And after the festival was over I got the chance to drive around a bit and check out the scenery.
The Eastern Shore is connected to Hampton Roads by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel which is 20 miles long and is known as one of the seven engineering wonders of the modern world. By the bridge's own website anyhow. The others include the Channel Tunnel, the CN Tower in Toronto, the Hoover Dam and Dolly Parton's bra.
The Eastern Shore seems to have eschewed the cutesiness of much of the coastline around these parts. It's known for hardy fisher folk, half abandoned villages and artists who toil away in fly filled cottages battling mental illness. As such it has a rustic charm that has been lost in much of the Outer Banks. There are deserted white beaches and historic taverns off the beaten track that can feel like a find when you stumble on them.
Only Chincoteague with its famous wild ponies embraces some of the trappings of tourism. Here are some of the places I checked out.
We love the giant love chairs at Kiptopeke State Park
House set back off the highway, Cape Charles
With a tug in tow
Fishing pier in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay
A strange place for a souvenir shop - store on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel
Great pics! And I was in that souvenir shop back in 1976 when my parents drove back from Florida and we took the Bridge/Tunnel. My mom was petrified the entire drive, I thought it was cool.
ReplyDeletewow JoJo how cool. Didn't realize it had been there since the Seventies
DeleteLovely photos, David. Sounds like a good job to have!
ReplyDeleteThanks Daisy - beat the usual grind lol
DeleteLooks like a lovely place. I read the Chincoteague pony books when I was little and would love to visit one day.
ReplyDeleteyou should Patricia - Chincoteague is quaint
DeleteGreat pics, David! Loved your narrative! We did two tours at VA Beach and got out quite a bit, save for Chincoteague. One day! Thanks for your compliment on my post, valued all the more as I so respect your writing. I checked out your very accomplished friend. His books definitely appeal to both Dick and me. But I think I had it in me to do two posts for "the boys" as I owed them, always will, so a symbolic gesture. But I'm also a bit hooked on how the various operations linked up and kept rolling toward the war's end. Perhaps there's hope today's Congress will be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Kittie - your post was very interesting. Tis hard to realize the scale of the sacrifice now :)
DeleteWas just at Ocean Shores, MD - lovely, lovely place! Can't wait to go back!
ReplyDeletefor real Yolanda - we do like to be beside the seaside
DeleteAnd I was just in Toronto, for work. Could see the CN Tower from my hotel room. At night, it lit up in purty colors and whatnot. We (my colleague and I) were in the financial district of Toronto and had to report for stuff at 8:30am for a couple days. This meant we had to leg it to the convention center with all the rush-hour suits; folks bumped into us and didn't excuse themselves, or even look at us. And MAN, the line at Starbucks was looooong! Dude, it was just like being home in NYC!!! :-) (Except in NYC, the baristas put the cap on your coffee for ya, which they didn't do at the two Starbucks shops I hit in Toronto.)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
hmm interesting Mina - and they have some other coffee chains there that are distinctively Canadian like Timmy Hortons where you have to say eh - maybe the caps is a Canadian thing too :)
DeleteLove those chairs! It looks very pretty :) Some good shots there David!
ReplyDeleteThanks Juliette - the chairs were groovy
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