Yorktown: Full Steam Ahead

At 6:00 AM we grumble and roll out of bed in preparation for a nautical adventure Kristen's friend, Jes has so kindly volunteered to chaperon.  The streets are virtually empty as we navigate through narrow country roads with heavy mists shrouding the lush scenery around us.  We reach the boat launch and waste no time pushing off into the York River where British troops were surrounded in the final battle of the Revolution.  We kick back to the rhythm of some melancholy bluegrass tunes while taking in the scenery and geography, including a surprise visit from some local dolphins!

After several failed attempts at catching the local Croakers (the Gulp Alive Crazy Jerk Shard bait apparently wasn't on their menu!), we reluctantly head back to shore and prepare for Historic Yorktown.  Our third destination in the Historic Triangle is much smaller and less crowded than the others.  We begin our tour at the Watermen's Museum, which examines the maritime history of the area.  Outside the museum, Cindy and Tracy join the ranks of a mock militia training where we bare the tedious instruction of loading and firing muskets in the blazing afternoon heat.  A blacksmith, wood carver, and seamstress are also dishing out trade tutorials at the colonial market.

Just off the riverwalk lies the quaint historic area where we tour various monuments, manors, and the archeological site of the "Poor Potter"--a savvy businessman/patriot who undermined the British trade laws with his successful practice.

Last on our agenda is the Yorktown Victory Center which guides you down a pathway flanked with time-line events leading up the American Revolution.  At the end of memory lane is a modest museum exhibit, primarily featuring key figures and varying perspectives of people too scared to disobey the tyrannous British, but too proud to swear allegiance to that same Crown.  A short film in the auditorium focuses on the voices of soldiers on the war trail; both novice privates and refined generals share their fears and successes from the battlefields.

Outside the museum we get a tour of a Continental Army Encampment.  We collect fantastic footage as the experts vociferously spill their secrets of typical wartime medical procedures, cooking styles & foods, women's quarters, and artillery options.  Here we are also given a much more comprehensive explanation of the intricacies of the fearsome musket, and are blown away by the shear weight of the weapon, let alone its meager range and accuracy!

We end our tour at a 1780's farm complete with tobacco barn, crop fields, gardens, and living quarters.  At last we escape out of the heat and into the air conditioned gift shop where we start the process of eating into our budget for artifacts and resources for our third and final trunk.  We've completed yet another long and successful day of our journey... It's hard to believe there are only four more left!