Re: off topic (a little)

Posted by terry on Feb 1, 2005

I'll let Lee G, Bill Thomas, John Harris and some of the other local folks down there chime in on specifics for camping and paddling. We've paddled down there many times and I've sailed there for 40 years. It's a splendid area.

I'm most familiar with the Eatern Shore, and my favorite paddling spots are the Wye River and Wye Island; the Tred Avon River and its tributiary creeks, the upper reaches of the Chester River above Chestertown, and even the upper parts of the Sassafras and Bohemia rivers. There are umpteen campgrounds down there - many with waterfrontage. I suspect if you google Maryland or Eastern Shore camping, you'll get comprehensive listings.

Late May/early June is a great time for the Eastern Shore. Much after that, and the shallower waters are generally unswimmable due to the stinging sea nettles - small jellyfish. The nettles seem to be more pervasive in the lower parts of the Bay, below the Bay bridges, but they move north as the summer progresses. It can also get pretty hot in high summer, with less cooling breeze in the afternoons than in the spring and fall.

It's a wonderful place to paddle. There are a few paddling guides in print that give routes, put-ins and other info, but I can't remember the names. Great books to read about the history, culture and wildlife of this area are Mitchener's "Chesapeake" and Warner's "Beautiful Swimmers" (a book I've read at least 10 times).

Enjoy dreaming of your vacation.

terry

In Response to: off topic (a little) by Karl on Jan 31, 2005

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