The boat stays in Baltimore, and we take a trip to New Hampshire for a visit.
Day 17 – Sunday, 6/11 – In Baltimore
Sunday was great, so we took the water taxi to Fort McHenry (of the “Star Spangled Banner” Fame). The four of us walked along the harbor walkway to Fells Point and caught the water taxi to Fort McHenry. When Brenda and I were here a couple of years ago on our first loop, we visited the fort, but Brenda and Tim have never been. It was a 20-minute ride across the harbor to the fort. Last time, the boat went directly to the dock. This time, they went out into the bay so that we could get a good look at the fort from the water. We had already seen it on our way into Baltimore, but it was nice with the narration and not having to watch out for other boats!
We visited the museum and watched the video, then walked up to the fort and wandered around for an hour or so. While we were there, they did a special ceremonial flag-raising for a man retiring from the military. The park service will run your flag up the flag pole so that it flies over Fort McHenry, you provide the flag, and they will fly it while you take photos. A nice service!
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We took the water taxi back to Fells Point, then walked around looking for a place for some lunch. We stopped into “The Horse You Came In On” saloon, but the music was so loud you couldn’t hear yourself think. So we went down the street to a restaurant with an outdoor patio for brunch. On the water taxi they pointed out the National Bohemian Brewery up on the hill behind the marina. It’s a famous Baltimore beer locally referred to as “Natty Boh.” At brunch, we tried it, and it’s delicious!
It was in the low 80s, so we decided to return to the boat after lunch. Tim and I went directly back so that we could get Riggs (their dog) out for his afternoon constitutional, and Brenda and Brenda took a longer route back so that they could find a couple of Geocaches.
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The rest of the day, we just hung out around the boat.
Day 18 – Monday, 6/12 – In Baltimore
Monday was a rainy day, so it was project day. I did the final clean-up under the engines from the oil leaks. The new bilge paint that I put in made the job much easier! The Brenda’s walked up to Walgreens (about a mile away) when the rain stopped so that we could get some prescriptions filled.
Day 19 – Tuesday, 6/13- In Baltimore
Tuesday, we had tickets for a 7:05 pm Baltimore Orioles vs. Tronto Blue Jays baseball game. In the morning, I got a haircut at a barber in the marina. And Brenda did some laundry.
In the late afternoon, we took an Uber to the Inner Harbor and walked around doing a bit of sightseeing. We stopped at the Visitor Center, and one staff suggested a restaurant called “Mother’s” just a few blocks away on Federal Hill. We walked there and had a great early dinner before the game.
After dinner, we walked to Camden Yard and found our seats. The game was excellent. We saw a Grand Slam home run by the Orioles, who ended up winning 11 to 6.
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Day 20 – Wednesday, 6/14- In Baltimore
We had been telling Brenda and Tim about the B&O Railroad Museum that we had visited last summer when we were here in Baltimore. They wanted to see it, so on Wednesday afternoon, we Uber’ed to the museum. We got lucky as it was a special $10 admission day. We spent a few hours looking at the trains, and then Ubered back to the marina.
Just up the street from the marina is a bar/package store called “The Lighthouse.” They have an outside bar, an inside bar, a deli-type counter, and a huge selection of wine, beer, and alcohol. It’s one of the largest selections of beer that I’ve seen! They have over 400 beers, ciders, and ales you can purchase by the can. Plus, four aisles of refrigerator cases of selections and two walk-in beer coolers for larger quantities!
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We each had a selection (or two) and then went back to the boat for dinner.
Day 21 – Thursday, 6/15- In Baltimore
On Thursday morning, Tim and I went to Budget Car Rental in downtown Baltimore and picked up our rental car. Then I drove Tim to the airport so that he could get his rental car. We returned to the marina around noon and said goodbye to Brenda and Tim. They were driving back to their home in Florence, South Carolina, and then to Hilton Head for a week with their family.
Brenda and I went to Walgreens to pick up some prescriptions, then did our packing for our trip to New Hampshire.
Day 22 – Friday, 6/16- To New Hampshire by car
Friday morning, we left Baltimore at around 7 am to try to beat the traffic. The normal route to New England from Baltimore goes through Philadelphia on Route 95. The truck fire that destroyed the bridge meant that we couldn’t use that route. Google Maps did a great job of routing us around the closure, and we ended up going up by way of the George Washington Bridge in New York City.
We had an uneventful trip back to New Hampshire and arrived in Manchester around 4:00 in the afternoon and checked into our hotel.
Day 23 – Saturday, 6/17 – In New Hampshire
Saturday morning, we drove around town to see what had changed. I was in New Hampshire two years ago, but Brenda has not been back since we moved to South Carolina 12 years ago! We drove past our old house on Alpine Street and our parents’ old houses. Manchester is an old Mill Town; many of the homes were built in the 1920s and 1930s. The town is really starting to show its age, especially compared to the newer communities in South Carolina and Florida that we’ve lived in. It was a bit depressing driving around and seeing our old hometown so run down.
At noon, we went to lunch with Rob, our friend that owns a machine shop in town and has made us some custom parts for the boat. It was great to catch up with him! After lunch, we got a tour of his new machine shop which was quite interesting.
In the afternoon, we did a bit more sightseeing, and I bought 10 gallons of oil for my next oil change on the boat. Advanced Auto Parts was having a sale on the oil, and New Hampshire has no sales tax! So it brought it from about $37 a gallon plus 8% tax to $26 a gallon with no tax! I wish I had more storage space on the boat so that I could have purchased more!
Day 24 – Sunday, 6/18 – In New Hampshire
Sunday, we drove up to Laconia, NH. My niece Cathy and her husband Chris had invited us to their house for a BBQ for fathers Day. My sister, Sylvia, who also lives in Laconia, was there, and Brandon, my “grand-nephew,” his fiancee Calis, and Chris’s son Tyler.
It was great to meet Chris for the first time. He’s a great guy! We had not seen Brandon since he was a child. We had a great time visiting and catching up, and I got a ride in Cathy’s 650-hp Corvette Z06 convertible. What a car! Chris got it up to, well, let’s say, “above the posted speed limit!”. It really pushes you back in your seat!
After lunch, we headed back to Manchester. Sunday was also the end of the “Laconia Bike Week,” and there were 100’s of motorcycles on the road, so we took it slow and easy.
Sunday night, we went to Ollies Restaurant, our old favorite haunt in New Hampshire. We ate there at least once a week when we lived in Manchester. We caught up with a couple of the waitresses we knew and even a few of the old regular patrons. The Fried Chicken, and Baked Stuffed Haddock were as good as we remembered!
Day 25 – Monday, 6/19 – In New Hampshire
On Monday, we drove back up to Laconia to have lunch with my sister Sylvia, and Michelle, my Uncle Jim’s wife. My uncle passed this past year, and since then, Michelle has been visiting Sylvia almost weekly. They have become good friends!
When we arrived, we met Winston, Sylvia’s landlord, and a boat delivery captain. We’ve heard a lot about him, and it was great to meet a fellow boater! When we arrived, Brenna, Cathy’s daughter (our grand-niece), was visiting, and Sylvia treated us all to lunch at the Ellacoya Barn and Grille. It was a great meal and gave us a chance to catch up with Sylvia, Michelle, and Brenna. Again we had not seen Brenna since she was a little girl!
We really enjoyed our visit. Sylvia and her birds, Precious, a Blue Macaw, and Sunshine, a Green Cheek Conure, have settled into her new apartment well. Cathy and her husband Chris are also doing well and have a wonderful home, complete with a Rabbit, Two dogs, and two boa constrictors, one over 7 feet long. (thanks to them for keeping the snakes in their terrariums!)
Both Brandon and Brenna have grown into very nice young adults. It was great to meet them!
Day 26 – Tuesday, 6/20 – In New Hampshire
Tuesday morning, we visited the last Rite-Aid Pharmacy Brenda worked at in New Hampshire before we left, and she was able to catch up with Karen, her former manager. They had a nice visit. We did a bit of running around, and in the evening, we drove to Methuen, Mass., to have dinner with my nephew David and Aiden, his son. Unfortunately, Christy, his wife, was not feeling well so could not join them, but we had a great catch-up with David and Aiden. David is doing well, and Aiden is a great young man.
Brend and I are so proud and impressed at how well our Niece and Nephew have done raising their kids. It’s a hard world to raise kids in these days, and they have done an excellent job!
Day 27 – Wednesday, 6/21 – Back to Baltimore
Thursday, we left Manchester at 7 am to try to avoid the heavy Boston area traffic. It was cloudy and rainy most of the way back to Baltimore. Again, the trip was uneventful, and we made pretty good time arriving back at the boat around 3:00.
Day 28 – Thursday, 6/22 – In Baltimore
I returned the rental car on Thursday morning. The rental office is about 2.5 miles from the marina, and even though it was misting, I decided to walk back rather than wait 20 minutes for a $25 Uber! (Plus, I can use the exercise!)
It was cold (upper 60s) and rainy, so Brenda caught up on Laundry, and I worked on the blog for most of the day. There also may have been a few cat naps involved!
Day 29 – Friday, 6/23 – In Baltimore
Friday was a warmer day. I spent most of the morning doing an oil change on the boat. This was the 50-hour oil change after the engine rebuild. No issues were detected, and the oil that came out looked fine. When my mechanic Michael rebuilt the engines, he added an oil pan drain. This was the first change using the new drains, making it SO much easier! Also, at his recommendation, I started using Mobil 1 Delvac ESP Synthetic oil. We’ll see how it does. I’ll change the oil again in 100 hours before returning to my regular 150-hour schedule.
It was another rainy day in Baltimore, so we just hung around the boat until dinner time, then went across the street to Safeway for a few groceries, then to a local pub for dinner.
Day 30 – Saturday, 6/24 – In Baltimore
Another rainy day. It rained on and off most of the day. I caught up on the blog, did some other computer work, and mapped out the next few legs of the trip. Brenda baked cookies.
Tim & Brenda will return tomorrow evening, and we hope to get together with another looper that just returned to their boat. We plan to head to Deleware City, MD, on the other side of the C&D Canal on Tuesday.
Thanks for visiting! –Tom & Brenda
2 Comments
It was so nice to catch up with you two!! Safe travels on the rest of this journey. Look forward to more reads.
Tom…I really enjoy all your comments about your trip. We made five trips up and down the ICW and have visited all the spots you mention along the way. We also spent a lot of time in Baltimore. I grew up in Baltimore and know the place well…Glad to hear the boat is performing well. You guys really went thru hell getting her underway.
We are in Atlanta helping our daughter move into a new home. She bought an older home and is doing a major upgrade on the place. It has been an uphill battle getting everything done…We move all the furniture into it next Friday, but subs will be still working on the place for quite awhile…
John