2005 Kayak and Bike Mathews County, Virginia

May 1, 2005 Sunday Drive to Gloucester, Virginia

Got up at 6:00 and ran 5.1 miles. Cleaned up and drove to Colombia Presbyterian Church because it was still raining lightly. Made an African omelet, sausage, toast and milk for brunch. Finished packing the car and departed Columbia at 12:33. I drove 172.9 miles down MD-32 to MD-3 to US-301 to US-17 to Gloucester Court House, Virginia at 3:55. I stopped at a Texaco for 12.4 gallons of gas for $27.25 in Tappahannock, Virginia.

Checked into the Comfort Inn Gloucester room 102 at 6639 Forest Hill Avenue in Gloucester, Virginia 23061 phone 804 695-1900. Bill Spangler was there so I drove us 16 miles on VA-14 into Mathews Court House to scout the landings for put-ins and take-outs and roads for bicycling. We found the landings and discovered that Bandy Ridge Road is gravel. This caused us to change Tuesday’s bike route.

Back at the motel we found out that Susan Whiteford didn’t come due to an injury. Based on the hotel clerk recommendation Frank and Kathy Anders, Ron Cully, Dan McQueen, Bill Spangler and Dick Whiteford drove to The Blue Fin for dinner. I had trout, shrimp, scallops, crab cake, clam chowder, hush puppies, salad, baked potato and ice tea for $23.84 including tip. It was very good. We shared a bottle of McQueen Tartan Australian Shiraz in room 102.

May 2, 2005 Monday Kayak New Comfort Point Lighthouse

Got up at 5:50 and ran around the shopping center next to the motel, then south on US-17 to the next traffic light turning left on Short Road to the stop sign at GC-629 and back to the motel in 46 minutes covering 5.1 miles. Walked to the lounge for orange juice, milk, banana and two biscuits covered in gravy with sausage.

We departed the motel at 8:45 am for the Mathews Food Lion where I purchased a chicken salad sandwich for $1.82. We drove south on VA-14 about 7.5 miles turning left on Sand Bank Road MC-602 then left on MC-699 Doctors Creek Road to the landing at 370 20.381 N by 760 16.633 W. We unloaded our kayaks and Frank and I shuttled his van and my car 3.25 miles to the take out at the New Comfort Lighthouse Observation Walkway. We left Frank’s van and returned.

We launched at 10:10 out of Doctors Creek into the Chesapeake Bay heading south along the shore. There is a light wind 5-10 miles per hour with some swell and chop in some places. The temperature is in the 60s with clouds and sun. It is shallow with low tide at 10:59. We have to look for holes in the sand bars and sometimes turn further offshore to find deeper water as we pick our way down the shore. We see some very nice beach houses and stretches of sandy beach.

We round the New Comfort Lighthouse off the point. The lighthouse was built between 1802 and 1805 and is the third oldest lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay. It is 11:30 so we head for a nice sandy beach on the point for lunch. It is a short distance to Frank’s van so we decide to paddle across the small bay around another point and into Davis Creek and the landing. We double back to the take out at 1:25. We kayaked about 8 miles. Kathy and Ron stayed with our kayaks while Frank drove us back to our cars. Returning we saw a beaver leisurely strolling down a dirt track next to the road.

We drove back to the motel in Gloucester to clean up. Ron and I walked to McDonald’s for a hot fudge sundae with nuts for $1.09. Everyone gathered in room 102 at 5:30 to share a bottle of Spanish Rioja. We all walked to Rosalia’s for veal parmesan, fettucini, salad, bread, ice tea and tip coming to $15.91.

May 3, 2005 Tuesday Bike Mathews County

Got up at 6:07 and ran my 5.1 mile established route in 46 minutes. Walked to the lounge for orange juice, milk, banana and two biscuits covered in gravy with sausage. We drove to New Comfort Point Walkway at 9:00.

We biked from our cars at 9:50 in a sunny but cool 640 5 – 10 mile per hour breeze. We biked north on VA-14 around Circle Drive MC-600 and back on VA-14 about 5.3 miles to a right on Hamburg Road MC-602. We turned right on Potato Neck Road and then a quick left on Bethel Beach Road MC-609. We stopped at Bay Trails Outfitters for a view of the kayak farm. We met owner Shawn Towne, a former bike racer, a chatted for a few moments. We soon turned left on Garden Creek Road MC-611 and then another left on Marsh Hawk Road MC-610. We turned right on Ridgefield Road MC-614, then another right on Callis Field Lane and another right on Tabernacle Road MC-611. The roads are perfectly flat with little or no traffic passing through many wooded areas. It is very quiet and peaceful. We turned left on Knightwood Road MC-613, left on Haven Beach Road MC-643 then left and a right to stay on Haven Beach Road. The name changed to Pritchetts Wharf Road MC-642 and then again to Chambers Street VA-198 as we rolled into Mathews Court House about 11:40.

We stopped at the Irish Cottage Pub for lunch. I had ice tea, cream of crab soup, French fries, hamburger with Swiss cheese and mushrooms plus tip came to $13.32. The food was good and it was pleasant so we spent over an hour at lunch. About 1:00 we biked south on Main Street VA-14 to Town Point Landing Road MC-615 where we checked out tomorrows launch site. Back to VA-14 south we turned right on Williams Wharf Road MC-614 to the wharf. On the way back we turned right on Kyber Pass Road which is dirt and walked around a pile of dirt to Todds Creek Lane also dirt. We took a left on Poplar Grove Lane to south on VA-14. This time we turned left on Hamburg Road MC-602 and shortly turned right on Gully Branch Road MC-607. Next it was a right on Hunts Road MC-605 to VA-14 south again. We started another loop by turning right on Diggs Wharf Road MC-606 before turning left on Bar Neck Road. Next we turned left on Peabody Road a dirt road that slowly deteriorated until we had to walk around another large dirt pile. We came out on Antioch Road before heading south on VA-14. We followed Circle Drive again to the right coming back on VA-14 and on to our cars at New Comfort Point Walkway at 3:15.

We biked 36.6 miles in 3:22:43 averaging 10.8 mph reaching a maximum 15.7 mph climbing and descending 75’ with no climbs. It is still a sunny and breezy 640. We drove into Mathews and stopped at the information center for maps, waterway routes and biking routes. Across the street in Richardson’s soda fountain I had a root beer float for $3.02. We followed Church Street MC-611 out of town to a left on VA-14 back to our motel in Gloucester.

We gathered in room 102 at 6:00 for some McQueen Tartan Argentine Malbec. Afterwards we walked to Sutton’s for dinner. I had broiled shrimp, scallops, crab cake, fish, mashed potatoes, green beans, hush puppies, salad and ice tea for $24.39 including tip. Again it was early to bed.

May 4, 2005 Wednesday Kayak East River

Got up at 5:51 and ran my 5.1 mile established route in 46 minutes. Walked to the lounge for orange juice, milk, banana and two biscuits covered in gravy with sausage. Talked with Dick, Ron and Bill. The Anders came in and said they had to go home early so they wouldn’t be paddling with us today. We decided to leave at 8:30 rather than the planned 9:00. I quickly packed up and checked out of the motel.

We were ready to go by 8:20 and drove in caravan east on VA-14 about 14 miles before turning right on Church Street outside Mathews Court House and then right again on Main Street VA-14 for about 2 miles to a right on Town Center Landing Road to the launching ramp on the East River.

We launched by 9:15 out into the river that is smooth as glass with no wind. There is a slight current south in our direction as low tide is at 12:49 p.m. It is very beautiful, peaceful, quiet and we have the river to ourselves except for the occasional goose or heron up the side channels. We pass an old tug boat from Fells Point as we follow the left shoreline. At the third inlet we turn in to check out the only remaining tide mill on the Chesapeake Bay. We are intrigued by it and discuss how it must have worked. There is a beautiful river mansion on the point behind the mill. We continue through a break in the old dam up the inlet to its end at VA-14. We are surprised at the size of the docked boats in the small inlet. We see herons, geese and fiddler crabs on the muddy banks.

We rounded the point and paddled to the end of the next inlet which is a spur trail on the East River Blueways Trail. Back to the East River and around the next point we entered the next inlet and another spur water trail. Near the end we docked at Tabbs Creek Landing bed and breakfast. The B & B is owned by Bill and Erin Rogers who were not there but I met Erin’s mother from Annapolis, Maryland. She was very gracious and showed me every room plus the three suites in another building.

Back in the East River at 11:25 Bill decided to head back and Ron chose to go with him. Dick and I decided to cross the river to the west shore at green channel marker 7 which put us about 10 minutes behind them. We took out at 12:30. Our kayaks were loaded and we changed clothes for the drive home by 1:00.

We headed back to Mathews turning left on VA-198 to US-17 north. We stopped in Tappahannock for dinner at Lowery’s Seafood on Ron’s recommendation. I had a seafood platter that included oysters, shrimp, scallops, crab cake, roll, baked potato, string beans, salad and ice tea for $30.37 including tip. It was very good.

I continued north on US-17 to Port Royal turning right on US-301. I stopped at a Wawa near the Potomac River for 9.9 gallons of gas at $1.999 per gallon for $19.75. I crossed the bridge into Maryland up US-301 to MD-3 to MD-32 to Columbia. I arrived home at 6:00 having driven 181.5 miles.