Charlottesville KOA, VA

It was smooth sailing until we got on 64W about 40 miles from Charlottesville when traffic came to a complete stop.  Luckily there was no bad accident just road work so we made our way to the Charlottesville KOA and got settled in.  Later in the afternoon a rental class B pulled in across from us and we met the nicest 2 Aussie guys that were in the area for a bluegrass/fiddling week.  We got cleaned up and headed to town for some dinner and when we got back to the campground the Aussies had a crowd and they were picking n grinning, we joined in and had a nice evening.

Jerry & Hercules

Friday morning we walked around the campground and were not impressed.  It was run down, pool area was in need of some serious work (they did have a sign up stating that they had plans to renovate soon), laundry facilities were good but you could just tell they haven't done much.  Rating is a 2.  We did buy the KOA card as we were having to stay in them more than we would have like to so we will see if it pays off in the long run.

The reason for our stop in Charlottesville is the fact that we were married here by the Justice of the Peace almost 22 years ago on the 20th of September and wanted to retrace our steps.  We drove by 200 South Street Inn where we stayed.

Once we got downtown we were happy to discovery it was free music concert night.  We bought an over priced beer and join in on the fun.  Back home they had free concerts nights but we never went because we were always working or it was too hot.  Being retired is great!  Anyway, we found this graffiti wall, I thought it was the coolest thing so naturally we had to leave our mark.

We wandered through the streets enjoying the sights. 

 People watching is such a Hoot!  Some people will do anything to get attention.

The Rope Man

Before it got dark we tried to find the court house that we were married at but no such luck, but we did find the restaurant that we ate at.  It was Italian when we were last there and now it is good home cooking and called Henrys.

               It's downstairs and the glass front on the building is new, so we almost didn't recognize it.

It was a pleasant evening so we sat outside, talked to the friendly owner that waited on us, enjoyed a nice meal and people watched. 

On Saturday we had planned to go tubing down the James River but first needed to go to town because my phone had ceased working.  Anyway, we figured we could make the last run down the river but when we got there we were told their schedule had changed and we had a old brochure that we got from the KOA, damn.  Since we were already there we checked it out.  It sure looked like it would have been fun but we will do it somewhere else sometime as we were leaving the next day.  The local sheriff shows up when the sun burnt, drunk floater start to arrive.  If they have a beverage in their hand and step onto land that is a warning, do it again and you are arrested.

The landing point is at the Hatton Ferry and the operator told us all about its history and operation.

 

Hatton Ferry is a cable ferry located 5.5 miles west of Scottsville, Virginia on the James River. It is the last poled ferry in the United States. The ferry crosses the river upstream of Scottsville between Albemarle County and Buckingham County.

 

The Hatton ferry is a flat-bottomed boat with its deck only a few inches above the waterline. Two cables are attached to each of the boat's ends and guided by an overhead wire connecting the two river banks about 700 feet away. The cables control the ferry in its passage, allowing the stern to swing downstream while stabilizing the prow.
The boat is caught at an angle by the regular current and floats across the river. As the ferry approaches the riverbank, the ferryman cranks a hand winch to retract the cable at the boat's stern. With a few jabs of the ferryman's pole at the trip's end, the ferry slips onto its landing.
James A. Brown began operating a store and ferry at this site in the late 1870s. A few years later, he bought the land and the store became a stop on the Richmond and Allegheny Railroad which was built along the towpath of the James River and Kanawha Canal in the 1880s.
In 1914, James B. Tindall purchased the store, ferry, and ferry rights. He operated the ferry until 1940 when it was taken over by the Virginia Department of Highways. A new ferry was built by the Virginia Department of Transportation, and it was rededicated in September 1973.

Since we couldn't going tubing we returned to the caravan and took our cooler to the pool.

Our campsite

Our every changing Picture Window.

Leaving tomorrow headed to Maryland.