Fun in the Sun at Dam Neck

We left Richmond and headed to our next stop: the campground at Naval Air Station Oceana’s Dam Neck Annex, which is in Virginia Beach.

Here’s some history: The Dam Neck site is located on Virginia’s Atlantic shore near where the first Jamestown settlers landed and where the infamous Blackbeard and other pirates were said to have buried treasures. This area is also where battles of the Revolutionary War were fought, where Blue and Gray clashed during the Civil War, and where German submarines sank American shipping vessels within yards of the beach during World War II.

Today, the Annex is a training facility for fleet readiness.

We drove through the Base to our campground. Imagine our delight when we were greeted at the campground entrance by the Campground Host!

We learned that Campground Host Frankie (that’s her name!) changes outfits to stay current with upcoming holiday celebrations. We caught her in her July 4 regalia!

We quickly pulled into our spot, hooked up (the type of hook up that lasts more than one night: sewer, water, electric), and ran out to the beach!

We learned from a young couple in Asheville how to capture the iconic “jump for joy” pose. They told us this pose is a “must” for cool Instagram shots. And, since we’re hip, young Instagram stars, we decided to start perfecting the pose. Next, maybe we’ll learn what Instagram is… 😉

On our way back to Tinkerbell, we noticed a sign at the entrance to the beach. We probably should have read it BEFORE we exuberantly tossed off our shoes and ran out onto the beach. Butt, honestly, at first glance I thought it was a sign about fried chicken.

The U.S. Navy tested small arms munitions and mortars at Dam Neck in the 1940’s and 1950’s. Apparently, an unknown number of UXOs (unexploded ordnances) may – or may not – remain buried in the sand at the military beach where happy campers build sandcastles and frolic blissfully in the ocean.

We settled in and mapped out our itinerary for the next six days. There were a few things we absolutely, positively wanted to accomplish during our stay at Virginia Beach:

Get in a good walk or two or five (that would be me)
Lounge in the sun on the beach (again, me)
Eat Maryland blue crabs (again, me… butt Jay is not far behind)
Play with the dogs on the beach (and in the ocean)! (both of us)
See the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean (mostly Jay)

I managed to get in a few 5-mile walks during our stay. Walking in the sand worked out a completely different set of muscles than my normal asphalt walks.

I enjoyed my walks on the Navy Base. It’s motivating to be around young people who are in excellent physical condition. The sailors train, exercise, and work hard to keep themselves in good shape.

I got up early in the mornings (to beat the heat) and started my walks at sunrise. Every morning at 8 a.m. sharp, Navy personnel raise the United States flag at various buildings around the Base.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is played through loudspeakers positioned around the Base. As soon as the first notes play, all outside activity comes to a complete stop. You literally stop walking. You stop talking. You stop your vehicle (even in the middle of the street, which is okay since everyone else stops as well). You stop anything you are doing. And you stand at attention (or at least respectively stand still) while the national anthem is played, and the flags are raised. It’s a beautifully synchronized choreography.

It was a sight to see sailors raise the flag in front of the Information Warfare Training Command.

After my morning walks, Jay and I carried our (rented) chairs and umbrella to the UXO beach 😉

The beach was pretty much empty except for a few of us brave campers 😉

I loved putting my chair on the waters’ edge: the cool water and ocean breeze helped me forget about the 93-degree heat with stifling humidity that made it feel like 104. It had been a while since I had to cope with heat AND humidity!

Sand crabs were plentiful on the beach. They’re harmless … unless you’re plankton or algae, that is.

Seeing the multitude of sand crabs darting into and out of their burrowed holes in the munition-laden sand, made us remember the third item on our must-do list!

I wonder if UTZ sells “The Crab Chip” anywhere else in the country? Jay loves these chips!

We found a small, mom-and-pop crab shack not far from the Base.

Margie and Ray’s opened the same year I was born: 1964. It started as a country store and tackle shop. In 1997, their son Thomas turned it into a restaurant and today it’s a well-known crab house in Sandbridge, VA.

Oh My Gawd! Crabs! Being a Southern Maryland Girl, I grew up “picking” crabs with family and friends. To the uninitiated, watching someone use their bare hands to tear apart a crab, clean out the innards, and eat the meat, is quite the spectacle and can seem a bit barbaric, I’m sure.

I taught Jay many years ago how to pick (and eat) Maryland blue crabs. Now, he’s a pro! He looks forward to crabs almost as much as I do!

Having accomplished our top three goals, we set forth to do the fourth: dogs on the beach!

Frankie doubled-dared Ziggy to dig a bunch of holes in the sand on the beach knowing full well of the UXO danger.

The campground at Dam Neck is a nice, clean, quiet place. That in itself is enough of a reason for us to choose it as a beach campsite. Butttt, here’s the cherry on top: they allow dogs on the beach! Anytime. All times! It is the first time we’ve been able to bring our dogs onto a nice beach all day during the summer – not just at night or during hurricane season 😉