Chesapeake Bay Bridge & Tunnel

Today, we were planning on getting checked out of the campground by 10 am so that we could get on the road since we had about four and half hours of driving without stops and we had the bridge to cross and we weren't sure what to expect there. We had read that if there are any winds, we may not be allowed to cross and one fellow camper at the Normandy Farms campground had said that they'd taken his propane tanks when he went across it many years ago. We'd read on the official website about the tunnels and bridge and from everything we'd read we would just have to pay the toll and then turn off our propane tanks and we were hoping that was true.

We were getting along just fine with getting all our gear together for the car ride and getting the interior of the trailer all ready to go and Brock had started to unhook all the services. It looked like it would be closer to 11 when we would actually leave, but that was still ok. Then, Brock checked the tires on the Yukon as he always does. I tend to think he's just being overly cautious, but today, he found that the left rear tire was 30 lbs low. That's pretty significant so he started checking for damage and found a screw in the tire! He used the little compressor to get the tire filled back up and then started calling around to local shops (there aren't many) in Rehoboth Beach and surrounding areas. He finally found one who said they could squeeze us in at 1 pm! There goes the schedule.

I was really proud of Brock though. He suggested we just talk to the park to get permission to check out late (turns out there wasn't any need since no one was there to talk to), go into Bethany Beach and grab lunch and then get the tire fixed and come back and get the trailer and be on the road by 2. Brock is getting good at this going with the flow! Bethany Beach is a resort town and most of it shuts down at the end of the season, but there was a Five Guys so we hit that for lunch and splurged on drinks from the fancy soda machines with a ton of different flavors. The burgers were great and everyone drank lots of pop. (Not good just before a long car trip by the way.) We finished up at the perfect time to drive just down the road to Robert's Repair where we got right in and the guy fixed the flat and we were out of there inside of 20 minutes and he only charged us 15 bucks!

Then, we drove back to the campground and hooked up the trailer and pulled out right at 2. The kids worked on their school work and the drive was fairly uneventful and relaxing. It turned out to be another gorgeous, warm, sunny day. We got to the bridge in the late afternoon, paid our $20 toll, pulled through the gate, pulled over and turned off our tanks, and then proceeded to drive over the 23 mile bridge and tunnels that go across Chesapeake Bay. There was even a spot to pull out and take a picture. It was very easy and really beautiful. It was weird to think we were going under the water when we went in the tunnels and that some pretty big ships were going over the top of us! Quite an engineering marvel!

Bridge heading the other way

This size vessel was going over us when we were down in the tunnel

Inside the tunnel - the kids tried to hold their breath, but
no one made it the full length of either of the tunnels 

We ended up pulling into Norfolk, VA right at 5:06 pm which wasn't nearly as bad as getting around NY was, but it was a little hairy changing lanes a couple of times. Brock handled the drive like a pro. I read one of the older kids' read aloud books to them as we were coming into North Carolina as the sun was setting.

We arrived at our campground, North River Campground in Shawboro, NC right at dark, but from what we could see, it's going to be a nice place. I think we'll need to use our mosquito spray while we're here, but as I write this, I'm enjoying hearing the cricket symphony outside and there is a very large pond/lake in the center of the ring of campsites that has a fountain in the center and makes a nice gurgling sound too. Don't worry...we'll keep a tight leash on the dog.