Oh the excitement of new falls down at the Calvert beaches rivals that of going to Lee Creek on Day#1!  For me it is actually better than that because I can go to the beach as often as I want.  As for collecting during the storm, I've learned that lesson the hard way, and barely made it out from the cliffs without getting hit by falling trees, dirt, and lightening strikes.  My advice, be close to Calvert Cliffs relatively speaking, so that when the storm ends (high winds, storm surge, etc), you can quickly drive down to the beach in a matter of minutes.  I wouldn't even recommend camping out in your car in the parking lot since those trees that surround it are really big/tall.  I've seen the parking lot after a bad storm, as well as the roads leading into town, and they're normally littered with fallen trees and debris.  Matter of fact, the last storm had the main road blocked off between Ches. beach and Willows with two fallen trees and downed power lines.  To give you an idea of how high the water can get, I went down to the beach last Fri after work to do a recon after we had a little bit of rain the day before.  I wore my chest waders and the water was up to the top of my waders, spilling in every time a wave rolled past me.  After Isabel a few years ago, the large garbage dumpster on the main path by the beach got washed away, and that long pier down to the south end of the beach got dessimated!  Nothing to fool around with. 

My plan:  I'm going to be watching the storm real close.  First I have to worry about my family and home since Bowie is famous for losing power during these storms.  I have a generator with gas ready to go.  Other than that I'll try to time it just right and go to the beach after the heavy rains and wind have stopped.  Of course, if/when I go I always drive through town and use the marina as a gauge as far as how high the water is.  If it's too high and rough seas, well, I'll probably just walk down the path to see how bad it is, then turn around and go back home and wait for calmer/lower seas.

I hope Lee Creek gets a good soaking to uncover some goodies, but not too much rain.  Years ago it got hit with so much rain it closed for a year or more.  I think this storm is moving a little faster so hopefully that won't happen. 

Be safe, and if nothing else make sure you're not alone down there.  I almost always collect by myself, so if/when I go I'll be looking for others to make sure I'm not the only one around.  If the water is high, I would highly recommend walking way out in the water to avoid possible cliff collapses.  I know the urge to want to walk closer to shore, but if the water is high and you try to run to avoid a fall, once you hit the water, you're not going to move anywhere fast.  If you're already way out there, you have a much better chance of avoiding it.

Daryl.