Re: questions about Va. trip (long reply)
Julie Kelly (jfkelly@ibm.net)
Sat, 22 Aug 1998 18:51:22 GMT
At 10:57 AM 8/22/98 -0400, David Strother wrote, in response to Geoff Graff:
>Geoff Graff wrote:
>> Also does anyone know the direction to Kiptopeke State Park and
>> Eastern Shore NWR from Chincoteague NWR.
>
>South on Rte 13. If you miss it, you're probably in Norfolk..... ;^)
>
>There was a really good article in the Washington Post about 4 months
>ago about how to get a permit from the bridge authority to stop and bird
>on some of the causeway islands where stopping is otherwise forbidden.
>Anyone know about that, or better yet, have a URL into the Post on-line
>files for that article?
--------------------
Hi all,
The W. Post article was 6 May 1998, and may now require going to the
Archives and buying it as I did several weeks ago, then put it in my word
files. I'll post part of it here, deleting most of the story part:
>JUST WINGING IT: A NEOPHYTE JOINS THE BIRD-WATCHING FLOCK AT VIRGINIA'S BAY
>BRIDGE-TUNNEL, by MICHAEL H. BROWN. SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
ESCAPES
>Wednesday, May 6, 1998; Page D09
>
> PERHAPS it was the license plate -- "OSPREY." Or maybe the
binoculars. The
>woman in the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel tollbooth took one look at us
and said,
>"Bird-watchers."
<big snip>
> The hamlets and marshes of
>Virginia's remote Northampton County are worth a trip in themselves. And
the world of
>birding is definitely intriguing territory.
<snip>
> The 17.6-mile bridge-tunnel, connecting the bottom of the Delmarva
Peninsula
>with Norfolk and the mainland, was built 34 years ago to replace ferry
service. It
>also has proved to be good at attracting birds. Each of the two mile-long
tunnels is
>anchored at each end by a man-made island. The rocks around these four
islands are
>home to small fish and mollusks that attract hungry waterfowl. Add the
fact that the
>end of the Eastern Shore is a natural stop for migratory birds from as far
away as
>arctic Canada and Greenland, and you have one of the top birding spots on
the East
>Coast -- more than worth a trip from Kentucky.
> Of the four islands, only the southernmost is open to the public. It
has a
>parking lot, restaurant, fishing pier -- and congestion. Birders, however,
can get
>permission to stop on the three other islands from the bridge-tunnel
authorities,
>free of charge. The driver shows the permit to the tollbooth attendant, who
>telephones the vehicle's identity to police patrolling the bridge. Last
year the
>office issued 1,135 permits to people from all over the country.
> The islands -- mostly a garage/ventilation building and parking lot
-- don't
>look much like nature preserves, but on the rocks and water below, birds
of all sizes
>sit, strut and swim. Two minutes after our arrival, a phalanx of green and
blue
>parkas is marshaled behind a row of tripod-mounted scopes.
<snip>
> That night, we gather for the traditional tally. We are staying six
miles north
>of the bridge at the Peacock Inn, a clean, modest place with dim light
bulbs and low
>prices.
<snip>
>GETTING THERE: The tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore is about 220 miles
(about four
>hours) from the Beltway. Take U.S. 50 east across the Bay Bridge and
follow it south
>to Salisbury, Md., and U.S. 13 south, which takes you across the
Chesapeake Bay
>Bridge-Tunnel. (A tip: At Salisbury take Business 13, not the bypass,
which is
>longer.)
>
>BEING THERE: In "Off 13: The Eastern Shore of Virginia Guidebook," author
Kirk
>Mariner urges visitors to get off four-lane U.S. 13 "as quickly as
possible." To see
>Northampton County, use Route 600; it parallels 13 and is far more
pleasant. The
>Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge (757-331-2760) is off
Route 600
>near the U.S. 13 intersection, and is a great place to get close to the
marsh. The
>visitor center is open 9 to 4 daily March to November, 10 to 2 otherwise.
A second
>refuge nearby on Fisherman's Island is closed to the public except for
educational
>tours conducted Saturday
>mornings October through early March, but Kiptopeke State Park
(757-331-2267),
>another site for birding activity (with 141 campsites open Memorial Day to
Labor Day,
>fewer in the off season), is right there.
>
>WHERE TO STAY/EAT: South of Chincoteague, Virginia's peninsula is in
varying stages
>of being "discovered," but the area is known, with notable exceptions,
more for its
>remoteness and down-home '50s hospitality than its luxurious lodging and
>state-of-the-art dining. In other words, the Peacock Motor Inn
(757-331-2121) was
>adequate for our group. (Also on U.S. 13 within a few miles of the
bridge-tunnel
>entrance are the Cape Motel, 757-331-2461; Edgewood Motel, 757-331-3632;
Days Inn,
>1-800-331-4000; and Sunset Beach Inn (1-800-899-4786.) We ate breakfast
and dinner at
>Sting-Ray's near the Peacock, and I recommend it for good food at
reasonable prices.
>There are more restaurants in the Victorian seashore town of Cape Charles,
as well as
>an increasing number of B&Bs, including the amenity-prone Sea Gate Bed &
Breakfast
>(757-331-2206, doubles $75 and up) and Cape Charles House (757-331-4920,
$80 and up).
>South of Cape Charles and nearer the bridge-tunnel entrance are two B&Bs
savored by
>guests for their comfort and proximity to vast and isolated bay-side beaches:
>Nottingham Ridge (757-331-1010, $80 and up) and Picketts Harbor
(757-331-2212, $85
>and up).
>
>DETAILS: For permission to bird on the man-made islands, contact the
Chesapeake Bay
>Bridge and Tunnel District (32386 Lankford Hwy., Box 111, Cape Charles,
Va. 23310,
>757-331-2960, http://www.cbbt.com). For visitor information about
Northampton and
>adjacent Accomack counties, contact the Eastern Shore Tourism Commission
>(757-787-2460, http://www.esva.net/~esvatourism).
Hope this helps. (Finally, a chance to contribute!)
Lurkily,
Julie Kelly
mailto:jfkelly@ibm.net
Kensington, Maryland