06 KAYAK BIKE
DELAWARE AND MARYLAND

October 1, 2006   Sunday   Drive to Fenwick Island, MD

I got up at 4:30 to load my kayak with paddling gear, Anne’s and my bikes with gear and my packed clothes and gear for 3 days in the car. It was raining steadily for the hour it took me to do this but stopped about the time I finished. Ron Cully called at 5:42 and said he was canceling our century bike ride from Kent Island to the ocean at Fenwick Island. It was raining in Annapolis and the weather forecast was bad. I decided to go to church and drive to Fenwick Island with Anne at 11:00 to arrive about 2:00. The sun came out about 8:00 and it got warm and pleasant.

Anne and I departed at 11:10 and drove to a church in Severna Park to drop off some things for Robin Guy’s funeral, Anne’s best friend, on Thursday. We drove to Fenwick Island in very nice weather arriving at the Fenwick Inn at 2:30. Our rooms would not be ready until 4:00 so we took a long walk on the beach with Lew and Kathleen Frain and Ron Cully.

We checked into room 412 getting the AARP rate of $32.16 per night including taxes. Ron called and invited everyone to his room for wine, cheese and other snacks. Barbara and Bill Spangler were there and Susan and Dick Whiteford came a little later. Ron called Gary and Donna Gentry who drove down from Bethany Beach to join us for dinner at Harpoon Hannah’s. I had a seafood platter with flounder, crab cake, clams, shrimp and scallops that was way too much to eat and was mediocre. Anne and my meals including tax and tip was $64.93.

October 2, 2006   Monday   Kayak Broadkill River

I got up at 6:00 and ran north on the Ocean Highway for several blocks before turning left headed west on DE-54. It is dark and traffic is light until a few minutes before 7:00 when everyone is hustling to get to work. There is a little wind out of the west and perhaps a little north. I run past Harpoon Hannah’s and across three bridges before turning around to head back to the hotel. There is a pretty sunrise in the clear skies over the ocean turning the dark ominous looking clouds overhead into a high light overcast. The Spanglers, Frains and McQueens drive to Dirty Harry’s for breakfast. I have a Western Omelet with toast and sausage, orange juice and milk which comes to $16 with Anne’s meal including tax and tip.

Anne is biking with the Frains. The rest of us head for the 7-Eleven for a sandwich, chips, cookies and a drink for $8.78. We caravan north on Ocean Highway with the Gentrys falling in behind at Bethany Beach. We drive about 31 miles before turning left about 3 miles into Milton and the put-in across the parking lot from the town library at 10:30. Bob Benhoff is waiting for us with his kayak. It is almost 11:00 by the time Dick and Susan Whiteford, Ron Cully, Bill Spangler, Gary Gentry, Bob Benhoff and Dan McQueen slip into the Broadkill River and start down stream. Donna Gentry and Barbara Spangler are driving to the takeout to drop the Spanglers van for us to shuttle back to our cars.

High tide at the ocean is at 11:30 so we still have some current downstream being about 11 miles inland. It is very comfortable with a slight breeze as we leisurely paddle with the current. The river banks are tree lined with no sign of development for several miles. There are a series of long sweeping curves as we go. We pass from the trees into high grassy mud flats. The rivers path becomes tortured as it winds in continuous short 180o turns left then right then left. The water has no current now as we pass a marina the only development so far.

At 12:15 after 5.9 river miles we come to a campground with a slip, the first place where we can get out of the water. We pull our kayaks out and eat lunch. During this 20 minute interlude the water rises 2 or 3 inches on the slip.

Back in the water we are going against the incoming tide that keeps increasing as we go until it got pretty strong and rough in some spots. The wind is all over the place as we wind this way and that. Three or four boats pass us but they are very courteous slowing down as they pass. We pass a weird looking tower that we first thought was a lighthouse but probably was a silo. We then see an odd shaped white tower in the distance which we think is a lighthouse and then houses lining the beach or road. We’re not sure what the white tower is even after passing close by it but it had two antennae beside it. It take a long time to cover what seems like a short distance as we wind back and forth in against an increasing current. Suddenly we round a bend and see Bill’s van parked on the shore. We are all landed by 1:45. We kayaked 9.73 miles in 2:52 averaging 2.4 mph while reaching a maximum speed of 7.8 mph.

Bill shuttled us back to our cars in Milton while Gary stayed with our kayaks and called Donna to pick him up. The Whitefords had just gotten out of the water in Milton having turned back before lunch. We returned with our cars to the take out to load our kayaks and Donna was there with Barbara. We drove back to the Fenwick Inn to clean up.

All 11 of us came to room 412 at 5:30 for wine, cheese and snacks. We decided to eat at Jordan’s Roof Top Restaurant above the Fenwick Inn because they had a 1.25 pound lobster special for $15.95. We split the bill that came out to $50 per couple including tax and tip.

October 3, 2006   Tuesday   Bike Fenwick Island to Federalsburg

I got up at 6:15 and ran the same route as yesterday. There is less breeze and it is warmer with virtually no clouds. It will reach 85o today. We couldn’t settle on a bike ride today to suit everyone so Bill, Gary and I are going to bike from Fenwick Island to Federalsburg, MD. Our wives will shop and then drive our cars to Federalsburg to meet us. Ron is driving to Federalsburg and biking to meet us before returning to Federalsburg. The Spanglers and McQueens meet the Gentrys at Dirty Harry’s at 8:00 for breakfast. We three bikers had the special which is biscuits with sausage gravy (aka SOS during our army days), orange juice and milk for $16. Gary forgot his biking shoes so he drove back to Bethany Beach for them and agreed to meet us at the junction of DE-20 and DE-26.

Bill and I headed west on DE-54 into a good head breeze which caused us to work in the open areas. We bore right on DE-20 maintaining about a 17 mph pace. We arrived at our meeting place and waited about 10 minutes for Gary to arrive. On US-113 I almost crashed because I didn’t see a large log until the last second. This almost caused Gary and Bill to collide. After stopping for a drink we met Ron at about 23.8 miles. We four continued on towards Federalsburg negotiating a detour in Seaford. The wind got strong and we started a pace line for a few miles until it was no longer needed. We rolled into Federalsburg at 1:04. We biked 50.6 miles in 3:21:42 averaging 15.1 mph climbing 280’ while descending 230’ with no climbs. The average was reduced because I rode around town for 40 minutes while waiting for our wives to arrive.

We ate lunch with ice cream at a deli on Main Street for $17.36. Anne and I drove home to Columbia arriving about 4:40.