Friday, May 17, 2013

Northern Victorian Towns


Northern Victorian Towns

Leaving Baltimore we crossed the tip of the Chesapeake Bay and headed via the Elk River into the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. This 16 mile canal is really an open man-made passage between Philadelphia and Baltimore built in 1829 but enlarged many times and now without locks. We lucked into a spot on the free dock at Chesapeake City – a mere four miles into the canal. Shortly after the boat next to us help tie our ropes, we were visiting and comparing notes. Dan and Jodi on Water Hog are in month five and a half of their six month trip to the Bahamas and had lots of suggestions for Steve’s planned trip over there next winter. Even more amazing, Dan built their boat from “a kit”! He bought the hull and filled it with all the things needed to make his perfect boat. It is beautiful from the shiny fiberglass to the gleaming woodwork. His care in planning the smallest detail is evident in the clever use of space and roomy layout. Having seen his boat, we were pleased that he found the quality in the Krogens impressive. I say Krogens plural because John and his crew arrived on his Krogen 44, Feisty Lady – very much like the one our friends from Marathon, Mark and Mary have. We all made plans to run down the Delaware bay to Cape May the following day. Before we left Chesapeake City, we took a walk around this cute little Victorian Town.  Most of the homes and businesses here in the area of the harbor date from the early days of the canal and have been restored with period detail. Many are bed and breakfasts or inns and some are retail business or restaurants.  This tiny town was only a foretaste of the treat to come in Cape May.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Our little group traveled down the Delaware Bay keeping in touch and in sight of each other on the long – for us – day which fortunately was blessed with favorable winds and current.  The Delaware Bay is reputably a nasty place when the wind is fighting the current. All we saw were calm seas and fair winds the entire way into our anchorage in front of the Coast Guard training facility on Cape May. Their drilling and routines have added a little spice to our stay here.  We have spent two full days waiting for the storm front to pass and the seas to calm for our 140+ mile trip into New York Harbor. The stormy weather did not much inhibit our (my) touring of this town that boasts more than 600 Victorian homes and businesses. Needless to say we had to walk and bike around and enjoy these colorful gingerbread homes.  They have also created a pedestrian zone in the heart of the downtown and reconstructed the boardwalk in concrete along the Atlantic which saved them from serious Sandy damage. We took a bike ride out to the lighthouse and a walk on the beach followed by lunch at the Key West Taco shack – we couldn’t resist. The owner runs the shop 7 months of the year and the rest he spends in the Keys or further south. It was our kind of place from the great food to the tropical Jimmy Buffet inspired décor. Steve also graciously toured the Emlen Physick Estate a grand Victorian home designed by Frank Furness – the mentor of Louis Sullivan who then had Frank Lloyd Wright as a student. The home did include many items from the original family and has been restored based on the oral histories collected from both family and the servants who worked there. Sadly, we were not allowed to take pictures – so you will be spared my photos of the William Morris wallpaper, ceilings, fireplace tiles, and woven wood screens. This “cottage” included more than 6000 square feet for the Doctor, his mother and aunt. The rich knew how to live.






 sad story on the C & D?









 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
John and the Feisty Lady headed to Atlantic City this morning after a farewell pizza party. Weather permitting, tomorrow we will be travelling half way to New York City with Dan and Jodi.
 
 

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