Thursday, September 16, 2010
Delaware Seashore State Park, Rehoboth Beach, DE - June 14-18
This is a very expensive ($33/night for out-of-state full hookups) park within walking distance of a very nice ocean beach. The spaces are very close together & there is no shade. It is quite popular because of the beach, the fishing & the proximity to Rehoboth Beach (sun, sand, & outlet malls) & Ocean City, MD.
The first day here we went to Fenwick Island and saw the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. We also drove through the Assawoman Wildlife Management area; didn't see anything too interesting, but it was a lovely drive. We spent the next day taking the ferry to Cape May, NJ. We went as foot passengers, due to the expense of taking a vehicle across (at least $20 for the car & driver and 6.50 for the passenger each way). We got a package that included shuttle service to the tourist area and a tour of the Victorian section of town. There are more restored Victorian homes in Cape May than in any other city in the US. They are truly lovely. Most are currently B&Bs that are quite close to the beach, so they are well kept. We spent the rest of the day walking along the asphalt "boardwalk", having lunch at an outdoor cafe and walking along a nice shady pedestrian shopping mall. We couldn't resist trying some of the local fudge! There is a lot to do and see in the Cape May area & we could easily come back for a longer period of time.
Over the weekend we stayed close to home due to the influx of weekend tourists. We walked on the beach & just enjoyed being there. Our only outing was to the Indian River Lifesaving Station. An "actor" gave us details on the role of the Lifesaving Stations in the late 1800s & early 1900s. Lifesaving stations were placed at 5-mile intervals along the coast. The men watched from towers during the day & walked the beach at night to look for ships in trouble. They carried a padlock and walked to a key box midway between stations (the key unlocked the lock, proving they had been there) & then walked back the other way. Their mission was to rescue crew & salvage cargo before any loss. They were quite successful. Very brave & devoted men. Their motto was "You have to go out, you don't have to come back."
Also at various places along the coast are old towers that were used as lookouts during WWII. There were a lot of German subs just off the coast, so the towers were always manned. The presence of these subs was kept fairly quiet in order not to alarm people. A local "legend" says that an abandoned sub was found after the war containing a receipt from a local grocery store.
Our last day here we spent north of the park. We first went to Cape Henlopen SP. We walked on the trails to the beaches with views of the two lighthouses there -- Delaware Breakwater & Harbor of Refuge. The beach here is quite lovely & uncrowded. We then walked around the historic area in Lewes; most impressive was the Zwaanendael (Valley of Swans) Museum building, a Dutch Renaissance copy of a town hall in the Netherlands.
In order to really be tourists, we also walked along the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach. What a crowd! Everyone has beach umbrellas & they are planted all over the long, lovely beach. It is just like a flower garden -- very crowded but attractive.
The first day here we went to Fenwick Island and saw the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. We also drove through the Assawoman Wildlife Management area; didn't see anything too interesting, but it was a lovely drive. We spent the next day taking the ferry to Cape May, NJ. We went as foot passengers, due to the expense of taking a vehicle across (at least $20 for the car & driver and 6.50 for the passenger each way). We got a package that included shuttle service to the tourist area and a tour of the Victorian section of town. There are more restored Victorian homes in Cape May than in any other city in the US. They are truly lovely. Most are currently B&Bs that are quite close to the beach, so they are well kept. We spent the rest of the day walking along the asphalt "boardwalk", having lunch at an outdoor cafe and walking along a nice shady pedestrian shopping mall. We couldn't resist trying some of the local fudge! There is a lot to do and see in the Cape May area & we could easily come back for a longer period of time.
Over the weekend we stayed close to home due to the influx of weekend tourists. We walked on the beach & just enjoyed being there. Our only outing was to the Indian River Lifesaving Station. An "actor" gave us details on the role of the Lifesaving Stations in the late 1800s & early 1900s. Lifesaving stations were placed at 5-mile intervals along the coast. The men watched from towers during the day & walked the beach at night to look for ships in trouble. They carried a padlock and walked to a key box midway between stations (the key unlocked the lock, proving they had been there) & then walked back the other way. Their mission was to rescue crew & salvage cargo before any loss. They were quite successful. Very brave & devoted men. Their motto was "You have to go out, you don't have to come back."Also at various places along the coast are old towers that were used as lookouts during WWII. There were a lot of German subs just off the coast, so the towers were always manned. The presence of these subs was kept fairly quiet in order not to alarm people. A local "legend" says that an abandoned sub was found after the war containing a receipt from a local grocery store.
Our last day here we spent north of the park. We first went to Cape Henlopen SP. We walked on the trails to the beaches with views of the two lighthouses there -- Delaware Breakwater & Harbor of Refuge. The beach here is quite lovely & uncrowded. We then walked around the historic area in Lewes; most impressive was the Zwaanendael (Valley of Swans) Museum building, a Dutch Renaissance copy of a town hall in the Netherlands.In order to really be tourists, we also walked along the boardwalk at Rehoboth Beach. What a crowd! Everyone has beach umbrellas & they are planted all over the long, lovely beach. It is just like a flower garden -- very crowded but attractive.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 9:07 PM 
