Total Miles Traveled 4003 since departing Green Turtle Bay, KY
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Brian and Eyan, our oldest son and youngest grandson were able to arrange time off and visit us at Washington D.C. for a few days. I think they were ready for a vacation!
Our marina is located at the Wharf Waterfront, a mile
long stretch along the Potomac River with marinas, a pier, restaurants,
retailers, residences, and businesses. We are also located only a few blocks
from the National Mall, a landscaped park near the downtown area of Washington,
D.C. It contains and borders several
museums of the Smithsonian Institution, art galleries, institutions, and
various memorials, sculptures, and statues.
We could sit on our boat and watch the fire pit located on the pier behind us.
To get an overall layout of the area we took a Segway tour to see most of the places that we wanted to visit later in the week. After a short Segway video, and hands on instruction, it was amazing how quickly we all adapted to the Segway's.
We had a great spot to watch the 4th of July fireworks display on the bow of our boat.
We spent the remainder of the week visiting several federal buildings, museums, the Arlington Cemetery, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and several statues in between.
Korean War Memorial
As with any big city, we were concerned about safety
while exploring the sites. We felt
completely safe, did not see trouble of any kind, and everyone we had contact
with was very friendly. After arriving
at the National Mall by transit bus, we rode a subway to the Arlington
Cemetery. The transit system in
Washington is awesome, and the Uber and Lyft rates were very reasonable. I highly recommend visiting Washington D.C.
and would visit here again.
As we departed the marina July 7th, we noticed a few anti-aircraft missile launchers along the eastern shore of the river. I looked up the area and found it is the location of the Department of Defense, US Secret Service, and the Presidents Marine 1 helicopter hanger.
We continued down the Potomac River 46 miles to an
anchorage at Fairview Beach, then on July 8th we traveled 58 miles
to an anchorage at Smith Creek.
On July 9th we traveled 35 miles to Solomons Island Yacht Club, a few of the members are Loopers and contacted us about their club. Dave and Betsy Frye started the Great Loop the same year we did, but we had never met. I needed a drain pump for our washing machine and had it shipped to Dave’s house. He delivered it to us and offered the use of his vehicle anytime we needed it, what a great boating community.
We also connected with our friends Rick and Christi on m/v Inked Mermaid, we’ve crossed paths several times over the years, on the rivers, in the Key’s, and now on the Chesapeake Bay.
Today, Solomons Island is a major boating center located at the mouth of the Patuxent River on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The local Calvert Marine Museum was well worth the visit to learn the history and culture of the past.
We departed Solomons Island July 14th and traveled 44 miles across the bay to Cambridge, Maryland, settled by the English in 1684, one of the oldest colonial cities in Maryland.
As we visit the towns on the Chesapeake, we learn about the history of the town, or a notable person from the area. While visiting Cambridge we saw a bronze sculpture of Harriet Tubman and didn’t have a clue who she was. After escaping slavery, traveling almost 100 miles by herself, Harriet made 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using safe houses along the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. She was truly an amazing woman. We found a documentary on Amazon Prime about her life and can appreciate why a sculpture has been placed at the county courthouse to honor her.
On July 16th we traveled 13 miles to Oxford Maryland. The first thing we noticed while visiting Oxford is the white picket fences. The business association of Oxford has an annual fund raiser, resident artists paint a section of picket fence and display it in front of their home or business. An auction is held in the fall and the proceeds go to the local non profit organizations.
We departed Oxford and traveled 15 miles to St. Michaels, Maryland. We anchored in a quiet well protected cove on the back side of town and took the dinghy to the town dock. The town is lined with brick sidewalks, historic homes, inns, restaurants, and shops. St Michaels is also known as the “town that fooled the British” during the war of 1812. As the story goes, the British began shelling the little town on August 10th, 1813. Residents boosted lanterns into the tops of trees to fool the Redcoats into shooting too high.
We always try to visit a farmers market.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum was very impressive. The admission to the museum provides access for two days because it is located on 18 acres housing the world’s largest collection of Chesapeake Bay boats and includes 35 buildings of historical facts, boats, and bay information. We spent several hours touring the site, it’s a must see if you ever visit St Michaels.
We would have stayed at St Michaels a few more days, but
we had perfect weather conditions to cross back to the western shore of the bay
on July 21st, traveling 39 miles to an anchorage at Crab Creek, less than 10 miles from Annapolis, Maryland.
We anchored here a few days to catch up on boat projects, swimming,
fishing, and a dinghy ride to Coconut Joes for taco Tuesday.
On July 26th, we traveled 3 miles to Edgewater Maryland and took advantage of the best fuel price we’ve seen since Florida. After topping off our tanks, we continued to the Gingerville Marine Center for a boat slip. It’s been in the 90’s the past few days and severe storms and high temperatures are in the forecast. This will be a good opportunity to stay cool while visiting the area, reprovisioning, and catching up on a few projects.
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