Over the Ocean and Through the Tunnel

... to Virginia Beach we go.

Over the ocean

 And through the tunnel - under the ocean

I think the bridge-tunnel is about 17 miles long with 2 tunnels, each about a mile long which run under the navigation channels.  I could go on and on, but if you're interested in more, you can find the history here.

I've been promising for years to take Michael over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  This week was THE week that we finally made the trip.

We left on Tuesday morning and drove down through Maryland and across the bridge to Virginia Beach.  Of course we had to stop at the lookout points on both ends of the bridge to see where we were going and where we had been.

We stopped at the little cafe on the bridge - sat by the window at the little cafe on the bridge and enjoyed something to drink (and some great fries) and an amazing view of the ocean with huge oil tankers and container ships going by - passing over the tunnel part of the bridge.

We saw air boats that seemed to be almost flying - hovering on the surface of the water, surrounded by huge sprays of water and mist.  Our server told us that they are military - probably marines?  With a Naval base so close, I would think it would be Navy, but hey... what do I know?  I'm just a tourist!

It was a beautiful day - temperature in the mid 70's and sunny.  A great day to travel (especially south).

We arrived in Virginia Beach where Michael made a reservation for a suite at the Marriott right on the ocean.  It was FANTASTIC!  We had a sitting room with a loveseat and chair... also a little kitchen with a table and chairs where you could sit and look out on the water.

We spent a great deal of time sitting on the balcony in the sun, listening to the sound of the waves on the sand - watching people walk, run, roller blade and bike (Oh!  And skateboard) along the boardwalk (which, unlike the boardwalks in New Jersey and Delaware, is not made of boards of any kind).

 View from our balcony - looking south

The beach from our balcony

The boardwalk in Virginia Beach is concrete - great for biking and skating with a wide walking/running path right along the beach.  There was also a two-lane bike path next to the walking path, separated by shrubs in lovely beds.  I'm sure there are many "locals" who take advantage of such a beautiful place to enjoy the beach and the ocean air.

You can see the walkway closest to the beach then a small strip - 

then the bike path with lanes separated by a yellow line

bikers along the bike path

We took a stroll (or in my case, I "scooted" with my scooter) down the boardwalk and found this huge statue of Neptune.  The statue was privately funded by the Neptune Festival. The statue is 12.5 ton, made of bronze -  26 ft height and includes one 8 ft octopus, two 17 ft. dolphin and the 11 ft. sea turtle in hand; plus 12 fish and a 5 ft lobster.  Pretty cool!

Thanks to Greg and Amy's great Christmas present last year of my Kindle, I sat on the balcony late tonight, listening to the ocean and enjoying my latest book.

What a great day!