Mark and Allison rented a vacation house in Saint Mary's County to share with their extended family. But some of them had to back out at the last minute so they had some space and invited Norma, Daphne, and me. We graciously accepted their offer.

Norma, Daphne, and I drove out after work on July 1. Lots of folks were taking Friday off work and heading to the eastern shore on the afternoon prior, but southern Maryland is not a popular tourist destination so traffic wasn't bad.

We arrived a little before dark. Mark grilled up some meat for us. I know there was other food but all I remember is the meat.

The rental house was on waterfront property overlooking the Smith Creek area (I think one of its tributaries). Norma and I brought our tandem kayak but the property owner provided single kayaks and SUPs. We got out on the water for a short paddling trip that night. Norma, Allison, and Viviana were in single kayaks. Daphne and I were on a SUP.

The weather wasn't looking so great. It would be dark and cool.

We all drove out to Historic Saint Mary's City. I'd been here before on my own but today's trip had a different feel. It was much more relaxed.

We walked around to some of the different historic buildings and then took a tour of the Maryland Dove, a reproduction of the vessel that accompanied the first European settlers to Maryland in 1634. They weren't very busy so we had our own personal guide. I highly recommend this tour.

Near the Dove was this osprey nest. You can see one parent with its large offspring laying low. Can you see one more head?

After touring Historic Saint Mary's City, we drove to McIntosh Run / Port of Leonardtown Park. Norma and I unloaded my tandem kayak while Mark and Allison rented a canoe from PAC Paddle Sports.

A few months ago, I paddled this area so I could write Autumn Kayaking on McIntosh Run and Breton Bay.

We were hoping to have a little sun on the water but we were not so fortunate. At least it wasn't hot.

We pulled ashore for a break and to look around. Then Mark, Allison, Viviana, and April paddled back while Norma and I continued to Leonardtown. Along the way, Norma and I saw several bald eagles. We also saw one northern water snake and heard a barred owl.
We pulled ashore in Leonardtown. Norma walked around, looking for a place to buy ice cream but found nothing. I think the town could have tourism potential if the government was willing to put a little more money into the waterfront area.

Norma and I paddled 5.5 miles.
We met the rest of our group back at the vacation house for dinner and games. We played Ticket to Ride, one of Norma's favorites.

After cleaning up the house, we went our separate ways. Norma, Daphne, and I then drove to and launched at the Great Mills Canoe-Kayak Launch. This is a site that I'd been wanting to explore for a couple of years.

Our goal was to paddle downstream on Saint Mary's River, go under Point Lookout Road (route 5), and do the 6.5-mile route to Tippity Wichity Island and back. I think Doctor Seuss must have named that island.

In the below photo, Norma and Daphne are ready to get started. Be careful walking down that wooden ramp. Like Bon Jovi's third studio album, it is "Slippery When Wet."

Unfortunately, we only made it about a quarter of a mile downstream before we encountered what appeared to be an insurmountable downfall. I brought my saw and small loppers but this vine-covered fallen tree was just too much. I climbed to the top and figured we might be able to get the boat over the tree by standing on the upstream logs to lift it over, but I didn't think we could get it back over on the return trip. I considered portaging around but it was a steep, muddy drop to the river...one that we might have been able to make but one where I don't think we could have gotten the boat back up. So this mission was aborted.

We paddled upstream about a quarter of a mile past where we launched, doing a few minor portages along the way. I was hoping to find some interesting wildlife but there was none. However, I did find something fascinating. Keep reading.
We only got in 1.2 miles of paddling and portaging.
After kayaking, we visited Cecil's Mill Historic District.
The original water-powered textile mill, "Clifton Factory," built in 1812, was rebuilt as a flour mill in 1900 by John Thomas Cecil.
The first belt driven roller mill in the county and the saw mill were operated by water power until Cecil's death in 1927.
The saw mill was closed in 1959 after the death of H. Robb Cecil.
- from historic signs

At the mill, I saw things that I recognized when we were paddling. I wanted to go back and investigate. So we drove back to the launch site and ate lunch. Norma took a nap while I waded upstream in water that got up to chest-deep.

Near the most upstream portion of our route, I found a lot of rusty pieces of iron along the shore. I found three horseshoes, and old rake head, and various things I could not identify. I also found a broken piece of a sawmill blade which almost certainly came from Cecil's Mill. This piece is 13.9 inches long and broke off from a blade that was almost 21 inches in diameter. I expect the complete blade resembled one I found at eBay, which is no longer posted.

This was a terrible place to launch but it was not a waste of time. I found some interesting things and had my curiosity satisfied. Maybe I'll return to paddle on Saint Mary's River and get to Tippity Wichity Island but if I do, I won't be starting here.

On the way home, Norma insisted we stop at Solomons and visit the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center. Unfortunately, we had very little time before they closed so it was a very rushed visit.
It was a good vacation. It seemed too short but I still had two more days to get outside since July 5 was a no-work day (because Independence Day fell on a Sunday). So the fun was just starting.