After spending a few days in the lovely St. Michaels, we headed north to Kent Narrows. Randy’s high school friend Amber and her husband, Jason, offered to let us use their slip in Wells Cove Marina. Right as we were getting settled in, Randy’s work called and asked if he could come to the Knoxville office to help out on a large project. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect since the temperatures in the Chesapeake were reaching the 90’s. It was time for a break from the boat and to head to the mountains.

When Randy has to visit the company’s headquarters in Knoxville, we typically stay in Airbnb’s usually on the outskirts of the Smoky Mountains like Maryville, Townsend or Wears Valley. We do this so we can avoid the craziness of the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area and to still be close to the trails of the Smokys. We love to hike and any moment Randy isn’t needed at the office, we hike the trails.

It just so happened that while we were in Tennessee, my parents arrived in their RV and planned to stay in Wears Valley for the next 2 months. It was so great to see them and spend some time with them before we had to leave.

After spending 3 weeks in the Smoky Mountains, Randy was sent to the Poconos in Pennsylvania so he could assist a service tech on a job there. We had only really packed for being gone a week and ended up being gone a month! It really couldn’t have worked out any more perfect since Amber and Jason were so kind to let us use their slip for Blue Turtle and since Sophie and I were with Randy, we just went along for the ride.

The really cool thing is we got to explore a new place: the Poconos! We loved hiking there in the cooler temps and were awed by the amount of wildlife we saw (lots of deer, turkey and bear!). After being on the water for so long, it was such a nice break to be in the mountains. I think we appreciate being on land more and all we want to do is hike and spot wildlife and take in the sights, sounds and smells of the mountains and forest.

After a month away from Blue Turtle, we were ready to get back to her and being on the water. We needed to get her cleaned up and stocked with groceries so we could continue our cruising journey on the Chesapeake Bay. To be continued…

St. Michaels to Kent Narrows =  12 nm

TOTAL miles to date: =  1,521 nm