RonnieAdventure #0101 - Delaware, 2014

Everyone kept telling me that if I visited Delaware, I had to tour Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. This was a formidable Union fortress where Confederate prisoners were held during the Civil War and the docents that now conduct tours of the facilities are dressed in period uniforms. I was really looking forward to the tour, so I was surprised when I arrived and found that the ferry used to transports visitors to the island was closed. Apparently, during the off-season there is not enough demand to visit the facility on a daily basis, so you have to make a reservation and join a larger group. Bummer! However, as long as I was in the area I did walk around the historic buildings located along the dock and found a blacksmith shop that made some really interesting creations.

The Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base is the only one of its kind in the world. The Museum is dedicated to airlift and air refueling history and has a large collection of military bombers, tankers, fighters, and cargo planes (they even have a C-5 Galaxy on display). While I was walking around taking pictures, one of the docents opened the door to a KC-97 Stratotanker and let me tour the inside of the plane, which brought back a lot of memories. I spent a lot of time flying in C-97s when I was in the Air Force. (During that time period, the KC-97s (Boeing 377s) were being replaced with KC-135s (Boeing 707s), so many of the KC-97s were being converted to C-97 Stratofreighters. The "K" signifies that the plane is equipped with a boom and is used for refueling other aircraft. When the boom is removed and the plane is used for transporting cargo, the "K" is dropped from the plane's designation; but the glass pod is typically left at the back of the plane.) Since I was typically the only passenger on the plane, I could just roam around the plane and go wherever I wanted to go. Consequently, I spent a lot of time riding in the bubble at the back of the plane. It is really a strange sensation to fly backward, surrounded by glass. It is almost like being on a magic carpet, but no wind.

We stayed in Lewes for two days and had great accommodations, right by the bay.  I even saw the famous "Five Sisters" wall hanging, but I couldn't tell which one that I was married to because I was told that the Sisters are not in chronological order.

Lewes is a nice tourist destination, since it is much quieter and saner than neighboring Rehoboth Beach. There is also a lot of history in and around Lewes because it was the first city in the first state; i.e., Delaware was the first State and Lewes was the first city in the Geographic area that became Delaware. The Ryves Holt House was constructed in 1665 and is the oldest building standing in the State of Delaware.  I don't remember if it is the Holt House, but one historic structure in the area still has a cannon ball that was fired from a ship imbedded in the building's foundation.

The Zwaanendael Museum was built in 1931 to honor the 300th anniversary of Delaware's first European settlement, Zwaanendael, which was founded by the Dutch in 1631. The museum is modeled after City Hall in Hoon, the Netherlands. Oh! And yes, Lewes does have at least one modern quilt shop, which is always good for a 20 minute nap in the car.

 

While walking down the beach one morning, I found two Horseshoe Crabs that had washed up on the beach. I was told that the Horseshoe Crabs I found are almost identical to their ancestors that were on Earth 450 million years ago. I guess they didn't get the word about evolution!

 

We also toured Fort Miles and climbed the observation tower that was constructed during WWII.