POCAHONTAS STATE PARK (VA)



WEDNESDAY - After a short drive of just under 100-miles we landed in Pocahontas State Park which is located on the outskirts of the southern edge of the capitol city of Richmond, VA.

It's a pretty large park with water and electric on each site. There's also a dump station on the way out of the campground.

After we were all set up I got on the internet to find another place to camp after we leave here. We've got reservations at yet another Virginia State Park for 3-nights, but these $40 per night camping fees are ruining our budget.

We would like to average $15 a night, but after 6½-years on the road we are averaging $19.41, that's still not too bad.

That equates to our monthly "rent" being just over $582, that pretty affordable.


I knew there was an Army Corp of Engineers reservoir down at the Virginia/North Carolina border, but they close all 4 campgrounds there on November 1st, or so I thought.

I noticed one of them actually only stops taking reservations on November 1st, and then transfers over to becoming a First Come First Serve campground.

Just to be safe I called and spoke to the Camp Host to get details of what the situation actually is. He informed me that yes, on November 1st there are only 25-sites that remain open on a First Come First Serve basis, but the other 175+ sites are indeed closed for the season.

He also told me that the park was more than half full today (100+ sites occupied) and that people who were already on Sites 78-103 on October 31st would have the first chance of simply extending their visit.

I immediately booked Site #78 for October 31st for just one night at $17, thanks to our Lifetime Senior Pass, and will simply stay another 4-nights after that at $10 a night, thanks to the off season price reduction.

That will mean a savings of $150, minus the $10 cancelation fee for each of the two State Park reservations.



THURSDAY - WE don't have to be off our campsite until 1:00PM, so we have a little time to take care of a few chores this morning.

As soon as Tricia got back from her morning walk (sorry no photos) we threw the dirty laundry into the truck and headed out, but first we need some breakfast.

The only place that can put a smile on Tricia's face that comes anywhere close to her "Publix smile" is a "First Watch" smile. We saw this place on our way into the campground and I knew we would be having breakfast there before we left town.

Can you guess which breakfast is mine and which is Tricia's?


After breakfast it was time to drop Tricia at the laundromat and for me to head out to the hardware store and gas station.

I need to find a solution to keep our GPS unit in it's dashboard holder when we hit large bumps in the road. I've got an inexpensive idea in mind, let's hope it works out.



I'm going to end this post here and just so you know we made it off the site with 30-minutes to spare.



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BELLE ISLE STATE PARK (VA)



SUNDAY - When we were driving out of the Prince William Forest Park this morning Tricia made the comment that she thought there was more color in the trees than when we arrived three days ago.

Looking at the next six photos I'd have to agree!

These were all taken in less than 8-minutes while driving along a short stretch of the 6-mile long Scenic Drive that you use to exit the park.


FALL COLORS IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA


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This is what you get if you're at the right place at the right time!
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Since we had very poor cell phone reception and I couldn't use the Starlink dish due to the heavy tree cover I got no blogpost work done all weekend.

Our solution was to hitch up and leave the campground early, drive 30-minutes down the road to a Walmart parking lot, and have Tricia go into the store and do a little shopping while I sit in THE POD and work on the previous blogpost.

Thanks mostly to the 57 photos in the Mount Vernon slideshow we were there for several hours before I had the post ready for Tricia to proofread.


We did take one more fall color photo, this one complete with an Amish horse and buggy traveling on the highway's shoulder. They did have blinking red tail lights on the buggy to warn approaching motorists of their presence.


Anyway, by 1:30PM we were on our way to travel the last 75-miles to this campsite at Belle Isle State Park. It's a huge site compared to our last one.

This one has water and electric hookups, but costs $40 a night instead of just $13 like last night.



MONDAY - Tricia takes what I think are some of her best photos on her early morning walks.

Officially the "Golden Hour" is considered to be the last hour before sunset and the first hour after sunrise.

For Tricia, her "Golden Hour" appears to be a half hour before and a half hour after sunrise, which creates the perfect lighting for her style of photography.

Take a look at the following slideshow and you'll see what I mean. These photos were all taken between 7:15AM & 8:00AM with sunrise at 7:27AM this morning here in Lancaster, VA.


THE GOLDEN HOUR


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Tricia startled a deer out foraging in the soy bean field.
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During the summer months the park rents out kayaks and canoes.
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They even have a dock dedicated to launching personal watercraft from.
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Don't worry the fishermen are well taken care of too.
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There were several of these shack like structures out on the water?
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It won't be long now before the sun breaks over the trees.
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This looks like a quiet place to watch for wildlife.
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There are several birdhouses scattered around to attract the birds.
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The skies are beginning to lighten up.
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Sunrise over the soybean fields.
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The trees are coming alive with fall colors.
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Even the soybean fields are becoming photo worthy.
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One last photo before it's time to head back in for breakfast.


Five hours later, after lunch, we drove around the entire park and revisited the Mulberry Creek Boardwalk where Tricia walked this morning and took the following photos.

They're still nice photos, but without the perfect lighting, and the mist on the water, they just seem to be lacking.

Instead of deer in the field, we have large equipment harvesting the soybean crop.

The mist over the water is all gone and blue skies are overhead.

Not quite the same photo without the misty morning sunlight.

This still looks like a quiet place to spot wildlife.

This large (possibly eagle) nest was overlooked in the early morning light.



TUESDAY - Have you ever come home from a vacation from someplace where it was go, go, go for a week straight? Some place like DisneyWorld!

Did you feel relieved to go back to work where you could relax and recuperate from your vacation?

That's kind of the way Tricia and I are feeling after three back to back to back days in Washington D.C. followed by a full day touring around Mount Vernon.

With no jobs to go back to we just retreated into THE POD in a quiet state park campground. That's why there's no "real" sightseeing photos or stories in this post, maybe for the next few posts too.

But don't give up on us, we'll get back out there soon!



Looking for our Visited States Map and Data?
How about our State by State Bucket Lists or Visited Campgrounds List?

If so, click on the image below to be taken to our other website.



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