Log 147; Day 410; July 5, 2009; Inner Harbor Baltimore

It was a beautiful day in Baltimore on July 4th, so Deb and I decided to take a dinghy ride and find a spot for lunch. We didn't find a place to tie up...but Deb did take a few shots to give you a feel of Inner Harbor.

The shot below is a big barge that they converted into a swimming pool, and it sits outside one of the marinas

Here is one of the bigger yachts in the Harbor

This is a good shot of what the Inner Harbor looks like as you enter it (from the east; looking west)

Not long ago, this harbor was all about these warehouses, and industry. Today, these warehouses have been converted to shops and condo's, and they did an awesome job

You can take a tour of this sub

Or...you can rent these paddle boats

Or...you can take a Harbor tour on the Spirit

If you stood right downtown, and look east, you would see our boat at Inner Harbor Marina

While I took a nap...Deb took a tour of the area. Way to may people for me.

And it looks like most of them stayed for the fireworks

There were thousands sitting around the Harbor

Most of them waiting for the fireworks to start...which they did at 9:30...and ended less than 20 minutes later. Surprising (disappointing) for Baltimore? We report...you decide

Log 147
Day 410
Sunday, July 05, 2009

7:10 AM EDT
Location: Inner Harbor Marina; Baltimore, MD.
Weather: 70 degrees with light wind; forecasted to be 78 and mostly cloudy today

At sunrise this morning, I could see a little sliver of the sun, and then it disappeared, and has not been back since. The forecast says 30% chance of rain this morning, then mostly cloudy for the rest of the day. But, it’s warm out, and a nice morning here at Inner Harbor.

Yesterday...was a beautiful day in Baltimore. Most of the day was bright and sunny, and only a few clouds came in late in the day. I washed down the boat first thing in the morning, and then Deb and I took a long dinghy ride around the harbor. Our plan was to find a spot to tie up the dinghy, and walk to a lunch spot, but we could not find a place we felt comfortable tying up. So, we just had a nice ride around the harbor area. The pictures we took will give you a little feel for the harbor area, but, like most pictures, it does not do it justice. The harbor was very busy, although, there were more people, and less boats, than I thought there would be.

After riding around for a while, we decided to take the dinghy back to the boat, and walk into town, and have lunch. We ended up stopping at Hooters, and had a great lunch. After lunch, Deb walked around town, and I went back to the boat, and took a nap (got up too early). Deb came back about 3:30, and reported that the crowds were building, and that I would not have liked to be in the middle of all of that. I agreed, and told her the nap was just what I needed.

For dinner, Deb felt (for some reason) we needed to dine on “all American” food, so we had hot dogs, and baked beans. When it comes to food, I am pretty easy, but I must say the dogs and beans were very good. After dinner, Deb was excited about the fireworks, and could not sit down, so she wondered around the marina. I took advantage of the down time to watch the first part of a NASCAR race in Daytona (I recorded the rest, and will watch it Sunday afternoon). The fireworks themselves were not what either of us expected. Not as big a production, and not near as long. We both actually felt bad for saying so (because we didn’t want to be ungrateful), but we just assumed that it would be something like Chicago...and it was nothing like it. Still...it was fun.

Refrigerator update...it still smells, but I think it is getting better (Deb is not convinced). We are using the helm refrigerator, and the new large cooler we bought, and it’s working great. We still use the freezer, and I had tater tots from there this morning, and they were fine, so we are both hoping it will just take time. Each day we put different charcoal; coffee; and baking soda, in there to absorb the smells.

Today...no real plans yet. Today, or tomorrow, I need to get up on the hardtop and give it a very good scrubbing. When we were at Anchor Bay Marina, the boat got so filthy from all the parking lot dust, it will take a few washings, to get it back to normal. Each time it rains, the boat gets streaks on it (from the hard top dirt). But, a good cleaning will take care of that. We also need to start preparing for Darrell and Donna to arrive (a little extra cleaning, and organizing). Deb mentioned walking into town to pick up a few things. And...this afternoon I want to watch the Daytona race. Just kind of a lazy Sunday...and I love it.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob