Leslie Atkins - Backroads & Byways of Chesapeake Bay: Drives, Day Trips, and Weekend Excursions (Second) (Backroads & Byways)

BACKROADS & BYWAYS OF

CHESAPEAKE BAY

Drives, Day Trips &
Weekend Excursions

SECOND EDITION

LESLIE ATKINS

THE COUNTRYMAN PRESS

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Back cover photograph Leslie Atkins

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To my dad, who shared with me his love of books and writing.

He loved me unconditionally and I know hed be proud.

To my mom, who was always curious and interested in exploring.

She doted on me and loved me with all her heart.

Both taught me warmth and the true value of good conversation

in getting to know people and the places they enjoy most.

Contents

Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Mark Twain

T he land between the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays is all about extensive coastlines and the wonders they bring. The waters are vital to defending those coasts and protecting everything onshore. Its thrilling to reap the joy and sustenance provided by the waters and to revel in the abundant beauty all around.

The Delmarva Peninsulawith parts in Delaware, Maryland, and Virginiais a unique region with a distinct personality formed by a mixture of exuberance and practicality.

First settled by Native Americans from the Nanticoke and Choptank tribes among others, the region later became home to Dutch and English settlers. Remnants of names and agricultural products from the Native Americans tell part of the tale.

Artistic and architectural creations in the European model tell another. The regions history creates context; there is a powerful connection between where the region is now, what came before, and what is yet to come.

When I set out to create this guide, I began with Delaware and the Maryland Eastern Shore. The more I researched, the more it became apparent state boundaries matter little when youre in the Brandywine Valley crossing from Delaware into Pennsylvania to view more art and gardens, or on the Cape MayLewes Ferry heading to Cape May, New Jersey.

Likewise, borderlines matter little when youre out on the Chesapeake Bay about to leave Maryland waters to set foot on the Virginia soil of Tangier Island.

It does not matter whether the fresh rockfish on your plate was caught in the Chesapeake Bay or in one of the rivers that feed it, or if it was caught in the Delaware Bay.

And it is rather unimportant whether you happen to see a beautiful heron at the rookery on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River or in the Maryland marshes of Smith Island. Whether youre relaxing at a waterfront crab house in Delaware or on Marylands Eastern Shoreits all good.

New Jerseys Cape May is on the Atlantic Ocean. Also on the Atlantic are the beaches in Southern Delaware; in Ocean City, Maryland; and along miles of Virginias Eastern Shore, which are separated from mainland Virginia by about 17 miles of water. Theyre all wonderful, all interconnected, all of a piece.

These places make up part of a beautiful picture, a delicious taste of nature at its best, a charming section of the East Coast just begging travelers to enjoy its bountyfrom delicious seafood to pirate treasure spit up by waves during a storm, a storm not unlike the ones that probably sank the pirate vessels back in the day.

Perhaps the best part of this voyage through the region is that youre never far away from waterocean, rivers, streams, creeks, and bays: the wonderful Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. Somehow the ever-present water is a blending factor, mixing nature and civilization, culture and commerce, even the past, present, and futureall bound together in beauty, in continuity, and in a pleasurable way of life, whether for a day, a weekend, or a lifetime.

The bays are estuarieslarge, partially enclosed bodies of water where freshwater from rivers and streams mixes with salt water from the ocean. At different places in an estuary, this mixture varies, thus providing the bedrock for varied species of plants, fish, and other wildlife.

REPLICA OF AN INDIAN LONGHOUSE

SANDY POINT SHOAL LIGHT

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States, with about half its water volume coming from its enormous river watershed and the other half from the Atlantic Ocean. Smaller but still vital, the Delaware Bay is an outlet of the Delaware River, also mixing with the salt water of the Atlantic.

Rivers and creeks often seem interchangeable in size, depending on where they are located. And the ocean looms as a leviathan, with its major impact on the bays and on the entire region.

Whether youre off on a spontaneous excursion, a last-minute getaway, or a planned trip, keeping this book on the dining room table or tucked into the front seat of the car will help expedite your journey.

Consider keeping an overnight bag packed and secured in the trunk of the car, just in case. Perhaps youll decide, on the spur of the moment, to stop and take a hike or to hole up in a B&B for the night. A pair of Nikes and sweats, or jeans and a jacket, plus the indispensable toothbrush, can come in pretty handy.

Travel, whether you are coming from far away or exploring in your relative backyard, means leaving your own sphere and arriving at a new, unknown place. An excursion is an exciting adventure, wherever you go. Its certainly an antidote to stress and hard work, and a way to experience enticing places and intriguing pursuits. Often it triggers memories of long-ago travel or creates new ones to be enjoyed in coming years. It certainly moves us in unanticipated and wondrous ways, leaving us different than when we started.

With a sailboat and a favorable wind, or a car and a full tank of gas on a sunny day, youre likely to find the desire to travel irresistible.