I got up at 4 a.m. to go for a run and barely finished by sunset. Must have been an awfully long run.
OK, there were a few diversions before getting to the starting line.
OceanDowns. Played the slots at the casino near Ocean City for a couple hours. I turned $25 in free slot dollars into $27.32. Col did a bit better, perhaps making minimum wage for her efforts.
Onancock. Col said she always wanted to go to the small Virginia town. It looked OK from the road. Next time, we should probably actually stop and look around.
Crappie flea markets. Two along Rte. 13 on Virginia’s Eastern Shore drew enough our attention to make us stop. One had cool old advertising signs, but prices were out of my budget. Col’s theory is they jacked up the prices after watching too many episodes of American Pickers. At another flea market, I bought about a dozen metal cookie cutters for the amazing low price of $2. Why did I need the cookie cutters? Not sure. What will I do with them? Not sure. But I had to have them. Col went on what turned out to be an unsuccessful quest for an under-a-dollar mallet. She was successful on picking up a smokey smell that lasted the rest of the weekend.
The poorly named Shore Stay Suites. It doesn’t overlook the bay or ocean (and, just to add an extra touch, the shower didn’t work). It took a good half hour to check in as we had to rouse up the elderly innkeeper and wait as he struggled with that darn computer. Overall, a decent place to stay for a night.
The town of Cape Charles. It was just a bit past noon, so we figured we could explore a bit. Walk on the beach and pier. Check out the shops. Sample some chocolate. Buy some gifts. Read the historical placards. As we headed out, my cell phone said it was after 3 p.m.
Back to the hotel. Change into my running garb. Off to my starting point. Actual start time: around 3:30. A mere 11 hours from when we left the house.
My route took me on a 2.5 mile paved bike path that follows Rte. 13. It links a state park just outside Cape Charles to the very end of the Eastern Shore of Virginia. You’ll find a natural refuge area with trails leading to views of marshes, weapons left over from when it was a military base, and the Chesapeake Bay-Tunnel. I probably would’ve explored the area a bit more, but the sun started to go down around 6:30, and, you know, it had been a rather long day.
73 runs downs, 61 to go.
