Escape from Baltimore, part 2 − 14 June, 2007
And now, a lesson in aggravation.
Yesterday's drive west of Baltimore had been pleasant. Today, I was planning on heading east, to the other side of Chesapeake Bay.
In 2001, my wife and I took a vacation in the Pinelands of New Jersey. Therefore, traveling northeast on I-95, I'd been through this area before.
Havre de Ripoff
You know, I thought south Georgia was a ripoff. But as I approached Exit 89 (just before the Susquehanna River), I recalled the trip in 2001 -- the very same bridge, on the very same interstate, was blocked off by the very same construction barrels and narrowed to one lane. Six years later, they still had that section of interstate choked off "under construction." To add insult to injury, the problematic bridge was also a toll road -- paying to sit in traffic, basically.
I took Exit 89, which seemed a reasonable alternative. That led me south, briefly, through the city of Havre de Grace. Obviously I wasn't the only motorist taking this detour; there was a friendly reception from the local police, who were directing enough radar guns at us that if I'd had any microwave popcorn in the car, it would probably have popped.
Then came the shaft. The bridge across the Susquehannah (US 40) was also a toll bridge -- FIVE DOLLARS! More expensive than the tunnel out of Baltimore. Insane. Clearly, these folks had a racket going at the expense of visitors to the area.
Turkey Point
Well, with that annoying bit finished, I made my way through various twists and turns to the very tip of Chesapeake Bay, the Turkey Point lighthouse. This was actually part of Elk Neck State Park, with about a two mile hiking trail to the actual lighthouse. After the aggravation with the Troll bridge, this was a pleasant surprise. I've Flickr'd in some photos of the hike below (bmc033 to bmc041).
Trapped at the Trench
You know, one of the distinctive features of Maryland's "eastern peninsula" is that all the roads seem to lead nowhere. That is, you travel a long distance, reach the end, then have to follow your path back exactly. There are no alternatives, no shortcuts, no loops. Case in point was my next destination, Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge: I had to follow MD 213 down to Chesterville, then turn west on, essentially, a gigantic cul-de-sac. If you follow MD 20 to Rock Hall, then head south to the park on MD 445 -- well, let's just say you'll find the drive back quite familiar.
Before I could even get there, however, I was shafted again. There was, yet again, construction on a bridge. In this case, it was on MD 213 as it crossed the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. You know, I planned on stopping there and seeing the area, but after spending 20 minutes waiting for the one-lane traffic to clear, I sort of gave up on the place.
Eastern Neck NWR
It seemed, on this trip, every time I went through aggravation, the destination compensated for it by being spectacular. Despite all the ridiculous asides on the journey (including a series of annoying convenience stores with no restroom), I finally made it to Eastern Neck.
Folks, I could have stayed there all afternoon. Unfortunately, I was supposed to meet my wife for an awards dinner at the Baltimore National Aquarium. Otherwise, I would have stayed until the park closed.
There was so much to do, and so much to see. You can get a little .pdf map here. Lots of trails!
In addition, the park had one of the best caretakers I've ever met. I stopped in the Visitor Center, and the lady who was at the information desk -- well, she was incredible. You could tell she really loved the park, and the area. She had so much knowledge and wisdom . . . it sort of reminded me of the old cliché about the guru that sits on top of the inaccessible mountain. The park was free, but because of its remote location, I was pretty much alone there (other than a few people fishing at the Eastern Neck Narrows bridge). You can share a bit of the experience in the Flickr photos below (bmc048 to bmc069).
Traffic Hell
Well, I do not like to be late, so I regrettably had to leave. I gave myself three hours to get to Baltimore. According to the lady at the visitor's center, it was about an hour's drive to the Bay Bridge (US 301 across Chesapeake Bay). I could actually see the bridge from the refuge -- however, getting there meant backtracking all the way to Chestertown! I figured it'd take me another hour to get from Annapolis to Baltimore.
WRONG!!!
More than three hours later, I finally made it back to the hotel. C-3PO once said to Han Solo: "Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1!" Well, even Han Solo would have given up on the crap on I-97. It was like some sort of unholy combination of a patched together sewage system and a cyclotron.
Hello . . . and Goodbye
Even Odysseus made it back to Ithaca. I'd called ahead to let my wife know I was in a gigantic parking lot outside of Baltimore (locals called it the interstate). So I missed the Aquarium. She did bring me a T-shirt, though.
And that night -- we began to pack. Tomorrow was our last day in Baltimore. We'd have one more adventure, however -- and this time, it'd be together.
Yesterday's drive west of Baltimore had been pleasant. Today, I was planning on heading east, to the other side of Chesapeake Bay.
In 2001, my wife and I took a vacation in the Pinelands of New Jersey. Therefore, traveling northeast on I-95, I'd been through this area before.
Havre de Ripoff
You know, I thought south Georgia was a ripoff. But as I approached Exit 89 (just before the Susquehanna River), I recalled the trip in 2001 -- the very same bridge, on the very same interstate, was blocked off by the very same construction barrels and narrowed to one lane. Six years later, they still had that section of interstate choked off "under construction." To add insult to injury, the problematic bridge was also a toll road -- paying to sit in traffic, basically.
I took Exit 89, which seemed a reasonable alternative. That led me south, briefly, through the city of Havre de Grace. Obviously I wasn't the only motorist taking this detour; there was a friendly reception from the local police, who were directing enough radar guns at us that if I'd had any microwave popcorn in the car, it would probably have popped.
Then came the shaft. The bridge across the Susquehannah (US 40) was also a toll bridge -- FIVE DOLLARS! More expensive than the tunnel out of Baltimore. Insane. Clearly, these folks had a racket going at the expense of visitors to the area.
Turkey Point
Well, with that annoying bit finished, I made my way through various twists and turns to the very tip of Chesapeake Bay, the Turkey Point lighthouse. This was actually part of Elk Neck State Park, with about a two mile hiking trail to the actual lighthouse. After the aggravation with the Troll bridge, this was a pleasant surprise. I've Flickr'd in some photos of the hike below (bmc033 to bmc041).
Trapped at the Trench
You know, one of the distinctive features of Maryland's "eastern peninsula" is that all the roads seem to lead nowhere. That is, you travel a long distance, reach the end, then have to follow your path back exactly. There are no alternatives, no shortcuts, no loops. Case in point was my next destination, Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge: I had to follow MD 213 down to Chesterville, then turn west on, essentially, a gigantic cul-de-sac. If you follow MD 20 to Rock Hall, then head south to the park on MD 445 -- well, let's just say you'll find the drive back quite familiar.
Before I could even get there, however, I was shafted again. There was, yet again, construction on a bridge. In this case, it was on MD 213 as it crossed the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. You know, I planned on stopping there and seeing the area, but after spending 20 minutes waiting for the one-lane traffic to clear, I sort of gave up on the place.
Eastern Neck NWR
It seemed, on this trip, every time I went through aggravation, the destination compensated for it by being spectacular. Despite all the ridiculous asides on the journey (including a series of annoying convenience stores with no restroom), I finally made it to Eastern Neck.
Folks, I could have stayed there all afternoon. Unfortunately, I was supposed to meet my wife for an awards dinner at the Baltimore National Aquarium. Otherwise, I would have stayed until the park closed.
There was so much to do, and so much to see. You can get a little .pdf map here. Lots of trails!
In addition, the park had one of the best caretakers I've ever met. I stopped in the Visitor Center, and the lady who was at the information desk -- well, she was incredible. You could tell she really loved the park, and the area. She had so much knowledge and wisdom . . . it sort of reminded me of the old cliché about the guru that sits on top of the inaccessible mountain. The park was free, but because of its remote location, I was pretty much alone there (other than a few people fishing at the Eastern Neck Narrows bridge). You can share a bit of the experience in the Flickr photos below (bmc048 to bmc069).
Traffic Hell
Well, I do not like to be late, so I regrettably had to leave. I gave myself three hours to get to Baltimore. According to the lady at the visitor's center, it was about an hour's drive to the Bay Bridge (US 301 across Chesapeake Bay). I could actually see the bridge from the refuge -- however, getting there meant backtracking all the way to Chestertown! I figured it'd take me another hour to get from Annapolis to Baltimore.
WRONG!!!
More than three hours later, I finally made it back to the hotel. C-3PO once said to Han Solo: "Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1!" Well, even Han Solo would have given up on the crap on I-97. It was like some sort of unholy combination of a patched together sewage system and a cyclotron.
Hello . . . and Goodbye
Even Odysseus made it back to Ithaca. I'd called ahead to let my wife know I was in a gigantic parking lot outside of Baltimore (locals called it the interstate). So I missed the Aquarium. She did bring me a T-shirt, though.
And that night -- we began to pack. Tomorrow was our last day in Baltimore. We'd have one more adventure, however -- and this time, it'd be together.
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