For the second year in a row Kate's Aunt kindly let us use her Condo right on the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, and this year Canaan is joining us.
We hit the road on Saturday June 15th just before 3am, our route that we take is about 610 miles, however we added a few miles to it turning around to go back to get Wesley's inhaler. We thought we had it, Canaan checked the bag it was supposed to be in and he didn't see it. Once we got turned around Wesley found it in the same bag. It only added 24 miles to the drive, annoying initially but not the end of the world.
First stop is the TA Travel Center 222 miles from home where we fuel up Vanatu and get snacks and drinks. They have a burger king here and I was hoping for a breakfast burger, but there were not making them this time.
Next stop was on the Garden State Parkway at the Connie Chung travel center, 160 miles from the TA. This Burger King did have breakfast burgers and it was the best double cheeseburger I've had from the King in a long time!
With 227 miles from Connie Chung to the Condo we did make one more stop about 40 miles out at a Royal Farms to fuel up Vanatu and ourselves as well. They make fried chicken in the store and Wesley is a big fan of Royal Farms fried chicken.
We got to the Condo at 1:45pm which is fantastic time, I had the cruise control on the majority of the way and we really didn't hit traffic except on the New Jersey Turnpike. Even State Route 1 in Delaware it flowed very well.
We got everything up to the condo and Kate and I headed out to the Food Lion to get some groceries. It's a tourist town so all the restaurants and priced like it's a tourist town. Canaan had closed Friday night at KFC/Taco Bell and basically didn't sleep on the drive down so when it came to going to dinner he was not leaving his bed. Wesley also didn't want to go, he wasn't feeling it, so it was a rare Kate, Addison, and I going to dinner. We were going to go to Dumser's but as it was just the three of us we went to Lombardi's and got pasta!
Sunday June 16th, Father's Day, Kate, Wesley, & I started our day off at the beach for a couple of hours. It was beautiful out side and the breeze of the ocean was marvelous. Wesley was digging up sand crabs, and naming them assigning them jobs at his grocery store Crabaford.
After lunch in the room the all three kids and I headed to Salisbury, Maryland for a Father's Day ballgame! You can read all about the Delmarva Shorebirds vs. Kannapolis Cannon Ballers here.
For dinner we went to Dumer's Dairyland, sadly they removed the crab cakes and fried chicken off the menu, favorites of Kate and Wesley. However they still mix all their fountains sodas by hand for THE BEST cherry coke on the planet!
Monday June 17th we had planned on doing a couple of things, however they are closed on Monday's so instead we decided to go to the Assateague Island National Seashore. Canaan wasn't feeling good, too much sun with a sunburn so he decided to stay at the Condo.
It's a nice drive to Assateague Island, not much traffic. We usually go to the old boat landing, but they had two new boardwalks open so we went on those as well. Gorgeous weather, fabulous views, and a nice breeze. We had many horse sightings, but we also saw a deer, ducks, and in the ocean crabs, fish, and jellyfish! I had never seen a jellyfish in the wild before but it was very cool to watch it swim around.
We headed to the boardwalk next, got some Thrashers fries, and other boardwalk snacks, while we checked out the shops and walked over a mile down the boardwalk before heading back. I was pumped to find Mr. Pibb fountain soda at the place I got the kids hand squeezed lemonade.
Addison got a henna tattoo, and we played some games at Marty's Playland. I'm always up for pinball and Skee-Ball!
Back at the room Canaan was feeling better and got himself door dash taco's for dinner, he and I watched a couple movies and then the last period of the Celtics game, they won the NBA Championship.
Tuesday June 18th we went to Fort Miles Museum and Historic Area in Cape Henlopen, Delaware. It's a WWII installation to protect Delaware Bay and Delaware River a major shipping route from potential German Battleships. There are several large guns still on site as well as a Fire Watch Tower, barracks buildings and a battery that contains a museum. Wesley, Canaan and I took a tour of the museum.
After the Fort we headed down to Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk for lunch at Grotto Pizza, games at Zelky's and to check out all the shops. Addison took off on her own immediately after lunch to explore and buy her friends some gifts.
Heading home we stopped and got Kate her crab cake and crab dip from the Crabcake Factory, Canaan got Jamaican food at a restaurant near Food Lion where we resupplied. The rest of us made due with what we had at home for dinner.
Wednesday June 19th Canaan and I went fishing! We book a 3 hours bay fishing trip on the Tortuga out of the Bahia Marina in Ocean City that set sail at 8am. There was not a lot of people on the boat, which was nice, you have to rent a pole for $5 but everything else is included. They take you out of the Isle of Wright Bay past the breakwaters to fish in the ocean not too far off of shore to start and then you fish in the bay near the end.
The primary fish you are fishing for is flounder, however we also caught crab, pin fish, and king fish. Other people on the boat also caught Sea Robins which are fish with "wings" that do not look natural! The flounder has to be 17.5 inches to be a keeper, no one on the boat hauled in a keeper, however Canaan somehow a managed to hook 3 crab with one was all tangled up in the line. It was a great experience and I would do it again.
Wednesday afternoon we relaxed at the room for a spell, and went to dinner at Higgin's Crab House where Addison and I got some awesome burgers and the rest of the family seafood. Kate, Wesley & Canaan went swimming in the pool and I got some reading done.
Thursday June 20th, Kate and I started the morning going to breakfast alone at Bayside Skillet. They specialize in crepes and Omelette's and it's one of Kate's favorite places. She gets the hotlanta which is chicken tenders wrapped in crepes with a strawberry jalapeno jam, and I get the chilled raspberry crepes with their house made chantilly creme. Amazing!
Once the kids were up we went for a drive to the Harriett Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park. On the way we stopped at the Southeast Corner of Delaware marker.
Our next stop was at the Harriett Tubman Childhood Home site.
We then drove through the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge before arriving at the Park.
I'm sure I learned this in school, however when I think of Harriett Tubman, slavery, and the Underground Railroad in mind that was all in the deep south, like Georgia or Alabama, not Maryland. It was very interesting.
We had lunch in Cambridge at Hardee's as none of us, except Kate, had been to one before. I ate at a Carl's Jr once which is essentially the same thing. The food was just okay, as to be expected, it restaurant was very clean and the service was great.
We drove to the boardwalk to round out the afternoon. Canaan and I went through the Ripley's Believe It or Not Odditorium. It was much larger than I remember and we had a great time. While we did that Addison, Kate, and Wesley played games at Marty's Playland where Addison earned enough tickets to get the glass octopus that she wanted.
Addison, Canaan, and I rode Trimper's Haunted House ride, and I still love it!! The ride seemed darker this year, we got jumped twice by actors along the way as well! Canaan also got jumped by one of them and he thought the ride was fun.
Back at the condo, after some swimming in the pool we got Lombardi's Pizza for dinner, which is phenomenal!! Canaan and I finished the evening watching a movie. He and I have watched several films this week thanks to the Roku I brought. It's been nice.
Friday June 21st, our last day in Ocean City. Kate started our morning cooking us big breakfast! Pancakes, eggs, bacon, toast and fruit!
After breakfast we went down to the beach where Addison dug a big hole before diving into the ocean. I got into the ocean myself getting knocked down by a couple of waves. I haven't been in the Ocean since last year here at Ocean City.
We headed up to the pool which felt very warm thanks to the cold ocean. Wesley's swimming has improved tremendously this week with his time in the pool.
Kate made us grilled cheeses for lunch to help eat up what we had in the condo before heading home tomorrow. We will take a few groceries home with us but not many. Aunt Linda dropped Faith off at the condo as she is coming home with us for just over a week. After lunch we headed to a few shops, specifically the Seaside Country Store who makes Addison's favorite fudge.
We had dinner at Dumser's Dairyland, I was really just interested the hand mixed cherry coke, still AMAZING!!!
After dinner the boys went back to the pool.
Saturday June 22nd, we hit the road just after 3am to make the drive home making 4 stops along the way. The WAWA in Rehoboth Beach to fuel up, service plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike that had a Shake Shack that was not open, lame, Ruby Rd where we fueled up again and got a breakfast burger at Burger King and finally at the Irving Circle K in Kittery. Made it home in just under 10 hours, we hit no traffic and cruise control ruled!
We drove 1,616.8 miles total.
Thanks for reading, until next time!
Sounds like a fantastic family vacation!
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