On Friday, June 4, 2021, we left Williamsburg RV Resort at 9:15 with Acey’s mileage at 73,005.9 and Thor the Jeep has 85,553 miles. This was one of the few times we packed up and left in the rain. And it continued to rain! We had a fuel stop and finally came to the Maryland border, still raining. Traffic was TERRIBLE – lots of stop-and-go delays.
The Bay Bridge is a big one crossing Chesapeake Bay
There are actually TWO bridges
We came to the Delaware border, the “First State” is our 29th state.
We finally arrived at Homestead Campground, just east of Georgetown, at 4:30; we drove 257 miles and it took just over 7 hours, and mostly in the rain! Our map is filling in!
Saturday we went to see Cape Henlopen State Park. There are NO National Parks in Delaware. Not sure how many states don’t have a National Park, but that kind of surprised us. We brought our bikes with us and packed a lunch, so we planned to see a lot of the park by bike. We started out on the Gordons Pond Trail.
Across the pond, you could see an observation tower; several towers are spread around the park; remnant from WWII. You can make out the ocean just beyond the tower.
We soon got to the beach and went to check it out. Temperatures were in the high 80’s, and very little breeze.
Two observation towers at the beach, one we saw from across the pond. Lots of folks enjoying the beach on this hot day.
The bike trail was mostly finely crushed gravel and there was a long boardwalk we rode over in a dunes area.
By the time we got back to where the car was parked, and rode on a bit more, Linda was done in from the heat! We only rode nearly 7 miles. So, we explored the park by car. The Bayside fishing pier was quite long, and we walked to the end.
We had a nice conversation with a fellow that has been fishing here for many years. He told us that several years ago, some brainiacs built a bonfire on this wooden pier. Brilliant idea… Well, before the fire, the pier went out 100 feet or more and then had a “T” at the end, and he used to fish out there.
From the pier, we could see the lighthouses, a red one and a white one in the distance on the point.
We drove around to the Point. There was another beach here, and restricted area; a nesting place for birds. This sign had some interesting information.
We got a better view of the red lighthouse. but the white one, we didn’t see.
Our next stop was the nature center. We were surprised that they required mask for entry; Virginia allowed vaccinated people to go inside without masks. They contend that you can’t really prove you have been vaccinated. (really?) They had about five large aquarium-tanks with local fish, some exhibits explaining different habitats in the park, and a live Osprey cam which can be seen on You tube here or learn more about it here
This little one hatched just a few weeks ago. Ospreys usually return to nest in March, eggs hatch in June, fledge and leave nest in September and migrate to South America.
We then visited the Fort Miles Historic Area, and saw the Barracks.
Several large guns were on display, used in WWII
This 16 inch gun was used on the USS Missouri but represents the gun used at Fort Miles.
There was a museum in a large bunker that had some interesting displays; Battery 519 – a 15,000-square-foot fortified underground chamber. Several shells were on display.
We were surprised to see that the army used denim work uniforms!
48 crew members were required to man this gun! Each had specific responsibilities.
This particular gun came from the USS Wyoming, representing the gun used here.
Large bags of gunpowder were needed to fire the big gun.
Jim checked out this gun that came off a German U-Boat
It was a very hot day and we were wiped out from the heat!
Sunday we zoomed with our Sunday School class, still studying Genesis. We were surprised to read in Genesis 25 that Abraham had taken another wife after Sarah died and had 6 more sons with Keturah. We worshipped with Stevens Valey church on You Tube. After lunch, we didn’t do much – Linda woked on the blog and also on Family Tree information. Jim checked out why the A/C condensate is dripping off the roof. It was another hot day – well into the 80’s. We met our friends Adele and Russ for dinner; it was good to see them – but no photos were taken…
We leave for Mays Landing in New Jersey in the morning.
That must have been quite a meeting; when the u-boat surrendered at Fort Miles, DE. Maybe the crew were interested in maybe emigrating to the good ol’ USA! Thanks for the blog and all the facts.