Tuesday -- Leaving Hampton, we were able to experience for the first time, the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and so far, she has lived up to her reputation as being one of the world's greatest cruising areas. Passing traditional Chesapeake Bay lighthouses, Point Comfort and Wolf Trap, we had calm seas and little wind as we headed toward the Rappahanock River bound for the Tides Inn. On the Rappahanock and Carter's Creek, we noticed a distinct difference in the terrain. Beautiful homes atop high bluffs with lawns stretching all the way to the water's edge. We felt as though we were looking at calendar pages, such was the beauty. The Tides Inn (Google this place!) is wonderful with the amenities of a fine resort. We bicycled into town and to the local winery where we were greeted by a huge fox who was as surprised to see us as we were to see him. Later that day, we cruised around the small creeks in our tender and saw an otter scampering across the yard of one of the homes! Is there no end to the wonders of nature we will experience??



Wednesday -- Today we took a tender ride 6.5 miles across the Rappahanock to the historic town of Urbanna, VA, the Oyster Shucking Capital of the World. On our journey, we have noticed that many locales make similar claims and therefore, we all feel required to do taste testing to make a final judgement. Though Urbanna has a storied history, today it is a sleepy town EXCEPT during the Oyster Shucking Festival in November when the town hosts over 200,000 people in one weekend! Yikes!