Cruising up the Potomac River

After a very tiring day for Al on Thursday, we finally departed Crisfield on Friday 9/9/16 to cross the Chesapeake Bay to reach the mouth of the Potomac.  Because Al worked so hard in a cramped space, we have fresh oil and filters for the engines and the generator and a new fresh water pump installed so we are in good working order!  Al was stiff and felt a bit achy on the way across the Bay but chalked it up to hard work.  But as we gently rocked on anchor that night in Smith Creek which is just off the Potomac, he realized he had a fever and felt pretty awful.  So Saturday was a rest day with Al feeling totally miserable all day and I enjoyed the lovely anchorage we had chosen.

Sunset on Friday night in Smith Creek was another beautiful sight.

Saturday I did enjoy time to read but also got a few chores done.  When I signed up for this trip, I knew of some of my duties. But who would have thunk that I'd be doing line laundry!  Yup, these are my newly cleaned and softened (fabric softener soak!) lines. We do a lot of line handling and it is actually more difficult to deal with stiff and grimy lines.  So one of the tricks learned from other boaters is to periodically soak the lines in fresh water with fabric softener.  Note how neatly I have set them out to dry.  Al was too miserable to see my handiwork! I also accomplished finalizing communication with DirectTV to change our service address to one near NYC so now we can get the local channels anywhere we go via a big New York statellite!  It has been a hassle for us for months. Al woke up on Sunday morning feeling ready to move along so we cruised another 30 miles into Breton Bay to visit Leonardtown, another port town established in the early 1700's.  

This sunset was observed on Sunday night 9/11 from our anchorage in Breton Bay.  We walked the town twice so we could enjoy the local restaurants for Sunday late lunch and Monday breakfast!  Gotta take advantage of these cool towns.  Then on we cruised another 30 miles into Port Tobacco River for just a stop over. 

And of course a sunset!  This was a wide open anchorage, no protection from wind but no wind to bother us and the temperatures were dropping nicely at night for cool sleeping conditions with windows open and nature sounds to lull us to sleep.  Then onward we cruised further north to another  anchorage up Mattawoman Creek where we passed a peninsula with danger signs but no clear reason for them.  Lots of Navy locations are along here and there were odd containers that the next day blew into fire after a siren warned everyone away.    

We headed out of our anchorage past this plume of smoke, clueless as to what was burning.  While at this anchorage, we found a nearby County Park to enjoy a wooded walk and while communing with nature, I received an exciting text that my only niece is pregnant just to make me a Great Aunt!  Isn't that exciting! Way to go Becky and Jackson!!!  Then on we went on the last leg of the journey to Washington, DC, stopping at Mt. Vernon on the way. 

This is us entering the channel dug along shallow water to allow boats to access Mt. Vernon by water. 

The front of the mansion as we approached it from a road climbing up from the river. 

The back porch of the mansion that over looks the Potomac. 

George and his family greet visitors as they enter the ticket office and visitor center.  We really enjoyed walking all around the plantation and touring the mansion and surrounding buildings.  But the educational center taught us all the history we learned and quickly forgot in High School!  

George had a spectacular view of the Potomac! 

So on Wednesday, 9/14/16 we caught sight of the skyline of Washington, DC the center of our government and the focal point of the history we have been learning along this journey.  Now we turn into city folks and tourists.