New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia

Nov. 7

Today we left the Washington DC area and going to South Jersey Shore.  The toll roads are just  killing us.  It cost us $39 to get from Maryland to New Jersey.  I don't know how the people who live here afford all the toll roads and bridges.  One bridge cost us $23 for the motor home with the Jeep hooked on behind.  If we would have unhooked, it would have been only $10.  Could not believe it!!!
We are camped along the South shore of New Jersey south of Atlantic City.  A lot of the land is too wet to build on with lots of sea grass and really wet marshy land.  We have traveled 7,000 miles so far and been on the road 66 days. 

Nov. 8

Today we drove down to Cape May.  It's the town on the tip of the state of New Jersey.  They tell us you can see the sun both rise and set over the water from here.  We drove through the little towns along the outer banks with canals along the western edge of these towns.  The houses are at least 3 stories high and big.  They look like large apartment houses but are single family homes.  This is where the people come to escape the heat in the summer.  Things were pretty quiet this time of year.  In Cape May there are many Victorian style homes.  There are about 3 blocks of shops to go shopping and we found a seafood restaurant for lunch.  We visited the Cape May Lighthouse and a small museum and saw the remains of an experimental concrete ship built during World War I.  It was purchased and used as a ferry dock off Sunset Bay.  It broke free in a storm and ran aground 150 feet off the coast.  The wind was blowing hard and the ocean waves were crashing over the wreck.  We also saw a tower built during WWII to look for enemy submarines around the cape and into Delaware Bay which goes right to Philadelphia.




Cape May Lighthouse



Picture of concrete ship

 

Sunken Concrete Ship




WWII lookout tower



Nov. 9

Today the sun was shining and it was warmer out.  We drove north to Atlantic City where large hotels and casinos line the seashore.  The famous Atlantic City Boardwalk follows the shoreline where no vehicles are allowed.  It's a wide wooden boardwalk and I'm sure in the summer time it is crowded.  Today there were quite a few people out walking because it was a nice day.  Along with the hotels there are small shops  along the boardwalk.  We walked out on the sand and picked up sea shells.  Had a good lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and checked out the many shops after lunch.  Caesars Palace has a three story shopping center built out on a pier.  At the end is a water fountain where there is a light and water show every hour.  There were lots of high end stores in this mall, even a Tiffany's



Atlantic City Boardwalk

Water fountain display


Nov. 10

Sunny and nice again today.  We stayed around the motor home today and did some laundry.  Late in the afternoon we went to Sea Isle City to check out their shops and to have a seafood dinner.  There was only one shop open and the seafood restaurant was closed today.  We went back to the motor home and cooked dinner. 

Nov. 11

Today we move back to Maryland to visit our friends Jamie and Susie.  We met them at White Pine campground in Idaho back in 2006.  We took them huckleberry picking and into Moscow to the Farmers Market.  They stopped in Colfax to see us in June 2008.  They have explored the US since 2002 and we envied the trips they had taken.  It was fun to compare notes on places we have both been.  They live at the end of the road, one lane, and their property backs to a forested park.  Their property is beautiful and so quite.  We are sleeping in the house where it will be warm. 

Nov. 12

After a wonderful breakfast we took off to explore the area.  The first stop was the town of Annapolis.  It's a very old and historic town where the Navel Academy is located and is the capital of Maryland. 
The streets of Annapolis are very narrow with cars parked on both sides of the streets.  We stopped for lunch and had Maryland Crab Soup and a plate of Shrimp.  Next we drove to Fort McHenry where the Battle of Baltimore took place against the British in 1814.  England and France were at war from 1793 to 1815 and were confiscating American merchant ships and cargoes to prevent supplies from reaching enemy ports.  The British had burnt Washington DC and now were invading Baltimore.  The British forces of 5,000 men sailed up Chesapeake Bay intent on taking Baltimore.  The Americans had about 15,000 men to defend the harbor and were successful in defeating the British invasion.  Only 4 American Soldiers were killed.  Francis Scott Key witnessed the battle and was inspired to write the poem "The Star-Spangled Banner" which was first titled "Defence of Fort McHenry"  It became the National Anthem of the United States in 1931.  We finished the day at a seafood restaurant were we ordered 12 Maryland Blue Crabs.  They came in a large bowl right out of the boiling pot.  They were smaller than the Dungess crabs we are use to from the Pacific Ocean but oh so sweet.  We cleaned them right at the table and enjoyed our wonderful meal.  What a great time we had with our friends, Jamie and Susie. 



Fort McHenry

Nov. 13

After breakfast we said good-by to our friends and headed down to Virginia.  Along the way we entered the state of West Virginia and saw the sign for Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.   We decided to stop and visit.  Harpers Ferry also extends into Maryland and Virginia.  We took a bus to Lower Town and saw the Appalachian Trail which goes from Georgia to Maine for 2,178 miles.  Harpers Ferry is in about the middle.  We talked to a young man coming into town who had been walking the Appalachian Trail.  He had done 300 miles and was finishing here at Harpers Ferry.  A friend of ours, Jack Jennings son did the entire trail, at one time, in the early 2000's.    We took the bus back to the motor home and continued on our way.  We ended the day in a campground near Greenville Virginia. 

Appalachian Trail at Harpers Ferry



Sign for Trail



Nov. 14

Today is a nice sunny day.  We head into Shenandoah National Park on the road that follows the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains called Skyline Drive.  It's 105 miles long and we enter at the Southern Entrance.  The scenery is beautiful and at times you can see the mountains and valleys from both sides at the same time.  There are lots of pull offs to stop and take pictures.  The leaves are still colored but a lot have fallen to the ground.  It is still beautiful scenery.  We stop at a lodge for lunch and the view from the restaurant window is spectacular.  We ended up driving over half of the road and really enjoyed the mountain scenery.


Shenandoah

 Nov. 15

It's overcast today and rain is coming by tonight.  We head to the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a 469 mile scenic parkway that follows the highest ridges between the Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks.  We are headed to the Great Smoky Mountain area tomorrow.  We do about 50 miles of the Parkway.  It's pretty much like the scenery we saw yesterday in Shenandoah.  As I write this blog it is pouring down rain and will probably rain all day tomorrow.  When it rains in the East, it really rains.  Dick said he saw on AccuWeather it is going to rain an inch.  We are ready to move down to Tennessee and while there will see Kentucky.  Definitely Happy Travels, Barb