And on our way…

Today we woke to clear skies and calm winds. It was a brutal cold day, but at least we were clear to move on.

After a few miles we came to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. This is the route we use to leave the Delmarva Peninsula. Our other choice would take us through Baltimore and Washington DC…a true nightmare in my book!

Excerpt on the Bridge-Tunnel taken from the web:

For over 46 years, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has captured worldwide attention as a modern engineering wonder and an important East Coast travel convenience. Crossing over and under open waters where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the Bridge-Tunnel provides a direct link between Southeastern Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware plus the Eastern Shore counties in Maryland and Virginia), and cuts 95 miles from the journey between Virginia Beach and points north of Wilmington, Delaware.

Following its opening on April 15, 1964, the Bridge-Tunnel was selected "One of

the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" in a worldwide
competition that included more than one hundred major projects. In addition, in 1965, it was distinguished as "The Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

From shore to shore, the Bridge-Tunnel measures 17.6 miles (28.4 km) and is considered the world's largest bridge-tunnel complex. Construction of the span required undertaking a project of more than 12 miles of low-level trestle, two 1-mile tunnels, two bridges, almost 2 miles of causeway, four manmade islands and 5-1/2 miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles.

Although individual components are not the longest or largest ever built, the Bridge-Tunnel is unique in the number of different types of structures it includes. In addition, construction was accomplished under the severe conditions imposed by hurricanes, northeasters, and the unpredictable Atlantic Ocean. If you are interested in more details, check the web http://www.cbbt.com/facts.html

We left the rural eastern shore of Va/Md and came out in the city complex of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk…what a conglomeration of towns! We were headed south and usually would drive over to Interstate 95, but this time decided to try a different route. We turned south on Hwy 17 and drove along the Great Dismal Swamp with a lunch break at the new Dismal Swamp State Park in North Carolina. There was a very nice hike that we would have enjoyed if it weren’t so …. cold! So instead we talked with the ranger and read the information and then took off south again. We then began to cross waterways and sounds and passed many cotton fields and a few plantations. With only 170 miles to travel and a beautiful sunny sky, it was a perfect day.

Hope you had a perfect day today too!