Roadtrip, Day 8... On Into Delaware

 Day 8

Sunday, May 25, 2025

     Another fairly light day.  No rush to get out of Norfolk.  It was just nice to have a sit down breakfast in a local diner.

    I've driven the Chesapeake Bay Bridge four times now.  Even at $21 a pop, it doesn't get old.

      Just beyond the northern end of the bridge is Fisherman's Island Wildlife Refuge.  I found references to trails on line, but all the gates are closed.  The National Park Service does periodic guided tours.  Otherwise it's off limits.  

     Just up ahead is a pullout with a view of the bridge.

    

      Instead of Fisherman's Island, I did stop into the Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Center.

    There's one trail out back.  All told, it's a mile and a half.  

    From the garden...

     The trail out to the loop...

     During WWII, this was the site of Fort John Custis, built to protect the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay.  Custis was George Washington's stepson and served briefly as the general's aide de camp. 

    Battery Winslow is all that remains of the fort.  The guns could fire a sixteen inch projectile twenty-five miles.  

     There's a stairway to the top.  Not much of a view.

    From an overlook along the loop. One herring from very far away.

      I've visited a bunch of breweries over the years.  A few I wouldn't stop into again if I was walking past.  Then there are the ones I look forward to revisiting, like Cape Charles Brewing.

     The food is always good and their brewers creative, in a good way.  And like their logo, the Cape Charles Lighthouse overlooks the property.

    There are a series of short trails on the outskirts of town.  After the meal, it felt good to walk, even if the trails were short.

      One trail heads off the other direction from the parking area.  The signs are clear, stay on the boardwalk.  No beach access.

   Not much to see at the first overlook.  

    The second overlook.  Once again the sign, no beach access.

       Apparently, the rules don't apply to this guy.

     I left Cape Charles and drove north.  Next stop, Delaware.   I had contacted my friend Daphney to see if she was available for dinner.  Like me, she was on a roadtrip herself, but was happy to reroute.  

     We agreed to meet at our usual spot, Irish Eyes.  Nice enough place and the food is always good.  They had a DJ start playing music at 8P.  It was just a little too loud for conversation and the placed cleared out.  

         Sunset from Lewes, Delaware.

     

Jjj