Summer In The Northern Neck

Yeah, we had never heard of it either. However, this peninsula, bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers in northeastern VA is a great example of the kinds of new places that we hope to get to know during our US travels.

We arrived at the beginning of August and were welcomed by Hurricane Isaias. Thank you, 2020, for continuing to induce anxiety about our decision to live in a structure not secured to the ground. Our NOAA weather radio (I knew we would need one of those) waking and alerting us that we needed to seek shelter from a tornado in the area.

Our home for the next 3 months was at Belle Mount, a previous camping resort turned winery turned National Wildlife Refuge. We had planned to stay close to NC this year as Michael transitioned to working from the RV. I had secured an RV Volunteer job at the Rappahannock River Valley NWR here, enticed by getting to work with their wildlife biologist. In exchange for my volunteer hours, 40 per week, we got to live on the Refuge for free my blood, sweat, and tears. It was like dispersed camping on public land, except with full hookups, and with another RV Volunteer couple (Betty and Mike) that quickly became friends.

So what exactly did I do on the Refuge? The biology portion was mainly invasive species work and assisting the wildlife biologist, Lauren, on surveys. The main takeaway from my experience with Lauren is as follows: One does not need a previously forged trail. Just put on your big girl briar pants and a sturdy pair of waterproof boots and off you go!

One survey that I did with Lauren was of Northern Diamondback Terrapins in Bay waters around Plum Tree Island NWR. We counted how many terrapins we saw as we cruised around the island on a skiff. The things wildlife biologists dream of. What made this extra interesting is that Plum Tree Island is a former military bomb testing place. This means there are lots of live bombs on the island and surrounding water. She said, “Don’t worry, I have good maps. And if we get in shallow water, I’ll pull the engine up.” Umm, okay.

I also did some maintenance work. The types of things where Michael’s, or anyone’s really, assistance would have been beneficial. In fact, many times I begged him to come, but always settling on his FaceTime help. The number of times I heard “Mary, I HAVE TO WORK!”

We loved that Belle Mount had private access for kayaking and bald eagle watching on Cat Point Creek. In fact, one of the reasons that the RRV NWR was established is because of the year-round and migrating Bald Eagles and other birds. The Rappahannock River and its surrounding tributaries are significant for wildlife because they are the northernmost rivers on the east coast that do not completely freeze in the winter.

We found a little time to have fun and enjoy the local food and beverage establishments. If Old Bay flavored seafood is your thing then this is the place for you. There were also several breweries and wineries dotting the otherwise corn and soy covered landscape.