Monticello, Rain Delays and Burgers

We didn't have any plans for touring this morning, so August and I were able to have a slow morning getting ready to leave the Ashland, Virginia campground we stayed at last night. Even though I'm not usually one to have just a waffle for breakfast, I thought Auggie would really enjoy the treat so we headed over to the lobby to get some. He was pretty unimpressed with the waffle though, so mom ended up with the syrup + other carbs breakfast. It was still a big win for him though as he got to have a whole bottle of chocolate milk to himself.

After tidying things up inside the RV, we did the usual packing away of the RV utilities. I am getting much better at this process in general, and hopefully I'll get it down from half an hour to 10 minutes or so in time. The wild card is definitely keeping the little one nearby while doing it. He is proving to be an apt assistant though. He sits on the log to supervise, holds onto my notebook of instructions for myself, and reads the steps out loud when I forget them. (Ok, maybe not that last part). Most importantly, he looks pretty cute while hanging out.

We headed out around check-out time and drove towards Monticello, our meet-up point with Chris. Monticello is the estate of Thomas Jefferson, and is located just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. I had heard it was gorgeous and very advanced for the early 1800s era when it was built.

When we arrived in the late afternoon the tours had been suspended due to thunderstorms. The house is basically built at the very top of a mountain, so it was easy to see why the staff would be cautious with not sending tourists up to serve as lightning rods. I should add here that even the visitor's center was an architectural delight, with rich hardwood beams, siding and benches surrounding a courtyard with lovely trees. We waited about an hour to see if the weather would clear off and the tours would resume, and happily were rewarded. Off to the shuttle and up the mountain we went!

Key points I learned from the tour: Jefferson was one busy man who dedicated himself to public service, and had the good fortune of inheriting 3,000 prime acres in Virginia on which to build his self-described "architectural essay". He wrote the Declaration of Independence at the age of 33, then served as governor of Virginia, U.S. Trade Commissioner to France, U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Vice President, and President, before at the keen age of 76 taking up a retirement hobby - founding the University of Virginia.

A man of many contradictions, he abhorred slavery while never freeing any of his own hundreds of slaves. As most people know, it is also widely believed that he fathered several children with one of his slaves after the death of his wife. I appreciated the fact that the tour guides and exhibitions there don't gloss over some of the more shameful notes of his life. They emphasize that Jefferson's constant building and re-building of things to his taste on the estate were only possible with the endless skilled labor of his slaves, and the fact that Jefferson didn't consider black people or women to be deserving of equality.

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All in all, it was worth the $25 entry fee and even without knowing the history behind it the grounds and building are exquisite. There is a separate tour of the gardens and grounds, which I would have taken if we'd had more time. August got a little vocal during the tour, and since all the rooms are pretty small, Chris decided to take him outside for a break. I came out of the building to this view. Surely this is what Jefferson intended for Monticello:

Charlottesville is a lively college town with lots going on, and also one of the more populated areas along the route. So, even though Chris was exhausted we sought out a highly rated burger place to end the day with. Citizen Burger Bar is located in the downtown area, and serves local, grass-fed beef and all organic ingredients. Anytime you consider a restaurant like this, assume your burger and fries will be in the $20 range. I happen to really enjoy that style of burgers, so I was able to overcome the sticker shock. I got the Steakhouse Burger, loaded with bacon, onion strings, barbecue sauce and cheddar on a toasted brioche bun. Delicious! The weather was mercifully cool all evening after the rain showers, and there was a small street band playing on the plaza next to the patio, which made for great atmosphere.