My daughter C and I continued our quest to treat Washington, D.C., like just any other posting—to get out and about to see the sights and soak up as many recreational activities as we can while in the U.S. September 2024 was a good month for my daughter C and me as we managed to squeeze in a couple more activities around northern Virginia and take a weekend trip down to the historic triangle of southeastern Virginia.
We started the month with a local hike at Donaldson Run with longtime friends, the Ps. I have known the mom, NP, for 20 years now. We met when we both started working as research associates at the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University, took the Foreign Service Oral Assessment the same month in 2008, we were both pregnant with our first kiddos in 2011, and today we each have over a dozen years with the State Department. One of the great things about serving in Washington is having close friends like the Ps here now as well.
Donaldson Run Park is a lush, 30-acre wooded area in Arlington, VA that borders two other parks and is bounded by the Potomac River. We met the Ps for a lovely three-hour hike through the woods to the river. The trail involved crossing the rock-strewn Run a few times; the bushes were full of blooming orange touch-me-nots. We rested a bit at the Potomac, watching several groups of kayakers. A few leaves had already begun to turn and I expect the scene would be even more beautiful in full autumnal colors.
C and I also had the opportunity to see the Cirque du Soleil show “Ovo” at the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. This is the second year in a row we have caught a touring Cirque show, so fingers crossed they come back again next year. This year was C’s second Cirque show and my eighth. Per usual, Cirque du Soleil did not disappoint.
To round out our month, my C and I took a mini holiday trip to the Williamsburg and Surry area in southeastern Virginia. Once again, C’s taking part in Scouting America led me to find a new and interesting event to attend. C wants to pursue the Indian Lore merit badge because her grandfather belongs to the Seneca Nation. The Seneca are matrilineal, so C’s father is not a member of the tribe and neither is C, but she is interested in the culture. This past summer, her grandparents, who live on tribal land in upstate New York, took her to the Seneca-Iroquois National Museum. They also gifted her and her cousin a tribal flag and a deer plushie, representing their clan. C had just missed the annual Seneca powwow, so I did a little research online and found that the Nottoway, also an Iroquoian tribe, would have their annual powwow in Surry in September. I built our getaway around that event.
We drove the 2 1/2 hours southeast to Williamsburg, Virginia on Friday evening so we would be up bright and early on Saturday. It was an absolutely glorious morning! I had planned on our taking the Jamestown-Scotland ferry, a free Virginia Department of Transportation-operated ferry across the James River. I think there are not many such ferry services left in the U.S. and I wanted C to experience it. I recall when I was a student at William & Mary in the 1990s, I took the ferry once to drive around Surry, likely in search of some peanut pie from the old Surry House Restaurant, which sadly closed in 2011.
I very much enjoyed the 20-minute journey across the river. A group of recreational cyclists from Pennsylvania taking the ferry for a 60-mile ride on the other side, asked me to take their photo. Lots of people were out of their vehicles enjoying the weather and the view. C reluctantly got out of the car for a few obligatory photos. Sigh.
After disembarkation, we drove over to Bacon’s Castle. It is a rare example of high Jacobean architecture; one of only three such buildings that survive in the western hemisphere, and the only one in the U.S. (the other two are in Barbados). Constructed in 1655 by Arthur Allen, it is also the oldest standing brick building in the U.S. The mansion came to be known as Bacon’s Castle as some followers of Nathaniel Bacon, who led an armed uprising in 1676 (that has come to be known as Bacon’s Rebellion), reportedly occupied the home. My nerdy little historic heart beat with excitement. C tolerated the visit. We first strolled around the grounds with an online guide and then joined a house tour. The young guide, who told me he was a long-time history buff but was changing his college major to marine biology, was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. His zest however dragged out the hour-long tour. At 90 minutes, C and I made our exit.
We drove down the road to the Surry County Parks and Recreation Center on the other side of town to attend the annual powwow of the Nottoway tribe. In the center of the grounds, a circle had been cordoned off for ceremonial storytelling, dancing, and other presentations; this was the arena or sacred circle. Spectators stood or sat in folding chairs or on the grass around the arena and then in an outer circle vendors were selling native food and crafts.
We arrived in time to observe the Grand Entry. The Chief, other prominent members of the tribe, and invited tribal dancers, all costumed in their own regalia, ceremoniously entered the arena to the beat of drums. It was both solemn and stirring. I felt a great sense of privilege to be among the observers.
Following the Grand Entry (no photos allowed and no hats — the Master of Ceremonies went around the circle chastising the clueless observers who had ignored the multiple entreaties to remove any and all head coverings among the crowd), the MC invited other dancers, veterans, and family members of those who served in the military to come to the circle to dance. C asked me if she could do so in her father’s stead (C’s dad is former Navy) and I said she could. I had not expected she would want to take part. She took it very seriously and was proud to do so. We watched several more dances, had lunch, and C bought some bracelets.
On Sunday morning, we drove to Yorktown Battlefield, part of the Colonial National Historic Park. Confession time: I was a student at the College of William & Mary, only a 15-minute drive from Yorktown, for 2 1/2 years (I was a transfer student from another college). And I loved American history; I was very nearly a history major! One might think I would have found my way to the national battlefield where the last major battle of the U.S.’ war for independence occurred, but alas, I did not. Well, I was finally making up for it.
We stopped in at the visitor’s center to walk through the small, but informative museum, watch the National Park Service (NPS) film, and pick up the NPS brochure. Then we set out on a driving tour of the battlefield sites while listening to snippets of information from a free app. The first few sites were of the variety where one really had to use one’s imagination. A field, perhaps mowed, maybe overgrown; old earthen embankments used for battle long ago covered over with wildflowers and weeds. And an informative plaque to describe how it might have looked 200+ years ago. We stopped at the Yorktown National Cemetery, which, though along the Revolutionary War battlefield route, is actually a Civil War cemetery.
After the first few sites, the route meandered through the woods and along a waterway. Though it was a grey, overcast morning, the natural sites were beautiful and colorful. A few trees had turned; I wondered how much more vibrant it would be in the height of autumn. I realized I had made a mistake allotting only 2 1/2 hours in Yorktown. We had only time for this short stop-and-go drive. There is hiking and biking along many trails; one could easily spend an entire day or two, and that does not include the nearby historic town of Yorktown, which is probably worthy of a day or two in and of itself.
It was a nice getaway and a nice month for a few outings during the tail end of summer for the year.
The Wanderlust Diaries 