Sun has set on Great Loop adventure

Today I "crossed my wake" on Breaking Away, and the end has come to this glorious Great Loop trip after 14 months.

This picture captures the very moment I reached the spot near the originating marina in Kent Narrows where I turned north back on May 4, 2010 with Bruce Perry. Today, I reached the same spot from the south with Janet Amuchastegui, and turned in toward the marina, which means I "crossed my wake".

With nine different mates along the way, I circled over 7000 miles of waterways in the eastern U.S. and Canada. I went up and down through 106 locks, under countless bridges, many of which had to open for me, and into and out of numerous challenges to achieve this dream. Overall it was a wonderful, incredible trip, with so many memories linked to sights, history, scares, old friends, new friends, kindnesses, peacefulness, food, missing loved ones, getting to see loved ones, and living a special life for a year. I will miss some aspects of it, but I am glad it is over and it all came out the way I hoped it would. An experience I will, of course, cherish and never forget.

This picture takes us back to yesterday morning leaving Solomons on the western shore of the Chesapeake, and heading north to the eastern side of the bay. These cliffs were unique for the Chesapeake, and Janet and I had read in the museum the day before that geologists had learned from the shell and fossil layerings of these cliffs how the seas had risen and receded numerous times over the eons.

The lighthouse at Cove Point on the western shore was pretty neat, with more of the cliffs in the background. It was here we slanted on across the bay toward the Choptank River, which led to our destination, Oxford. (If we had continued farther up the Choptank, we'd have reached Cambridge!)

We anchored in the calm little bay at Oxford and took the dinghy to a dock to explore the town. It is famous for its old "picket fence" charm. They are proud to say that it was declared a port city by Maryland's legislature back in 1683, and one of Maryland's signers of the Declaration of Independence, Robert Morris, was from here.

It truly was a cute little town to see, but dang, it was HOT and HUMID. We needed shade and A/C, but they were in short supply.

Here's another handsome old home in Oxford. The sidewalks were all of old brick, with different laying patterns and brick types, indicating old patchworks over time.

Here's the Robert Morris Inn, dating from 1710, where James Michener spent time while writing Chesapeake.

This ferry is famous because it is the oldest privately operated ferry in the country. It dates from 1683 and operated until 1775. It resumed service in 1836 and has been continuously operating since then. It was going all day while we were there, even passing in front of us when we were arriving in the boat. It held 9 cars.

We wanted to see the Oxford Museum, since it was the only thing mentioned in the AAA book about the town, but it was closed on Tuesdays.

We finally got back to the dinghy in our sweaty condition, and went back to the boat and turned on the generator and A/C. Wow did we need that! We took showers and after thoroughly cooling off, went back into the dinghy over to a nearby restaurant, Schooners. I got to have the crab cakes I'd been craving for a while, since they're so advertised in the Chesapeake Bay. They were yum yum yummy! Janet had fish tacos she liked a lot too. In the background of the picture, if you look carefully, you can see Breaking Away.

Outside the restaurant we saw this elegant white bird, but we weren't sure if it was a Mute Swan or a Snow Goose.

Today we left Oxford at 9 am, after a night that included wild lightning, rain, strong winds, dragging anchor, and little sleep. At 4 am the workboats (that harvest oysters and crabs) headed out behind us and rocked us with their wakes. I was thinking how glad I was this sort of restless night would finally be over.

As we cruised west out of the Choptank River, we found this little shortcut through Knapps Narrows. It separates the mainland from Tilghman Island, and has this bridge that had to open for us. My last bridge to call on the radio phone to request an opening. The last time cars had to wait for me. It was a scenic little spot, and we learned it was used in the movie, Failure to Launch.

It was then only about 20 miles to reach my trip's end, but again, here we were facing some dicey conditions on my final day to remove any doubts that I should be glad it was finally over. There were pretty strong cross winds and swells rocking us, and those are always the worst.

Here we are approaching the Kent Narrows bridge, which I went under many times while practicing to operate the boat. Bruce and I went under it to begin the trip too, and I recall looking back as we were leaving it behind in the distance on our first day.

And here I am celebrating the end of my journey! The little Great Loop burgee flag has been flying there at the bow since September. Felt great! I was so happy to have Janet with me for this emotional event; I missed her so much during the times we were apart in the past 14 months.

I got lots of smiles and congratulatory hugs from her today, as well as encouragement to dock the boat safely in the wind because I had to back in and hope for the best. It was actually a struggle to tie up here, but we did it! It seemed like an appropriate ending of relief, since the previous 24 hours had included so many reminders of what can make this kind of trip a challenge (storms, winds, dragging anchor, worrying and boat wakes allowing little sleep, heat, bugs inside the boat, side swells, docking in a wind).

I shut down the engine with 1021 hours on it. 914 had come during the trip. I counted hours and locks and miles, but I'll say it again, I'm glad I didn't count the beers! haha Time for another now! Goodbye!

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.

Fixin' a crab dinner!

See those two "monster" crabs? (haha) Well, that was dinner tonight! Janet and I are now crab experts in the land of crabs. We caught em ourselves, boiled em, cleaned em, and relished em! You can have no more fun than that here in the waters of the Chesapeake.

See more on our case of the crabs at the end. First we need to get caught up from the last blog entry.

Here I am at the St Clements Island Potomac River Museum (that's a mouthful) last Tuesday. A week earlier we had cruised past St Clements Island and I showed a picture of a 40-ft-high cross and a cool lighthouse on it. I remarked how in 1634, Lord Baltimore landed with two ships and 140 men to found the state of Maryland. Well, there's a museum dedicated to that landing, and it has its own dock for visitors. That's Breaking Away out there.

Trouble was, there was a big swell slamming the boat against the dock, and that made us uneasy, especially because we stayed there an extra amount of time while I rode the bike to a grocery store 4 miles away. Poor Janet tried her best to continuously position the fenders to minimize the banging, but it was still bad enough to make her think the boat was going to crack apart.

This relentless swell was a surprise given that the long 55-mile cruise that day had been flat and boring. The only exciting thing had been when the Navy came on the radio telling me exactly where I had to cruise down a 4-mile section of the river to avoid their explosives exercise. They had Navy boats monitoring both ends of this section of the Potomac. Anyway, the bad swells came only as we were finally docking near the end of the day.

This picture shows St Clements Island in the background. It used to be 400 acres in 1634, but is only 46 acres now. Lord Baltimore (actual name - Cecil Calvert) wasn't actually on the boats that came over; he sent them, because King Charles I had just given him sole ownership of the land that comprised Maryland. Calvert's goal was to provide religious freedom, since he was a persecuted Catholic in his pro-Protestant homeland.

It turned out the landing party stayed at St Clements Is for only three weeks, before deciding to move back down the Potomac 20 miles to St Mary's River. We went there the next day. On this night, we couldn't wait to leave the dock and sail back farther to an anchorage in calm water. We dropped anchor in the same place we'd been a week earlier. Such a peaceful spot it was!

The next morning, last Wednesday, we cruised the 20 miles down to St Mary's River, and tied up at a free dock at St Mary's College. The college is all that's there, where in the 17th century had been an active town and the state capital. When Maryland moved the capital to Annapolis in 1695, the town declined and vanished (as a town) before long.

The area became farm land, until in about 1934, when Maryland wanted to celebrate the 300th anniversary of its original founding, people, and then archeologists, discovered relic after relic from the original town. Before long, the state converted the entire 800-acre area into Historic St. Mary's City. It has been, and is to this day, an active archeology area, and is now also a tourist attraction.

Janet and I paid our fee, watched the intro movie, and then walked all over the acres to see "ghost houses" like the one in this picture. They have found where building posts had been, but they know little else in their attempts to reconstruct houses. Still, in a few cases, they have reconstructed them as best they can figure and have described how life was in the 17th century. They have found millions of artifacts in their digs.

The two ships that arrived in 1634 were the Dove and the Ark. This is a replica of the Dove, the smaller of the two. What was interesting about the Ark is that it carried 106 tons of beer and 6 tons of wine!! These adventurers knew what would keep them content on their grueling challenge in a new world. I think it's only right that Breaking Away has tried to emulate the libations these early settlers deemed important!

When we completed our touring in the blistering heat and humidity, we rested on the porch of the college boat house. You can see Breaking Away out there.

Once we returned to the boat for a happy hour of homemade fruit slushies, we noticed some kids doing something on nearby rocks. We guessed they were crabbing, but I had to find out for sure. So over I went, and Yes, they were indeed getting crabs. The girl would throw out a line with a chicken neck as bait. Very quickly, crabs would attach themselves to it to eat it. She'd pull it up slowly, and when the boy could see it near the surface, he'd net it. If the crabs get too near the surface, they let go, so the netter has to be quick. They had a bucketful of them, and it was fun to watch. As I was leaving, a family of 7, with baby in his carrier, arrived to do the same thing.

We eventually left the college dock and traveled a couple miles back to a side river, and then into a quiet cove for the night. It was so beautiful, and we took a long dinghy ride to explore the entire river and its many coves, as the sun was setting.

The next morning, yesterday, we cruised south across the Potomac to the Virginia side. Our destination was the private dock of Eric Hentges and Sue Borra, friends who had been at our boat party in Washington, D.C. (and at the Bon Voyage party a year earlier before we departed on the Great Loop). Eric and Sue are building a home here, but their dock is finished and they offered to let us tie up. We've been here two days, and it's a beautiful spot! We've seen a bald eagle fly across the bay, lots of ospreys, herons everywhere, a big white goose, a million swifts, terns, cardinals, and other colorful birds. Fish jump constantly, and during our dinghy explore today we saw a big turtle surface for a breath. (One important goal of the dinghy ride was to find beer. We haven't been near any stores since Monday in Alexandria! A distant marina had the prize.)

Both yesterday and today, Janet and I have been seriously cleaning the boat, since the trip is almost done and Breaking Away will be up for sale. We scrubbed and polished and disinfected...the venetian blinds, the upholstery, the moldy ice-maker door, the black streaks on the hull, polishing all the metal railings, and on and on. We were exhausted yesterday in the high heat, saved only by cloud cover.

A side benefit to Eric's and Sue's dock is that they have two crab traps they said we could use. So, we've been baiting them with anything we could find - pork fat, pork bones, ham, steak. And you know what? Janet and I got crabs! Two of them got into one of the traps. Here I am pulling up the trap when we finally decided it was time to eat them. And see how pretty this setting was?

Janet's addition: Late last night we found 2 crabs and a fish in the trap, and thought what the heck, we are not going to mess with them this late, so we set the trap back thinking the population would grow during the night. Imagine our shock and disappointment to wake up and find the cage was empty. The crabs we got today were probably the same that we had, and escaped, but trapped again.

Here I am reaching into the cage to grab our crabs and toss them into a bucket. Good thing I was wearing gloves, since they quickly pinched my hand HARD when I went for them. When I got them from behind, they grabbed onto the wire cage and would not let go. No matter how hard I pulled, their claws held on. I finally had to use all my finger strength to separate their claws to loosen their grip and pull them out of the cage.

We then tossed them into our freezer since the website we consulted said it was more "humane" before dropping them into the boiling water. We were just hoping they wouldn't tear into our frozen broccoli in there.

Eventually we removed them from the freezer and plopped them into the boiling pot. 10 minutes later, we had them out on the dock cracking them and cleaning them.

Finally we got to eat em up, using my tool-box pliers to crack their claws. We got crabs!

One reason we had to stay here today was because there were small-craft advisories out on the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay. Tomorrow is supposed to be better, so our plan is to cruise up to Solomons, a boater's paradise. We will meet up with Andy Benson, whom we visited last Friday at his office in D.C. He has a boat and a weekend home in Solomons. We're planning on a party weekend once we arrive! If all goes as planned, Breaking Away will cross its wake next Tuesday where Bruce and I began a year ago May 4th. What a celebration that will be!

Janet's comment: Being out here with Ken the last few weeks has been exciting and novel! I feel honored that I will be with him when he "crosses his wake" sometime next week. Meanwhile, even though we are spending time each day cleaning bits and pieces of his boat, we are having wonderful adventures.

Mt Vernon for free...and a DVD!

Sometimes you just have to GO FOR IT. Tell em all to go jump in a lake and just DO IT.

Yesterday we visited Mt Vernon and had a great time, but it almost didn't happen. The fact that we "fooled em" made it 10 times as much fun!

But first, let's review the first part of the day in Alexandria:

On a misty moisty morning after rain most of the night, we ventured out and visited Christ Church, where George Washington and Robert E. Lee attended and had their own pew boxes. It was built in 1773 and has been in use continuously since then. Most presidents have worshiped there, as well as Winston Churchill with the Roosevelts on World Day of Prayer for Peace on January 1, 1942. They added the upstairs gallery and choir in 1787, and built the bell tower with the stairs to reach it. To this day, when anyone wants to go to the gallery, they have to walk outside the church and use the stairs in the bell tower.

Here's a picture inside the church, which has looked the same for 230 yrs. It is Episcopal, which the guide called "Catholic Lite". lol

George prayed here, George slept here, George ate here. This house had a plaque that he used to live here for a short time early in his surveyor career. He actually laid out the town plan in his early 20s.

Janet and I then went to the city museum and saw lots of old photos and stories and artifacts they'd dug up from early Alexandria. The nation's first black sit-in occurred here at the city library in 1939 to protest racial injustices (only whites could visit the library then).

We then headed back to the boat to leave for Mt Vernon, but passed this ice cellar site they recently excavated next to Gadsby's Tavern (still there since mid 18th century). They stored ice here that they cut from the Potomac during the winters. Had to keep that beer cold in the summer!

George ate here!! We were cracking up at all the George signs in town. We rounded the corner from the previous ice cellar and there was Gadsby's entrance with this sign.

Okay, so we shoved off from the Alexandria dock at 12:30 headed to Mt Vernon. One of my older guide books said the boat dock there was free. My newer one from 2010 said the dock itself was free, but you now had to buy the $15 tickets to tour the mansion. No problem; we planned to tour it anyway. The tour book recommended you call ahead to make sure there would be dock space.

So I called, and first he mentioned that on Mondays they do not offer shuttle service from the dock up to the mansion and grounds. No problem, we can walk. Then he dropped the bomb -- they would CHARGE ME $80 TO DOCK (it was $2/foot) in addition to the $15 each to tour the mansion. WHAT??? $80 to dock for a couple hours? Most marinas during the trip, with water, electricity, showers, bathrooms, and loaner cars were half of that. So, Janet and I said the heck with them, we're not paying $110 to visit Mt Vernon.

But then we started making what at first was a joke, but it became serious -- why not anchor, use the dinghy, tie to something other than their hoity toity dock and do our visit? SO WE DID! This picture is from our landing spot, and off in the distance is Breaking Away at anchor. We landed at a wall near the dock (that had NO boats) and tied to a tree. It all worked perfectly!! Screw em!

We noticed right away that there were posters everywhere explaining things, for self-guided tours. We just fell in and toured and walked up the hill. We passed George and Martha's graves, farming sites, and finally up by the mansion, the out buildings with their explanatory signs. This picture is of the carriage house. Others explained how their 318 slaves worked and took care of everything. Basically, we got to see everything, except the mansion.

Should we pay to tour the mansion? That was the question we pondered as we sat on the front porch over-looking the Potomac River on a perfect day.

Those Washingtons had a spectacular view, didn't they? We actually sat in the chairs quite a long time relishing that we had pulled off an $80 savings. And we decided to make it a $90 saving by skipping the mansion tour and instead buying a $20 DVD (76 minutes long) about Mt Vernon. We'd take the mansion tour by video!

There's one more picture of the front of Mt Vernon that faces the river. We had finally gotten our butts out of the porch chairs to finish the walking tour and go buy the video. There was actually quite a bit to see, about their lives and the lives of the 318 slaves. George was first and foremost a farmer, on his 8000 acres there. He experimented with new plant species too, and had a greenhouse.

Eventually we finished and made our way back to the wharf. Notice how the dinghy is so hidden inside the tree branches. It makes it look like we were trying to hide. Actually, the current just moved the dinghy back into that spot. But it did look funny all hidden in there.

Here I am pulling the dinghy up to where we could board and return to the boat. It all worked fabulously, made better knowing that we'd shoved their $2/ft docking policy up their noses. (And still not one boat was using the dock.)

It remained a perfect day as we cruised downriver to the same creek where we anchored last Wednesday night (where we watched our two beavers). Now today we plan to visit Colonial Beach, VA, and then anchor in the same place we did a week ago, St
Clements Bay.

Capital Escapades

We loved our time in Washington, D.C. Friends visiting, touring national treasures, caught in a downpour with no protection, cruising past Georgetown on a perfect afternoon, history, emotions. We will never forget this part of the Great Loop!

When I last blogged last Thursday, we were headed to D.C. The Potomac River is actually quite scenic during the final 30 miles into our capital. One of the sights is Mt Vernon, which we will stop to see later when we return downriver. George and Martha (and their 318 slaves) had a pretty nice view of the river, huh?

Another beautiful site along the way was Fort Washington, about 10 miles before we reached D.C. It was built in 1809 and looks like a castle in Europe. And, like a castle, it has a drawbridge to enter, over a moat. We didn't stop to tour it, but it sure looked impressive from the river!

We are nearing the Interstate 495 bridge! Just past it, on the left, is Alexandria, Virginia. We will see that on our return trip. On this day, we needed to get to our marina in D.C. to clean the boat and get ready for the Happy Hour party I'd been planning for over a year.

This is a picture of only PART of the huge marina where we stayed while in D.C. - the Gangplank Marina. We could see the top half of the Washington Monument, and we were pretty close to the Jefferson Memorial.

On the evening we arrived, we had our Happy Hour party I'd arranged a long time ago for my many friends in the area. (For my job with Nestle, I came to Washington, D.C. many many many times over the years.) I even told everyone a year ago I'd be having a party on the boat in June of 2011.

Well, it happened! Despite the rain. It poured just before people arrived, and then it started again when they left, but during, the weather cooperated. HOWEVER, I made a major mistake that I regret: I forgot to take pictures! Both Janet and I thought about it during, and figured we'd remember, but alas, everyone had left and then we realized we'd forgotten the camera. Darn!

Anyway, the gathering was fabulous!! We had eight friends drop by: Rick Cristol, Martin Hahn, Eric Hentges, Sue Borra, Bob Earl and his partner Steve, Regina Hildwine, and Dave Schmidt. Everyone knew everyone (which amazed Janet), and it was an evening to remember! The complexities of food industry issues never ceases.

The next morning, a Hawthorne, CA friend of Janet's, Jim Swaboda, came by for an incredible visit. They were childhood friends via their church, but later they also were buds at Univ Calif Santa Barbara. Jim arrived at 6:30 am with donuts, bagels, and fruit, and we talked until 10! Not just about frivolous stuff, but soulful "heavy" topics including religion, life tragedies, raising children, and life goals. I was so happy to meet Jim and be able to now call him a friend. He had to get home because that day he was moving from his long-time home into a condo, in nearby VA suburbs. Janet hadn't seen him since 1972 at UCSB.

Later on Friday, Janet and I took the subway to visit the International Food Information Council, which Nestle had belonged to, and for which I had been on the board of directors when it formed in 1985. This is a picture with staff members, Tony, Geraldine, and Andy. Dave Schmidt, the president, who had been at my boat party the night before, was in my next photo, which I posted already on Facebook.

Janet and I then toured the American History Museum. We returned on the Metro (subway) back to our waterfront station, and decided to get a few groceries at the Safeway right there. Problem was, when we emerged with our goodies, it was POURING rain. We had to walk about 15 minutes in the downpour and we looked like we'd worn our clothes in the shower by the time we got to the boat. Oh well, we dried out. At least we had fresh food and drink!

The next morning, Saturday, we took the Metro to the Newseum, a fabulous treasure of history and education of how the media evolved and has influenced our society and daily lives. Their special exhibits were full of emotion, on the 9/11 tragedy and how the media covered it; the Katrina coverage; war correspondents; and so many more remembrances.

This picture is from the Newseum's 6th-floor balcony. Of course, it's right on Pennsylvania Ave, which connects the Capitol with the White House.

Here's a picture of inside a Metro station. We took the Metro all over the place, since it's so clean and efficient and convenient. Interestingly, every station looked exactly the same from the inside. And, they are extremely popular with the locals, and therefore VERY crowded at commuting times each day.

On Sunday morning, we went to the National Archives on the mall and waited in a long line to get in when they opened at 10 am. See Janet sitting there on the left of the photo? It was so cool that there was a huge triathlon event going on right in front of us!

For about 45 minutes while we waited in the line, we got to watch hot-shot cyclists speeding down Constitution Ave in front of us, as well as runners on their final leg of the race. I wished I were out there with them! (...although my last triathlon was in 1982. But the cycling time trial was enticing!)

After our Archives tour, where we saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights documents, we returned to the marina to cast off. We cruised farther up the Potomac River to see more of the famous sites from the water, including this view of the Capitol.

As we approached the Arlington National Bridge, which crosses the river right into the Lincoln Memorial, two security helicopters were passing over. This was appropriate, given that during the entire three days we were docked in D.C., helicopters flew low over us on their surveillance missions. I kept teasing Janet that they were looking for her because of her Basque terrorist group activities with the ETA.

As we cruised north on the Potomac, we had to pass under five fairly low bridges in a row, the lowest being a railroad bridge we passed under with only two feet to spare. It looked like we were going to hit, but whew! I was ready to throw it into reverse if we weren't going to clear it.

We are just about to pass under the Arlington Memorial Bridge, and there's the Lincoln Memorial.

We continued up until we passed Georgetown and all its hustle and bustle, under the Key (Francis Scott Key) Bridge, and into unspoiled beauty near the Three Sisters Islands. I was so surprised to see all the boats out just anchored up enjoying the scenery, since in all my years, I'd never seen ANY boats up there. I think since it was a Sunday, Father's Day, and a beautifully calm afternoon, we weren't the only ones who decided to go see the natural beauty of the river north of the metropolis of D.C. and Georgetown.

We finally turned around and headed downriver. This picture shows the relatively new Georgetown Waterfront complex of restaurants and shops with boats coming and going. The infamous Watergate Hotel is just to the right of this photo.

We continued back down the Potomac, back under all those bridges, and ended at Alexandria's Town Marina. This was last night. Janet took me out for Father's Day dinner to a cool Thai restaurant, and then we walked all over the place. The marina was right in the happenin' part of the waterfront, with street performers, crowds, and tour boats. You can see Breaking Away tied to the end of the dock in the background.

Today we toured a few hot spots in Alexandria, then cruised down to Mt Vernon for the afternoon. I decided to post a special blog for just today's fun. I meant to get to it tonight, but I'll post it tomorrow morning. We had a special adventure to see Mt Vernon. We did George proud!