A Funny Thing Happened to me on my Way to Work Today……

Wait, I must be hallucinating, we don’t work and the “W” word is a 4 letter word around our rig! At least this time of year. This is the time of year to relax and recuperate from all the craziness of the summer and fall. But a funny thing did happen to us this week……

After leaving Havre De Grace we headed south. Our plan was to spend the night on Assateague Island but first we wanted to stop by the Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats on our way through Rehoboth Beach. Google Maps showed the location right on the main strip that went down to the water and not real RV friendly. So we called to see if there was any place for us to park. “Sure, there is plenty of parking”. Well you can probably already guess where this is going. So there we are on  Rehoboth Ave. and although there was plenty of parking right along the road it was lined with trees on both sides that were tall enough for cars and pickups to park under but certainly not a 13+ foot 5^th wheel! I tried one spot but it was just too tight, I parked as close to the trees as I dared but still stuck out too far in the adjacent lane. So we abandoned that idea and headed off down the road.

About 5 miles down the road we saw a sign for a Delaware State Park campground. We had looked at it on line but thought it was closed but as we drove past there were 3 rigs in it so we pulled in and decided to spend the night. At $30/night with power and sewer it would do for the night so we picked a spot and backed in. Imagine our surprise as I went to put down the jacks and found a string or Christmas lights hanging from the side of our rig!

Apparently I got a little close to one of those trees and hooked a set of lights!

After getting set up we headed back into town to hit the brewery. We each had a flight of beers and it was just getting was dark by the time we left. All of the trees along Rehoboth Ave. were festively lit up with Christmas lights. Except one....the only lonely tree right in front of the brewery sadly had no lights! Huh, I wonder how that happened?

They had the cheapest diesel we have seen in a while! We paid up to $3.70 on our way out here!

Then it was off  to The Big Fish Grill for dinner. If you are ever in the area, we would highly recommend stopping here!

When we got back to our campground the bridge was all lit up!

The next day we carried on to Assateague Island National Seashore campground. We were in search of the elusive Assateague Island ponies! We had heard a lot about the ponies and wanted to see them for ourselves. The campground has 5 loops; two Ocean loops and three Bayside. Probably a total of 150 sites. We walked into the office to register and pay our $30 for the night (no hookups). We were told that we had our pick of the entire campground! Except site #15 Oceanside, that site was taken. Over a 100 sites and not a person in sight! Gotta love the off season! 

We chose Bayside site #14 with terrific views of the marsh.

As we were setting up we looked out in the marsh and saw something brown out there that looked like it was moving. Upon closer inspection.....

We were there less than 20 minutes and already spotted our first pony! The story of the ponies varies depending on what you believe:

Wild ponies have inhabited Assateague Island for hundreds of years. Some have suggested that the wild ponies of Assateague trace their origin to horses released to forage on the Island by early settlers. However, the evidence strongly sugests that they are the descendants of the survivors of a Spanish galleon which wrecked off the coast of Assateague. This story, which has been passed from generation to generation on Chincoteague Island, is stronger than fiction.

We then took the dogs for a walk on the beach. This was Dakota's first ocean experience and the first thing she did was run to the water, jump in and started drinking! The look on her face was priceless..... After that the dogs just started running up and down the beach like they were crazy.


Although we have been to the Pacific Ocean several times, this was our first Atlantic experience.

Barb's first time in the Atlantic Ocean!

It was a lot different than our Pacific experiences where the coastline was more rugged with only small sections of sandy beaches. This area had miles and miles of beautiful sandy beaches!

There was not a lot of driftwood or sea shells, just lots of beautiful sand! Oh, and a smattering of horseshoe crabs here and there that Daisy thought were really interesting. She could not figure out why it would not play with her! 

The next day we were packed up for a day trip down to Chincoteague Island National Wildlife Refuge in search of more ponies. Along the way we stopped by Wallops NASA Flight Facility. 

Not a lot to see there but we did get to see a picture of a space monkey and we each tried on a couple of new suits!

When we got to Chincoteague Island we hiked the 1/2 mile trail to the lighthouse.

The 142 foot lighthouse was first lit in 1867 and is still in use today. 

We also hiked the 1.6 mile Woodland Trail where we saw various forms of wildlife.

Interesting note about these squirrels..... They are actually Delmarva Fox squirrels from Pennsylvania and were listed as an endangered species in 1967. In 1969 biologists started relocated these squirrels to Chincoteague Island where they are now thriving.

A little while later we came to an open area and what do we see? More ponies!

Overall we had a great visit to the area and is someplace we would like to come back to. But for now we need to continue to head south as we are off to the Outer Banks!

Our East Coast Adventure Begins!

Having never been to the east coast we were excited to see what it had to offer and planned our route to keep us as close to the Atlantic as possible. 

We searched the internet and read dozens of blog posts looking for the perfect route that fit our interests with overnight stops in Newark DE, Rehoboth Beach DE, Assateague Island, Cape Charles VA, Cape Hatteras, Newport NC, Wilmington NC, Myrtle Beach, Charleston SC, Savannah GA, Brunswick GA, Okefenokee Nat'l Wildlife Refuge finally arriving in Yankeetown FL on the 9th of January. As of right now it looks like we will be spending Christmas in the Charleston or Savannah area.

Our first stop was one that I was very excited about in Havre De Grace MD. Few things stir my imagination like old time waterfowl hunting. Back when the skies were filled with duck….so much so that old time hunters would say “The flocks blocked the sun like a cloud was passing by”. Les Koubau prints come to mind with images of duck hunters from the 1920’s and 30's. His art was not the most detailed but really captured the spirit of the times and stirs something deep inside me. 

Daybreak at the Marsh - Les Koubau

Trusting Bills - Les Koubau

The Chesapeake Bay was probably the most famous area for waterfowling at the time. Hand carved decoys, 10 gauge, 8 gauge and even 4 gauge shotguns, sink boxes and market hunting were all common back in that era. 

Since we were so close to the Chesapeake I began scouring the internet looking for a museum or historical site that we could go to and get an idea of what it was like back in the day. We found it in Havre De Grace at the Havre De Grace Decoy Museum.

The museum is fairly small but is broken into three sections; history of waterfowl decoys, waterfowl weaponry/boats and more modern wood-carved decoys. We walked each of the sections in awe of the talent of the carvers old and new, each with their own unique style. 

Back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s decoy carving was more about function than reality and detail but those are the ones that personally really get me excited. I used to own a few before full timing but sold them when we hit the road. 

The canvasback and scaup ducks were the most prevalent ducks in this area at the time so most of the decoys were of those two species.

Canvasback Decoys

A complete set of decoys attached to one another with string and wire

Sets of dozens and dozens of decoys were set around a  "Sink Box" or "Sink Boats". The boats were designed so the sides of the boat were at water level and the hunter was below the waterline for maximum concealment. The boat was set out in the middle of the bay and decoys were set on and around the blind. This set up was so effective that it was eventually outlawed. 

Sink Boat designed to be flat on the water and nearly invisible to ducks

Another method was to use sneak boats at night to sneak up on resting ducks. These boats were equipped with a lantern on the front and battery of guns made out of pipes on the front. They would then sneak up within range and shoot dozens of birds with one shot. 

Sneak boat with a lantern and battery of guns

Then there was the "Punt Gun" This shotgun was enormous and required a mount so the hunter could shoot it. Again these were outlawed in the 1918.

1860 Flintlock Punt gun

Then there were the shotguns designed for wing shooting (shooting flying ducks). Today the most common is the 12 gauge shotgun. A 12 gauge shotgun shell used for duck hunting will have anywhere 115-160 pellets in a shell. Back then they used 8, 7 and even 4 gauge shotguns allowing the hunter to shoot several hundred pellets per shell. These were all outlawed in 1938.

A old market gun

8 gauge shotguns

 Carving today is done much like it was a 100 years ago. They start with a block of wood and a hatchet. Chopping it into a rough shape before putting on a lathe which uses a template to get it into a more defined shape.

Decoy lathe with templates on the wall

They then use hand tools and sand paper to get it into the final product. 

There are a variety of “modern day” carvers from the 1930’s through today. Some of them still use the old “functional” decoy style while others have opted for the more detailed lifelike look. Both are beautiful in their own right. 

The Jim Pierce display

Charles Joiner Jr. display

Some modern old style carvings

Incredible detail!

The building next door was a famous the famous Bayou Hotel built in 1917 specifically for wealthy duck hunters who arrived by train to hunt the bay. Several presidents, actors and even Babe Ruth stayed at the hotel to hunt the bay.

After spending the night in the Cabela’s parking lot in Newark Delaware we are continuing our journey south to seek out one of Barb’s passions; Horses! We are off to Assateague Island to see the ponies!

We would love to hear from you about what other sights or attractions we should see along the way!

Gettysburg!!!!

The year was 1812 and Paul Revere rushed through the streets…..“The British are coming, the British are coming!” Oh wait, I might be slightly confused….But that is an example of how little we knew about Gettysburg prior to our visit. The battle of Gettysburg actually took place in July of 1863.

Today we know a little bit more.

For example, did you know the battle was only 3 days long? Did you know 2/3rds of the approximately 51,000 soldiers who died as a result of the battle actually died from infections from their wounds? Or that it included regiments and batteries from 12 Southern and 18 Northern states. How about the fact that there were several families whose siblings fought for both sides against each other? Or that there was only one civilian who died as a result of the battle?  Those are just a few of the interesting facts we learned on our tour.

Having never been to the area, we solicited advice on what was the best way to tour the park and battlefield. We could just wing it and drive around looking at the more than 1,300 monuments. We could hire a personal guide at the visitors center ($75) who would drive around with us and explain the battle. There are bus tours with a knowledgeable narrators, ($35/person) Or we could purchase one of the auto tour books and CD’s and take the self-guided tour ($30).  We decided on the latter and for us, it was the right decision. 

Before taking the tour, we walked the visitors center where they have a lot of weapons, clothing and other artifacts from the battle on display. Of particular interest to us were the guns and cannons used during the battle. 

The ball canister in the upper left would spread out 50 yards 

Sitting in the parking lot of the Visitors Center we put the first CD into the player and listened to the instructions. It instructed us to go to Auto Tour Stop #1. There were numerous signs to guide us from stop to stop to make sure we stayed on track and did not get lost. The 24 mile tour winds back and forth through the city and countryside and is comprised of 16 stops. 

Abe is sitting right outside the Visitors Center

At each stop the narrator detailed what took place at that location, the strategies that were in play, as well as a few "what if" scenarios on how the battle could have changed had one side or the other done things a little differently.  Between stops the narration would continue by talking about some sights we were passing or an interesting side story from that era.

Eternal Light Peace Memorial

We are not huge history buffs but did find it very interesting. One reason we really liked the CD Auto Tour over the personal guide is that we were able to take our time, walk around and even take breaks when we wanted. We also enjoyed the theatric aspect of the narration which included battle cries, personal stories of some of the soldiers and dramatic music. It really got you into it and you could almost visualize the battle as it took place...…

North Carolina Monument

…..this was particularly true at the location of Pickett's Charge where thousands lay dead or wounded in the field. This post does not even start to do the area or the battle justice, it is something you have to experience for yourself to really appreciate. 

Virginia Monument

Pennsylvania Monument

General Slocum Memorial

Sallie, the 11th Infantry mascot would often lay by the wounded in the battlefield 

The Auto Tour itself took about 3 hours. We drove the town a little more looking at the architecture of some of the buildings (including Dairy Queen!). There are dozens if not hundreds of additional attractions that you could stop at but we just wanted to get a general sense of the area and headed back west towards home. Along the way we spotted Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium. How could we not stop there?!?!?

We walked through the store, each got a candy bar and continued on our way.

For family fun this week we all went out and got a Christmas tree. When Jessica was growing up we would always go out to the local tree farm and cut our own. It warms your hearts that both of our kids are continuing this tradition by creating memories for their kids. So on a foggy Sunday morning we headed out looking for just the perfect tree....

So many trees to choose from!

I think we have a winner! Notice a buck rubbed the tree on the left...

Dylan trying to cut the tree along with Shane and Jess

The happy family!

Speaking of Christmas, Barb went crazy with the decorations this year. They look great when they are up, the hard part is that we will be moving a lot in the next month and will have to take them up and down every stop.

Barb made the Happy Campers sign up at Pasha Lake Cabins

Hard to see but that is a Christmas moose on top

We picked up the brass jingle bells at Magnolia Market in Waco

Santa has been with us for a few years but the pillows are a new addition

Crafty Barb even made the star on the top out of sticks!

With only 3 days left here, We are trying to fit in as many adventures as we can. Barb and Jess drove to Lancaster Friday to attend Green Dragon Market. Every Friday thousands of shoppers converge on this 30 acre site where over 400 vendors are set up selling food, local fresh produce and hand crafted furniture. I tagged along as well just so I could go to Lancaster Archery Supply, Probably the largest archery supplier in the country. Could you believe I walked through the entire show room and did not buy one thing? Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of things I wanted, just nothing I needed right now.

This is my kind of toy store!

I did find a new bow I wanted but did not have a spare $1,000 burning a hole in my wallet

A Christmas present for Barb perhaps?

That night we attended another holiday event at the Greencastle Town Square. It included booths from many of the area businesses, carolers and horse drawn wagon rides. Jessica surprised us by treating us to a ride!

We also went to see Santa and got a couple of pictures of the kids which are now on display in the house as Charlie watches over everyone to see if they are naughty or nice!

As our time here comes to an end, it is time to start packing up and getting things ready to move down the road. Besides organizing the belly Barb has been cleaning like crazy; kitchen, living room, bathroom, bedroom all clean and smelling like pinesol. I had two projects that I needed to work on. One was fixing a leaky toilet. Somehow, somewhere a fitting got a crack in it and started leaking. I ordered a new one, replaced the old one and guess what? It leaked worse than the one with a crack in it! Looking it over I could not see a way to take it apart and fix it bit I also saw that it had two rubber grommets that were supposed to prevent the water for leaking. Maybe, just maybe they were dried out and just needed some rehydrating. So I soaked the part in vegetable oil for a couple days and walah! It worked did not leak any more, I am a genius!

This is the part that needed replacing

Pretty easy to replace, a hose clamp and snap it in place!

The other project involved our Sea Eagle Kayak. We had not used it in quite a while and had stored it in our shed over the summer. Since we hope to use it in Florida this winter we took it out and gave it the once over only to find a mouse had chew a couple of holes through the inflatable floor liner!

One of the two patches

Looks like it is holding air!

Using the repair kit that came with the boat I patched it up and we are now ready for the water!

Meanwhile, Jess has been trying to guilt us into staying until Christmas but it is time to give the kids their lives back and move on down the road. We have a rough travel route that will take through Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and eventually Florida. We hope to take the coast most of the way but with the ever change December weather we are prepared to deviate and head inland or speed up our travel should we need to.

Wish us luck!