Operation Enduring Warrior Half Marathon at Great Falls

Our son-in-law ran his first half marathon yesterday near Great Falls Park on the C&O Canal Towpath just outside of DC.  It was cold and windy but tolerable with the sun out.  It got colder later mid-day. Snow flurries had their way with us and the poor runners before all was said and done.  

Above is one of many pictures I took of the Great Falls on the Potomac.  It's just so beautiful and so amazing that it's a handful of miles outside of Washington, DC.  Kayakers were heading out to run these falls as the runners and walkers and just a few cyclists enjoyed the towpath despite the cold and windy day. My hat is off to all of them as so many others sat in their homes watching the boob tube or had their heads bent over their phones or maybe best case, went from warm home to warm car to warm restaurant for Sunday brunch and that was the extent of their adventure.  

Gear up, I say, enjoy nature's way.  

Below is the first picture I took as the morning sun was just hitting the area shortly after 7 am.  

I think this may have been the first time Dave and I have been back on the C&O since we rode our Surly Long Haul Trucker bikes from Georgetown to Pittsburgh several years ago.  That was fun.  Sometimes I feel surprised and amazed at the joyful adventures we've had.  I am so grateful. 

I love the old canal boats. What a time in history with the race between the building of railroad tracks and the C&O Canal.  Many workers for each effort died.  Much money was made by the already rich but not so much by the oh-so-poor but glad-to-have-a-job.  So American.  And in case you don't know your history or haven't thought it through past the dull of the duh moment, the railroads won.  

There were only 30 entrants for the half marathon, a few more for the 5K and 10K.  

Port Mahon, Delaware

Port Mahon, pronounced  MAY hon, is on the Delaware Bay at the mouth of the Mahon River, near Dover.  It used to be a port for the little town of Little Creek near Leipsic which is another little town, all near the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge.  So this is a great natural area for peeps who like nature and can live without little boutique shops or touristy stuff sold to Americans but made in China.  I'm surprised Port Mahon is left as it is though I'm not complaining.  I just figured someone would be wanting to make more Almighty Dollars off of the land on the shoreline.  My guess, but what do I really know, is that the tidal creeks and salt marshes and storm would make it all challenging and maybe just plain stupid for development.  And maybe it's also the way it is so commercial fishermen can do their thing.

In the past, a fish factory was located on site and Port Mahon was the center of oyster harvesting and horseshoe crab harvesting.  There used to be a lighthouse just offshore.  The first one was built in the 1830's (called Mahon's Ditch) and the last one was built in the 1950's.  Both are gone.  The 1950's one was built in the Chesapeake style.  It was on steel supports and that's all that is left now.  A replica of sorts is the club house at the golf course in nearby Magnolia, Delaware. I feel another road trip coming on.  I'm sure we have probably seen it in our exploratory drives and when house hunting but I can't remember it.  

Dave is looking outward to the Delaware Bay from what may have been the remains of the fish factory.  

A green plastic chair that has seen better days is hanging sideways off this steel pole (above).  Someone was bored.  Or perhaps had a sense of humor.  Or perhaps was making a sculpture from found objects.  

Below, in the foreground, is where I think the 1950's era Chesapeake Bay style lighthouse stood.  I think those are the steel supports sticking up out of the water between the jetty-type rocks on shore and the tug.  

Below, is the end of the road at what is left at Port Mahon.  We watched the osprey nest for a while.  Two opsreys were in it and a third circled with a fish in it's talons and at times was chased by one of the pair that was in the nest.  Finally the pair in the nest let the third one land in the nest with the fish.  Was it perhaps a juvenile osprey being taught by the parents?  I don't know.  I'll have to research this some more.  It was an incredibly beautiful sky, no?

Beam Me Up Into The Cloudy Spaceship

How's this for cool?  Is it a spaceship or what?  I'd never seen cloud cover approaching like this.  We drove into it as it floated over us.  Beam me up.  

White Clay Creek State Park

As part of my birthday month celebration, we went hiking to a new place - a place new to us.  It was the White Clay Creek State Park, 3300 acres on the border with Pennsylvania where there are several more hundred acres to this area being allowed to return to nature.  

Having said that, the home below will not return to nature though it has seemingly tried.  Workmen were present doing, well, work.  I'm not sure exactly what they were doing but it had to do with one of the out buildings. 

We hiked about 6 miles. There are many more trails, of course.  We'll be back.

I loved this tree, below.  Nature makes some cool things.  Dave suggested that maybe barbed wire fencing years ago had contributed to this.  

And maybe to this one. If that is the case, I name these trees Resilience I and II. 

After the hike we went into Wilmington to the Dead President's Pub.  We like unique places and if they have good beverage selections and/or good food, they are keepers.  This one is a keeper. 

We showed up around 3:30pm so we pretty much had the place to ourselves with the exception of a few other patrons and the friendly and competent bartender.  The food was foodie for a bar. 

A little irreverence for Big George.  I don't know what the story is behind this picture other than it obviously stems from holiday decorations. 

Another curious but lovely touch at The Dead Presidents Pub was that all the tables and booths had FRESH FLOWERS!  I don't know that I've ever been in a bar and seen fresh flowers on the tables.  Nice!  So what's the story behind that?  I should have asked.  What's the matter with me?  

A fun day.  Another fun day of exploring, of enjoying nature, of wandering, of eating good food and having a good beer, of being around nice people. 

Blue Tails Tour

We were lucky to get a tour of a couple Blue Tails at Andrews Air Force Base.  It was Dave's brother's first time there. 

In between training and official trips they do maintenance on the planes.  And cleaning.  Dave found the vacuum cleaner tucked between some chairs on the side so he playfully got it out and had this picture, below, taken, so he can say he is probably the only person who ever posed taking a picture of cleaning one of the Air Force "Two" cabins. 

And here is Tim in the co-pilot's seat. 

And we are all pretending to be dignitaries, press or crew.  Take your pick. 

And it's a bathroom with a view!

It was a fun time.  While we were there, the backup Air Force One plane returned from somewhere and landed, unloading several people - not the President.  If it was going to be bringing back the President we'd not have been allowed in the area.  

A fun couple of hours.  Go Air Force!