Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island – We’re on a Roll!

 

Whiskey Beach, Cape Henlopen State Park, Delaware.

After leaving Tom’s we had two nights scheduled at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. And here’s how we screwed up…we only scheduled two nights! Sometimes you get to a park and it dramatically exceeds expectations. We checked in on Monday, 5/25, and started going over the campground maps and realized we really needed at least a week to see and do all the things we wanted to. Ugh! With just one full day, we did our best. Lol.

There were tons of hiking and biking trails, coastal forests, dunes, ocean beaches, wetland habitat, historic Fort Miles, WWII observation towers. The fun didn’t end at the park boundaries either, there was a well-developed system of bike lanes that went into the nearby town of Lewes and several interesting restaurants and breweries to explore. As you can see, we had to pick and choose and dodge the rain while we did it. Lol.

 

Base camp for our explorations.

In 1682, William Penn proclaimed Cape Henlopen would be forever preserved for public use. However, during WWII Delaware turned the land over to the US government to establish Fort Miles and protect the Delaware River. It remained under military control until 1964 when 543 acres of Cape Henlopen were declared surplus, allowing Delaware to create a state park. In 1989, then Senator Joe Biden directed the US Army to report to Congress where they ceded the rest of Fort Miles to Delaware. The final parcel of land, Herring Point, was returned to the state in 1996. Altogether Biden helped restore 1,350 acres of Cape Henlopen to public use.  The former Naval Reserve training facility was rededicated as the Biden Environmental Center to honor his contribution to restoring the public lands. The center serves as a hub for environmental education and coastal preservation.

Biden Environmental Center.

 One of the first things I wanted to do was climb one of the observation towers. From 1939 to 1942, there were 11 concrete observation towers built along the Delaware coast. The towers were the eyes of Fort Miles guarding against German ships and acting as spotters for the Fort’s 6, 12, and 16-inch guns. The towers range from 39 to 75 feet high, are 16 feet in diameter with one-foot-thick concrete walls. When built, the soldiers had to climb a ladder all the way to the top, only one tower was open to visitors and happily there was a spiral staircase installed. (With 114 stairs. Yes, I counted! Lol.)

 

One of several observation towers in the park.

This is the only tower open to the public.

The ladder to the top was replaced with a spiral staircase. Looking up, up, up.

Looking out from the top of the tower...

...you could see historic Fort Miles.

Rog and I rode our bikes about 9 ½ miles on the Gordons Pond and Bike Loop trails. Gordons Pond is more of a huge swampy wetland and a vital habitat for all kinds of birds. We also saw hundreds of small fish that were darting and leaping out of the water. Super fun to watch!

On the Gordons Pond trail.

 

Looked more swamp than pond to me, but...

...whatever you call it, the birds loved it.
Top to Bottom: Snowy Egret, Willet, Black-Necked Stilt,
Red-Winged Blackbird, Laughing Gull, Blue Heron and a Green Heron

Beautiful marshland.

Schools of tiny fish were leaping out of the water. 

We parked the bikes and walked out to Whiskey Beach. The day was foggy, but we were able to see several more observation towers in the distance. On the way back we explored several spur trails. I loved the variety of the trails. We rode on boardwalks over the dunes, paved and gravel trails beside the marsh and through coastal woodlands. And best of all – it was flat! Lol.

 

More observation towers were visible along the beach.

Stepping stones on the beach.

Loved the boardwalks over the dunes, and...

...the paths through the trees.

In the afternoon, the pups got their chance to play on the beach. We wanted to optimize Riley’s play time, so we drove them to beach. They were so excited! We got far enough away from everyone that could have a little off leash play time. Riley headed right for the water and then made “sand angels” on the beach. Such a silly boy. Raney was content to sniff and explore and get her feet wet. I entertained myself by filling my pockets with ocean-smoothed stones and seashells. After our soggy, sandy pups were cleaned up and fed, Rog and I headed into town for a treat.

Riley. Surfer dude.

Raney. Sandy-faced beach bum.

Two lighthouses were visible from the beach.
(L) Delaware Breakwater East End Lighthouse, circa 1885
(R) Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse, circa 1926

What are the odds a few of these found their way into my pockets? Hmmmmm??

Riley making sand angels on the beach. What a goof ball. 

Back to the car for a drink and a wipe down before nap time. 

Rog was looking at the area on Google maps when he saw that one of our favorite brewers, Dogfish Head, was located just down the road in Rehoboth Beach. In 1995 they opened Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats - the state's first brewpub. The plan was to bring original beer, original food, and original music to the area … and they were wildly successful! Not only was Dogfish Head Delaware’s first brewpub, it was the smallest commercial brewery in America. The very first batches were brewed on a system that was essentially three little kegs with propane burners underneath, brewing 12–gallon batches of beer for a whole restaurant. It is safe to say they have expanded and grown their brewing operations since then. Then in 2002, after spotting a stainless-steel bin in a rural Delaware scrapyard, they began to explore the world of spirits. They worked with engineers and welders to reshape the tank in the form of a pot still – named it ‘Frankenstill’ – and began distilling gin, rum, and vodka. Their small batch operations allowed them to be very creative and we love the weird and wacky. Roasted Peanut Vodka anyone? We had a great dinner and enjoyed tasty beer flights and then shopped at their Off-Centered emPOURium, a retail space filled with Dogfish Head brews, spirits, and swag. A super fun outing!

Flights all around, please. 

Dogfish Head Brewery - a great end to a fun day!

On Wednesday, 5/27, we bid Delaware adieu and headed to New Jersey. We had an overnight stop at a Harvest Host site, Readington Brewery and Hop Farm. We got there in the early afternoon and, after getting set up in a huge grassy field, we popped into the taproom for a beverage. When the bartender found out we had two mastiffs, she asked us to please bring them in. That early in the day it wasn’t busy, so the pups got to come along and hang out for a bit. Super nice place with a large outdoor family-friendly play area.

Riley and Raney were invited to join us at Readington Brewery.

Beautiful taproom and pup-friendly inside too!

Family friendly too, with a great outdoor play area.

Handsome boy, and...

...pretty girl, just...

...handing out with Dad. 

In the morning we pulled out and made our way to our next stop, yet another Harvest Host site, in Woodbury, New York. Spirits Lab Distilling Company was a small distillery in a farm-like setting. I’m not a whiskey person, so I had an Espresso Martini made with their small-batch vodka. Rog tried the Caipirinha, a sweet-tart Brazilian cocktail. Our friends, Bob and Carole, introduced us to the Caipirinha and Spirit Lab’s version was excellent. They bottle and sell their signature mixed drinks, so guess what followed me home for a happy hour. (I’ll be saving that to celebrate meeting up with Bob and Carole on the road in July!)

Parked at Spirits Lab Distillery.
(Notice the sunshine and blue skies.)

 

We popped inside to sample their wares.
(Notice the sky is not so blue anymore.)

Raney is not amused at the turn in the weather.

Another one-night stay and we were on the road again. Our next destination, on Friday, 5/29, was George Washington Campground in Rhode Island. That’s four states in four days and Rog was ready for a break. We had three days scheduled in the campground, which is located on the shores of the Bowdish Reservoir in the 4000-acre George Washington Management Area.

The campground is rustic, with spaces spread out under the trees. There are no hookups, but keeping the pups cool was not a problem. In fact, we had to run the furnace! Yes, the daytime temps were topping out in the 40-50’s and dropping to the low 40’s at night. Brrrrrrrrr. Time to get the down comforter back on the bed. Lol. It was also rainy with a wind advisory on Saturday calling for north winds 20 to 30mph with gusts up to 50mph. I’m just glad we are parked and cozy, warm in our Short Bus. The tenters just looked miserable. ☹

Love the wooded campsites!

We dodged the showers on Saturday to take the pups on the one-mile Angell Loop trail. We paralleled the lake shore and then looped through the woods. It was a super fun trail and a gorgeous walk in the woods. The pups certainly enjoyed the cool, misty weather and the long sniff-walk.

A drippy walk in the woods.

 

The trail wound through the trees, and...

...beside the lake, and...

...through wetlands. 

Check out this beaver nommed tree. 

In the afternoon we left the tired pups to nap and drove into the nearby small town of Chepachet. We popped into a few antique stores and the Brown and Hopkins Country Store founded in 1809, which is famous for being the oldest continuously operating country store in America.

Rainy days call for indoor entertainment - shopping!

We got a break in the weather Sunday morning and took Raney on what was supposed to be a two-mile loop on the Walkabout Trail. We somehow missed a turn and ended up going about three miles and returning to the campground on a dirt road. It’s all an adventure. Lol.

 

Beautiful lake, quite a different view when the sun is shining. 

Notice the clearly marked blazes on the trees,
and we still missed a turn. Lol.

Oh well, this works too. Lol. 

After our walkabout, Rog got up on the roof to clear away the debris from Saturday’s windstorm. He’d just finished when the weather turned nasty again. Raney and I sat outside under the awning and watched it pour. It rained hard for several hours and then slacked off. That seems to be a repeating theme. Lol. While it may limit our outdoor activities, we still manage to have fun. And honestly we are enjoying the down time. Sometimes it’s just nice to (gasp!) push the pups off the couch, curl up with my kindle and a cup of tea, and listen to the rain.

The roof and solar panels were covered in tree debris. 

More rain. Time to snuggle up with a cup of tea.

Next stop, Maine. We’ll be in Maine for about three weeks, so we have some longer stays coming up including a visit to Acadia National Park!