5. To the Outer Banks and back. Naval Academy

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“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”– Moslih Eddin Saadi

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Part 5. From Southern Virginia to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD

After leaving the Outer Banks, we headed north toward Virginia and crossed the great Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The crossing of 17.3 miles includes two one-mile long tunnels and 12 miles of bridges. You don't see land for a good part of the trip. These seas can get treacherous, and for the first 350 years of crossings, the difficult trip was made by ferry.

Entering the Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel

Driving in the Chesapeake tunnel

Crossing the 12 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge

We overnighted at Kiptopeke State Park, Virginia's only state park on its eastern shore. The simple RV area had elevated gravel parking areas, which we found to be fairly level. We didn't explore much of the rest of the park due to time restraints, but noticed the camping area was near what used to be the ferry docks before the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was completed in 1964. There are a number of structures related to that operation that are still visible in the state park. In one of the photographs, you can see a number of tankers at anchor in the bay beyond the breakwater created by sunken vessels. This was taken during the time of the catastrophic bridge collision at Baltimore that shut down so much shipping for this major port.

Home in Oxford

Beautiful streets in Oxford, MD

Oxford, Md meets the Chesapeake Bay

Camping at Kiptopeke State Park, VA

Chesapeake Bay at Kiptopeke SP

Again, one of the advantages of traveling in the off season is more available sites in nice parks. With gorgeous skies and temperatures, we headed north in search of a quintessential New England village. Before each trip, I consult a couple of travel books that often reveal unique locations. These Reader's Digest publications have served us well. The Most Scenic Drives in America and Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1,000 Scenic Places. I rely most on the first one. Off the Beaten Path has some unique places, but some are more oddities than scenic. The Most Scenic Drives book offers more contiguous sites along a route. Following that book, we lucked out at the village of Oxford, Maryland, on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay (see photos above). The Revolutionary War is frequently referenced in the informational placques found throughout the town. We found the Robert Morris Inn at the water's edge. He was one of the founding fathers, called by many the financier of the Revolutionary War. 

Once we had left the Outer Banks, we were traveling without camping reservations but kept a careful watch for state parks near our upcoming destinations. Kiptopeke State Park was our first "on the fly" stop, and it worked well. Our next target was Tuckahoe State Park in northeast Maryland. We overnighted at the lovely Tuckahoe State Park, home to the Adkins Arboretum.

Paved pads at Tuckahoe SP in northern Maryland

Beautiful roads in Tuckahoe SP

LTV Wonder RL at Tuckahoe SP, MD

Our next destination was an American icon—the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The academy is located about an hour west of Tuckahoe State Park in northern Maryland. We had previously visited the beautiful town of Annapolis, the state capital, and highly recommend it. Today, our focus was the Academy, and it was a perfect day for photos of this wonderful campus setting. I met so many cadets who greeted me with bright eyes and a smile. I met young people from Ohio, Florida, New York, and Maryland. The chapel is outstanding, and the meeting room in the big building was stunning. The main board in the front of the room carries the Navy slogan, "Don't Give Up the Ship!' One of the highlights was watching the noon formation of all cadets. The chapel bells rang out the Navy hymn, followed by a minute of silence. The "All Present" shouts were then delivered from each group. Following the roll call, the band started up, and the cadets marched into the mess hall. The homes of the top brass create an impressive row of New England homes. This place is well worth a visit. You can walk the grounds at your leisure or join one of the regular tours.

Naval Officer home at the Naval Academy

The Naval Academy is one of those places always worth a return visit to take in another dimension of this unique place. We've been fortunate to visit West Point in the past, and the Naval Academy carries a similar sense of purpose and patriotism. Maybe we'll find you at another military installation somewhere Along the Pooka Trail.