2014-09-25 Baltimore

We are still at Ramblin Pines Campground until tomorrow.

Marilyn is definitely not a “he” as I noted in my prior blog, and the restaurant was McGarvey’s despite autocorrect.

Yesterday we drove the Jeep in to Fort McHenry, and the Baltimore, MD Inner Harbor. We had planned to take the Free Water Taxi to the Fort, but could not get into a parking garage near the visitor center. I was always in the wrong lane. So, we drove out to the Fort instead. . This is where Francis Scott Key saw the Star Spangled Banner on the morning of September 14, 1814 after the British withdrew their warships. This flag contained 15 stripes and 15 stars to reflect the number of states at that time. The picture of the flag flying over the fort during our visit was a replica. The original is in the Smithsonian. . The fort is star shaped, and guards the entrance to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. We walked around the inside and outside of the fort reading the exhibits. .  After leaving the fort, we followed the GPS to the Inner Harbor, parked  for $21 and walked to the sites we wanted to see. This turned out to be the least expensive way. If we had parked here and taken the Water Taxi to the fort, we would have paid an additional $24. The first thing we saw was the Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse. . Marilyn even climbed this lighthouse. .   We each ha good crab cake sandwiches at .  At the Inner Harbor we saw the US Coast Guard Cutter ‘Taney’. It is the last warship still afloat after having seen action on December 7, 1941 in Hawaii. .  We also saw The Lightship Chesapeake, the submarine USS Torsk, and the Warship USS Constellation. .

We have had a good time here in the Baltimore area, but Marilyn says we will not drive in downtown Baltimore again.

Hugs, and type at you later.