 4 years ago -- so I guess unofficially we have now crossed our wake and finished the Great Loop (however, we're not counting it as the finish until we reach Annapolis)

When we went in the restaurant for dinner, this was our view -- just the tall ship

... but when we came out, there was a huge Carnival Lines cruiseship. It had just boarded passengers for the beginning of its cruise and was turning around to head out into the ocean. It was an interesting process to watch.

May 29, Day 338 – In Norfolk

Today we explored Hampton. The area where we are has 3 main cities: Norfolk, Portsmouth and Hampton. They are commonly referred to as Hampton Roads. Hampton has a great museum: The Virginia Air and Space Museum. This is a great place for people of all ages. Almost everything there is interactive and many displays are simulations. There is a lot to keep kids entertained and plenty for adults too. We spent several hours walking through the museum and then ended up at the IMAX theatre to watch Shrek, the Final Chapter. It was a truly delightful movie.

Back at the boat we relaxed a bit and did a few odds and ends. Then we headed out to eat. The kids had decided on pizza. We went back to the same restaurant we had been to a couple of nights ago: the Vineyards. Once again it was great food. We highly recommend it to anyone traveling in the Norfolk area. You won’t be disappointed.

Back at the boat we worked on blogs/logs/e-mail stuff and then off to bed. Tomorrow we are taking the boat out for a cruise so the kids can experience the ocean and the Chesapeake Bay.

Today when we woke up, we noticed we had BIG company -- a cruise ship parked right next door.

This is the Virginia Air and Space Museum -- a very fun place

Andrew and Gerry rode in the Simulated Ride Vehicle. Here, before the ride, they both had big smiles.

During the ride, one person flys the plane and the other operates the guns. When you are upside down (as in this picture), things aren't going too well.

However, at the end of the ride, they both had even bigger smiles. As a matter of fact, before we left the museum, they went on the flight simulated ride again. Gerry admitted that Drew was the better pilot.

This is the Apollo 12 Command Module

A painting on the nose of a plane. During the war, the artwork painted on the noses of US planes reflected the outlook on the life of the men who flew them. (Gerry goes by Grumpa to his grandkids, so this was pretty close for him)

Derrick was really attracted to this flight simulator. He said he could "take off" pretty good, but his landings left alot to be desired.

We wandered through the waterfront of Hampton. This guy had obviously been at sea too long.

The marina at the Hampton waterfront. The significance of this picture is that on the weekend of June 16-17, 2006, we picked up our boat from this very location. Bill and Ruth (Integrity) brought the boat - then Integrity - to Hampton and we picked it up and cruised to Annapolis.

May 28, Day 337 – In Norfolk

It rained during the night and the forecast today called for more rain and wind – so we decided not to go out cruising with the kids today. Instead, we drove to Virginia Beach. The area along the ocean is highly developed with a mix of houses, hotels, condos, pizza joints and T-shirt and swimsuit shops – oh and lots of people and high prices to park. It didn’t seem all that appealing. Guess we’ve been spoiled with many nice, scarcely populated beaches during the past several months.

We ended up going to a movie in the afternoon – Iron Man 2 – okay, but nothing special. Afterwards, did a bit of browsing in the mall (Gerry still has his eye on the IPad), but no purchases. Back at the boat we just hung out. The weather was great – never did storm, however we understand it was quite bumpy out in the ocean/bay, so it wouldn’t have been a good day for a ride with our son who is prone to seasickness.

During our walk this morning, we took a few pictures of the area. We had toured the Battleship Wisconsin yesterday, but here is a shot looking straight-on.

The grounds next to the Nauticus area were very nice -- mixture of condos, restaurant, ponds, etc. Here is a pagoda that was a gift from the Taiwanese. It had originally been a large molasses tower. Obviously some heavy duty remodeling to get it looking like this.

Some very interesting trees lined the waterfront

Gerry enjoying the view

Lily pads in bloom and lots of koi

May 27, Day 336 – In Norfolk

We were up by 6:30 this morning, but since the kids were still asleep, we went for a walk. We checked out the area around Nauticus, as that’s where we plan to visit today. We stopped for a quick breakfast sandwich along the way and then went back to the boat to see if anyone was up.

By around 10:30 everyone was ready to depart for the day’s activities. We spent several hours at the Nauticus Museum, including exploring the Battleship Wisconsin. This battleship is one of four Iowa-class battleships, the largest and last ever build by the U.S. Navy. She earned five battle stars in WWII. It was quite the impressive ship. The day was very hot, so we didn’t spend too long exploring her, but did take our time inside Nauticus exploring the exhibits, many of which were hands-on.

Back at the boat, we all relaxed and/or napped for awhile. Then in the evening, we boarded the ferry and went to Portsmouth and had dinner at the German Bier Garden and explored the town. By this time, the temperature and humidity had dropped and everyone was quite comfortable.

Andrew hanging out -- didn't take him long to feel right at home.

At the Nauticus Museum. Here Drew and Derrick play the part of sailors.

The Battleship Wisconsin

Derrick and Drew dwarfed by the huge guns

Looking down at the main deck

Back at the boat Derrick and Drew tried to cool down

On the ferry to Portsmouth we spotted a stealth ship in drydock. We had seen a similar ship last year in Mobile Bay.

The Fresnel lens from the Hog Island Light. It's about 10 feet high and has more than 250 prisms of optical glass.

This is the ferry that runs between Norfolk and Portsmouth

The old historic courthouse in Portmouth -- from the mid 1800's

Entrance to the Bier Garden where we had dinner -- and a beer or two

May 26, Day 335 – In Norfolk

We woke up early this morning, soooooo excited about the fun day we had in store – yuck – cleaning and straightening out the forward cabin. After a quick breakfast we jumped right in. We threw away a few things but mostly just reorganized and stowed stuff in different places. We’re always amazed at how much storage room there is on the Monk. Unfortunately, not all of it is readily accessible, but we kind of prioritized according to when we thought we might need to access something; e.g., sweaters and warm shirts went in the space behind the head of the bed in the main cabin as we’re sure we won’t need them before we get back home. We were pretty much finished by noon.

After a quick lunch we undid the lines and moved a few hundred feet so we could get a pumpout – another necessity with company coming. Later in the afternoon we walked into town, did a little shopping/browsing at the mall, explored more of town and on the way back to the boat found a little Italian restaurant named Vineyards. Of course, with a name like that, we had to eat there. Sometimes you just luck out – the food at the restaurant was wonderful!!

Around 7:30 we headed out for the airport to pick up the kids. They arrived on time and our son said it was a pretty good flight. Our grandson, however, was not of the same opinion. He thought it was way too long (he’s 11 with a short attention span). Back at the marina, we went with the kids to have dinner; they ate, we drank. Although we thought the weather was very pleasant, our son was already complaining about the heat and humidity. They flew in from Salt Lake City where 2 days ago it snowed. He’ll be in for a real treat tomorrow when it’s supposed to be in the 90’s.

This was what we had to tackle in the forward cabin. After months of not having company we had stuff piled everywhere.

As we moved stuff from one place to another, the main cabin became a staging area.

The main galley area where Gerry (in the bilge) was looking for just the right screw

Forward cabin -- after -- room to sleep

... and the main cabin squared away again. We did have to pile a few things down there, but at least there is a place to sleep.

This is one of the views from our marina -- a ship in dry dock

This is where we had dinner. A most delightful restaurant.

May 25, Day 334 – In Norfolk

We woke up fairly early this morning and decided to go for a walk. It was chilly and a bit foggy as we made our way into the center of town. We walked by City Hall, the Norfolk Federal Building and a Federal Courthouse, normally places that would be full of people, but the streets were still empty as it was only 7:00. We walked passed a big mall (Nordstrom and Dillard’s) and a big market area before heading back to the waterfront. We stopped at the D’egg diner for breakfast.

Back at the boat Linda worked on the blog and Gerry did some work (consulting stuff). We had plans to attack the forward cabin. We need a place for Derrick and Andrew to sleep when they arrive tomorrow. As we have not had guests for a while, that area has become the catching place for anything we don’t know what to do with. Now we need to find someplace else for it.

We went to pick up the rental car and ended up going to the airport (to make sure we weren’t faced with any surprises tomorrow night when we pick up the kids), had lunch, shopped a bit and Gerry got a haircut. We ended up being out and about for most of the day – so no cleanup of the forward cabin. We have most of the day tomorrow to get it straightened out, and we’ll work better under pressure.

We had dinner on board, watched a little TV, caught up on cruising logs/blogs and then off to bed.

On our walk this morning we came across many more mermaids. This one was in front of City Hall. Mermaids became the signature symbol of Norfolk in 1999 and you'll find dozens of these colorful mermaids all over downtown. There are a couple more below.

We took a walk through Town Point Park

There was an Armed Forces Memorial. Letters written home by service members who had died had been recreated in bronze and scattered across the memorial. It was very moving. You can double click this and the letters below to enlarge so you can read them.

This letter is from 1776 - Revolutionary War period

A letter from the Civil War period in 1861

... and one from 1942 during World War II

This is a placard on the waterfront describing the Intracoastal Waterway and pointing out into the Elizabeth River at Mile Marker Zero which is the official beginning of the waterway. You can't really see the marker in this picture, but it's out there.

A shot of sunset at the marina