Sailing, crabbing, going downy ocean -- summer on Maryland's Eastern Shore. But what about this? Snow geese and tundra swans, deserted beaches, empty highways.
It's ironic that life here is "off-season" right now because so much of winter's bounty is a turn-on -- pure, unobscured views that only a winter landscape can deliver; a natural palette that is different from summer's, but just as rewarding.
And there's the quiet that comes when the tourists are gone, not to mention the off-season hotel and restaurant rates.
Shore winters are cold but uncomplicated and can be accessed as daytrips or extended visits, depending on your destination and your desire. No, they don't always produce the motion that's part of summer's fun, but they have a distinct rhythm and texture of their own.
"Sometimes, summer is too much for me -- it's too green, too many primary colors. But finding a little bit of color in winter's landscape is like finding a little bit of hope," observes Marcy Dunn Ramsey, a Queen Anne's County painter and children's book illustrator. "I love winter because the bones of the landscape really show through. And you see a lot more color than you'd expect, especially on damp days when there's no sunlight -- red twigs in a hedgerow, the golds of marsh grass. I find it exhilarating, exuberating."
So do I. Over the last few weeks, I've traveled all over the Eastern Shore -- some places familiar, some not. Definitely, the land looks different under winter's gaze, and undisturbed.
The only company I had on Assateague were the famed wild ponies and my two dogs. Driving to Elliott Island along an extraordinary marshscape in Dorchester County, I encountered just two other cars in an hour, and came to fully understand why this region has been dubbed "Maryland's Everglades."
And how's this for "The Land of Pleasant Living?": an easy-to-execute U-turn on Coastal Highway in Ocean City. Try that in the summer, hon.
In winter, the abundance of birds makes up for the absence of people. This is big birding country, and the folks who are serious about it say winter bird life is more interesting than summer's. The scissor-tailed flycatcher shows up most winters in the coastal refuges. The harlequin duck, which breeds in Iceland, visits the Ocean City inlet. Easier to spot: the common loon and the red-throated loon.
"If you're a birder, this is wonderful stuff," notes Wayne Bell, an avid birder and director of the Center for the Environment and Society at Washington College in Chestertown. "One of the big things in winter is that water is king because of all your wonderful water birds. If you're birding on the Shore in winter, never miss the water."
Among the choice spots to look: the marshes of Dorchester County, the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge near Cambridge and Horsehead Wetlands Center in Grasonville. In my own back yard, in Kent County, there's Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, just past Rock Hall. The elegant, white tundra swans arrived there in early November on a stiff, northwest wind and they'll remain through mid-March.
It's funny how spring is always credited with ushering in a season of renewal and rediscovery because you can find that in winter, too.
"Every morning is different," says novelist Barbara Lockhart, who's lived on a Dorchester County farm for 30 years. "With frost, the Queen Anne's Lace curls up into what looks like little birds' nests. You're so aware of the shapes of all this wonderful vegetation. Everything has its season, and winter has its own beauty."
Here's a sampling of places to see and things to do this winter east of the Bay Bridge:
Uncrowded beaches
Each region of the Eastern Shore has its own personality, and the Lower Shore is defined by its ocean beaches, pine forests and country roads. Much of the area is rural, but there are spaces here, especially in winter, that feel especially remote.
The cold months have always been my favorite at the beach because, without all of the tourists, you can really breathe. Only in winter are you permitted to walk your dogs on the Ocean City beach and bicycle at any hour along the three-mile boardwalk.
(If you wish to board your dogs, consider the 14-month-old Dogtel Hotel, whose VIP suites just off Route 50 include a private room with wall-to-wall carpet, a bed and TV. And, yes, winter rates do apply.)
Talk about rates, Ocean City's got them. This time of year, it's easy to find lodging for under $30, and many of the restaurants offer half-price entree specials, some with complimentary wine or appetizers.
"In the winter, Ocean City can't be beat. There are almost too many things to choose from," according to Christopher Tagle, food critic for the news weekly Oceana. "Summers, bring your pocketbook."
Tagle's top favorites, rated for "good eating and good times," are: the Harborside Bar and Grill, an unpretentious spot overlooking the commercial harbor in West Ocean City that specializes in steak and seafood; BJ's on the Water, known for its chilled smoked mountain trout and a menu that's available until 1 a.m.; and Island Cafe, where Scotty's Cajun crab lumps have emerged as a local phenomenon. (Just ignore the fact that it's in a strip mall.)
One of the best things about developed Ocean City is that it sits side-by-side with the completely undeveloped Assateague Island. This time of year, you have the nature trails to yourself, and the only voice you'll hear is that of the pounding surf. (The state park is closed through March, but the national park remains open year-round.)
The Lower Shore is also home to Berlin and Princess Anne, two historic towns that are impressive not only for their architectural charm but their vibrancy. Berlin, seven miles west of Ocean City, has made a name for itself as a setting for the movies Runaway Bride and, more recently, Tuck Everlasting. But it's got star power all its own.
The historic district has a thriving retail enclave in buildings that will make you ooh and ahh. Not to be missed: Atlantic Hotel, the 1895 Victorian hotel, which operates 17 guest rooms, a gourmet dining room and cafe.
Princess Anne doesn't have the oomph of Berlin, and I confess it took me two visits to fully appreciate it. Its appeal is quieter. There is nothing Hollywood about it. But the 18th- and 19th-century buildings, the old boxwood garden and the brick walkways can still transport you to another place and time. Especially compelling is Teackle Mansion, a replica of a Scottish manor house built in 1801 by an associate of Thomas Jefferson. (Winter hours are Sundays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.)
Finally, the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art in Salisbury is a good place to visit in winter. You'll learn everything there is to know about decoys, and the artistry in the contemporary wildfowl carvings is unparalleled. Carving classes are held throughout the winter months. Coming Feb. 7-May 11: a photographic exhibition, Witness: Endangered Species of North America.
Golden marshes
One word sums it up for the Middle Shore: marshes. Sure, there's lots more, but the wild yellow marsh is this region's heartbeat.
There's so much to see here, including the wonderful Black-water National Wildlife Refuge, which will celebrate the refuge system's centennial with a time capsule ceremony on March 14. An eagle festival will be held the next day.
But my favorite is the marshscape that can be viewed by driving Elliott Island Road, south of Vienna, toward Fishing Bay. When I stopped a woman in Vienna to ask for directions, her response was, "There's nothing down there."
Indeed, that's why I went.
This flat, open, endless golden expanse is a superlative example of Maryland marshland. This time of year, you'll see Canada geese, tundra swans and ducks along with great blue herons, hawks, short-eared owls, golden eagles and shorebirds. It's unspoiled and unblemished land that ends at a little bridge that hooks up with Elliott Island, an old waterman's community that still houses a tiny fishing fleet -- the Mary H, the Ruff Cut and the Why Worry. The day I was there, the wind in the rigging sounded like gulls crying.
This part of the Middle Shore in Dorchester County is a great place to get lost in. Ward Museum consulting curator Sam Dyke, the person who told me about Elliott Island Road, puts it this way: "Winter is a wonderful time to wander the back roads. It's a huge area, and you can drive hours and hours and see these long golden stretches without human habitation. You're in a world all your own."
But you've got to eat, right? You won't go wrong with the storied Suicide Bridge Restaurant near Secretary, which has great crab balls and clam chowder -- and a welcoming fireplace.
The historic districts of Oxford, Cambridge, Easton and St. Michaels are all worth a look, as is Tilghman Island. (The lovely Robert Morris Inn and restaurant in Oxford have occasional winter hours. The B&B; will be open Feb. 14 and the restaurant will reopen weekends in March. The Oxford-Bellevue ferry hopes to resume service in early March.)
In St. Michaels, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, housing the largest collection of bay work boats anywhere, offers an impressive winter program: workshops on making oars and ditty bags, model classes and a lecture series on everything from "Schooner Sultana: Building a Chesapeake Legacy" to "Live Oaking: Southern Timber for Tall Ships." Also, on Saturdays, under an "Apprentice for a Day" program, visitors can learn traditional wooden boat-building skills under the direction of a master shipwright. Winters, the museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Adkins Arboretum, near Ridgely in Caroline County, is a 400-acre preserve on Tuckahoe Creek -- and one of the region's best-kept secrets. I can't stay away from this place, which shows as well in winter as in any other season. There are four miles of trails in the arboretum, which encompasses one of the area's most significant forested wetlands. A must-do: The bottomland forest self-guided tour.
Adkins has terrific year-round programming, and in February it will launch docent-led walks on the first and third Saturdays of each month. Coming up: Feb. 12, a lecture on native plants of winter interest and, March 12, pruning basics for ornamental shrubs and trees. The visitor's center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(Adkins can be a little tricky to find. From Route 50, take Route 404 east toward Denton. Turn left onto Route 480 East and immediately turn left onto Eveland Road. The arboretum is ahead, two miles on the left.)
Bay and rivers
When I think of the Upper Shore I think of rivers, perhaps because I live near one -- the Chester. But there's also the Wye, Corsica, Sassafras, Bohe-mia, Elk, North East and, at the top of the Chesapeake, the mighty Susquehanna.
And, with the trees stripped of foliage, there's more of the rivers to see. There's more of everything to see. Farm ponds, goose blinds and creeks hidden and unnoticed in almost every other season now beckon.
That phenomenon is clearly at work at Elk Neck State Park, which delivers views of the North East and Elk rivers that can't be matched at any other time. Turkey Point Trail, a scenic but easy walk, leads to a lighthouse situated on a 100-foot bluff that overlooks the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, where the Elk and North East meet in the upper part of the bay. It's a choice spot to watch ships come through the channel. The area also delivers high bluffs and rolling hills, terrain you don't associate with the Eastern Shore's generally flat marshland.
There's winter camping at the park, along with cross-country skiing. As park manager Rick Smith notes, "Winter is the time when you can enjoy the park on its own terms. No ticks, no mosquitoes, no chiggers, no people."
Two nearby communities, Chesapeake City and North East, have established themselves as great day-trip destinations with their galleries, restaurants and antiques shops. In North East, the Upper Bay Museum (open Friday through Sunday from noon until 4 p.m. in the winter) seems modest at first, but its collection of bay accouterment -- sculling oars, decoys, a bushwhack rig and a 1930 ice fishing shanty -- offers a fairly thorough primer on the Upper Shore's waterfowl hunting history.
Woody's Crab House on South Main Street, a locals' favorite, is a good spot to grab lunch. And a visit to Chesapeake City, with its tricolor Victorians, wouldn't be complete without a meal at the Bayard House, which overlooks the C&D; Canal. Its vegetable crab soup was voted No. 1 at the Maryland Seafood Festival last year.
One of the best spots on the Upper Shore is the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, or "East Neck" as the locals call it. The 2,285-acre island refuge, at the mouth of the Chester River, is home in the winter to the tundra swan, Canada goose, ruddy duck and white-winged scoter.
We're lucky to have Eastern Neck, which has five easy-to-handle trails. In the 1950s, a developer bought a large tract and subdivided it into 293 housing lots -- its fate until the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service intervened. The present refuge office was the only "house" ever built in the Cape Chester subdivision. The refuge is open dawn to dusk.
Just across the Chester River from the southern end of Eastern Neck is Kent Island, where a wonderfully scenic biking-hiking trail, paralleling Route 50, has become an all-weather destination with stunning views of the bay.
Also worth a visit: the Aspen / Wye Institute, a retreat and conference center, and Pintail Point, a resort and hunting preserve, both situated on the Wye River, south of Kent Island. Their grounds are stunning. (To get there, turn right off Route 50 on Carmichael Road.)
Chestertown, which houses the state's second-largest historic district after Annapolis, is sleepy by most standards, and even sleepier in the winter. It's got great curb appeal -- evidenced by all the people who have moved here after just a first look. It's a town that can hold you in its thrall -- it's got me.
During winter, with the trees defoliated, I get just a peek of the Chester River from my house. Recently, the river has iced up, creating a bit of puzzlement for Lucy, the town's resident goose.
I'm still trying to figure out winter's colors. The other morning, I watched the sun come up over the Chester, bathed in pink light, then yellow. I like what Marcy Ramsey said -- "Finding a little bit of color in winter's landscape is like finding a little bit of hope."
When you go
To find out more about Eastern Shore destinations and attractions, try the contacts listed below.
UPPER SHORE:
* Kent County Tourism: 410-778-0416; www.kentcounty.com
* Cecil County Tourism: 800-232-4595, www.seececil.org
* Upper Bay Museum, North East: 410-287-2675
* Elk Neck State Park, North East: 410-287-5333; www.dnr. state.md.us / publiclands / central / elkneck.html
* Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Kent County: 410-639-7056; easternneck.fws.gov
MIDDLE SHORE:
* Dorchester County Tourism: 800-522-8687; www.tourdorchester.org
* Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michaels: 410-745-2916; www.cbmm.org
* Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Cambridge: 410-228-2677; blackwater.fws.gov
* Adkins Arboretum, Ridgely: 410-634-2847; www.adkinsarboretum.org
LOWER SHORE:
* Somerset County Tourism: 800-521-9189; www.visitsomerset.com
* Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury: 410-742-4988; www.wardmuseum.org
* Ocean City Tourism: 800-626-2326; www.ocvisitor.com
* Berlin Chamber of Commerce: 410-641-4775; www.berlinmdcc.org
* Assateague Island National Seashore: 410-641-1441; www.nps.gov / asis