Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland

We left the Delaware Beach Campground about 9am. Our plan was to visit Ocean City, MD then stay at the Pocomoke River State Park. Ocean City was such a mess we didn't even stop. Solid condos & hotels. The ugliest resort town we've come across ed so far. Reminded us of Ft. Lauder dale. Instead of Pocomoke we decided to go visit the Assateague Island National Seashore located about 8 miles south of Ocean City, MD. What a great choice. We have a campsite backing right onto the dune line that separates the campground from the ocean. There is a dune crossover and Carol was able to ride her scooter to get a good view of the ocean. There are wild horses on the island. " They are descended from domesticated stock that was grazed on the island as early as the 17th century by Eastern Shore planters. These farmers grazed their horses and other livestock here to avoid the mainland taxes and fencing requirements. Only slightly smaller than other horses, these shaggy, sturdy animals are well adapted to their harsh seashore environment". The horses, as you can see from the picture, wander through the campground.

We're staying here until we head back to Alex's house on Thursday.

Maryland & Delaware

On Thursday & Friday we camped at the Tuckahoe State Park near Queen Ann's, MD. Nice place. Large campsites, nicely wooded. The Lazy Daze Rally we're attending in May is here. On Friday it rained all day. About mid-morning we needed to do something. The Delaware Visitor Guide had a nice article on the slot machine parlor that's part of the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, DE so off we went. A beautiful drive through farmlands. We have no interest in slot machines but were intrigued by the International Buffet. What a joke. Soggy egg rolls, ravioli that had been soaking in red colored water for who knows how long, and fried everything. We both settled on some chicken wings & meatloaf. The bread pudding was very good. Oh well, it gave us something to do on a rainy day.

We called Charlie & Pat Wagner and told them of our Delaware travel plans. They invited us to a late lunch on Saturday. The lasagna, salad and strawberries were great; the company was even better. Carol & I thoroughly enjoyed our visit. When we were leaving, Charlie asked if we wanted to stay the night. We said "no" but on the way to Rehoboth both said we wished we had said "yes" instead. The next time we'll say "yes".
We stayed at the Delaware Beach State Park on Saturday & Sunday nights. An OK campground but the location was perfect. Right on the inlet and across the street from a very nice beach. There was a wood dune crossover for Carol to get to the ocean. In season they have a special beach wheelchair to use. The "season" begins on May 1st. On Sunday we drove to Rehoboth Beach. There is a small convention center next to the municipal building on Rehoboth Street (Blvd?). Since it was Sunday, there were no cars in the lot. We were able to park there and use Carol's scooter to drive down Rehoboth Street to the Boardwalk. We spent most of the morning just walking around downtown. Rehoboth is much like Panama City Beach, FL, Myrtle Beach, SC, Ocean City, MD, on & on. Interesting to visit briefly but once is enough for us. We did find a nice bakery. That alone was worth the trip. Later we went to Safeway then back to the campground. a nice sunny day. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Tomorrow we head out towards Pocomoke State Park, MD. Going via Ocean City, MD. Not sure why, but we are. We've hit Myrtle Beach & Rehoboth on the trip. Why not Ocean City?

Through April 26th

Had a wonderful stay with Alex & family. Worked with Britta building a bench for the back yard. Alex & Carol went shopping one day. Searched all over for a little swimming pool for Finn but no luck. Probably too early for stores to stock pools.
Today, Thursday, we left for Tuckadoe State Park near Queen Anne, MD. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/eastern/tuckahoe.html
Spending the next two days here.
Cool & cloudy with rain in the forecast.

Alex's house.

Arrived at Alex & Britta's house about 6pm on Friday. Had great bar-b-que Britta had bought. On Saturday & again on Sunday, Jennifer & Karen came over for the day. Had a week late birthday party for Britta. Great Chinese takeout. On Sunday, Jen & Karen took Carol out for lunch. They stopped by to see & walk Balou & Bagera. Carol said the dogs are going great. They have lost weight, finally, and have two very, very good care givers. Jen & Karen walk them three times a day, take them to the vets, feed them properly, etc. Carol & I talked time & again about bringing them with us but Carol says, and she's right, that's it's hard enough on me travelling with her given her current condition . Two more dogs would really complicate our lives. Our real hope is for Carol's continued improvement . We will always be grateful to Jen & Karen for caring for the dogs.
Seeing Teagan & Finn was the real highlight of the trip. They are two wonderful children. Finn is a live wire. Non-stop action. He tires me out just looking at him. We had a great time playing together. Monster trucks time & again. He doesn't tire of playing with them. Finn adjusted to Gopher after a few hours. He'll get her rope toy and throw it for her. Mostly he's comfortable around her considering Gopher outweighs him by 25# or so. When Balou & Bagera come over for a visit Finn enjoys walking Balou.

We are having a wonderful time.

Yorktown, VA

We spent Friday touring the City of Yorktown, Va. This was the site of the Battle of Yorktown. In the spring of 1781 the American War of Independence entered its seventh year. In May British General Charles, Lord Cornwallis moved his army into Yorktown to built a naval base. On September 28th, General George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette began the siege of Yorktown. On October 19, 1781 Lord Cornwallis surrendered. This was the last major battle of the war. The Treaty of Paris was signed in September 1783.

Later in the day we visited the "famous" Williamsburg Pottery Factory. The brochure we read lead us to believe it was a collection of quaint, quality shops based around the oldest operating pottery factory in America. What a joke. It's really a collection of flea market quality stalls. Lots of junk. We left Williamsburg and arrived at Alex's house about 7pm.

Jamestown, VA

Visited the Jamestown area today. Started with the Jamestown Settlement exhibit then went to the actual site of Jamestown; a part of the Colonial National Historical Park. Carol used her electric scooter at both places. Worked well. Jamestown, Va was the first permanent English settlement in America. Roanoak, Va, which we also visited, was settled earlier but the colony did not last. The 104 colonists at Jamestown, under the leadership of Capt. John Smith, landed on May 13, 1607. In 1619 the first Africans arrived to work the tobacco crop. This is the 400th anniversary of the founding of the colony. It's interesting to note that the Spanish explorers had established colonies in the Southwest about 500 years ago.
We spent the night at a campground operated by the city of Newport News. Very nice. Our site is right on the river.
Tomorrow we tour Yorktown.

Kitty Hawk, NC area

Camped at the Oregon Inlet Campground run by the National Park Service. Our site backed to the high dunes right on the ocean. On Tuesday we drove to the Jockey Ridge State Park. It's an area of huge moving sand dunes. There was a boardwalk to a lookout area. From there, Gopher & I climbed around the dunes. On Wednesday we went to the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site located on Roanoak Island, NC. This is the site of the first English settlement in the New World. Spent most of our time wandering around the beautiful Elizabethan Gardens, "A living memorial to our English Colonists".
Had a great lunch at a place that bakes bread & pastries and serves wonderful sandwiches. Carol bought two jumbo chocolate chip cookies for the road. :-).
After that we went to the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, NC. Toured the museum.
We decided we had seen most everything that interested us in the area so about 2:30 we decided to drive to Jamestown, VA. Got here about 6 pm. Stopped at WalMart for some food and decided that since all we were going to do anyway was read, to just sleep here for the night. Got a pound of greasy chicken tenders, some broccoli salad and had a nice parking lot dinner. It's us, three other RV's and a few semi's. The view's not much but you can't beat the price.

Tomorrow we're going to Jamestown Settlement.

Ocracoke Island & Cape Hatteras Island

We arrived at Ocracoke Island about 5:30pm on Saturday, April 14th. Checked in at the Ocracoke Campground, a part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Our campsite is right at the base of the dune that separates the campground from the ocean. There are only five other campers. That's the nice thing about travelling off season. No reservations needed, no crowds.
The weather forecast is for very stormy weather. High winds, heavy rain, gale and tornado warnings. The night wasn't so bad, but by Sunday noon, the storm really hit. Winds in the 35 to 50mph range and very heavy rain. We were being sandblasted by the sand being blown by the high winds so we moved to a campsite somewhat sheltered by some low cedar trees.
The ocean was very rough. 20' seas per the weather radio. See the photo of Carol in the sandstorm.

On Sunday, during a lull in the storm, we took a ride into Ocracoke Village. Looks like most tourist orientated places. Lots of shops, restaurants, etc. We drove around and found a nice boardwalk dune crossover so Carol to see just how rough the ocean was. That's where the pictures were taken. You can see the blowing sand.

By Monday morning, the storm system had passed. We left Ocracoke Island by ferry to Hatteras Island; a 30 minute trip. On the way to the ferry, road crews were out clearing sand from the road blown there by the storm. It's still very windy with gusts reported to 40 mph. The waters of Pamlico Sound were very rough. The motor home got soaked with saltwater spray.

We checked in the National Park Frisco Campground then drove to the Hatteras Island Visitor Center to see the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. On the way back to the campground we had a seafood lunch. Carol had a soft shell crab, I had a flounder sandwich. Spent the rest of the afternoon at the campground. A clear, sunny, but very windy, day. Our campsite is on the top of a hill overlooking the ocean. What a beautiful place to be.

When I was downloading pictures from Carol's camera, the pictures from the place we were near Rock Springs, Wyoming when Carol had her heart attack on June 13th of last year were still in the camera. Things have changed since then but we still very much enjoy travelling together.

Tomorrow we continue north toward Kitty Hawk.

We're having a wonderful time.

Heading to the Outer Banks 04/14/2007

We left Myrtle Beach State Park about 8am. The weather forecast is for a really nasty Sunday; rain, thunder, etc. We didn't want to drive in that kind of weather. Got to the Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island ferry terminal about 2pm. In time for the 3pm ferry. It's a 2 1/2 hour ferry ride. Costs $30 for the motorhome. The ferry crosses the Pamlico Sound. White caps today; likely it will be worst when the storm hits tomorrow.

Myrtle Beach, SC April 13, 2007

The really big news came yesterday. Alex gave birth to our newest grandchild; Teagan. 9# 7oz. Mother & daughter doing well. Alex called us last night.
We arrived in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday of this week. I can see why it's so popular with families. Lots of kids stuff. Waterslides, movies, malls, put-put golf, on & on. Not our cup of tea but a nice place in its own way. Went to a seafood buffet for dinner tonight. Got our $$$'s worth plus some. The weather has been just perfect. Took Gopher the dog back to the off-leash area again. Tomorrow we head to North Carolina.

New Blog name & address

Google required a password to log into Carol's Blog tonight. She could not recall either her user name or password so we were forced to ceate a new Blog as of today, April 13, 2007.
The new Blog address is http://edcarol.blogspot.com/


Our old Blog was http://edandcarol.blogspot.com/ That Blog is about our travels prior to April 13, 2007.