We visited VA Beach in May of this year (2018). Although Chad used to live in the area for the Navy, it had been nearly 25 years since he was there. I (Tara) had never been there and never really spent any time in the state of Virginia. (that is going to change!)
We arrived in Virginia Beach exhausted after two long days of travel, a traffic jam and a wrong turn down a residential street that Chad would end up having to back the rig all the way back up! By the time we finally arrived at First Landing State Park, most of the good “first-come-first-serve” spots were already taken, so we settled on a site that backed up to the noisy Shore Drive. Luckily, we were able to move sites the next morning and ended up with a beach house for the week!! We got the best site in the entire park and had amazing views!!
Although Chad lived in the area for 5 years, he had never ridden a motorcycle across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. So, we did just that!! It was both amazing and a bit scary (for me at least). There are 2 underwater tunnels and 3 bridges that landed us over on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and, eventually to Cape Charles. Cape Charles was a charming little town that gave us a feeling of stepping back in time.
During our stay, Chad was able to reconnect with a longtime friend of his, Dave, and his two boys. It was great for me to spend time with them as well and for Dave to show us around town (and to treat us to the best sushi ever!)
We were able to get on the motorcycle (Lucile) a second time, so we could check out the other side of First Landing State Park and for Chad to show me around the beach strip.
For a first-timer to Virginia Beach, I loved it!!! And for Chad, it was great for him to go back to a place where he spent so much time and made so many memories. We even took a civilian tour of his old workplace – Norfolk Naval Base / Naval Air Station!!
I hope to get back to First Landing and (hopefully) get Site 7 again!! Our time in Virginia was not limited to VA Beach, so stay tuned for our an upcoming video on Williamsburg!!
Instagram: changinglanesrv.com…
Facebook: changinglanesrv.com…
