We stayed at the Pocomoke River State Park in Maryland. From there we took many side trips. One was to "Furnace Town", a 19th century village, museum, and nature trail. The nature trail took us through a large stand of cypress trees. At the village was the huge furnace that was used during the Civil War for making ammunition. (Forgot the camera. Sorry....)
Biking at Assateague State Park.
One of the "wild ponies". These animals were on average about 50" tall, a large pony. They were plentiful in the fields and along the roadways. Many of the ponies are "rounded up" each summer and sold at auction in an effort to control the herd.
Bill on our nature walk on the dunes on Assateague Island.
Bill standing beside "Baltimore Boulevard". 15 miles of asphalt roads were built by developers in the 1950's but was destroyed by a storm in 1962. Developers had also cleared land for more than 130 side streets but abandoned the idea after the 1962 storm. The land was too fragile to support the community they had hoped to build.
Biking on the island.
This is the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. This is a 17 mile link between Virginia Beach/Norfolk and Virginia's Eastern Shore. This bridge-tunnel is the largest complex of it's kind in the world. It was opened in 1964 and was selected as one of the "Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World." Measuring 17.6 miles from shore to shore, the Bridge-Tunnel consists of more than 12 miles of of trestled roadway, two mile-long tunnels, two bridges, four man-made islands, almost two miles of causeway, and 5 1/2 miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles. The two underwater tunnels protect two of the world's most important shipping channels. The highest points of the crossings are the North Channel Bridges. They provide high water clearance of 75 feet to accommodate local fishing fleets.
Heading into one of the two tunnels.
Ocean Waves Campground, Waves, NC, was our "headquarters" for our stay at the Outer Banks.
Bill got up early and took this picture of a sunrise over the Atlantic. This beach was just over a dune from our campsite. (I mostly do sunsets, since I'm not usually up early enough to do the sunrises. Hope that changes now that I am retired. I definitely think I am missing something!)
Sunrise with the dunes in the foreground. Nice shot, Bill !
Gotta love the beach!
The Atlantic Ocean just over the dune from our campsite.
The Atlantic Ocean just over the dune from our campsite.
We went to Roanoke Island and visited the "Lost Colony". It is still a 400 year old mystery as to what happened to the group of 120 English Settlers that landed on this island in 1587. A supply boat returned in 1590 and the colony was gone without a trace. Pictured is a replica of a ship they would have used to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Not very big!!
Waiting for the free ferry to Ocracoke Island. This is a free service provided by the state of North Carolina. These ferries can accomodate even the largest motor home or truck/rv unit.
The road to Ocracoke is about 12 miles long with stunning views of sand, dunes, ocean, and barrier waters. No high rises or ocean front homes here!
Ocracoke was voted Number 1 in the country for beautiful beaches in 2005 and 2007.
While on the island, we took a bike ride and found the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the oldest lighouse on the East Coast. We ate lunch on a little nature trail that led out to the beach.
While riding around the island we discoverd a small shop that sold folding bikes. We met the owner/designer who teaches math at a North arolina University. We bought two, which will fold and store nicely in the "basement" of the new RV. Check out "Downtube" on the 'net.
The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest on the East Coast. The lighthouse was move almost 1/2 mile back from the Atlantic Coast several years ago, due to eroding shoreline.
