Week 43 - Delmarva Pennisula - 06-10-2007

Hello from the Delmarva Peninsula,

The DelawareMarylandVirgiana Peninsula consists of those three states. Like all the states east of the Mississippi River, there is an abundance of water, grass and trees. When we first came into Louisiana we were captivated by lush foliage. All open space in these south eastern states had to be created by clearing the forests. In the majority of the areas you could not ride a bicycle or even walk through the woods as the trees are too close together.

After almost two months of this landscape, it began to be fun to see open fields! Pete was quite taken by the Delmarva Peninsula for several reasons. There is water and trees everywhere, but there is also a lot of open spaces. There are few fences. And the roads have shoulders! Most roads in the east have no shoulders, just a white stripe and three more inches of blacktop (and then a deep ditch to channel the rain water). But here many of the roads have wide shoulders, like those in California. We are told that the wide shoulder are for the Amish carriages, however, we have yet to see one.

We got onto the peninsula traveling across the 17 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel. We again found the Elks to be great places to stay overnight. And the local members have great stories to tell and directed us to sites to be seen. We stayed mostly in Salisbury, Maryland waiting for a minor motorhome repair. We also toured Delaware, the city of Dover and the Atlantic Beaches.

The climate here is more moderate than other East Coast states because of the water on both sides. We are told that hurricanes rarely hit here and that the snowfall is infrequent and minimal. The winters used to be much harsher. Hurray for global warming!

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel was built in 1969 with no government funds. Bonds were issued and paid back from the tolls. It was changed from two lanes to four lanes in 1999 in the same manner. It is a marvel. 17 miles long with two one-mile tunnels and a 3/4 mile bridge. The tunnels are deep enough for cruise ships and aircraft carriers to pass over the top. For 1/3 mile you descend under water, travel 1/3 mile level and then finally ascend at the other end. Check out how close the semi-truck trailer is to the top of the tunnel. Our motorhome is the same height! Pete volunteered to help serve at the restaurant located 4 miles out on the bridge.

On Monday, we visited Dover, Delaware. Someone mentioned that there was some kind of race going on, so we headed over to Dover Downs. It was the NASCAR Autism Speaks 400 at the Dover Monster Mile.

We bought the cheap $55 tickets. Once inside the track we found out why everyone enjoys a crash. Because then the cars slow down and the noise subsides. Without earplugs and earphones, the noise is hard to take. We spotted a building next to the track that turned out to be the Dover Downs Casino Hotel. We entered (for free) and went to the 4th floor casino. Because the race was rained out on Sunday, there were thousands of vacant seats. We sat indoors and watched the race in peace.

Here are some of the drivers at Dover Downs. You can see the driver and laps on the position pole. Martin Truex Jr. #1, was the winner.

1 Martin Truex Jr.
01 Mark Martin
11 Denny Hamlin
12 Ryan Newman
17 Keith Kenseth
48 Jimmie Johnson
99 Carl Edwards

After the race a number of helicopters landed on the field. We asked a security guard what the purpose of the copters was. He said "they take the drivers to the next place they need to be". And where is that, we asked. He replied, "I have no idea!"