Wet Land Wandering

For this weeks adventure I thought we could get a little closer to the more natural aspects of Virginia, so we headed south to the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. We found ourselves in the town of Suffolk, exploring only the northwest region of the swamp, but as a whole the park covers parts of south-east Virginia and northern North Carolina.

Now when I first imagined visiting this swamp I envisioned something stereotypically boggy right out of Louisiana, and as usual we found it to be something a bit different. Whereas usually we are thrilled with our findings, this time we were faced with a bit of a challenge.

As per usual, I’ll start with the drive. It began with crossing the James River Bridge.

Then things got a little country.

Our first sign of swamp lands!

Being as attentative as I am at giving directions, obviously we got a little lost. Luckily we found a map at the entrance to an auto tour within the national park.

Auto tour entrance. It was blocked off but looked very tempting.

At last, we found the entrance to an open boardwalk trail. Upon pulling into the tiny parking lot a cricket/grasshopper sort of combo made it’s way through the sun roof of the car and into our business. Both of us having severe anxiety and an extreme fear of bugs meant this did not go over so well. Once we were safely parked and out of the car away from the monster we realized exactly what we were about to put ourselves through.

Bugs. A LOT of bugs. And other unidentifiable creepy crawlies. Did I mention we have anxiety?

We had no idea that this swamp was essentially an EXTREMELY muddy forest, creatures included. I mean don’t get me wrong it was beautiful, but it took pure strength to convince ourselves not to run squealing back to the car… On top of that, we were all alone. Im not saying that it was a bad thing, but being deep in the woods completely alone comes with it’s mixture of serenity and cautiousness. Actually… it was a pretty wild feeling.

But enough words, here’s some pictures…

Good thing I didn’t bring my horse.

We had NO interest in finding out what sort of species had been using this tree as a scratch post. It also just so happened to be the first thing we saw as we entered the swamp. If we weren’t anxious enough already, this really didn’t reassure us that we were coming out of this alive.

No shortage of butterflies in these swamps.

Do you see what I see? Something spikey taking a nap in the swamp. I can only guess that maybe it’s a toad of sorts. Wasn’t looking to figure that one out the hard way.

Ok, so maybe we weren’t completely alone.

These metallic little suckers where EVERYWHERE. If I wasn’t so entranced by the color I would have run away screaming.

I think/hope that there is something to learn from our little adventure this week. I’ve been on a “facing your fears/living your dreams” kick for a while, and without even realizing it I stumbled upon a blog post that emanates exactly that. I mean I wouldn’t call venturing through a bug infested forest a lifelong dream of mine, but we sure as hell faced a fear. If you have anxiety like me, you know how difficult it can be to overcome even the smallest obstacles. But when you build up the courage to do so, it can give you the push you need to face the bigger challenges in life.

So while we walked into the swamp expecting the worst, we walked out with a mind set that said… Bring it on.

Cloudy, with a chance of schnitzel.

I have to admit this weeks choice was not very thought out. Being a bit distracted I chose somewhere close by. I had not done much research, but knew it was a water town, which meant it was garaunteed to be different than what I’ve shown you thus far. On top of that it was a pretty rainy weekend, so the pictures may be a little gray for your liking, but I like to think this town works well with that type of backdrop. So let’s get to it, shall we?

Portsmouth. What I had expected to be a dainty little fishing village, turned out to be an epicenter of American naval culture. I’ll start with the drive. The point in which I realized gray was going to be a theme this week.

There are a number of peninsulas in southern Virginia. From where I live, you have to go through a Bridge and Tunnel to get to the Portsmouth area.

Upon arrival the first thing we clearly wanted to do was check out the waterfront. We pretty much just stayed in one spot, parking along the main downtown street and walking down to the small marina. We sort of weren’t sure what to expect. Both being in glum moods, no thanks to the weather, we just wandered about taking pictures here and there.

And then we saw it. Coming in from the harbor was the cutest little river boat, paddlewheel and all. Discovering it was a ferry, we decided to hop on, unsure exactly where it would go.

Maybe it’s because I grew up around stuff like this, but being in such a naval/ marina type atmosphere is just so calming.

After a relaxing boat ride across the water to Norfolk we decided to go check out a beer garden that we spotted on the main street on our way in. We actually never went inside the restaurant, instead sitting out in the adorable garden patio. It was absolutely perfect, pulling us out of Portsmouth and into a little city oasis. The food and beer selection only made the experience better.

Did I mention the beer? For the record I had a Duvel and my sister had a Val Dieu. Delicious.

I mean I’m no connoiseur, but based off of what I do remember from my visit to Germany,  I think this restaurant is the real deal. The schniztel was amazing and that pickled cucumber salad that you see on the bottom right forced me to not hate pickles so much. And for someone who has despised pickles for the last 23 years, that’s saying alot about the quality of their cucumber salad.

We had no expectations for our trip on this rainy weekend, so it was a nice surprise to stumble on a few things that still gave us a chance to enjoy the outdoors. I think that’s how any good adventure works. The planned ones are never as fun as the ones that come as a surprise. If you can learn anything from this weeks post, it’s to give the rainy day a chance, and keep your options open for a few spontaneous happenings.

Stop and Smell the Roses

When I first moved to Virginia last June 2011 I was hardly the person I have become today. Each day I would drive to work, notice pretty things and think “that would make a cool picture”, but I completely lacked the confidence to stop and do something about it. If you haven’t noticed, I’ve changed a bit.

Let me be more specific. I’m still as obnoxious and ridiculous as I have always been, and I don’t see that ever changing. Rather, what has changed is my outlook. Instead of finding good pictures, I look for them. Everything I see now has a little square box framed around it. I can thank Instagram for that.

Now to stay on the topic of Virginia. I figured I would give you a glimpse of my favorite views during my daily commute. Twice a day. Five times a week. I used to take the highway for timing purposes. But I’ve learned to love the long road.

On a cloudy day.

It’s amazing what you’ll find beautiful when you use your imagination.

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Disclaimer: I do not promote photographing and driving 😉

The River Trees

Every once in a while, to keep things alive and moving, I will post a sort of “After Thought”. Usually just a one picture, few sentence ordeal, always on the topic of Virginia.

These are the River Trees. At least, that’s what I call them. They stand tall, making you realize how small you are compared to the rest of the world. Most of the foliage grows on the tops of the trees, creating an umbrella over everything beneath. I have never looked into it, but I like to think that has to do with the trees being so close to the water, and flooding, and adaptation or something like that. Hence the personal nickname. I am also unsure of the actual name of these trees, but I am looking into it, so if you know please do tell.

Follow my Blog and more on THE OLD DOMINION FACEBOOK PAGE. You can also view more exclusive photos not seen here on PINTEREST, or you can follow me on INSTAGRAM @ginafontes.