Leaving York Beach the other day, we headed north along the coastal route.
.
.
Past the park…
.
.
And down to Cape Neddick….
.
.
Home to the (famous in these parts) Nubble Light.
.
.
Built in 1878 at the cost of $15,000, Nubble is still in use today and contains its original Fresnel lens.
Fun fact?
Nubble Light is a famous American icon and a classic example of a lighthouse. An image of the lighthouse is included on the Voyager Golden Record carried by the Voyager spacecraft as one of Earth’s most prominent man-made structures or natural features, alongside features such as the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal, to be viewed should it fall into the hands of intelligent extraterrestrials.
And though my picture looks like you could just walk right up and explore, the lighthouse actually sits on an island and is inaccessible to the public.
.
.
No matter, the scenery is pretty sweet from this side as well.
We’d heard quite a few locals mention Hunting Island lighthouse (which is the only lighthouse in South Carolina open to the public) and since we were in the area, we decided to check it out.
.
.
Paying the unexpected entry fee at the gate, we drove down the twisting, turning road.
.
.
It felt a bit like the forest primeval with dense vegetation and palms lining both sides.
.
.
At the end there was a parking lot and our first glimpse of the lighthouse.
.
.
The views of the Sea Islands were supposed to be great from the top and I was anxious to climb.
.
.
We approached…
.
.
Entered the gated area….
.
.
Took the required wind blown selfie…
.
.
And after climbing the entry steps to the door… read the sign saying it was closed.
Of course it was.
Thank you Mr. Gatekeeper for taking our money but not sharing that fact. Grr. 😡
Was it worth the $20? Sure.
.
.
See there? That used to be the light keeper’s house.
.
.
And my husband found a fascinating rail contraption used to move the lamp oil.
If you’re not a fan of museums, or history, or naval war battles and the Civil War Ironclads?
Please feel free to skip the next dozen posts because that’s probably how long it’s going to take me to document this amazing place in Newport News, Virginia.
It was an overcast day that was threatening rain so I thought this would be a good choice. I had no idea what to expect and was ready to pay a large ticket price… so imagine my surprise when I saw this.
My first reaction was… man, this place must bite.
But oh, was I wrong.
Upon arrival this magnificent eagle greets you.
It’s a remarkable carving and was lovingly restored from it’s original perch on the bow of this ship.
Look closely, it’s there. And gives you some perspective of how large those ships really were.
Next up was a light.
But not just any light.
And if these were the items in the lobby?
I knew we were going to have a great day.
There are 2 distinct areas of the museum to visit, but being a Civil War buff? I had to choose this first.
The Ironclads.
If you know nothing about them? Hang on.
You will by the time I’m through with you.
Great.
Let’s continue….
Turning the corner, we entered this bizarrely blue movie theater that told the story of the Monitor’s sinking.
Turn another corner…. and there she was.
Right under your feet.
And by watching the films, you come to realize how truly dedicated these people are to preserving history.
I found it quite moving.
Around the next corner…
Some interesting artifacts and a glimpse into our Naval past.
I tend to read faster than the husband and am always a few exhibits ahead.
Interestingly enough most people think of the Battle of the Ironclads as the Monitor vs the Merrimack, but technically that’s incorrect.
This was the Merrimack.
She was originally a Union ship that was captured by the Confederates when Gosport fell.
She was damaged, but thanks to this man…
Would be overhauled, covered in iron plate and turned into the CSS Virginia.
The Confederate’s Ironclad.
This is the museum’s recreation of her outfitting.
And what she looked like upon completion.
The Merrimack no longer.
There, you’ve learned something.
Now that wasn’t so bad… eh?
No! Not boring.
It’s history!
And how many of your friends can say they’ve seen inside a Civil War Ironclad?
None, I tell you!
None.
But now you have…
And are sure to be the envy of all your neighbors at the next block party.
The forecast for Veteran’s Day was warm and bright so we decided to book passage on the Steamship Authority’s car ferry over to the Vineyard. This is something I’ve always wanted to do and I was tickled pink. Having no idea where, how much, or when…. we dropped by the ticketing office the night before and were rewarded with these –
Free tickets for the husband.
How sweet was that?
We reserved a spot on the 9:30am ferry from Woods Hole and were told to arrive half an hour before departure. Ever the type A personality, I made sure we were there 45 minutes prior and as soon as we pulled up, they pointed us towards the 8:15 freight trip and boom!
We were on board.
With a giant load of Christmas trees.
Being used to small Maine island ferries, I was amazed at how large these ships were.
And how clean, and how spacious, and what great views they afforded.
We happily roamed around taking pictures…
And found a snack bar!
Okay…. it wasn’t open off season, but still. If you want a snack on a Maine ferry? You better dig in your purse for that crushed pack of Nabs from 2003.
And then, before we knew it….
We were there.
Approaching Vineyard Haven.
And yes, it was just as beautiful and quintessentially coastal New England as you would imagine.
Here’s another ferry getting ready to depart, so you can see how large they are.
We had booked an 8:30pm trip back, so we arrived ready to spend the whole day exploring.
Of course none of the tourist information kiosks were open this time of year and we had no utter clue where we were going. ( I didn’t find this map until we were ready to leave.)
River's world..... 