Yesterday was another short driving day for us, just 77 miles! I could get used to this laid back lifestyle!
We left Round Top Campground in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania just before 10 a.m. , got on U.S. Highway 15 and followed it south to Frederick, Maryland. U.S. 15 is a nice, divided four lane highway that crosses through some very pretty country. At Frederick, we picked up Interstate 270 and followed it about 30 miles to Interstate 495, better known as the Beltway around the Washington, D.C. area.
I had hoped that on a Sunday morning, traffic wouldn’t be too bad, but I was wrong. It got noticeably busier from Frederick south, and as soon as we got onto the Beltway, it was petty much bumper to bumper all the way to College Park, a distance of about 9 miles. We got off in College Park, and then had just over a mile of surface streets to drive before we arrived at Cherry Hill Park, less than 90 minutes after we hit the road. Did I say I could get used to this laid back lifestyle?
Here is our Winnebago in our site at Cherry Hill, our home for the next week while we tour Washington.
Cherry Hill is the most expensive RV park we’ve ever stayed in, at $58 a night (less 10% discount for FMCA members), for a back-in, full hookup 50 amp RV site with cable TV. But, I think it’s the best location for visiting Washington. We can buy tickets for the Metro in the park office, and a city bus comes through every half hour and delivers us right to the station.
We know folks who stay at outlying county parks, private campgrounds, and Elks and Moose lodges, then drive to a Metro station and park there, but for us, the convenience is well worth the extra cost. I know my motorhome and van are in a secure place, and all I have to do is get on the bus and go.
Once we were hooked up and settled in, we drove to a nearby Five Guys for lunch, and then went in search of a Best Buy to get a spare battery for my Olympus digital camera. The GPS took us several miles to Wheaton, Maryland, and then when we returned to College Park, we saw a Best Buy just down the road from the campground! Terry got a chuckle out of that.
We stopped at a grocery store for a couple of items, then came back to the campground and spent the rest of the day at home, just relaxing before we start playing tourist again today.
We weren’t hungry when dinnertime rolled around, but about 7:30 p.m. we wanted a treat, so we walked across the road to the campground’s Conference Center, which includes a TV room, pool, hot tub, laundry, and cafe. We ordered ice cream sundaes, and were shocked at how big they were. This is a “one scoop” sundae!
Terry originally ordered a two scoop sundae, but had to cancel that after she saw how big it was! Even so, there was no way I could finish mine. It must have had a pint of ice cream in it, along with whipped cream, nuts, cherries, and sprinkles. And then we were shocked at the price – just $3.80 for two of these monster desserts!
I had several blog comments and e-mails from people wanting to see me in my new hats, so here you go. But don’t blame me if your kids get born cross eyed or something!
Just like Gettysburg, there is so much to see and do here that we know we can only scratch the surface this trip. But we’re looking forward to visiting several of the museums and monuments we missed on our last visit. It’s going to be a fun week!
Thought For The Day – I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days get together and gang up on me all at once.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
And that’s a “Three Thumbs Up!” on the hats. They all look great, you rock!
Barbara
Gosh, Nick, I guess the hat does make the man. Need labels:
1. Indiana Jones (from Elkhart Campground)
2. “Big Daddy” Pollitt from “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”
3. Maybe Gabby Hayes
For me, #1 is you. I have 3 like it and they are the best. You have to wear them a long time, though, before the hat’s character will develop to match yours.
Enjoy.
All three look great Nick. But, I like the straw best. I wore hats from as long as I can remember until the last 8 years or so. Not sure why I stopped — maybe because I kept getting “I’ve seen you around town for years — great hats!” Nice, but there is more to me than hats. In my 20’s my mother tried to crochet a winter hat for me by following written directions — not her forte but she sure could look at something crocheted and make a duplicate. The hat was quite a disaster made up of several layers that flopped in every direction. She was terribly embarrassed. I told her it was lovely and wore that damn ugly thing for a couple of winters. All “funny” and nasty comments received the same answer from me, “MY MOTHER made it for me!” Your hats are “store bought” so the only comments you may get will concern what they are sitting on. All you have to do is say, “MY MOTHER made this face.” That should do it Nicky! Enjoy D.C. I’m terribly envious of that and your Gettysburg visit!
Nick & Terry,
We concur on Cherry Hill being the best base from which to see D.C. The security, convenience of location, the quiet considerning the size, and the transportation into the city make it the best value. However in our visits there, I never knew about a frozen concoction being available. Shame on me, I guess we will have to return soon!!!
I have been a “hat guy” all of my life. Those are some great looking hats. Thanks for posting the pictures. (And they look good on you too!)
Nick,
You may want to leave the hats in the motorhome…….your a dead ringer for a GOD Father figure and those FBI agents following you can sure spoil a day at the museum! The T-shirt will probably have them scratching there heads.
I also like the three hats, but the white one is my favorite. the size of the sundae is amazing and surprisingly not to expensive. I like ice cream but that would be way to much for me, I would have to share with Mike. We are looking forward to your great pictures of your tour of the city.
The question is ‘Where do you store all those hats in the MH? We had trouble with just one straw hat of Dick’s. As full-timers the storage becomes a problem. Love all your pics —
The Best Buy on Cherry Hill Road only opened up on September 10th. That’s probably why your GPS did not know it was there. One of our sons lives about 2 miles away from Cherry Hill (and our other children live within 1/2 hour of there) so we try to go whenever we are near the area and always stay at Cherry Hill.
Yes, it’s very expensive but we agree with you that the convenience of transportation and the security is worthwhile. And the campground is so well maintained.
We hope your visit will be most enjoyable.
Nick,
We lived in Suburban Maryland just outside the Beltway when I was stationed with the USAF at Andrews AFB in the mid-80s.
As I recall Weekend traffic throughout the Region was often heavier and bumper to bumper ALL day THAN weekday traffic and it could take hours to go anywhere “close” by. And whenever traffic lightened you could see some hair raising driving!
I can’t imagine its improved as your experience reinforced!
We traveled at least once a month to many of the places you have or will visit. Enjoy your stay!
Wish we were there with you; love DC and Cherry Hill. We always take at least one Grey Line night tour; tickets at the CH front desk. Dulles Air and Space is a wonder and much less frenzied than the Air and Space on the mall. Holocaust – take tissues. We, too, love Timbuktu. One last suggestion, Fort McHenry in Baltimore, you will not listen to our National Anthem the same understanding. See you in Yuma. WHAT EVER you need, just ask. Barbara
The hats look great.
Last year we stayed at Cherry Hill campground and we also are impressed with the bus service, the safety and the sites of this campgound. We arrived here with our old dog and found they had a dog walker in the park. Great Service!!!!!!!!
Terry and Teri ( TnT)
The bus leaving Cherry Hill was always on time but the bus service from the Metro back to Cherry Hill was always poor. One time we waited an hour past the posted time for that bus. We like the straw hat best. Have fun in DC.
Love the hats, Nick! While you are in DC, be sure to visit the Newseum (http://www.newseum.org) just off the mall. It is a fabulous museum for anyone interested in the newspaper business. Just an example–they have an exhibit that shows 50 front pages of newspapers from each of the United States–and they change daily! You can see “today’s” front page news from towns large and small across the US. There’s also a great exhibit on first amendment rights. As a newsman, you will love the place.