During the week as a seed courier, you never know what you will find or where the road will take you. For instance, one day, I ended up near the shore. Which shore? I have no idea!
It must have been somewhere near a port. Look at all those ships lined up waiting to enter.
I had to have my picture taken in the water. Okay, I was only up to my ankles, but not bad for the end of a work day.
I also noticed all the little rocks in the sand. Time for a little “catch-and-release” rock collecting – with a difference. I picked up a few that caught my eye and took them back to the hotel room – wherever that was.
I took a picture, but then slipped them into my luggage. They actually made it home with me and are living in a little dish on my dresser.
I really stayed in some “unique” establishments. For instance, what sort of emergency might I have that would require me to push this button? And, you have to know the sign made me want to push the button all the more!
Continuing down the road in the morning, I was delighted to be able to snap this photo of an Airstream in my rearview mirror.
When I was a kid and I would take the rare trip with my parents, I remember being mystified by the blue roofs on the Stuckey’s and I couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of the pecan logs they advertised.
What in the world is a pecan log? I knew what logs were and what pecans were, but what is a pecan log? (I’ve already told you I was a very literal child.) They were probably 25¢ back then – too rich for our family’s blood.
I was about to find out!
It turns out that the center is a cylinder of some sort of white nougat that is rolled in pecans. It was good enough, but once is enough.
Of course, this is probably not the size that was sold in the mid ’60s. Everything is inflated. For instance, a 25¢ log in the mid ’60s would now cost around $2.00. Since the price on this one was $5.99, I’m sure it wasn’t what was sold when Stuckey’s dotted the landscape.
In 1965 dollars, this would have cost about 75¢. When I was a kid, in the mid ’60s, I could buy six 5¢ candy bars for a quarter at Kay’s Drugs in Kenmore.
Ah, but I digress…
And, speaking of digressing, my route took me near Assateague National Seashore. I didn’t really have time to enjoy the park, but I had been meaning to buy my America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass!
It used to be an outrageously good deal at $20 for a lifetime of visiting national parks and federal recreational lands. You had to be 62 to buy it, and I missed the deadline by three months. They raised the price to $80, but for a lifetime of enjoyment, it is still a great deal. The ranger who helped me with the purchase told me that the ponies that make the park famous are just down the road a little, so I decided to see if I could see any of them.
I pulled over and parked where I was told they like to hang out. Do you see them?
I zoomed in as much as my iPhone could handle and you can kind of make them out just below the middle of the frame. Not much to write home about.
I continued to the end of the road and parked the car. I had to take a gander at the ocean, even if I didn’t really have time to even wade a little bit. Beautiful!
As I was leaving the area, I noticed the marquee for the Wallops Flight Facility. James Michener mentioned it frequently in his books, so I had to grab a quick photo.
Another place that my HISTORY Here app directed me to was Harriet Tubman‘s birthplace. Of course, no one is really 100% sure where she was born, but I guess there is some evidence that the land she was born on was in this area.
A friend mentioned that she thought that this was a rather sorry memorial to such an important person. The thing is that this site was about 10 miles off the main road and a person can’t control where they are born.
There is a Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. I drove by it as I continued on my way down the main road. It looked interesting, and I picked up a brochure about it when I stopped at a rest stop along the way. It’s definitely on my “next time” list.
I stopped for the night near Chesterton, Maryland, right on the banks of the Chester River.
I prowled around a bit, to see what I could see. I came across this hall for veterans of the Civil War.
It was for African American Civil War veterans. It is one of only two halls known to survive that were built for soldiers who served in the USCT – the United States Colored Troops. These were segregated units composed of former slaves and free blacks. They were commanded by white officers.
A small group of veterans formed the post shortly after the war, naming it for the abolitionist Massachusettes senator, Charles Sumner, who urged President Abraham Lincoln to extend full rights to African Americans.
As with most places at the end of my work day, Sumner hall was closed, so I didn’t get to go inside.
I also didn’t get to go inside the train museum.
But I was fine with that.
I thought these side-by-side duplexes were cute. I saw several of them as I took a quick glance around town. They seemed unique to the area.
What was next on my agenda was dinner. I had seen a place down by the river I wanted to try.
I headed back to the flags by the river.
Those who know me well will wonder what is up with all the fish. I don’t usually eat seafood. But, when it’s battered, deep fried and slathered with ketchup, I do like fish. (Why they bring it with tartar sauce is a mystery to me.)
I decided to indulge in dessert.
Oh, my! Pie!
I figured that I would just eat part of it. After all, it wasn’t like I was going to starve before my next meal.
But it turned out to be so tasty that I did a pretty good job of finishing it up. After dinner, it was time to head back to wherever I had booked for the night.
On the way, I passed this historical marker for a place that no longer exists. It’s interesting (to me) that this was erected in 1932. I imagine it was to celebrate the bicentennial of Washington’s birth in 1732.
And with that, my scattershot tourism post comes to a close. It’s amazing that I could get so much in over several days while carrying out my duties.