Base Camp
This week we set up camp at Machicomoco State Park in Virginia, which quickly became one of our favorites so far. The campground is one of the state’s newest and with only about 20 sites, the place felt small and quiet. The bathhouse next to our site was spotless and honestly one of the nicest we’ve ever seen on the road. Our site was roomy, tucked against a field of grass and wildflowers, and offered full access to the sky for our Starlink setup. The internet wasn’t perfect, but it was better than last week! The campground hosts even came by to welcome us our first day, which set the tone for a friendly and homey week. Even though we struggled to find things to do in the area, it was a great place to return to each night.
Monday, August 4th
We kicked off the week with some chores after work. After tackling the laundry, we’d planned to cross into Yorktown, but as we approached the bridge we suddenly remembered what the campground hosts had mentioned about a toll. It was a last second realization and we had to laugh as we scrambled to reroute. Instead of the bridge, we wound up at the waterfront just below it, where the sky was a beautiful peachy-pink. Reality set in quickly though: under a bridge in an unfamiliar city, with a few people hanging around in their cars, didn’t exactly scream “relaxing evening.” We soaked in the colors for a moment, then decided to keep the visit short.
Tuesday, August 5th
We started our afternoon adventure with a plan to wander Colonial Williamsburg, but quickly realized we had misunderstood the layout. Unlike an open town, the area was enclosed, more like Greenfield Village in Dearborn. If fact, everything was closed at 5pm so we didn’t even go inside and had to move on. Next, we drove into town to check out Goodwill. It’s always fun to see what different states have tucked away on their shelves, and browsing there reminded me of last week’s Goodwill-movie combo. I asked Zac if he wanted to see another film, and he agreed.
Before heading to the theater, we noticed a little cat café in the square. It was closed, but it connected to a pet shop that was still open. Two cats patrolled the store like tiny employees, and a friendly staff member welcomed us. We wrapped up the day with the new Fantastic Four movie. I wasn’t blown away by the story, though I appreciated the mix of retro styling with modern technology. Zac didn’t enjoy it much at all, but it was still a movie and we always love an evening at the theater.
Wednesday, August 6th
I was poking around Facebook events (something I tend to do when we’re in a new area and looking for things to do) and stumbled across a Peninsula Pilots semi-final baseball game. The post promised $2 hot dogs and $2 beers, and that was all the convincing we needed. We grabbed a pair of inexpensive tickets that afternoon for the evening game. When we arrived, we realized we’d accidentally dressed in support of opposing teams. I was in the home team’s colors, while Zac matched the competition. Naturally, this turned into its own little rivalry. We made a spectating game out of it: every time “our team” got an out, a single, a double, a triple, or a home run, we’d take a sip of beer. By the fourth inning, though, we had to call a truce before things got too out of hand.
The game itself had its fair share of drama, too. At one point, the home team coach was thrown out after a controversial call, and the entire stadium erupted in outrage.
Thursday, August 7th
This afternoon, Zac and I found ourselves tucked inside a little brewery that was the perfect planning headquarters. Outside, a live band was playing in the late-summer heat, but we happily chose the air conditioning and free wifi indoors. Zac ordered an amber, I leaned toward something fruity, and suddenly the mood shifted into “planning mode.” Nothing too serious, but we both knew how important it was to get this done. I’ve been spearheading most of the trip planning, but I’ll admit, I needed help finessing the final states. We tossed around routes, scrapped ideas, and laughed at our unrealistic attempts to squeeze in every single national park in the west. It was just too much in too little time. The weather ended up being the biggest deciding factor, and while it meant skipping some parks, we realized those could become future weekend trips and little adventures waiting for us down the road.
On the way home from the brewery we stopped at an ice cream shop both of us had eyed on our drive into town. They had a pickle flavor that I had to sample but could not imagine having a whole scoop of. I walked away with a fruity pebbles scoop and Zac went with his classic choice of chocolate peanut butter milkshake. We weren’t super impressed with either option but we still appreciated the treat after completing our much needed trip planning session.
Friday, August 8th
We had big ideas this evening of staying back and having a campfire because of how nice the site was. After dinner, we took a slow walk around our campground, waving to new arrivals setting up for the weekend and admiring a few spots around the loop where trumpet vine had totally taken over. Halfway around the campground, we stopped by the camp host’s site to check firewood prices. We were expecting the standard $5 bundle, so when we saw the “$10” sign, we both gasped and laughed, it just felt steep for one evening’s fire. We shrugged it off and decided to pivot: skip the campfire, stay in, and make it a game-and-movie night instead.
Skip-Bo is our go-to when we want something light and competitive. Zac, always the smack talker, started strong but quickly got distracted by the movie we put on. Halfway through he looked at me and said, “Just go ahead and win already,” (or something along those lines) so we could focus on the real entertainment: Annabelle. We’d had the DVD in our collection, but I honestly don’t think we’ve watched it since our second date. It wasn’t the campfire night we planned, but it ended up being exactly the kind of quiet evening we needed.
Saturday, August 9th
Today was one of our normal travel days, with no reservation until Sunday, so our main goal was to find a beach to unwind. Virginia Beach greeted us with chaos: a nearby air base meant jets roaring overhead, the traffic was thick, and navigating our 28’ trailer through the crowded streets quickly became stressful. We even tried to stop at a Cracker Barrel next to what felt like the busiest mall ever, but parking was impossible and the noise didn’t help our nerves. By the time we pulled over for a quick bite of Mexican food, both of us were hangry and frazzled. Thankfully, the chips and salsa arrived immediately and worked their magic, suddenly Zac was perkier and our heads were clearer. Refueled and ready, we set off again and found a beach with RV parking by 4 p.m.
We changed into swimsuits and headed down to the sand. The waves were incredible, and I was cautious, only venturing in up to my hips (Florida waves gave me a bit of PTSD). Zac, on the other hand, spent hours jumping, diving, and surfing through the salty water, occasionally pausing for a breather before diving back in. I took advantage of the lifeguards keeping an eye on him to get some reading done and soak in the afternoon sun. As the day came to a close, we packed up and drove another two hours toward our next destination, finally settling in for the night at a different Cracker Barrel.
Sunday, August 10th
Sunday was a day spent driving from Virginia into the heart of North Carolina, where we arrived at our campsite a little early and quickly set up. Once settled, we discovered a spot in the state park to swim in Falls Lake. The water was calm and the beach mostly to ourselves, aside from a few people swimming off a boat and some others water skiing off the back of another. It was the perfect way to unwind - playing catch, tossing a frisbee, and soaking up the sun. The lake looked like iced tea and I couldn’t see my feet, which was a little creepy, and there were strange pockets of unusually warm water that we could only guess were from sun-heated spots. Overall, it was a relaxing and lovely way to wrap up the weekend.
Thank you for reading about our week in Virginia, watch the reel below for the video version of events!