Life as a Neal: RV Vacation: 3rd Stop

Saturday, July 16, 2011

RV Vacation: 3rd Stop

July 1: Up and out after a meal at IHop (yes, we cheated.) A warm breakfast was delightful though. We drove through Virginia's countryside and landed ourselves on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel; a pretty phenomenal structure. It's over 20 miles long with a little over 2 miles of it underwater - which seems MUCH longer as you watch semi-trucks barely clear the narrow tunnel going 50+mph. They have a gift shop and cafe with a fishing pier on part of the bridge. We of course stopped and bought a trinket.

Chesapeake Bay Tunnel - Bridge

On the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel - Bridge Pier

Miles and miles of bridge & tunnel to go.

We spent the night at Cape Henlopen State Park. They had no running water or electricity - and generators were not allowed. I'm not complaining at all - the weather is beyond perfect with a nice breeze. We tooled around the city of Lewes and hiked around the park. Within the park was Fort Miles historic area.

During World War II, the Delaware River was a chief priority for defense planners because of the access it afforded to the giant trade centers of Wilmington, Philadelphia, and beyond. Fort Miles was a key piece in the nation's coastal defense at that time.

The heavy guns, mine fields and searchlights of Fort Miles provided in-depth defense; however, the growing use of long-range missiles brought an end to harbor defenses in the United States. By 1958, Fort Miles was no longer important to the defense of the region, and in 1964, 543 acres of the base were returned to the State of Delaware, forming the heart of Cape Henlopen State Park. In April, 2005, Fort Miles was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Cape Henlopen is a dynamic coastal environment that encompasses ocean and bay beaches, maritime forests, tidal salt marshes and the highest dune system between Cape Cod and the Outer Banks.