Coastal allure: Wind turbine, sandy beaches and a sitting president to boot
Just when you thought it might be safe to venture out on Route 1 comes word that Traveling Lifestyle has named Lewes one of the “8 Underrated Small Towns in the U.S. to Visit This Summer.” And in an embarrassment of riches, Ocean City, situated right there on Coastal Highway Extended, was also named to the list.
Lest you think this seems a bit incestuous, none of the other towns was close, either geographically or in terms of tourist appeal. The list also included Cannon Beach, Oregon; Eureka Springs, Arkansas; and Monroe, Wisconsin (not to be confused with Madison, his predecessor as president).
This, of course, isn’t, as one might say, Lewes’ first rodeo. It (and other communities that dot the Delaware coast) is often described as most livable, idyllic, a hidden gem, or, my personal favorite, Best Coastal Town Name Spelled with Just Five Letters (obviously to be preferred over the four-letter kind).
But returning to our theme which careful readers will note has yet to be clarified, what have we done to deserve all these accolades? What is it that travel writers find so alluring about the coastal region?
Well, what other beach community can boast that its coast has an impressive and historic skyline?
The latter is dominated by three imposing structures. There’s a solitary wind turbine, its shaft planted, as it were, like a DeSantis dagger in the heart of local academic life, on the UDel campus in Lewes.
Second, there is a new million-gallon water tower nearing completion in Rehoboth. Rumor has it that a clandestine swimming pool resides within, but that seems highly unlikely. Rooms for reptilian aliens on vacation from Area 51 in Nevada is another story.
Finally, there are the cylindrical concrete WWII watch towers along the coast. The U.S. Army has never admitted their use as early silos for surface-to-air missiles, maintaining instead that they were always used as observation sites, searching the ocean for enemy vessels and passing that information on to soldiers at Fort Miles. If you believe that, I have a corn crib I want to sell you.
In addition, to the skyline, travel writers cite our magnificent beaches.
There are good reasons why Coastal Highway signs direct one to the “beach,” rather than to the “shore.” If you want the latter, I know a boat you can take that will get you there in 90 minutes — about the same time as some of Dogfish Head IPAs are continuously hopped.
Not only do Delaware beaches feature broad, sandy vistas, but some, like Rehoboth, are multi-functional in nature. In addition to providing space for sunbathing, state-issued surf-fishing permits allow SUVs, trucks and other ATVs access to a section of the beach. They tend to line up in rows, looking from the air somewhat like a UPC barcode.
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Walking even on this portion of the beach can be pleasing. Don’t worry about those people with the fishing poles, they’re only pretending to be anglers and hoping the DNREC will buy their act (hook, line, and sinker I would think), so they can continue to hold onto their beachfront parking space.
And then there’s another section known as Poodle Beach, in which a particular group of bathers take the greatest pride, and the state has deemed worthy of a historical marker.
Furthermore, it’s not every beach community that has its own sitting, but never lying, U.S. president in residence. The Bidens own a house in the fashionable North Shores area of Rehoboth.
While it may not be as expansive as Mar-a-Lago and has yet to be documented (if you know what I mean), their home is large enough to serve the First Family well. It even has room for an occasional visiting hunter.
From time to time, the vacationing POTUS and FLOTUS, as the Secret Service so quaintly call them, fly into Dover Air Force Base, conveniently located adjacent to Route 1. (How often have you seen “conveniently located” and “Route 1” combined in the same sentence?)
In any case, with the Delaware State Police showing the way, the motorcade heads south to North Shores — as geographically confusing as that sounds.
The motorcade always seems to make good time, encountering no traffic, and passing a roadside barn near Milford whose owner has proudly painted “BIDEN” on the side in large, block letters in expectation of just this moment.
It's good to be president. For we humble coastal citizens, there is no barn with our name on it, and, even when we are headed to the water, Route 1 never seems to be “smooth sailing.” Of late, it might be better described as the Coastal Distressway.
In fact, one wag from Lewes has suggested a new state motto: “Via Semper Sub Constructus,” which, roughly translated from the Latin, means “roads always under construction”.
Mike Berger is a freelance writer and retired university administrator with a home in Lewes. Contact him at edadvice@comcast.net.
This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Coastal allure: Why travel writers find lower Del. beaches so alluring
