We decided to explore the Wicomico River after work. The temperature was in the nineties and we launched out of Salisbury, MD from the Riverside Boat Ramp. Riverside had two ramps and two docks. There was plenty of room for the truck and trailer to park. Across from the boat ramp is a popular bar/restaurant called Brew River. You can dock your boat there while you are having dinner or listening to music. We go there occasionally to grab a bite to eat.
The Wicomico River is a 24.4-mile-long tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the eastern shore of Maryland. It drains an area of low marshlands and farming country in the middle of the Delmarva Peninsula. It rises in northern Wicomico County close to the Delaware state line, and flows generally southwest, through Salisbury, MD. Its head of navigation is Monie Bay on the eastern edge of the Chesapeake Bay approximately 15-miles southwest of Salisbury. The lower 20-miles of the river form a tidal estuary. The gentle free-flowing river is a popular destination for recreational canoeing and kayaking, as well as recreational fishing and crabbing. Barge traffic on the river has made Salisbury, the primary shipping points for goods on the Delmarva Peninsula over the last several centuries. Two automobile cable ferries cross the river at Whitehaven and Upper Ferry. The name Wicomico derives from the Nanticoke words wicko mekee, meaning “a place where houses are built”, referring to a Native American village on the banks.
As we headed down river toward Upper Ferry we passed a river cruise ship docked at the Port of Salisbury. This river was wide and open. It was more grasses than banks and the lily pads weren’t as abundant. The houses that bordered the river were gorgeous.
We made it to Upper Ferry in about forty-five minutes. We waited for the ferry to cross before we ventured forward because the ferry’s cable has to drop below the surface of the water to the bottom of the river. There were plenty of cars waiting to use the ferry.
The Upper Ferry began operations in 1688 and is a passenger and automobile cable ferry that crosses the Wicomico River in Eden, MD. It runs between North Upper Ferry and South Upper Ferry Road. The ferry can carry a maximum of six passengers and three cars and has a weight limit of 10,000 pounds. The Upper Ferry operates from early morning until the evening every day of the year except Christmas and is free. The ferry crossing takes about a minute and the ferry makes approximately 150 trips a day.
We went a little further and turned around at the Wicomico Yacht Club and that is when we noticed how dark the skies had become. There was a storm approaching. As we got further up river the temperature dropped about thirty degrees and the wind began to pick-up. I was praying to the Lord Jesus above to get us back to the boat ramp safely. Remember, these are my first experiences with boating and I didn’t know what to expect. God got us home safely and just as we entered the boat ramp it started to rain. Wow, what an experience for me. We will definitely go out on the Wicomico River again to explore and fish!