Annapolis April 29

I think we could have stayed in the Tidewater area of VA for another week and never run out of things to do or have bad weather but we had a schedule to keep (our niece was graduating on May 20th from the US Coast Guard Academy and we had to be in New London by then.) So, we left Williamsburg and headed for Annapolis, MD. 

 Our campground was in College Park and once again, had we the time, there was a lot we could have done, but didn't. I happen to love visiting Washington, DC but we would not this time. We would have time only for Annapolis. The first day was for laundry since, when you live on the road, you still have chores that do not magically do themselves, and since we'd spent two days with the pets pretty much locked up we figured we'd give them some free time. But, our first stop would be an RV supply place because when we stopped at a rest area as we entered MD, we happened to notice that our blue electric cord had become detached, dragged on the road and the entire aluminum end was worn off. I immediately Googled to see if there were any places around and lo and behold there was one, a 3 minute drive from the campground. This cord is important because it takes the power from the rig battery and uses it to power the car which is on Acc (and in neutral) to power the braking system. Not having the cord has the same affect as my leaving it ON on our way to Winter Park the first day...dead battery. Not good AND we have no brake lights on the car.

Although we had walked-a LOT- at the sites we'd been to in VA, we wanted to go for a bike ride and found a nice little park near Annapolis called Quiet Waters. It's a county park and was about 10 minutes drive from where we were going to go next-the old part of town. We packed a lunch and ate it in a nice and clean pavilion and then got on our bikes and on the trail. It started out with several gently down sloping hills and I started to worry that the return would be one long uphill climb. Note: I like riding a bike...on f-l-a-t surfaces-like in the Netherlands or FL. I am not a mountain biker and think hills are for looking at and hiking up. Don has been doing daily rides since FL and can go for miles, hills or flat, and enjoy it.  So, we rode and rode and although there was one long gentle up slope we never had a hill. I don't know how they did it but I was pretty pumped because we'd had a good hour's ride and I only felt energized.  The cherry trees were in full bloom and I did not regret missing DC as much.

There is nothing quite so lovely

as cherry trees in bloom

The pavilion where we ate lunch and Don getting started on the ride

 So, back to the car and on to our first destination-the Duke of Gloucester Street- known to Don's sister as a young child as the Duck of Gloucester St. Our GPS led us to the security gate at the Naval Academy so we circumnavigated the campus and finally found a parking garage. From there it was to the visitor's center,  the obligatory photo of the street and then a nice walk through town and down to the Annapolis Harbor on the Severn River and the stores and houses along it.

                

flower stalls on corners

simple but elegant centerpiece

As it should be...female mallard leading 3 males

                         

We stopped at this memorial to Alex Haley and watched children throwing food (sold there) for the mallard ducks that flocked to any site a piece landed.

"To commemorate the arrival in this harbor of Kunta Kinte, immortalized by Alex Haley in ROOTS and all others who came to these shores in bondage and who by their toil, character, and ceaseless struggle for freedom have helped to make these United States”

From there it was into the ice cream shop and then down to the harbor to look at the boats, especially the topsail schooner and former privateer, Tall Ship Lynx.  Then it was back to the street, trying to figure out if a building really is off kilter or not, up Pinkney Street with nicely painted houses and creative doorways and finally up to State Circle where the Maryland State House is located.  There is also a very wonderful memorial to Thurgood Marshall where we saw Chinese, Thai and Indian families all taking group photos.

Tall Ship Lynx

I am always ready to eat ice cream

Is this building tilted or not?

Street Art

                              

State House Circle and US Post Office

                                

Maryland State House

Thurgood Marshall Memorial

Donald Murray

Brown v. BOE Topeka

Springtime!