DELMARVA PENINSULA/EASTERN U.S.
Dec. 29-31 2010
PART 6
We left off in Rabbit Town, MD. The quality of the first 3 photos in this part suffered because of the sun angle and the streaks on the windshield, but we'll take what we can get.
Entering Delaware on DE 20. My only previous visit to Delaware was on a family vacation in my youth when I hijacked the family car there.
DE 20 near Seaford, DE. I didn't go hog-wild with my photography in Delaware, because much of my time there was at night, and that can be tricky, as you can see.
I post-narrated this video on Bergold Lane, southeast of Dover, DE. This is where we almost accidentally drove onto Dover Air Force Base. The Air Force doesn't like it when you just drive onto their bases without permission. They mean business.
West on DE 12 in eastern Kent County, DE.
As we reenter Maryland, DE 12 becomes MD 314.
I think this is crossing the Choptank River on MD 314 in Greensboro, MD. The bridge is dated 1995.
Crossing Main Street (MD 480) in Greensboro.
This has to be near Cordova, MD.
Continuing from Cordova.
This is near where US 50 merges with US 301 near Queenstown, MD, and forms a freeway.
The US 50/301 freeway. It looks like we might be crossing over to Kent Island right about here.
Looking out over Chesapeake Bay.
That's a mighty tight ramp to MD 18 up ahead, and notice also that this road likes to cut important signage in half.
The first mention I saw of I-97 - which is hands-down the most inexplicable use of a 2-digit number for what should be a 3-digit Interstate.
This sign on US 50/301 tells "unusual vehicles" to call for an escort for the upcoming Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
"Bay Bridge Bound?" These signs are all over the place through here, and they're unusual in that question marks don't usually appear on traffic signs.
The Bay Bridge lurks in the very near future.
Now we're getting onto the Bay Bridge. Of course, since it's a divided highway, it's a double span. We're going west, but you can see the framework for the eastbound span at center-left.
This photo shows both spans more clearly. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge - officially called the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge - continues this trip's tradition of unusually long bridges. At over 4 miles long, this bridge takes us from the Delmarva Peninsula to near Annapolis, MD. The toll applies only eastbound. The eastbound span opened in 1952; westbound in 1973. It was once the 3rd-longest bridge in the world.
The Bay Bridge has no bicycle access, but it offers a shuttle service for cyclists - for an overpowering fee of $30. The bridge has also hosted an annual event called the Bay Bridge Run, in which people walk across it. But this tradition began withering in the 2000s when right-wing Gov. Bob Ehrlich repeatedly canceled it, citing "security" concerns. (The Far Right can't handle anything, can they?)
North on Chesapeake Bay from the Bay Bridge.
Note that the framework for the eastbound span (at left) is markedly different from that of the westbound span (straight ahead).
Looking over at the eastbound bridge.