The KOA is a cut below most KOA's meaning that the sites are even smaller and closer together than we normally expect. Site 22, where we are, has strong water pressure, but weak power is worrisome. The advertised wifi is recognizable by our devices, but completely unusable and we're so far from town that cell coverage is likewise non-existent. Wow! We're campin'! Trees and limbs crowd the interior roads, and, I kid you not....there is only one night light outside the office door, which is 1/4 mile away from our site behind a grove of trees....not another light anywhere in the park! We're four miles off the main road, hwy 20, in the middle of the woods. Wow! Where are we?
Saturday the 13th, we drove a short distance to visit Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello. Described by President Jefferson as the most beautiful place in the world, it is an excellent example of Jefferson's continuing desire for knowledge and his focus on detail.
The House is surrounded by well manicured lawns and gardens.
Jefferson was a self-taught architect, and spent many hours and dollars designing and redesigning various parts of the home. Many years in Europe gave him an interest in Greco-Roman designs and an appreciation for symmetry and proportion.
"Monticello" means "Little Mountain", and the house is perfectly positioned to provide views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the valley along the mountains' eastern flank.
The mountain top is made of a particular type of rock that, over time, deteriorates to a soil rich in nutrients. Consequently, Jefferson was tremendously interested in farming. He catalogued hundreds of different seeds and experimented with different crops and orchards to find the best combination for his estate. Gardens are maintained as an example of the fruitfulness of the land.
Thomas Jefferson and his wife Martha, as well as many descendants, are buried in the Monticello Cemetery just a short walk from Monticello. A plaque commemorates 19 family members buried here in the 19th century, but the cemetery continues to be the last resting place for descendants and family members.
After Jefferson's death in 1826, his heirs sold the property to satisfy Thomas Jeffersons many outstanding debts. Seems he was brilliant in many studies, but wasn't very good at managing money! A naval officer named Uriah Phillips Levy bought Monticello because of his admiration for Jeffersons support of religious liberty. Uriah's nephew, Jefferson Monroe Levy sold Monticello and 662 acres of land to the newly formed Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation in 1923, thus insuring the continuing legacy of President Jefferson.
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