"BUGGED" Or how we survived the Dismal Swamp

When cruising to Norfolk Va from the south, the mariner has two options: Either you can go route 1, or the Virginia cut route, or you can take the Dismal Swamp canal. Tom and I, always the adventurers elected to take the swamp cut because it sounded romantic and interesting.
The Dismal swamp is a huge tract of land that lies in northern North Carolina and southern Virginia. It was an early business venture of our first President, George (wooden teeth) Washington and "lighthorse" Harry Lee (Robert E Lee's Father) to drain the swamp and harvest the timber. The venture was abandoned but Washington did supervise the cutting of the canal through the swamp...Today the whole area is a Naional Wildlife Refuge and the canal is open only to recreational boaters. The canal is 30 miles long, and at some points the canal is only 50 feet wide with tree branches overhanging the cut. There are two locks on the Dismal Swamp Canal (at the beginning and end). Before I go any further in our story, let me say that at most times of the year the Dismal Swamp canal is probably very beautiful...there's lots of wild life to be seen, and the water is almost black because of the tannins from leaves...it is peaceful and pristine. BUT, and this is a big BUT...DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS TRIP IN MID-JULY!!!!!! We were attacked by flying green bugs that bit us from ankle to hips...we swatted, sprayed and lathered on creams....we did this for about two hours in 100 degree heat when my brilliant husband looked at me and said "why are we piloting from outside when we have an inside steering wheel?....DUH! So we ran down below to our main cabin, turned on the generator and the airconditioning and finished the DISMAL swamp canal from the comfort of inside. The lock tender at the end of the swamp told us that these bugs are only present in July..meanwhile, I had an allergic reaction to the bugs and swelled up like the Goodyear Blimp!
The lesson here, of course, is that we DO have inside steering which we obviously do not use very often...But we probably won't forget we have it again...
P.S. Benedryl spray finally cured the bites