Delmarva Road Trip Plan

 On April 3, the Salisbury half marathon is a GO and it will be state number 47!  It will NOT be a "virtual event."  I actually lived in Salisbury during the summer of 2000 but have not even stepped foot in the state of Maryland since 2005.  Yes, I've been to every other state in the Union at least once since then.  How did I skip Maryland for so long?  At any rate, there are still some questions about the logistics but those will soon be settled.

Which airport?

Baltimore, Reagan National and Philadelphia are all about 2.5 hours away but I will opt for Philly.  Birmingham used to have a direct flight there but apparently not anymore  I'll probably have to connect in Charlotte or again fly out of Atlanta.  One of the things that I wanted to do when I lived in Salisbury was to drive the entire Delmarva peninsula all the way from the Pennsylvania border down to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel in Virginia.  It's only about 4.5 hours.  Back then, I was too much of a chicken but not so now.  

Arrival?

The race is on a Saturday so I could come into Philly either Thursday morning or Wednesday night.  I'm leaning towards Wednesday night.  If I do that, I might have a shot at seeing the inside of Independence Hall on Thursday, which I was unable to do last time.  Yes, it is open but tickets are sold in limited quantities on a first come first serve basis.  I would have to be there first thing in the morning.   

Stops on the way:

There is Delaware's State Capitol in Dover as well as several hidden gems on the Eastern Shore of both Maryland and Virginia.  I'll probably spend Thursday night near Cape Charles, Virginia.  It ought to be a good place to catch the sunset over the Bay.  Other possible stops include Chincoteague Island, Virginia and Jones State Park in Crisfield, Maryland.  

Friday will be a relatively leisurely  day and I expect to get into Salisbury by early afternoon.  I'll just chill and check out my old stomping grounds.  I've been told that Salisbury has experienced considerable growth in the last 20 years so I may not even recognize much of it.  I know that my old apartments are still there but the K-Mart where I worked is not.  

Saturday is race day.  After that, the plan is to walk on the Ocean City boardwalk then head up the Delaware coast towards Philly.  Even with a wetsuit, it will be too cold to swim there in early April.  Water temp will likely be below 50 degrees. 

When to fly back?

That's another question.  I'm starting to lean towards Atlanta because they will likely have several direct flights to and from Philly.  Sunday is Easter and I will NOT miss church on this day.  I do have a friend in Philly that I would like to meet and we've talked about attending church together.  I must find a flight late enough to give me enough time to do that.  Otherwise, I'll have to fly back on Saturday.  I cannot miss any work the following week.