Delaware - Day 1 - arriving

Lums Pond State Park
Tuesday, 1 January 2019

Happy New Year!

Delaware: state #10

Another month - another state.

When I walked the dogs before we left the campground in New Jersey, we saw a woman with 2 Great Danes standing outside her camper.  Dexter got a little crazy and the woman was smart enough to wait until we'd gone on a ways before walking her dogs.  Dext has actually played with a Great Dane at the day care he was just going to, so maybe part of the craziness was wanting to play.

But I spent the whole walk wondering where on earth she put those 2 big dogs.  Her camper was just an ordinary 30' or so camper with a couple of slides - didn't look big enough to fit them in.  Good thing they're mild-mannered dogs because they were as tall as the woman's waist and she'd never have been able to hang onto them if they'd bounced around like mine.

today's route

I would usually need 2 maps to show the route from one state to another, but with such short distances, the Delaware map included where I came from in New Jersey.

New Jersey is a peninsula and almost every possible bridge or tunnel to the mainland has a toll on it.  When I came in on Dec. 1st, I drove by the land connection.  But today, going into Delaware I encountered a toll bridge.  Interestingly, there's no charge to leave Delaware, but there's a fairly hefty charge to come in: it's $4 for a car and $10 for my 2-axle RV.  Just for a regular bridge.

On the other hand, I discovered Delaware doesn't charge a sales tax - I stopped at a PetsMart looking for flea and tick medicine, and at Barnes and Noble for a state map.

Even when we were stopped, the wind gusts were making the RV move - and made driving a little scary.  There was a wind advisory issued until noon today, but it's still blowing hard by mid-afternoon.

I'm back on another peninsula, a fact I'd forgotten until I heard it mentioned on the radio.  This is the DelMarVa Peninsula, which includes all of Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia.  Bounded by Chesapeake Bay alongside part of Maryland on the western side of the peninsula, and by the Delaware River on the eastern side.  The peninsula's only about 170 miles long.

Speaking of which, at 96 miles long and 30 miles wide, Delaware is the 2nd smallest state in the union.  This should be an interesting month.

I didn't stay in this state park when I was here last spring, but it's as nice as the others I saw.  Widely spaced campsites and adequate amenities - especially for the price ($25/week night and $30/weekend night).  I'm reserved here until the 9th because it's close to Wilmington, where there are things I'd like to see.  If they're open.

So I'll go walk the dogs again and fix my version of Hoppin' John - to get my annual fix of black-eyed peas for good days in the new year.