Westmoreland State Park, Virginia
Perfect weather for a weekend of camping and a little kayaking
So while just about everybody in the Washington DC metro area was heading into town to see the cherry blossoms, we headed south to Westmoreland State Park in Montross, Virginia.
Westmoreland State Park is a short two hour drive from the hustle of the city, but the tranquility we were soon to experience felt a world away. Entering the Park looking for a campsite on Friday evening, we discovered most of the campsites unoccupied.
Our campsite was once under 200 feet of ocean twenty five million years ago. Today, the clay cliffs and sand beaches give up lost treasures of sharks teeth and fossils as the tidal Potomac River wave action erodes the land. Beachcombing looking for sharks teeth, bones and fossils is the main attraction of Westmoreland State Park.
Sure there is a beach named fossil beach and it is a short hike from the visitor’s center, but in Augie’s Adventure’s style, I had a better idea. Kayak to the beach and cliffs. The park has a really nice beach area complete with a launching area for motor and paddle boats, kayak rentals, and camp store. On Saturday morning on the first warm day of the spring, we unloaded the kayaks and paddled down river toward the tower cliffs of stratified clay. The sky was cloudless. The sun shined bright. A light breeze moved the air. It was a perfect day to be on the water. The paddle was not long, less than a mile. Reaching a likely looking shark tooth holding area, we disembarked from our vessels and began the search.
So, did I tell you how nice the weather was? Overtaken by the climate of the day, we strolled the beach and just casually took in our surroundings, exerting little effort in the search for fossils and sharks teeth. We had the beach to ourselves, even the sand did not show signs of previous visitor’s foot prints. We enjoyed the sounds of the soft waves touching the sands, the squawk of the local Ospreys, watched the sparrows collect nest fodder, and generally enjoyed our surroundings. Without any new treasures in our pockets, we casually paddled back to the launch area. Then it was back to camp for steak and potatoes cooked on an open fire.
The new Zippo 4-n-1 has become a standard in my camping gear. Look for a future product review.
The land that became Westmoreland State Park was purchased 1933 and the park was built through the efforts of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The park opened in 1936 and is currently registered as a Virginia Historic Landmark and is on the National Register for Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior. If you are looking for a place to spend the weekend lounging around camp with a few hikes through the woods and on the beach with the good chance of taking home a five million year old keepsake, I would suggest you give Westmoreland State Park a try.
