The three-hour tour that turned into a sunburn.

I realize it could have been worse. We could have been shipwrecked on an uncharted island with a millionaire and his airhead wife, etc. etc. Can you sing the whole song? Here it is in case you need a reminder.



It really turned out to be a great day. Abbie and I drove two hours to get on the Chesapeake Breeze, the ferry that would take us to Tangier Island.

Now comes the obvious question: Karen, why is the picture so fuzzy?

I am very sorry to report that we went on this lovely adventure with no camera. I repeat: no camera. All photos in this post are taken with cell phones. You're welcome.

The trip across the bay was nice and relaxing. We sat on the top deck enjoying the sun and breeze.

I stared at the shore as long as I could see it to keep myself from getting seasick. I've never actually been seasick, but since I can't do roller coasters anymore without feeling green, I have this dread that it's going to sneak up on me and leave me heaving over the stern. So I stared at the shore. No heaving occurred.

We got to Tangier around 11:30 and took the golf-cart tour of the island. It is 5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. 75% is marsh and uninhabitable but still considered part of the island. There are fewer than 500 residents. The industry is crabbing, (or you could be a waitress at one of the three restaurants, or dip ice cream at Spanky's) and Tangier is known as the Soft-Shell Crab Capital of the World. If you want to know what a soft-shell crab is, read this.

Here are the crab shacks we passed on the way out.

Our golf-cart tour took 15 minutes (there's not much to see). We went to Lorraine's, one of the three restaurants, and had an awesome crab cake sandwich served by Lorraine herself. Toured the museum, which is about as big as my living room, and then had an hour to kill before the ferry left for home. So we decided to walk toward the beach, which we had passed on our golf cart. We got about 20 minutes out when we realized we would never get there and back in time, and since the next ferry didn't leave the island until the next day, we figured we'd better make this one. We kept walking on the only road, and wound up going all the way around the island. It took about 25 minutes.

They have one school, grades K-12. 80 students total. 

Stopped at Spanky's for a frozen fruit bar and got back on the ferry. This time we found the best seats in the house.

Unfortunately, we were already feeling crispy, so we went down the side (I imagine there's a nautical name for that, but it escapes me at the moment) and sat in the shade for the ride home. You know, when you're feeling crispy, it's too late.

It was a great day in spite of the lack of camera and sunscreen that doesn't make my eyes water. Not bad for a three-hour tour.

Be thankful ~

Karen