Day 38 The Dismal Swamp

"Finally made it to the Great Dismal Swamp Welcome Center. The 18 miles to get here was untouched Cypress forests with very little signs of civilization. The waters were tranquil; there were turtles sunning and birds talking all along the way. We were boating with 3 sailboats so it was a slow go, but that was fine. Made it to the Swamp lock and swing bridge which has been there forever. They are both run by the same guy with his little dachshund. After he open and closes the lock, he jumps in his pick-up and goes over and opens the bridge a 1/8 mile down the canal. He's been doing this for 3 decades. The Welcome Center is also a rest stop for a highway - very unexpected. We thought we would be out in the middle of...well, a swamp. The history of this place is fascinating dating back to George Washington who purchased like 400 acres as an investment. It didn't pan out so he eventually sold his land to Gen. Robert E. Lee's daddy, who was a poor businessman. He ended up selling it back to Washington's heirs. Much later, slaves dug it out around 1800 to make it passable again. The people in charge made them "earn" their blankets, so if it got cold and the slave didn't have a blanket, he would roll in the swamp mud and coat himself with layers to keep warm. Ironically, decades later, the swamp and canal became part of the Underground Railroad. The stories go on and on. So back to present day - there is limited dockage here at the Welcome Center so we are doing our first "rafting". Fortunately, the couple next to us are very nice and very informative about the Chesapeake Bay, our next stop. They are heading south and said the next part of our trip (heading north) is more remote and  scenic. We may see some wildlife like bobcats, deer or bears. Hoping to see more than trucks and motorcycles stopping to use the restroom and nasty green flies.