Parents' Visit 2005

We drove us to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park (National Zoo) in Washington D.C. where we saw a multitude of different animals. The cheetah was my favorite.
But the panda bear attracted the most attention.
Afterwards, we stopped for ice cream at York Castle.

We ended the day by grilling buffalo burgers for dinner.

We started the day at the crack of dawn, driving for about 3.75 hours to Chincoteague Island on the eastern shore of Virginia. We ate lunch at Captain Fish's Restaurant. Great food for a good price with a waterfront view.

Next, we toured the Refuge Waterfowl Museum. I bought lots of shells.

We ended the day at Chincoteague Island with a fantastic private pontoon boat tour with Spider's Explorer. Captain Spider Fleming took us to see the ponies of Assateague Island and explained the island like only a native could. We toured Chincoteague Channel and Assateague Channel, then saw the Assateague Lighthouse. The highlight of the day was undoubtedly seeing a school of about 30 bottlenose dolphin just south of the route 175 bridge in the Chincoteague Channel. Swimming south just after high tide, they passed right by the boat, getting as close as six feet at times. The below picture shows us on the boat with the route 175 bridge behind. I should have worn my sunglasses.

Leaving Chincoteague Island, we drove about an hour to Snow Hill, Maryland. We stopped for dinner at the Lost Pelican. Though it appears to be just a hole in the wall, they serve a good meal at a great price. Can't go wrong with the club sandwich.

We spent the evening at the Mansion House bed and breakfast just east of Snow Hill, overlooking Chincoteague Bay. Though it was a bed and breakfast, it often felt like we were staying in a museum since so much of the decor reflected the time period from which the house was built, 1835.
Just before dusk, we went for a short walk along Chincoteague Bay.

After a good night's sleep, I awoke early and went for a walk at dawn near Pawpaw Creek, shown at the top of this page. A little later, Mom joined me on the pier and we saw several needle fish which look much like small gar. Later, we were all served breakfast by Carol and George, owners of the Mansion House.

We drove about an hour to Crisfield, Maryland where we walked through the downtown area then went for a boat tour with Smith Island Cruises to Ewell, Smith Island, which lies 13 miles west of Crisfield.
On Smith Island we ate at the Bayside Inn and learned what a peeler is. The island is known for having roots in the crabbing industry. As shown in the picture below, there is some tension between the crabbers and some of the environmentalists.
We stopped at the Smith Island Center and toured their museum.

Touring Ewell on foot, we found a writing spider (Argiope aurantia) at the Middleton House, which is now operated as an interpretive center and headquarters for the Martin National Wildlife Refuge. I've never seen a spider in the wild as large as the writing spider. It was about four inches from tip to tip.

After returning to Crisfield, we drove about 2.25 hours to Saint Michaels, Maryland where we checked into the Bay Cottage bed and breakfast which overlooks Long Haul Creek just off the Miles River, north of the downtown area. We stayed in the Twilight Suite which is in a building that was once a hunting lodge.

We ended the day with dinner at Saint Michaels Crab and Steak House at the Saint Michaels Marina.

We began the day with a quick drive to Tilghman Island.

Next, we ate a Bay Cottage breakfast and engaged in conversation with other guests and its owners, Bob and Jackie. I suppose what I like most about staying at a bed and breakfast is being able to talk to the owners about the local area, restaurants at which to dine, sites to visit, and most importantly, places from which I can launch a kayak. The below snapshot shows (from left to right), Dad, Jackie, Mom, and Bob.

We spent much of the day at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. This began with a tour of the Miles River on the excursion boat Patriot. It rained for about a half hour but we were able to stay dry under the tarp roof.

Next, we ate at the Crab Claw Restaurant by the museum grounds. The three of us split their seafood sampler which was sufficient for us all. That was our first time tasting a soft shell crab. Very strange to us Californians.

We finished our day at the museum walking through each building and climbing up Hooper Strait Lighthouse. I was shocked to learn that a 60 watt light bulb could be seen for 12 miles due to the way the light is focused through various prisms.
Mom learned what a skipjack is. It is a boat with a single wooden mast, a large triangular main sail, and a smaller sail at the front. It was used for oyster dredging since the late 1800s.
After driving for about 1.5 hours, we were back in Arbutus. I grilled sausages for dinner and we called it a night.

Most of our day was spent in Little Italy and the east side of the Baltimore Inner Harbor. It rained a bit in the morning on the way there, but we managed to stay dry during our visit.

We ate lunch at Amicci's in Little Italy, Baltimore.

Then, we visited The Flag House and Star-Spangled Banner Museum. We received an awesome private tour from Eric, a member of the Young Sierrans. The below pic shows us at the entrance, in front of a flag the same size as the one flown at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
Next, we went to the Baltimore Civil War Museum.

Afterwards, we headed to the Baltimore Public Works Museum.

Our next stop was the Baltimore Maritime Museum where we boarded the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Taney and then went into the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, the oldest screw pile lighthouse in Maryland, built in 1856.
We ended our day in Baltimore with a fine meal at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Definitely some of the best steak in Baltimore.

Upon returning to Arbutus, we stopped for ice cream at Edy's Grand Ice Cream.

This was the last full day of my parents' visit so I wanted to make it special.

I've paddled the Baltimore Inner Harbor many times and during my trips, I've seen an area with an abstract looking metal sculpture on the southern side of the harbor. It turns out this art piece is part of the Baltimore Museum of Industry. After talking to some people, it sounded like a great place to visit. We arrived and began by touring the outside area.
Inside, we received a fantastic private tour by Helen.

We drove to Dukem Ethiopian Restaurant in Mount Vernon, Baltimore where we were served a most unique lunch. After lunch, we returned home and rested before the big evening.

The evening was spent at Arundel Mills Mall. First, we went to the Bass Pro Shop where we viewed the aquarium. Unfortunately, the live horseshoe crab was nowhere to be seen.

Next we dined at Medieval Times. Though I had been there in February, this was my parents' first time. They found it quite entertaining and well choreographed. I had actually seen something similar back around 1990 in Spain, before it ever came to the states. I suppose my favorite part was seeing the falcon perform. I was also impressed by how many plates and full pitchers our "wench," Katie, could carry. The event was a memorable one and a great way to end a fabulous visit.