One of America’s most beloved founding fathers believed in religious freedom – including none at all. The Dude abides.
It was a scenic drive to Charlottesville (known to the locals as Cβville), Virginia, down the Shenandoah Valley. Truck traffic was heavy but much better than the last segment of the journey. It was raining in the early morning but cleared up before we left and was very nice all the way to C’ville.
The campground was hidden away about 10 miles south of town. Our spot wasn’t great but nice enough considering it was the last one available (at least for my size) when I made the reservation a couple of days ago. The pool was nice and there was plenty of place to let Jake roll. He likes the smells here.
One family I talked to was in town to see a C&W performer. When I got set up, I checked my hunch: this was the hometown for Dave Matthews Band. They are one of my all-time favorite bands, with the stellar drummer Carter Beauford (and Dave’s not too shabby!). I expect this place to have a good vibe.
Monticello
The estate of Thomas Jefferson has been on my list for a very long time. Mostly because I know several people who visited and had very positive comments. His legacy certainly speaks to his interesting character as a founding father.
I started by joining a tour and listening to Debbie, a local 4th-grade school teacher, talk about Jefferson, the plantation he inherited from his father, and the enslaved people in his care. He named the plantation Monticello after spending time in France as an American ambassador. In Italian, it means little mountain.
Jefferson was an American Renaissance man like some of his contemporaries, including Ben Franklin. He was a self-taught architect and designed all of the buildings on the grounds. After living in France, he reworked the main building to incorporate sensibilities he picked up there.
He ventured into many different money-making schemes along the way. He manufactured nails early on. He switched crops from tobacco to wheat at one point. Most of the work, of course, was done by the enslaved people (his preferred term) – upwards of 400 of them over time. Most of them were inherited from his father and father-in-law. The museum delves into enslavement very thoroughly.
In addition to fathering 6 children with his wife, Mary (his third cousin and a widow at 23), he also fathered 6 with his enslaved concubine, Sally Hemmings, after Mary passed away. She asked him to never marry again, apparently because of the relationships she had with her two stepmothers. His relationship with Sally was very complicated and still has doubters. What is known is that at age 16 she was given the chance to remain in France as a free woman. She chose to return with Jefferson under the conditions that her children with him would be freed.
And of course, while all this was going on, he spearheaded the writing of the Declaration of Independence, was the 3rd president (two-term), ambassador to France, and designed the University of Virginia (which can be seen from the grounds). He lived to 83 to boot. Quite a man and a beautiful plantation.
After the visit, Jake and I checked out C’Ville. It was jammed with people and traffic but looked very hip. It’s a university town, and it shows. I stopped at my favorite Whole Foods for the first time on the trip. It was jammed on a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Back for a dip in the pool. Tomorrow, we hoist anchor and head for a family reunion at Big Stone Gap. They made a movie about this place too, but with Whoopie Goldberg.
