Our original plan was to expedite the packaging process by dropping the mast while the boat was still on the water, however, the wind and waves made the powering procedure risky and the consequences of a dropped mast while the boat was still in the water were unthinkable. So we motored to Elk Neck State Park ramp area, tied up and waited about 10 minutes until Bob arrived. We pulled the boat onto the trailer without incident, and moved to the rigging area.
The actual teardown and wrapping up of the boat went quite smoothly and we were ready at about 11:30 to head to Woodies in North East, MD for one more fresh seafood lunch before leaving the Chesapeake area. Beth Sherfy, our niece from Baltimore, joined us for this feast. All 4 of us had a crab cake sandwich of one type of another. I have eaten crab in one form or another at every opportunity on this trip. Having little experience in this delicacy, I now have grown to be a true fan.
The pic below is of Janine's brother Bob and our niece, Beth. Bob does look a bit better than this in reality. We really appreciate his help in this project
We said our goodbyes to Beth and headed with Bob for Lancaster, PA. At Bob and his wife, Amy’s, home, we were treated to a wonderful pork chop dinner and an evening of complete relaxation. Our contribution to the meal was in the form of an apple caramel blob cake; the last one in our storage bin. True to form on this trip, we were both in a rectangular bed and sound asleep by a bit after 9:00.
We left Lancaster at around 7:00 Sunday morning on July 31 heading for Somerset. At this time of the morning the Pennsylvania Turnpike is not as busy as we knew it would be later in the day so we took advantage of that fact and headed west. We stopped for breakfast of a waffle at the Waffle House in Carlisle PA. We stopped at Cabelas in West Virginia to pick up fuel for our cook stove, and while there, enjoyed a nice American lunch of chicken salad and tuna salad sandwiches.
Arrival time in Somerset was about 3:00 where we were greeted enthusiastically by our two canine pals, Buster and Louie.
This has been a great trip. The heat was a bit of a distraction; however, neither of us feels that it was a game breaker. The eastern shore is a fascinating friendly area and we don’t rule out the possibility of returning sometime in the future. And what of all of this STUFF I have scribbled down? I will print it off and put it in a binder to re reviewed and to refresh our memories some cold winter day in the future. This is the 8th of the trips and most are recorded and archived as this one will be. It is amazing how these ramblings bring back vivid memories of places visited, people met, and even meals in the cockpit as the sun goes down in some beautiful cove.
A couple of extra picures.
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| Steve and Janine in Dink |
Sunset on Swan Creek
