Showing posts with label Delaware. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delaware. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Port Lewes, DE to Anniston AL

Two days without any major incidents, yeah! 

We started at sunrise and went to empty our tanks at the nearest state park. 

Then we headed off towards the Chesapeake Bay crossing. 

Bridge over Chesapeake Bay
That is done via a combination of a bridge and 2 tunnels over a stretch of open water on a distance of 28.3 km (17.6 mi ).

Big conainer ship
The crossing over the wide open water takes about 20min, and at the second tunnel we saw a big container ship about to move  right above our heads. 
Container ship crossing a tunnel, seen in rear mirror

After the crossing we dove into the crazy traffic of Norfolk in Delaware, managed that and drove as far as we could before sunset. 
We made it to Smithfield, NC where we had parked overnight once before.

After a quiet night on a Walmart parking lot we again started out right after sunrise and merged from the I-95, near Florence SC, onto the I-20 west. The day was sunny 
with temperatures of 26C (78.8F).
We will stay on this interstate until it ends on I-10, about 1.500 miles away and west of Pecos, TX. 
Long days of driving are ahead. I know - it is crazy!
Gas is much cheaper here than home in New Brunswick.
nice gas prices down here

Tonight we will stay in Anniston, AL . By now we have entered another time zone. 
City traffic

Started out on Atlantic time, drove through Eastern time and entered Alabama into Central Time. And two more timezones ahead.
 
One minor thing: the gear stick slipped again despite the recent repairs done. Explain that to me!! 
JP had to crawl under the van again and move the connection until we got the mechanism working. 
at a rest stop: Gulf Fritillary Butterfly





 Translation for my German friends
Zwei Tage ohne Zwischenfälle sind vergangen, abgesehen von ein paar verrückten Autofahrern die, im dicken Stadtverkehr, in letzter Minute noch vor
uns eine Ausfahrt erreichen wollten, und vor uns von links kommend nach rechts rein scherten und uns schnitten. 
Gefährlich, gefährlich und völlig rücksichtslos!
Noch mal gut gegangen.

Wir fuhren direkt nach Sonnenaufgang von Port Lewes in Delaware los zum nächsten Regionalpark und benutzten dort deren Sani-Anlage um unsere Tanks zu entleeren. 
Danach ging es direkt in Richtung Chesapeake Bay. Eine 28.3 km breite Wasserfläche die man per Brücke und zweier Tunnel überquert. Ein großes Kontainerschiff fuhr dabei

direkt über uns hinweg. Dann stürzten wir uns hinein in das Verkehrsgetümmel von Norfolk, Virginia. Wir fuhren weiter bis zum Sonnenuntergang und übernachteten in Smithfield, North Carolina. 
Her gibt es ein interessantes Ava Gardner Museum, für das wir allerdings keine Zeit eingeplant hatten.

Heute ging es dann weiter, bei sonnigen 26 Grad, bis nach South Carolina wo wir endlich auf die Interstate I-20 gelangten. Die wird uns nun, nach weiteren 2.414 Kilometern in Richtung Westen, hin zur I-10 bringen. Von dort ist es dann nicht mehr weit bis nach New Mexico. 

Es gab nicht viel zu sehen, meistens ländliche Gegenden oder dichter Großstadtverkehr. Das Benzin kostet hier vergleichsweise Euro 0.67 per Liter.

Einmal hat heute, trotz Reparatur, der Schalthebel wieder gebockt und J.P mußte wieder unter das Auto kriechen und am Kabel wackeln bis er wieder einrastete. 
Das soll einer verstehen! 
Heute Nacht bleiben wir in Anniston, Alabama.

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Virginia to Delaware

 After reaching the Northern Shore of the Chesapeak Bay

we decided to stay overnight at the local Cape Charles Welcome Centre. (It actually was more like a huge truck stop over night.)

There was no time to go on a birding trip the next morning.

There was only time for a short stroll to stretch the legs after a days long trip.
Marsh overlook
The path was overgrown with wild Wisteria vine.
Wisteria
Dixie loved the walk around the green shrubbery.
Walking the trail in the cool sea air
We stumbled over a relic from WWII
An old piece of a canon and amunition
A bit somber 
The back of a canon from WWII
After the short walk we went to bed early because Peter found out 
that there was hardly any space available on the ferries to Cape May. 
Easter traffic, off course.
We only managed to get a spot on the earliest departure. 
So, the alarm went off at 3:30 AM!
Sunrise at Lewes Ferry Terminal, DE

After two and a half hours driving through the dark night the sun rose when we reached the terminal.

A screenshot off the live camera shows as we are pulling in on the ferry's parking lot.

Visible in the lower left corner is our trailer roof.

Lining up for boarding the ferry over to Cape May, DE
While crossing the Delaware delta I took a nap.
Off we go, someone had Easter Bunny Ears on their car.
Dixie was tired too, and while Peter was catching up on sleep after we had arrived at Cape May... 

After a walk Dixie was napping on her bed in the van.


While Peter caught up on sleep there was time for a walk along the edge of the parking lot, 

and was lucky to find a Carolina Wren. They never sit still for long. 

Carolina Wren (a quick photo before he disappeared)

Tomorrow is the big day. 
Getting around New Your!