conowingo is native susquehannock for "at the rapids." here, at those rapids, a hydroelectric plant harnesses the surging momentum of the river. the rocky bottom and canyon-like walls of the river little resemble the wide, pan-flat mud-bottomed bay broadening on the horizon. just beyond the town of havre de grace, "harbor of grace," where highway and railroad span the widening river, the chesapeake bay is born. a new day brings a flurry of activity and the inevitable feeling of possibilities up and down the bay. standing majestic in morning light, calvert cliffs dominate the southern maryland shoreline for 30 miles. formed over 15 million years ago, when southern maryland was awash in a shallow sea, these cliffs teem with fossils. south of the cliffs, homes with water's view bask in the sun. we are drawn to places like solomons island, where land meets the great estry. the calvert marine museum, home of the drum point lighthouse, symbolizes a once-booming fishing village, with fleets of schooners & sloops centered 'round the hauling and s