On the 19th we drove to Virginia Beach, and instead of doing what most people do in Virginia Beach (go to the beach) we chose to do the exact opposite (visit a U.S. military site). Fort Story on Cape Henry is the location where, having heard of Boston but in search of a better climate, English settlers made their first landing. In this photo Derek learns all about the original landing, on the subject of which he is now Virginia's foremost expert.

Actually Fort Story has a beach, which Derek discovered. Here he expands his already impressive knowledge of settlers who landed on the beach.

... more beach ...

The fort maintains two lighthouses. The better painted one is the standard Victorian lighthouse one finds all along the east coast (each has its own distinct back-and-white pattern to help with navigation). It is not open to the public, but the older one next to it (which it replaced) can be visited by travellers who pay money to climb stairs.

Derek approaches the old lighthouse, which was the first public works project in the United States after the signing of the Constitution. It is rumored that George Washington personally heard about the building of this lighthouse from a friend.

The view of the new lighthouse from the top of the old one. I don't know who these people are.

After Cape Henry Derek and I drove to Yorktown, where we found this monument behind some bushes. Yorktown is the location where the British surrendered at the end of the war we call the American Revolution, but which the Brits insist was called "The War for American Independence." In fact it was this dispute, as well as the spelling of the word colour, that was the primary cause of the war. Ironically Yorktown is not far from Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement (permanent, but for some reason no longer there, so we didn't stop by).

We did make a stop in Colonial Williamsburg, a theme park that is free as long as you don't ask the villagers any questions. Williamsburg is made up of original town buildings, including this church ...

... and the stuff on this street.

Two days later, as a reward for painting part of Derek's house, we went on a drive to the Natural Bridge, and noticed on a map that Appomattox was on the way. So we dropped by.

Appomattox (though not the courthouse itself) was the location where Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant met to catch up on old times and discuss Lee's surrender. This was 1865, and the United States had just endured a long unpleasantness that we call the Civil War, but that many people in the South call "The War of Northern Aggression." This illustration shows the participants in the surrender.

This is Appomattox courthouse, which fell into ruin and caught on fire, but was rebuilt by the National Parks service.

But the surrender really occurred in the McLean House, a family house down the road.

The new jail at Appomattox. Though the town was a major historical site, the town center was moved to keep things interesting, so no new development occured after the war. For this reason buildings like this still exist, and the town looks much as it did in April of 1865.

The Natural Bridge in western Virginia was once considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world, until the discovery of flying squirrels pushed it to number eight. Though it has been on a downward trend ever since, it is still impressive and useful: a major highway still crosses it, since it spans between two mountains.

George Washington, who was a surveyor before he was promoted to General, left his initials on the rock face. They are in the dark indentation in the upper middle of the photo.

The walk under the bridge goes on for some distance, and at the end there is a waterfall where we spotted an large bird.

And on the way back, some spiders.

The very next day we drove to North Carolina and made our first stop in Kill Devil Hills, near Kitty Hawk on the Outer Banks. A windy, sandy location in 1903, the Wright Brothers visited it from Ohio (license plate slogan: "The Birthplace of Aviation") to make their manned flight attempts, that saw their first success on December 17th. For this reason North Carolina's license plate slogan is "First in Flight." In North Carolina this license plate disagreement is often called "The War of Ohio Agression." This photo shows part of the original engine.

A survey marker at Kill Devil Hills. History, of course, records the flight as having happened in Kitty Hawk. The Wrights probaby intended it this way. Imagine them saying, "We intend to sit in a flying machine and soar into the sky, and we plan to do it in Kill Devil Hills." It wouldn't exactly attract investors.

Derek stands near one of the markers indicating the distance of a successful flight on December 17th, 1903.

And I pose near the last marker, at 852 feet. The flight lasted nearly a minute.

From the airstrip you get a good view of the monument, now overlooking a grassy landscape.

At the monument.

Further down the Outer Banks is the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, which has the unusual distinction of having been moved to protect it from soil erosion. It didn't fall down. Again, the lighthouse has its own distinct painted pattern.

The spiral stairs in the Cape Hatteras lighthouse.

Derek looks out to sea, and between him and the beach you can see the cut path along which the lighthouse was relocated to its present location in 1999. The 2,900-foot move took 23 days. It didn't fall down.

Another view down, looking toward the Keepers' Quarters. The lighthouse is 208 feet tall, the tallest brick lighthouse in the country.

We pose on the lighthouse.

At the base of the lighthouse is an original inscription bearing the coordinates of the structure, and the inserted paper on the right indicates the revised coordinates.