Arrival & Hotel Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Introductions & Orientation, Overview of Delmarva

Afternoon: HOTEL CHECK-IN: Available from 4:00pm.

PROGRAM REGISTRATION: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar desk in the lobby to register with the program staff and pick your arrival packet that will contain your name tag, up-to-date schedule, and other important information we will review during the orientation session this evening.

Please be aware that program activities and scheduled times could change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Dinner: 5:30pm. Dinner is in the hotel's oceanfront restaurant, the Victorian Room by the Sea. Enjoy tasty dishes including entrée with sides and beverage while gazing at the view through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Evening: ORIENTATION: The Program Coordinator will greet you with a warm welcome, introduce everyone, and provide key staff contact names and phone numbers. We will review the up-to-date daily schedule and any changes, discuss responsibilities, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer any questions you may have.

PRESENTATION: Overview of Delmarva. The Delmarva Peninsula, comprised of most of Delaware and the eastern shores of Maryland and Virginia, is a fascinating region for nature lovers and birders in particular. The instructor will provide background information and share stories about the Peninsula's ecosystems, bird species and other wildlife, natural and human history to prepare you for your learning adventure of birding by kayak.

The remainder of the evening is free to explore the area on your own, being making new Road Scholar friends, or settle in and relax before the full day tomorrow.

Lodging: The Dunes Manor Hotel

Meals Included: Dinner

Assateague Island Birding Field Trip by Kayak, Visitor Center & Rackliffe House, Background on the Pokomoke River

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am in the hotel dining room. Choose from a variety of breakfast options such as eggs with home fries and biscuit, fruits and juices, coffee, tea, milk.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: 7:30am departure for Assateague Island National Seashore. Assateague is renowned for its white sandy beaches and wild horses. After a short walk to learn about barrier island ecology, we will have our first field trip, paddling by kayak into the marshy creeks of Sinepuxent Bay for birding. In addition to shorebirds and most likely herons and egrets, you may also see some of the wild horses.

Lunch: Lunch is a picnic at the Assateague Island Visitor Center.

Afternoon: EXCURSION: Assateague Visitor Center & Rackliffe House. In addition to several exhibits, the Visitor Center includes marine aquariums, a touch tank, and a variety of other educational opportunities. You can also see a film about the island’s wild horses. Facilities include restrooms and a bookstore.

Rackliffe House is a restored, 18th Century plantation house adjacent to Sinepuxent Bay near the Visitor Center. Its mission is to interpret the area’s coastal heritage.

We had an early morning, so after we return to the hotel, enjoy some "down" time before dinner.

Dinner: Savor more of the local flavor in the hotel's dining room.

Evening: PRESENTATION: Get background on tomorrow’s paddle through bald cypress swamps of the Pocomoke River. Called the “Northernmost of the Southern Swamps,” the Pokomoke is one of the great Delmarva rivers traversed by Captain John Smith during his Chesapeake explorations in 1608.

Lodging: The Dunes Manor Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Nassawango Creek Field Trip, Furnace Town Excursion, Dinner and Free Evening To Explore On Your Own

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am in the hotel dining room.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Nassawango Creek. Our field trip by kayak takes us into this tributary the Pocomoke. Along its banks lie bald cypress swamps and upland forests that provide habitat for warblers, turtles, and beaver. Nassawango Creek is a tributary of the Pocomoke. Along its banks lie bald cypress swamps and upland forests that provide habitat for warblers, turtles, and beaver. Furnace Town is an open air, living heritage museum along Nassawango Creek.

Lunch: Enjoy a picnic Lunch in Furnace Town.

Afternoon: EXCURSION: Furnace Town is a re-created 19th Century community that is part archaeological site, part craft village. Its historic buildings include the Nassawango Iron Furnace that smelted iron ore gathered from nearby bogs.

Dinner: Dinner is on your own this evening to enjoy the foods of your choice. The group leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: FREE EVENING: Explore Ocean City on your own with a stroll down the Boardwalk.

Lodging: The Dunes Manor Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Janes Island Field Trip, J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum Excursion, Panel Discussion on Delmarva Conservation

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am in the hotel dining room.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Janes Island. Exploring by kayak, enjoy the beauty and bounty of the Chesapeake Bay with miles of water trails coursing through the saltmarsh and remote isolated beaches. Janes Island offers paddlers an opportunity to learn about saltmarsh ecology and scan the horizons for herons, osprey, and bald eagles.

Lunch: We will have lunch in the little town of Crisfield, Maryland.

Afternoon: EXCURSION: J. Millard Tawes Historical Museum. The museum traces the history of the area from the forming of the Chesapeake Bay some 12,000 years ago to the present. Exhibits present Native American artifacts, history of the seafood industry, military memorabilia, decoy carving, and a model wooden boat collection. You will also have time to explore “downtown” Crisfield. Highlights include the J. Millard Tawes Library, which also serves as the headquarters for the Crisfield Heritage Foundation, and the Ward Brothers Workshop, waterfowl carvers.

Dinner: Enjoy cuisine and conversation with new Road Scholar friends in the hotel Dining Room.

Evening: PRESENTATION: Conserving Delmarva's Nature and History. Our instructor is joined by a guest panel. Learn about the people and organizations dedicated to finding a balance between human activity and natural processes on the Peninsula.

Lodging: The Dunes Manor Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Ocean City Inlet Birding Field Trip, Historic Ocean City Excursion, Program Concludes

Breakfast: Available from 6:30am in the hotel dining room.

Please note that hotel check-out is by 11:00am.

Morning: FIELD TRIP: Ocean City Inlet. This inlet was created during a hurricane in 1933. Shorebirds feed among the rocks that form the inlet jetty, and many species of gull and tern depend on the fish that live in the bay. After birding, stroll along the boardwalk and learn about the history of this sleepy fishing village turned resort town.

The program concludes with our morning outing. We hope you have enjoyed this new program and will return for other rewarding Road Scholar learning adventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!

Meals Included: Breakfast