Spring 2019 Camping US

April 16 to 27, 2019

 The weather forecast is calling for an extended winter season here in Kingston, Ontario.  This is end of April … and no spring in sight.



Time to move south a bit to capture an early (?) spring.



Looking at the campsites south of us, we were a bit taken back how busy they actually were.  That early in the season???  Whooww!  Especially over the weekends, so, without reservations (and for some places these were mandatory) we would not have gone far …



For our 2 weeks trip (had to be back for some appointments …), we decided to drive down, first, to Washington DC, and stay at the Greenbelt Park to get to experience spring air and to take our bikes into our beloved Annapolis.  Indeed, heading south along I81, there was a gradual increase of greenery until we saw some full foliage, and the air promised that spring was here – at least at this latitude.

Back in 1991, we “discovered” Annapolis for the first time when heading to The Bahamas on our boat.  Since then, we had been back many, many times.  It was fun to look at our previous anchorages in Spa Creek, which triggered great memories.

With the weather cooperating, we had a good time in Annapolis, and very much enjoyed riding our bikes in the Eastport section of the town, and finally getting some well earned  – USA flag decorated - ice cream. If the seafood place had been opened...that would have taken precedence over ice cream!

But somehow, the cold jet stream from the North of Canada followed us south: we tried to outrun this cold air – but only succeeded somewhat.  Our next destination was at Medoc State Park in North Carolina.  The park offered many hiking trails and promised even a nice slow flowing river, so we hoped to try our newly acquired inflatable kayak; but rain and dropping temperatures restricting our activities to hikes and excursions around the area.  

The latter offered us a true image of local live in rural areas.
I don't think they know foreigners … us Canadians were like Aliens here!


And I mean true rural!! We were so far off the grid (10 miles to I95!!!) that there was no cell service for miles, and the GPS navigation system for our car was … lost!  But it was relaxing!


And sitting close to the fire (and the heat) in the evening we enjoyed some potatoes roasted in the ashes.

Well rested, and the weather improving, we decided to see the Outer Banks.  We had seen them in the past from the Atlantic side while sailing these waters, but apart from anchoring in the southern park of the banks (Ocracoke), we had never visited this area by land.





The Outer Banks consist of a narrow stretch of islands, sometimes barren, other times built up tightly with houses which are aligned in rows for miles along the beachfront, with the first row directly on the waters edge  (called “millionaires” row, hurricanes tend to make match sticks out of them …).

Here we had the opportunity to ride our bikes to our hearts content (flat!!!) on picturesque Roanoke Island, enjoying a beer and calorie rich meals at one of the piers built on stilts well out into the Atlantic (Fish Heads Bar and Grill - https://www.fishheadsobx.com/), walking the beach in the evening from our camp site (and wondering about this huge dead whale on the beach), or getting lost among the huge sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park (https://www.outerbanks.com/jockeys-ridge-state-park.html).

Yes, these sand dunes, they were spectacular!!!

Turning the car around and aiming for home again, but eager to use our kayak, we opted for the Martinak State Park in Maryland, located across the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay on the Choptank River.  We had been in this area before with our boat La Buena Vida, visiting a number of anchorages along this river, and always had wanted to come back for further excursions with a car.  The park was beautiful, definitely a place we would like to come back to.  And here we had finally the opportunity to try out our kayak, in addition to our bicycles. 
   

From here, it was an easy and pleasant ride (8+ hours or so) back home – where we were greeted with barren trees, and absolutely no spring in sight …  Time to consider another break until the weather becomes agreeable … Europe ??? YES!!!