Bracing For The Perfect Storm

Enjoying my morning coffee yesterday, I stared out at the Atlantic Ocean from my hotel balcony. The sun was shining brightly overhead and the rhythmic crashing of the waves was naturally soothing. As far a day goes, this was about as good as it could get.

Then, I went back inside and flipped through the various news programs. Most the stories centered around the pending hurricane. One reporter was calling it "the storm of the century" while another one simply labeled it the "Frankenstorm". I walked back outside to make sure I didn't miss anything the last time around. Nope, it was still 65 degrees and a downright beautiful late-October day.

Listening to the various conversations during my day of bar-hopping, the general feeling from the Ocean City locals was that this was a storm to be taken seriously. It was really starting to depress the euphoria that I normally experience on these weekend getaways.

Waking up this morning, I returned to balcony to size things up. The sun had given way to gray skies and the ocean was noticeably rougher. Now, I'm starting to get a little nervous. Who exactly is this Sandy? And why is she intent on ruining my festive weekend?

Tina and I took a morning stroll along the boardwalk. The wind was really picking up and as a result, many of the boardwalk merchants had already started  to board up their storefronts. I was really disappointed when I saw the Hooters on 5th Street with plywood in the windows. I was really craving some of those wings.

I'm not sure if it was an ominous sign of things to come, but we saw a dead dolphin that had washed up on the beach. As if the sight wasn't gloomy enough, the dolphin had two large bite marks which were most likely the result of a hungry shark. In all of my years of coming the beach, I have never seen a dead dolphin.

Looking at the weather report, it looks like the weather is going to get progressively worse. But the really bad stuff isn't expected to hit the Maryland coast until late tomorrow. So, we're going to hang until tomorrow morning and then make a quick exit out of Dodge. Will this be the bad-ass storm that everyone's talking about? Or will it be another overhyped bust? We should know the answer in the next couple of days. But until then, my main concern is where I can get some good wings and a cold beer. Cheers...