The Point at Which Mosquitos and Jellyfish Intersect

 

Blooming lily pad in the marsh near Calvert Cliffs in Southern Maryland.

We ordered a brand-new red, white, and grey tent; and it was delivered while we were taking our (presumably) last trip with the old, rain-sodden tent. 

 

We had just enjoyed two star-packed nights under the Perseid Meteor Shower at Cunningham Falls State Park in Thurmont, Maryland. 

We discovered a package from REI at the door when we returned to the Geezer House.  It felt like Christmas!

I ripped open the box and gently extracted the tightly rolled polyester inside.  Out popped a bag of shock cord fiberglass poles, a small bag of metal stakes, a Rain Fly (Oh yeah, baby!!), and a wonderful dome tent without mildew, ripped fabric, or sticky zippers.

I set up the new tent in the backyard, following the instructions sewn into the bag.  It went up in 5 minutes!  And I did it by myself!  (Geezer John was watching from inside through the sliding glass door.  He looked despondent as he read the writing on the wall (or the glass door?).  Obviously, the new tent would supplant the old, beloved one.)

So five mornings later we jumped into the car, eager to try out the new tent!  The trunk was stuffed with all our gear and plenty of food.  We were fully prepared.  The only thing we hadn’t prepared for was Where We Were Going.

At 60 miles per hour, we headed east toward Rt. 95.  We had narrowed our choices to two state parks with camping and swimming.  Should we go north on Rt. 95 to a park near Baltimore, one hour away?  Or go south to a park at the very bottom of the state, 2 ½ hours away?  For 15 miles we argued the ups and downs of each spot, and finally - as we took the exit ramp to Rt. 95 - we both agreed, “South.”

Calvert Cliffs enticed us to take the road less travelled.

We’re never very good at following Google directions, so the trip was much longer than estimated.  

We arrived at Point Lookout State Park in Scotland, Maryland in time for the 3pm check-in.  There were several carloads of fishermen there for the day, but there were two (out of 6) entire campgrounds without a single site reserved.  We had our pick of sites!

We Picked Wrong.

We drove around and around each of the loops, weighing all the factors:  a balance of shade and sun; good solid trees to support a hammock; far enough distance from the bath house to avoid being blinded by the lights, but close enough that we could get there in the dark in a dire emergency.

The factor we couldn’t determine from inside the car was the number of Mosquitos Per Square Inch.

We claimed our spot but drove to the beach first, without setting up camp – so we didn’t know about the blood-sucking wildlife.  Until later.

Point Lookout is on a narrow peninsula where the Chesapeake Bay on the east meets the Potomac River on the west.  Both sides of the Point had places to swim, and we first tried the Pet Beach on the bayside. 

There were about 30 people on the shore.  And 20 dogs.  

Strangely, no one was going into the water.  That didn’t stop us – we boldly splashed into the warm saltwater, and plopped down on our noodle floats.  It was refreshing after the long drive, and we soaked ourselves all the way from our gnarled toes to our grey roots.

That’s when we saw them.  Little, cloudy, amorphous beings floating silently alongside our brightly colored pool noodles.  Their wiggling tentacles swayed with the gentle roll of the surf.  Lovely in a way.  But not so much, when we realized we were surrounded.

I looked at the signs posted near the water.  How had we not noticed them before?   In both English and Spanish, there was a warning about the Jellyfish.  

My new favorite word in Spanish is now “Medusas.” This word perfectly describes the snake-like tentacles sprouting from the jellyfish bodies!  Like Perseus who defeated the gorgon, we Geezers turned our back on the medusas.  

We didn’t try to fight them.  Instead, we scrambled out of the bay and drove to the riverside beach!

           

The Potomac River offered great swimming, sunsets, and no jellyfish!

After parking, we walked west through a picnic area on our way to the river.  This is when we first became aware of the mosquitos.  And the horseflies.  And the no-see-ums.  

As long as we stayed by the shore, we weren’t bothered by the biting things.  But everytime we moved away from the breezy coastline, they discovered us again.

 

They were especially prevalent in the old Civil War fort on Point Lookout where thousands of Confederate soldiers were imprisoned and died.  

There are supposedly lots of ghosts that haunt the Point.  I didn’t see any ghosts.  I was more terrified of the bugs. 

We swam for hours in the brackish Potomac until the sun began to sink toward the Virginia marshes that were just barely visible on the other side of the wide river.

It was late and time to set up our campsite!  We slathered on insect repellant and lit citronella candles while we erected the tent and blew up the air mattress.  Still there was a constant slapping of thighs and stomping of boots as we tried to decimate the biting bug population.

Once the sun went down completely, the Skeeters and Geezers calmed down (more or less).  We barely were able to enjoy the comforts of sleeping in the new tent when it seemed like the sun rose again!  

And the bugs commenced dining on our blood. 

Our campsite was located in a low, wet area with high grasses all around the perimeter.  This obviously was a prime location for mosquito reproduction.  

Breakfast in our campsite would be pure torture, so we packed up the food and drove to an empty campsite where bay breezes kept the critters at a minimum.  

We cooked our eggs and hash browns there, ate in relative comfort, and then I dropped John at the Pet Beach where he could watch the Rising Sun and the Floating Jellyfish from a distance.

I went back to our own campsite and dismantled the tent and other gear.  A young ranger came by and checked to see if I was planning to move out after just one night.  I assured her I was – as quickly as possible, because of the mosquitos!  

She told me she was new to the area, but had been told that early Fall was the time to see Point Lookout.  “The cold weather kills the mosquitos, and it’s supposed to be the most beautiful time to visit!”  

This is why just one month later, we returned to Point Lookout State Park for another night of camping.  The weather dipped into the low 50s at night.  

It seemed like we should give the park a second chance. 

Were the mosquitos gone?  

No. In fact, we were eaten with more ferocity than we had been 4 weeks earlier.   

Perhaps the bugs knew we were likely to be their Last Meal, so they chewed into us like a convicted man enjoying his final steak dinner before execution at dawn.

The Medusas, however, have jellied-off to warmer climes.  We consider that a very positive change!  Maybe the mosquitos will finally die in another month, and we'll visit Point Lookout again?  

Just in time for ghostly activities at Halloween???

            

Mosquitos and jellyfish were not the only wildlife we saw at Point Lookout! 

Next Week:  My Therapist Makes a Recommendation!