New series coming — Road Trip 2020: Gettysburg and the Eastern Shore

26Sep
by Oh, the Places We See
Masked passengers sailing on Chesapeake Bay

Because it had been a while since we’d left our cozy, safe environment to see the Great Outdoors, we planned a road trip — just the two of us — that would combine relative safety during the pandemic with the opportunity to see a part of the U. S. we love. The result? A two-week adventure from our hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, to Gettysburg, the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia, and back home again. We knew we had to be mindful of safety in the days of Covid-19, so we talked about our concerns and how we could venture forth while protecting ourselves and others.

With a love of side roads and scenery, we charted our path up U.S. Hwy. 11 to maximize barn sightings and countryside discoveries. One major destination was Gettysburg, a site we’d visited hurriedly before on the way to Maine, but this time we wanted to drive along marked routes, read markers, and get a feel for the battle. After that stop, we hoped to wind our way along the Eastern Shore for leisurely views of water, boats, and quaint homes in small towns like St. Michaels and Oxford in Maryland and Onancock, Virginia. The operative words were “the two of us” as we tried to avoid crowds and focus on scenery.

Freedom's Figurehead, St. Michael's Maryland
Freedom‘s Figurehead — built for an 99-foot schooner yacht but taken down because the figurehead added 450 pounds to the bow! See it with or without a mask at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland.

Our planning had some basic considerations for safety and ease of traveling in mind:

  • Travel lightly (one carry-on apiece) since we would be staying only a couple of nights in various locations.
  • Pack some non-perishable food and drinks to enjoy on the road.
  • Add our trusty atlas, good walking shoes, and extra masks.
  • Make reservations ahead at clean lodging establishments — hotels or bed-and-breakfasts — that promote the use of masks, social distancing, and no service professionals in our room for the duration of the stay.
  • Eat in the car via take-out or dine at restaurants with outdoor seating.
  • Stop only at clean, spacious rest areas and avoid touching surfaces when possible.
  • Avoid crowds by limiting shopping in stores, large gatherings at monuments, and peak times in restaurants.

The trip would be an attempt to soak up cool “fallish” weather since we may have to quarantine again at home this winter. Most importantly, taking in the great outdoors, pretty scenery and all, would be Goal One.

Wildflowers at Pebble Hall, Virginia
Wildflowers in September at Pebble Hall in Weyers Cave, Virginia

Please join us in the next few days and weeks for our posts on backroads and waterways of a few favorite eastern states. We look forward to sharing our two-week Road Trip 2020 with you!

Travel safely,

Rusha & Bert

Photo at top: Even the passengers were masked on this tour of the Annapolis harbor! Safety first.

12 thoughts on “New series coming — Road Trip 2020: Gettysburg and the Eastern Shore”

  3. WanderingCanadians

    Looking forward to reading about your road trip as these are all areas that I’ve never been to before. It’s certainly been the year to embark on a road trip! Glad you took the time to plan ahead to ensure your safety and give you peace of mind.

    Reply

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      You’re so right — road tripping is about all we can do right now. Fortunately, we both live in beautiful countries with much remaining to be seen! Hope fall is coming in with brilliant colors where you live!

      Reply

  6. Pit

    I’m so much looking forward to read about your road trip and see the pictures. We havent’ dared yet to ventuire out farther than a few local parks for a day trip, usually on a Wednesday when we expected the leat people there. We’re still thinking of going on one or two longer trips in a rented RV as we think we might be safer than in motels. We’ll just have to make up our minds yet.

    Reply

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