July 7th - Day 25
After 25 days, I think we are finally figuring out how to be efficient as we travel in an RV across the US. Today we drove from Assateague Island in Maryland, through Virginia, and ended the day in Greensboro, NC. This was nearly a six and a half hour drive. What was remarkable about this was we did it without stopping. We started the day with a full tank of gas, the kids used the bathroom in the back of the RV, Becca made lunch for everyone (5 separate requests of different leftovers & sandwiches, etc.) as we kept driving, and I limited my coffee intake (which was probably the hardest part of the whole thing). While we spent the bulk of the day driving, we certainly were still able to make it a good day.
A few highlights from the day:
Becca and the kids enjoyed a scenic marsh walk on an elevated board walk along the bay as I prepared the RV for our drive.
As we were leaving Assateague Island, we stopped at the visitor’s center where Ilena and Obadiah once again were able to become junior rangers since the island is managed by the National Park Service (#6 of this trip for those who are counting). Aubrey, Elias, and Becca were intrigued by learning more about the specifics of the horses on the island (how they came to live there, the number of horses on island, etc). And I was struck by reading about how susceptible Assateague Island is to climate change. Any change of the sea level would have detrimental effect to the island. Or, as large storms become larger and more often, they too can be extremely damaging to the island. The island is fragile and its natural beauty is certainly worth protecting.
When we arrived in Greensboro, our first stop was the Woolworth Building and Civil Rights Center and Museum. While it wasn’t the site of first lunch counter sit-in during the civil rights era, it was one of the most instrumental. This sit-in was led by college and high school students and sparked similar sit-ins throughout the country. Unfortunately, we only had 30 minutes here before they closed for the day and we weren’t able to take in much of the museum. However, we were still able to see the actual lunch counter where the sit-in it occurred and watch a reenactment video. It was very powerful.
Having already parked the RV in downtown Greensboro (thankfully it was after business hours and I was able to find a surface lot to park in), we took the opportunity to go out to a nice sit down meal. While we have eaten out every few days or so on this trip, most of the time it is whatever food we can find that is coinvent off of a freeway exit and what has easy parking (you can take a guess at the these types of restaurants). This was a good change of pace and way to end the day before heading to our KOA campground for the night.
A few pictures from the day:
