Fun in Solomons!

What a delightful scene to wake up to last Saturday morning, a line of birds on my bow rail. I just didn't want them to poop, since we'd spent much time cleaning the boat! One of the highlights of the previous two days was watching all the birds and their antics with each other, so having them lined up on my rail was fitting.

Janet's comment: We also got a kick out of the schools of little fish that would make the top of the water's surface look like dotted-Swiss...they all of a sudden they would leap out of the water when they were under attack from a predator fish from below.

So, we had to depart this peaceful dock in VA, where friends Eric and Sue are having a home built. Janet and I got to relax a lot and enjoy scenes like this from our chairs on the dock.

The workers started their saws and hammering at about 7 am, but we needed to get up and get going anyway. We had a long trip out into the Chesapeake Bay and up to Solomons, MD, a famous boating area.

Janet's comment: we were entertained by rays and dolphins which delighted us and we kept our eyes wide open and hoped dolphins would join along side the boat, but they never did. It was exciting to see 6-8 dorsal fins surface in unison.

What kind of people would just throw their cans into the dinghy like this? Slobs. Luckily, we did get to recycle this aluminum, which has been a challenge along this entire boat trip.

This is the lighthouse at Lookout Point, where the Potomoc River starts at its north end. We finally got back out into the Chesapeake after 9 glorious days in the Potomac.

Once we reached Solomons and got docked at our marina, Andy and Pauline Benson drove over and picked us up and we had a totally fun evening with them. Andy works for an association I had belonged to in D.C., and they have a condo here for their weekends and holidays. They gave us a tour of Solomons and Solomons Island, highlighted by this stop at the famous Tiki Bar.

In late April every year, up to 14,000 people descend here to celebrate the opening of the Tiki Bar for the season. Hard to believe that many people could squeeze onto this island, but they do. Even the guide books said of all the special events surrounding this boaters paradise each year, the Tiki Bar season opening is the biggest.

On a hot, humid day, we sure enjoyed these cool drinks at the Tiki Bar. We loved hearing their stories of how they met in York, England, and found their way to America in 1980.

After this, they took us to their home. Then, as their guests, we attended a dinner block party in the neighborhood for a community of boating fanatics! Many of them liked hearing about the Great Loop. It was sorta funny how boaters must, right away, distinguish whether you are a sailor or a power boater. Janet and I had a fabulous time there.

The next morning, Sunday, Andy and Pauline drove us to a grocery store to get much-needed supplies. It had been 6 days since we'd been in a city, and therefore near a store. In the afternoon, we went with them on their really cool 29-ft speedy cruiser for a tour of the wide Patuxent River. What a huge difference to be boating along at 35 mph hour after being used to 8 mph! Fun!

We cruised into several bays and coves off the river, which were filled with Sunday boaters, and finally settled on St Leonard's Creek to anchor up for lunch. It was a quiet spot they knew of, away from the crowds. Andy and Pauline served us up a yummy picnic lunch, and then we lollygagged. Andy swam.

They eventually sped us back to Solomons and then idled up to Breaking Away, tying up next to her. Janet and I stepped from their boat to ours! We said our goodbyes for an incredible two days of visiting and fun.

Yesterday we did some more touring around the area, using the dinghy to get from place to place. Here we are at the Calvert Marine Museum, where they have the 1875 lighthouse that used to be nearby at the entrance to the Patuxent River. Interesting to see how the lighthouse keepers lived, especially knowing they had children. We also saw two otters in a tank, as well as many other interesting fish and crabs and local history.

We walked around the village for more history, and here is an 1889 church. We enjoyed a quiet and scenic dinner at a waterfront restaurant, and finally took the dinghy back to the boat. We were by now anchored just 50 yards off of the marina we'd been at for the previous two days.

And here is the scene this morning as the sun rose over our anchorage in Solomons. Only one more sunrise tomorrow from Oxford, MD, and then the sun will set on my Great Loop adventure. We plan to cruise tomorrow afternoon to where Bruce Perry and I began 14 months ago. Breaking Away will cross its wake, and I will have finished one of my life's most exciting adventures.