June Roadtrip, Day 13, A Day in Delaware

 Day 13

Sunday, June 13

     Someone asked me recently, how do I manage to get up and out to the beach for a 5:45A sunrise, especially since I like to get out early for the first hints of light.  The truth is, I rarely set an alarm.  Somehow I just wake up.  Only one day I almost overslept.  Still, I somehow managed to run out, camera in hand and get one of my favorite sunrise shots of the trip.  There's just something utterly peaceful about standing out there on the beach watching the day slowly begin.  No matter what's going on in my life, good or bad, for that time, I'm just good.  There's nothing like starting the day with a clear head and a satisfied soul.  

     Two years ago, sunrise over Dewey Beach was a mix of deep reds and purples.  With enough textures in the clouds, it looked almost like a painting on velvet.  Today was a bit different, but still worth getting up and out for.

      There were a few things on tap for the day.  Less than a half hour north of Dewey Beach is where you'll find Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge.  None of the trails were especially long, but there were enough of them to keep me hiking into the early afternoon.

     First up for the morning was the Dike Trail.  It's an easy half mile of gravel to an overlook.  

   One weird tree...

       Along the Blue Goose Trail...

   Another looping trail through a pine forest...

    Feeling pretty good from the morning, it was time to think about lunch.  In the town of Lewes, I stopped in the Big Oyster Brewery.  I chose this place simply because it was the only brewery open this early in the afternoon that also served food.  It turned out to be the right call in the end.  Lunch was something they call a Chesapeake Burger.  Imagine a burger cooked to perfection, with crab, mushrooms and onion.  

     Penn Central Railroad had a spur between Rehoboth Beach and Lewes.  The six miles of abandoned track has been repurposed into a rail trail called the Junction and Breakwater Trail.   With another day, I would have hiked it end to end.

     However, I did search out a swing bridge that was part of a more recently closed rail line.   Built in 1916, it's one of the last hand cranked swing bridges around.  You can see the bridge being hand cranked into place here:  The bridge was deemed structurally deficient in 2017 and shut down.   

     The Delaware Department of Transportation made plans to have what's left removed due to the soil erosion around the base.  The Lewes Junction Railroad and Bridge Association is trying to preserve it.  

    As way of compromise, the bridge and decking is set to be moved to a spot alongside the rail trail.  You can read more about that here.  

  

        Back in Dewey Beach, I ditched the car at the hotel and just started walking, looking for a good spot to settle in for sunset.  There was certainly potential..

 

      What a difference a day makes.   Saturday night, lots of noise outside my window.  Sunday night, relative piece and quiet.