Virginia: Day 2

While we were in Lynchburg we came up with our version of traveling Bingo.  What kind of things could we try to find as we traveled this week?

Some of the things that made the list:
- A South Carolina license plate
- A fire truck
- A home-painted truck
- A sign that says "birthplace of..."
- "Virginia is for Lovers" bumper sticker

After breakfast in Lynchburg we made our way to Thomas Jefferson's house.  This was a place I have wanted to visit for many years and I was excited to finally be here.

The tour was excellent and very interesting.  One of the items that caught my attention was the ice house.  A large circular container under the house where ice was collected during the winter and stored here.  It would keep ice all summer long that would be used to help preserve meat and other foods.

We also took a tour outside the house that talked about the slaves that lived on the plantation.  This tour was interesting and helped explain all the industries that were taking place on the plantation.

Thomas Jefferson is buried near the house in a small cemetery.  The cemetery is fenced in but you can get close enough to toss a nickle onto the stone.  I'm not sure about the tradition but based on the number of coins laying on the stone, there seems to be one.

After leaving the house we traveled just a few miles into Charlottesville where we wanted to see the University of Virginia - also designed by Thomas Jefferson.

 The rotunda at UVA is being restored and contained a lot of scaffolding.  It was still an interesting stop to learn more about it.  

 We made our way behind the rotunda and into the yard.

The design of these buildings and the yard feels very unique and was worth the short walk to see it. 

Before stopping for the night we decided to drive over to Staunton where we found, and stayed at, the historic Stonewall Jackson Hotel.

We took an evening walk around historic Staunton and fell in love with the atmosphere and beauty of the town.

Day 3 includes a few stops that we hadn't planned but discovered during our first two days in Virginia.