Baltimore to Ocean City - "Over the Top" (thru DE) - Photo Ideas?

[CoolToolGuy]

I'm going to Ocean City on Friday (Jan 19), and I decided to take all day and stop along the way, primarily for interesting shots. I'm going up to Glasgow and then down through Dover to the coast and through Rehoboth to O.C. (actually South Bethany, DE).

I have several shots in mind already, but I'm wondering if anyone has ideas for spots to stop along the way. I've been going this way to O.C. for more years than I care to admit, and now the "Delaware Turnpike" has made the trip quicker, but it has taken away lots of interesting stops at small towns along the way. I hope to get some of them on this trip.

Thanks in advance.

Have Fun,

[formula4speed]

If you enjoy bird photography you could stop at Bombay Hook, January might be one of the slower months of the year but you might catch some hawks, possibly some bald eagles and there may be lingering snow geese. Be prepared for a lot of mesquitos should you head down there since it never really got cold this winter.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/bombayhook/

[CoolToolGuy]

Thanks, I checked it out and Bombay Hook looks like something for the way home on Sunday. It looks like a 2-3 hour (minimum) stopover. On the way down I was looking for a bigger number of stops that are right along the way.

BITD I used to go down US 13/113, and it took you through lots of small towns with lots of interesting sights. When they wanted to make Delaware Route 1 the main drag North/South, they built parts of it on the roadbeds of 13/113, so I can't just "go the old way", but instead I have to jump on and off of DE 1.

So the route looks like US 40 up to Glasgow, DE 896 to DE 1, and on/off from there to the Ocean Highway. Havre De Grace, MD is a town I need to explore sometime, and I want a shot of the Summit Bridge over the C&D Canal.

Any more thoughts?

Have Fun,

[Jon]

US 1 across Conowingo, maybe?

[CoolToolGuy]

US 1 across Conowingo, maybe?

That's a thought. I'm considering a stop in Havre De Grace, which is on US 40 at the Susquehanna - US 1 is several miles away. But Havre De Grace might take several hours, and may be better saved for a day trip by itself. If I skip Havre De Grace, Conowingo may be an interesting option.

Have Fun,

[Chris R/T]

That's a thought. I'm considering a stop in Havre De Grace, which is on US 40 at the Susquehanna - US 1 is several miles away. But Havre De Grace might take several hours, and may be better saved for a day trip by itself. If I skip Havre De Grace, Conowingo may be an interesting option.

Have Fun,


If you do come this way, let me know, that is litterally 2 minutes from where I live (Conowingo/ RT1)

You could stop over in Port Deposit and snap some interesting shots of the Susquehana via the Railroad tracks, or the Marina.

HDG is a nice place to stop at, and a great place to have lunch. :)

[CoolToolGuy]

If you do come this way, let me know, that is litterally 2 minutes from where I live (Conowingo/ RT1)

You could stop over in Port Deposit and snap some interesting shots of the Susquehana via the Railroad tracks, or the Marina.

HDG is a nice place to stop at, and a great place to have lunch. :)

Thanks - as this thought develops, I'm probably going to bail on HDG on this trip. I'm up US 1 all the time, but I usually head North after crossing the dam (to Lancaster, Longwood Gardens, etc) rather than South on 222. The trip to I 95/ US 40 could be very interesting. I don't want to cut the time there, but I think my major focus (pun intended) will be on the towns on US 13/113 that have been bypassed by DEL 1. Any pointers to those areas would be greatly appreciated.

Have Fun,

[Chris R/T]

Are you taking US40? If so, enjoy your trip! The toll is 5 dollars at the HDG bridge now.

Also, if you take I-95, its 5 dollars as well, crossing from HarCo to Cecil, and from Cecil to Del. it is now 3 dollars.

But, in closing, isn't it a might bit chilly to head to the beach?

[CoolToolGuy]

Are you taking US40? If so, enjoy your trip! The toll is 5 dollars at the HDG bridge now.

Also, if you take I-95, its 5 dollars as well, crossing from HarCo to Cecil, and from Cecil to Del. it is now 3 dollars.

But, in closing, isn't it a might bit chilly to head to the beach?

Traditionally I take US 40 - I have EzPass, so the tolls get masked. Whatever I do, on the return I will avoid I 95 southbound in Delaware - that can be a true nightmare.

I can almost always enjoy a short trip to O.C. in the winter. The family (me, the wife, and kids) went to O.C. for New Years Eve for several years. It is a great getaway, and there is enough to do for a 3-4 day vacation. I even played golf there a couple of years ago during NYE.

This trip is a weekend with the guys - a bunch of guys I grew up with. We did the same thing 5 years ago to celebrate one guy's 50th birthday, and here we are again.

One guy is a manager for my favorite local camera store, and at the last one he was showing off his Ni*on DSLR and assortment of lenses. At that time, I was still invested in my FD gear, with my G3 as my only digicam. Now, I'm not racing with him, but I think in the interim I closed the gap a little. . . :o

Have Fun,

[Chris R/T]

Maybe, just a little, ya think? lol

[Jon]

You sure, Rick? I mean, I imagine he hasn't been standing still either . . .

[CoolToolGuy]

You sure, Rick? I mean, I imagine he hasn't been standing still either . . .

We'll see. This guy built his system around film SLRs, and already had it when the DSLRs came along. He does work for a retailer and he gets better deals than me, so who knows.

Back in the day most of us had 35mm SLRs, but I don't think the majority of the crowd is hooked on photography any more. I was hoping to get in some beach photography while I'm there - perhaps with him. But that would probably split us off from the crowd, and you know how the male dogs all like to run in a pack. . . :rolleyes: :lol:

Have Fun,

[milleker]

I guess I'm desensitized, I've driven that route so many times its all a blur. I guess St. Michaels is the only spot I can recommend. Maybe Assateague - not sure what the wildlife would be like this time of year. I'll be doing something similar on February 16th through 18th. That is, if I can pass up the indoor hot tub at the place I love staying for some extreme cold weather photographin'. Been wanting to do a project on OC during the winter months, hopefully there'll be snow on the ground.

Thanks for the link to Bombay, Formula. Thats somewhere I'll certainly be visiting one of these days!

[CoolToolGuy]

I guess I'm desensitized, I've driven that route so many times its all a blur.

In a way, that's the point - sometimes you see these things at 65 MPH, but you just can't take the time to stop to capture them.

Okay, a short trip to Geezerville - BITD I used to go "downy Ocean" several weekends during the summer (10 out of 16 weekends one year), many times leaving after work on Friday night to zoom down and be there Saturday morning. There would be occasional bio-breaks, coffee stops, and gas stops - but all at flank speed. Some of these towns (Smyrna, Milton, Milford, Dover) had some really interesting sights (cemetaries, bridges, grain silos, churches), and this trip will be about seeing how much of those types of things are still about, and capturing them. This also becomes therapy for me to get my mind away from work. Okay, all done at Geezerville for now.

Have Fun,

[Jon]

Could try coming back the southern route and hit Chestertown (bit of a detour N.), Centerville, or St. Michaels. Blackwater NWR's near the Bay Bridge too, IIRC.

[Stefan A]

In Havre de Grace, there is a nice lighthouse to shoot. And also off the Havre de Grace exit, you can shoot Rock Run Mill in Susquehanna State Park.

Stefan

[CoolToolGuy]

Could try coming back the southern route and hit Chestertown (bit of a detour N.), Centerville, or St. Michaels. Blackwater NWR's near the Bay Bridge too, IIRC.

I know this is a personal thing, but I almost always go the Delaware route because of those trips BITD - those stretches of US 50 that are long, straight, and lined with tall trees in the median as well as the outside of the lanes are hypnotic to me, and trying to drive them at midnight after a full day of work was adventurous and potentially deadly. The "over the top" route was, and to some extent still is, more visually interesting with more opportunities to stop and referesh. Unless I need to go to Easton or Salisbury, I don't think I'll ever go the Bay Bridge route driving by myself, and this trip home will be after a weekend full of beer and late nights.

The points about Chestertown, St. Michaels, etc are very good, but I'll need to save them for another trip.

Have Fun,

[Chris R/T]

P.S., here's just a small sample of what you a shot could look like in HDG.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/ChrisACR/Skyshots/HDGlighthouse2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/ChrisACR/Skyshots/HDGboardwalk.jpg

[CoolToolGuy]

I talked to one of the guys, who lives in Salisbury, and we are going to meet in South Bethany, DE at 5:30, so that is my target - I can start whenever, but I need to be in South Bethany by 5:30. We will be the first to the house - the rest of the guys will come down after work. It looks like HDG will have to wait.

Chris, that bait you hung out there is very tempting. I can get to HDG in less than an hour from home, so I will save that for a trip by itself.

Have Fun,

[Chris R/T]

Chris, that bait you hung out there is very tempting. I can get to HDG in less than an hour from home, so I will save that for a trip by itself.

Have Fun,

Come up during the spring/summer. They have a live band play, plenty of great places to eat and drink, its definitly worth a night out :)

[jsimon724]

Slightly off topic - but, if you take rt.40 across Susquehanna (Hatem bridge) that same $5 toll will buy you a sticker you can put in your window for unlimited free trips & good for a year. Unless they've changed recently, but it's certainly worth asking about.

Jim

[Chris R/T]

Slightly off topic - but, if you take rt.40 across Susquehanna (Hatem bridge) that same $5 toll will buy you a sticker you can put in your window for unlimited free trips & good for a year. Unless they've changed recently, but it's certainly worth asking about.

Jim

That is still definitly true. :)

[Chris R/T]

So, how was your trip!?

[CoolToolGuy]

So, how was your trip!?

Excellent, thanks.

I did go all of the "old ways" that I could, and I stopped a couple times to take some shots. Unfortunately I could not get some of the things I wanted, as time moves on - the grain plant that I wanted to shoot is now a sediment pond, and there were other situations like that.

I stopped briefly in HDG, took some shots of a gazebo in a park near a marina - tried to find the lighthouse, but I must have missed a sign or something.

All in all, the weekend was a success, and I spent time with some guys I haven't seen for several years, drank too much beer, and got way too little sleep.

Have Fun,

[milleker]

Cant wait to see pictures Rick!

Do any of you Eastern Shore guys know if Assateague state park is worth the trip this time of year?

[Chris R/T]

Excellent, thanks.

I did go all of the "old ways" that I could, and I stopped a couple times to take some shots. Unfortunately I could not get some of the things I wanted, as time moves on - the grain plant that I wanted to shoot is now a sediment pond, and there were other situations like that.

I stopped briefly in HDG, took some shots of a gazebo in a park near a marina - tried to find the lighthouse, but I must have missed a sign or something.

All in all, the weekend was a success, and I spent time with some guys I haven't seen for several years, drank too much beer, and got way too little sleep.

Have Fun,

You should have walked the boardwalk, you would have found the lighthouse ;)

That is, if you shot the gazebo I'm thinking of.