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The Wye River on the eastern shore is a tributary of the Miles River. It feeds into the Miles a few miles north of St Michael's. The lighthouse on the left marks the entrance to the Wye. It's not an official light - it was constructed by the owner of that promontory. Nice of them to mark the entrance so clearly.
Why do they call it the Wye? Maybe, because not far upriver from it's mouth on the Miles, it splits into two branches. We traveled up the East Wye to a little place called Dividing Creek. There, protected on three sides by tall oaks and locust, is a wonderful anchorage in 10 feet of water.
The first day we were there we saw bald eagles, ospreys, many types of heron and crane. We could hear in the surrounding forest the hoohoo of owls, the knocking of a woodpecker, and the gobblegooble of wild turkey, and maybe even the cry of a wildcat. Fish were slapping the water and zillions of jellies floated by. The land bounded by the Wye and nearly split in two by Dividing Creek, is designated the Wye Island Natural Resource Area with it's nearby Aspen Institute. This protected area is managed by the State and studied by students and faculty at the University of Maryland.
When we woke up the next morning we heard a waterman in a dead rise go by. Word from several sources has it that the best crab in Maryland come from the Wye. So we spoke to the crabber and got the straight story about crabbing. Wherever he thinks there are crab, he sets out a long sinking line with buoys on each end . In this case the line ran right beside our boat. Every so often he ties some bait on the line with a slip knot - today he was using chicken necks. Sort of like the trot lines we used to catch catfish on in Arkansas. The boat has a little roller extending from the side of the stern. As he slowly goes by the head buoy, he snags the line and places it on the roller. Then, as he runs the boat slowly along the line, he nets the crabs that are holding onto the bait and tosses them into a basket. At the end of the run, he drops the line from the roller, measures the crab for legal size and tosses the small ones back. After a little break, he starts all over again. This crabber had two lines running up and down Dividing Creek.
This place is quiet, peaceful, and secluded. The sunsets are gorgeous. There's a little weather coming through after this cold front so we will stay here for a while. Maybe we will finish the brightwork....
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