The initial part of today’s journey took us across the Newport News shipping channel, and then past Norfolk and Portsmouth. The busy ports were left behind as we wound our way down the Elizabeth River and Deep Creek to the entrance of the Dismal Swamp Canal. We passed through the first (of two) lock today, and traveled to mile 28 of the canal. There is a welcome center and state park here. We’ll spend the night at their dock and move on toward Elizabeth City in the morning. The canal has a rich history and is the oldest continually operating waterway in the country. Both George Washington and Patrick Henry were involved in its planning. Today the dismal swamp is a wildlife preserve. Although we did not see any bears or bobcats, we did see many dragonflies, butterflies, and …flies. The dug canal channel is perfectly straight, and narrow, and surrounded by intensely dense vegetation. It also crosses the VA/NC state line … welcome to North Carolina!
