Road trip to Virginia! - Day 5 & 6

November 11, 2013

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Colonial Williamsburg’s Revolutionary City was our destination for the day. Tickets for adults were $41.95. There is free parking at the welcome center and a free shuttle service that drops you off at different parts of the city. Admission to the city also includes entrance to three art museums. The program guide changes weekly and only certain buildings are open each day so be sure to get the map and program guide when getting your ticket. We opted to walk to the city, which was not more than 10 minutes from the visitor center. There was a 40 minute video at the visitor center. It was a decent video, but dragged on a little.

We took the guided tours of the Governor’s Palace, Wetherburn’s Tavern, and the Capitol. Each tour lasted about 30 minutes. There were very short waits at each. Large groups go in at once. I would imagine in peak season the wait would have been much longer. We checked out the other buildings that were open as well as the art museums. The art museums are open after the other buildings close, so we checked them out last. Personally, in my option, the cost of admission is not really worth what you get to see.  It should be noted that multi-day passes are only about $8 more than single day passes, so that might be a good option if you wanted to check out the buildings that are closed one day but, open the next. 

Antietam National Battlefield

November 12, 2013

We packed up and headed out early to get home before it was too late in the evening, but I had planned one last site visit for the return trip -Antietam National Battlefield – the bloodiest one-day battle of the American Civil War.  Fees are charged ($4/person age 16 and over, or $6/family, or free with the America the Beautiful pass). There is a 26-minute orientation film for viewing- it played on the hour and half hour. Also available is an 8.5 mile driving tour with 11 stops. We checked out the video and the displays at the visitor center before venturing out to the driving tour. It was a really chilly and windy day; luckily, we could read the site signs from the car at most stops. Allow 2-3 hours for the visit.

Road trip to Virginia! - Days 3 & 4

November 9, 2013

Petersburg NB - Tunnel to the Crater

Petersburg National Battlefield ($5/car entrance fee valid for 7 days at the Eastern Front Visitor Center – free at other sites). We started the visit with watching the 17 minute video offered at the Eastern Front Visitor Center. We also viewed the displays set up at the visitor center. This park relives the nine and a half month siege that took place between June 1864 and April 1865. The siege finally came to an end six days after General Grant cut off the supply lines to Petersburg. The Eastern Front battlefield driving tour (4 miles long) starts at the visitor center and loops through the site on a one way road. There are 13 sites and three visitor centers along the 33 mile driving route. We only toured the Eastern Front. By far the most interesting thing about this battle, in my opinion, was the “The Crater”.  A Pennsylvanian Union troop, with their mining background, dug a tunnel and then packed it with explosives and ignited it right under a part of the Confederate line. The attempt to break the Confederate line failed and all in all 5,500 men did not make it out of the Battle of the Crater. We were at the park for about 2 hours to see the Eastern Front area.

The Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is located in Jackson Ward National Historic Landmark District in Richmond. The Jackson Ward area was one of the most prosperous black communities in the US back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Maggie Walker living in this neighborhood was a natural fit.  Maggie Walker was the first woman bank president.  Her other notable accomplishments included serving as the leader of the Independent Order of St. Luke (a benevolent society that aided African Americans in illness, old age, and death), starting a newspaper and chartering a bank.

There is a 12-minute video at the visitor center that is geared towards children, but should be viewed prior to taking a tour. There are a limited number of displays at the visitor center. Guided house tours are available starting at the visitor center and last about an hour.  The Maggie Walker story is rather interesting, definitely worth checking out! Oh and just an FYI – the home has 28 rooms!

Richmond National Battlefield Park - Tredegar Iron Works

Next on the docket was the Richmond National Battlefield Park which has a few visitor centers. It is recommended that visitors visit the Civil War Visitor Center at Tredegar Iron Works. The visitor center is three stories and has various displays and a 22-minute video. There is free parking down the street from the visitor center otherwise there is $3/hour parking right next to the site. There is another museum adjacent to the NP site, the American Civil War Center (there is an entrance fee). There is an 80-mile driving tour that takes you thought the battlefield - we opted not to spend that much time driving around.

A view from Belle Isle

There is a nice park across from Tredegar Iron Works and also an island called Belle Isle that is nice. Belle Isle was site of a Prison Camp. There is information regarding the prison camp on plaques on the island.

We also visited the Chimborazo Medical Museum. There is a 17-minute long film and medical displays. The hospital was over forty acres in size and could house over 3000 patients at once. It was one of the largest and best equipped Confederacy Hospital’s.

It was still daylight so we also checked out the Cold Harbor Battlefield. There were two electric maps that displayed troop movement and a very short driving tour loop. 

November 10, 2013

The day started with a visit to Fort Monroe National Monument, which is a relatively new NP site. It is a bit confusing on where to go upon arriving to the old military base which opened in the 1830’s and closed in 2011. The Casement Museum is the place to start your visit. There is a lot to see at the museum and then of course there are the fort grounds to check out. Fort Monroe is the largest stone fort ever built in the US and was named after President James Monroe. There is free admission to this NP. There is a Fort Monroe Walking Tour flier available in the Casement Museum. The walking tour takes about an hour and a half.

US Army Transportation Museum

Nothing else was planned for the remainder of the day, but we came across the United States Army Transportation Museum. The museum is located on Fort Eustis, so you will have to go through security to get in. Admission to the museum is free. The museum building is 50,000 square feet and there are four outdoor parks also. There is a short video (maybe 10-15 minutes) explaining what you would be seeing as you walked though army transportation history starting with the Revolutionary War and currently ending at Operation Iraqi Freedom. It took us about 2 hours to make our way through the video and displays.

We made a stop at the Williamsburg Winery. Mike did the tasting ($6 and you keep the glass) and got to sample 10 different types of wine, his favorite being the 2008 Gabriel Archer Reserve. Per Mike, the wine on the East Coast does not compare to the wine in Napa - Napa's wine is much better.

Road trip to Virginia! - Day 1 & 2

November 7, 2013

Hooray – time for another road trip! This adventure took us back to Williamsburg, VA.  We left after work and made it to Monroeville, PA for the night. We stayed at the Holiday Inn – it was a nice hotel. The room had nice decor, was clean, and had a very comfortable bed. The staff was also friendly. I received my welcome gift (bottle of water and some cookies) as being a hotel rewards member.

November 8, 2013

Manassas National Battlefield

On the road again…our first stop for the day was the Manassas National Battlefield Park (free admission). We started the visit with viewing the displays set up at the Henry Hill Visitor Center. There is a forty-five minute video available; however, we had missed the starting time. The video discusses the first and second battles of Manassas. There was a walking tour that discussed the second battle and we were able to join the tour. The tour lasted around an hour and it just happened to start at the first stop of the driving tour – Brawner Farm. There is also a walking tour of the first battle of Manassas at the Henry Hill Visitor Center, but the times did not work out for our visit. The most interesting thing that was learned was that one of the Generals had their troops march 55 miles in just two days during the second battle of Bull Run! The driving tour was 18 miles long and had stops at key locations of the Second Manassas Battlefield.

Prince William Forest Park Trail

Prince William Forest Park was our next destination.  The park is about 35 miles south of Washington DC. There are hiking trails and camping offered at this National Park Site. Prince William Forest Park has the largest Piedmont forest in the NPS.  The visitor center had a very limited amount of displays, which talked about how the park was used by the Office of Strategic Services (forerunner to the CIA) as a training camp for spies during World War II. We had time to take a hike during our visit, it was nice but the trail we took did not really offer much that you could not find elsewhere.  There is also a nine mile scenic drive loop, which we drove on for a little ways.

Our drive continued to our final destination – Williamsburg, VA.

California 2013 - Round 2 - Day 7

September 17, 2013 (Tuesday)

Jelly Belly Factory

The last day spent in CA was a day that nothing was pre-planned.  We made a stop in Fairfield to tour the Jelly Belly Factory. Tours are offered from 9am – 4pm and are free. The walking tour lasts about 40-minutes and offers a sample after each station. At the store, you can also sample 3 flavor choices of your choosing. I would have to say my favorite sample was either lime or marshmallow.  The jelly belly art was pretty cool, unfortunately photos are not allowed during the tour.

Benicia -Old Capital Building

Near the Jelly Belly Factory was an olive oil sampling room (SePay Groves) and we checked that out. It was interesting, but I am sure the guy was trying to sell the oil so some of what he was saying might not have been the entire truth. The olive oil sampling people suggested that we visit Benicia, and since we had time we did. Street parking was free so we walked around the downtown area and had lunch at Nine O Seven. I had chicken quesadilla, which was a bit greasy from the cheese. Mike had something called angel wings (pork) -it was good – the waitress brought a sample to the table before taking our order.  Also while in Benicia, we visited California’s third capital building (1853-1854). The capitol location was moved because of complains of poor weather conditions and uncomfortable accommodations. The building is open during the weekends had exhibits restored and reconstructed period furnishings.

Lastly, our trip involved meeting up with our friends from the San Jose area! We were able to coordinate dinner with them at a place called Patxi’s Chicago Pizza which was in Palo Alto about half way between the San Francisco Airport and San Jose. We of course had the Chicago style deep dish pizza – one side was Salsiccia (garlic-fennel sausage, ricotta, basil, mozzarella) and the other Tre Porcellini (salami, pepperoni, garlic-fennel sausage, mozzarella). It was delicious as expected.

We made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare for our red-eye flight back to Detroit. At one point during the flight, I looked outside to see the awesomeness of being overtop of a huge lightning storm! The rest of the journey home was uneventful.

Until next time – happy traveling!

California 2013 - Round 2 - Day 6

September 16, 2013 (Monday)

Lassen Volcanic NP

We headed out of Tahoe early to get a head start on traffic and to get to the next destination early. It was about a 3.5 hour drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Lassen Volcanic was the 17th National Park created. The site exhibits all four types of volcanos: cinder cones, composite volcanoes, shield volcanoes and lava domes. The last eruption in the park was in 1915.

Our first stop, once we arrived was the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center (southwest entrance), which is open 9-5 year round. There is a café and restrooms at the visitor center. There is a $10 fee per vehicle which is valid for 7 days.  We watched the 20 minute film about the park – it was informative. Also, we looked around at the exhibits at the visitor center, allowing 20 minutes would be adequate. Prior to visiting, the park it was recommended to allow about 3 hours for drive through the 30 mile long park highway. There is a road guide available at the visitor centers.

Lassen Volcanic NP - Bumpass Hell trail

We stopped to check out a bunch of places including Sulphur Works (steam vents and boiling mudpots), Bumpass Hell trail (3 mile hike to the park’s largest hydrothermal area), as well as many of the scenic pull-offs.

Prior to leaving, the park we also visited the Loomis Museum at the northwest entrance of the park. The museum includes photos taken by Loomis, who documented Lassen’s Peak most recent eruption cycle and promoted the park’s establishment. The video is the same at both visitor centers. 

Whiskeytown Lake NRA

Heading west from Lassen, we reached Whiskeytown Lake’s National Recreation Area after about an hour and a half drive. Our first stop was again the visitor center. There is a $5 day use pass required to be placed on your dashboard, there are $10 weekly passes available also.  The visitor center was not very good. There were some exhibits to look at, but other than the pretty view there was not much to see. Whiskeytown has four major waterfalls available to hike. We forgot to ask about the flow conditions of the waterfalls so we did not hike to any of them, but we did hike the trail at the visitor center, it was okay. The trail was rather steep and took to the water’s edge.

Whiskeytown Lake NRA

Sundial Bridge - Redding, CA

We checked out the Sundial Bridge which spans the Sacramento River in Redding before our venture south towards San Francisco.

Consulting tripadvisor, we found a place called Farwood Bar & Grill for dinner in Orland. It was very good – Mike and a steak and I had chicken. I wish we had gotten a salad – a few people arrived after us and all of them ordered the same salad – that has to been that it is good – right?

Venturing a little further south we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Willow.

California 2013 - Round 2 - Day 5

September 15, 2013 (Sunday)

Genoa, NV - "Nevada's Oldest Thirst Parlor"

The day started with a drive to check out Genoa. Genoa is an old town, the first settlement in which became the Nevada Territory. There is a bar in town that claims to be “Nevada’s oldest thirst parlor”. It is said that Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt and Johnny Cash visited the parlor.  A couple of films used Genoa as the set. The area is historically known as Mormon Station, since the first settlers were Mormon pioneers.  There is not a lot to do or see in the little town.

Carson City, NV - Capitol

Next stop Carson City to visit the capitol building. There was free parking along the side of the building. We snapped some photos and checked out the grounds before heading across the street for lunch at Mom & Pop’s Diner. The food was pretty simple and they serve breakfast all day (they are only open until 2PM).

Virginia City, NV

Continuing north, we took a step back into time to check out a really neat place called Virginia City. During its heyday, Virginia City was a highly profitable mining town – millions of dollars, which equals billions in today’s standards. The town is full of Victorian-era buildings including Old West saloons, shops, museums and restaurants. People are dressed in the era and there is even an old shoot-out corral. There is an opportunity to ride on a stagecoach, trolley and steam engine train. We opted to check out the Virginia & Truckee Railroad.  We took the Historic Route to Gold Hill which was a 35 minute roundtrip train ride. The fare was $9 for adults, ages 5-23 $5, free under age 5. There is an opportunity to hop on the train in Carson City and take it to Virginia City (1.5 hours each way – weekends only). Check out www.virginiatruckee.com for more information!

Sand Harbor - Lake Tahoe, NV

Heading back to Tahoe, we stopped a beautiful spot along the Lake – Sand Harbor!  We parked in one of the pull outs along the roadway and did a little bit of hiking to view the beautiful sparkling blue water. There is a state park there also, but it was $12 and we did not have the proper cash or check to put in the envelope, we did not enter the park.

California 2013 - Round 2 - Day 3 & 4

September 13, 2013 (Friday)

The day did not go exactly has I had originally planned – first the tour I wanted to go on was full and secondly we had to go back to the suit place to pick up the corrected jacket.

A view from Sausalito

Since basically all we had to do for the day was wedding stuff we took advantage of what little free time that we had and checked out Sausalito. There was plenty of free street parking along the bay. We checked out some of little shops and took a nice stroll along the bay to soak in the views.

After picking up the suit jacket, we headed back to the hotel before heading to the wedding. We stopped by the ice cream place before leaving for the wedding. Yum! The ceremony was nice and short. The reception also took place at the Botanical Garden and was only a short walk away. There were fruits and cheeses to munch on before dinner was served. The dinner was very unique – individual pot pies! The shells and lids were baked and the filling was scooped into the shell. The rest of the evening was danced away.

September 14, 2013 (Saturday)

After the great breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express we ventured to a new destination – Sacramento.

All aboard - train ride in Old Sacramento

There was a lot of positive information about Old Sacramento thus we checked it out. Old Sacramento is the original historic business district back in the Gold Rush Period (1850’s). The area is a CA Historical Landmark. There are over 50 buildings of significance in the little “Old Town”. The location is also home to the California State Railroad Museum. We did not visit the museum but, did go on the Sacramento Southern Railroad train excursion. The vintage diesel locomotive leaves on the hour and has about a 45 minute ride. We took the regular coach ($10 adults, $5 youths (6-17), free 5 and under), there is also first class for $15/person, free 5 and under. We were extremely cramped in the coach cars and the views from the train were not very good; therefore, I would not recommend riding the train.

Sacramento - CA Capitol

We continued our tradition of visiting capitol buildings. California’s capitol is similar to most that we have seen – neoclassical architecture. There is a lovely park adjacent to the capitol. There was a small amount of free parking around the fountain across the street. 

Heading out town we stopped for gas and lunch. We had a gift card for Chili’s and we went there for lunch. They forgot to put our order in as a result we got a free dessert.

Our adventure continued as we headed towards South Lake Tahoe. The drive views improved as we drove to the west of Sacramento. We stopped at a few turn-outs for photos.

Driving to Lake Tahoe

While in South Lake Tahoe, we stayed at the Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort. The resort was super nice, the only downfall was that were was some construction going on to the building and the surrounding roadways.

After settling in, we took a walk to check out the town. There was a nice little shopping near the CA/NV state line called Heavenly Village. We bought an awesome caramel apple at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. Also, we headed to the Hard Rock Café (located just inside the Harvey’s Resort and Casino) to collect yet another zippo lighter for Mike’s collection.

Driving to Lake Tahoe

California 2013 - Round 2 - Day 1 & 2

September 11, 2013 (Wednesday)

Yahoo - time for another trip! This adventure heads us back out to California. We hopped on the plane at DTW only to have to sit and wait for more than an hour due to computer problems on the plane – not fun since the plane was probably over 90 degrees inside. In return, we got to watch any movies we wanted for free. Regardless, we made it without any other issues, just later than we had hoped for.

September 12, 2013 (Thursday)

The stay at the Days Inn in San Bruno was not as good as the previous stay. The room was fine but the breakfast was pretty bad – there was hardly anything to pick from. The hotel was completely booked for the night, that may have been the problem but, they really needed someone to keep a better eye on keeping the breakfast station replenished.

San Francisco Maritime NHP

Leaving the hotel, we headed to the San Francisco Maritime NHP site, which is in the Fisherman’s Wharf neighborhood. There is a lot of parking in the area and it is pretty cheap (under $10 for the day) if you arrive by 9AM. We visited this site quickly on our last trip, but this time we went onto the ships/boats. The biggest ship, the Balclutha, has short videos inside which tell the story of what the boat was used for over the years. There is a $5/person (free under age 16) charge to enter the boats, but it is free to walk down the pier and view the exterior.

Since, we were in the Bay area for a wedding, we had to go pick up Mike’s suit in Mill Valley (Jos. A. Bank). There were other locations around but, we decided that that location would probably be the easiest. The coat sleeves were too short and the store made us come back the next day to pick it up – this of course made the plans for the next day change.

While in Mill Valley, we had lunch at a place called Pizza Antica, which is in the Strawberry Village Shopping Center. We split a Caesar Salad and pizza. The pizza had sweet corn, bacon, arugula and basil on it – a weird but yummy combination!

After lunch, we headed to Berkeley to check into the hotel – Holiday Inn Express. The hotel was relatively new and in excellent condition. We were in a king size bed room and the room was very spacious. The workout room was decent, but there was not a pool. The surrounding neighborhood was a little hit-or-miss. A few buildings had graffiti but all in all it was okay. There was a very tasty ice cream place right down the block called Foster’s Freeze.

The Thomas - one of the many starters!

The wedding was held at the University of California Berkeley Botanical Garden. We headed there for a short rehearsal before heading to the rehearsal dinner in Napa. The rehearsal dinner was at the restaurant that the groom works at – The Thomas. The dinner was on the patio, which was quite lovely. There were portable heaters to keep us warm in the evening chill. The food was served to us family style. There were many choices and all by the looks of what was left over from our table everyone loved pretty much everything.

Metamora Country Days and Hot Air Balloon Festival

This exciting new installment is all about the Metamora Country Days and Hot Air Balloon Festival! It was a last minute type of adventure, not a lot of planning went into it. We arrived in the area around 4PM. Metamora was pretty backed up with traffic and things really were not very well directed as to where the activities were. Parking was available along the side of the roads as well as a large hilly farm field. Traffic was being directed in the field. The balloon launch festivities were scheduled to take place between 5PM-8PM. There was an ice cream social going on in the balloon launch field, we checked that out - $2 for a decent size sundae (Chocolate or Strawberry). There were also helicopter rides ($35), tractor pulls, a kids play area, a craft show and a beer tent in the area around the balloon launch field.

It was really awesome to see the balloons set up and take off! It is definitely worth checking out. The balloons started to launch around 7PM. We left after all of the balloons took off. Getting out of the parking lot took a little while, which I found kind of weird since there were fireworks scheduled for dusk.

 

Road Trip - Maryland! (Day 6-7)

May 30, 2013 (Thursday)

Heading back near the DC area our first stop was Greenbelt Park.  The park has camping, hiking, biking and picnicking.  We did not really check out the park much, it seemed mostly like a city park. There were not any displays at the visitor center.

Fort Washington

Continuing south, we stopped at Fort Washington Park. We headed to the visitor center to get some information about the site. There was a ten minute film about the history of the fort.  The film was dated but, decent. There are a lot of picnic areas at the site. Fort Washington is one of only a couple of U.S. seacoast fortifications that is still in its original form. Some portions of the fort are open for viewing. Allowing an hour at the site was adequate to read posted information and check out the fort.

We continued south to Piscataway Park. There is a small visitor site that does not really have much to offer.  Piscataway is across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon. The park is partnered with The Accokeek Foundation, which operates the National Colonial Farm and the Ecosystem Farm.  It appeared that the Farms were mostly there for school groups – there was nothing going on during our visit. There are some hiking trails at the site and a fishing pier.



Annapolis - The Maryland State House

The last NPS site visit for the day was the Thomas Stone National Historic Site.  Thomas Stone was one of the 1776 signers of the Declaration of Independence.  Had he lived longer he probably would have gone on to bigger and better things.  He died at the age of 44. While at the site you are able to view the interior of the home “Haberdeventure” and learn about Thomas Stone. The park guided tour lasted about 45 minutes.

Before heading back to the campground, we headed to Annapolis – to visit the capitol, or as they call it “The Maryland State House”! The streets around the state house are brick and there are tons of little shops in the area. Annapolis has more original 18^th century structures standing that any other city in the United States.  The Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use and it is also the only to serve as the nation’s capitol.  Annapolis is home to the United States Naval Academy. The third oldest college in the US - St. John’s College is also located in Annapolis.  I would love to go back and check out the area more!

May 31, 2013 (Friday)

Baltimore here we come!  We started the day at the Hampton National Historic Site. The home is a Georgian mansion that is very beautiful. The mansion was built at the county seat after the Revolutionary War by a prominent Maryland family.  You are able to view the grounds on your own, but if you would like to see the inside you must go on a tour. The tour is free and last about an hour. The tour really focuses on the people that lived in the home – while interesting, the tour seemed to drag on.

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine was the last NPS stop of the trip. Fort McHenry is the only NPS location that is both a National Monument and Historic Shrine. There was a really good video about the fort at the visitor center – definitely worth viewing. The cost to enter the fort is $7/adult, kids get in for free. The park also accepts the NPS passes.  

Had Francis Scott Key not wrote what is known as “The Star-Spangled Banner” the battle that took place probably would not be as well known. The fort is in very good condition with many of the buildings have displays and/or videos. 

Next stop – downtown Baltimore! We parked in a surface lot and ventured out by foot. First stop - the Hard Rock Café so Mike could add to his zippo collection.  After wandering around a bit we decided to go to the aquarium. The aquarium was a bit pricey - $34.95 for adults (12-64), $21.95 for kids (3-11), $29.95 seniors (65+). The aquarium was very well laid out with lots of things to see – Australian river gorge, Atlantic coral reef, tropical rain forest, and of course many fish, dolphins and sharks. Per the National Aquarium website you should allow about 3 hours to see everything. I’d say we were there for about that long.

After leaving the aquarium, we headed to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We arrived early enough to be able to order from the lunch menu – which serves items with more than enough to fill you up. I had the pizza/salad and Mike had a chicken pasta dish. For dessert, we split a piece of Red Velvet Cheesecake – yum!

Prior to our trip, we noticed that the Detroit Tigers were going to be playing the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards so we decided to get tickets. Stub Hub had many seats available. Our seats were okay (section 49, row 12), but we were back a little too far so we could not see the scoreboard.  The stadium was pretty neat, much narrower than Comerica Park in Detroit. The Tigers lost but it was a good game right down to the top of the 9^th inning.

The baseball game was the last event for our vacation…after one last night at the campground we headed home. The drive home was smooth sailing.

Stay tuned for our next adventure! 

Road Trip - Maryland! (Day 5)

May 29, 2013 (Wednesday)



C&O N.H.S. - Great Falls Tavern -Mike helping with the locks!

We were up and on the road a bit earlier than normal since we were headed towards the DC area. The first stop for the day was the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) National Historical Park. There is a small fee to enter the site - $5 per car. There are numerous visitor centers along the nearly 185 mile stretch of the Potomac River. We stopped at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. There are some exhibits inside of the old locktender’s house and they are worth a quick peak. The really cool thing about this location is that they have canal boat rides.

There was a load of school kids going for a ride so we were able to watch the lock fill, open, and see the mules pull the boat down the canal. Mike even got to help open the lock! The canal system lifts canal boats from near sea level to 605 feet – 74 locks that make up the grade difference.

South of the visitor center there is a short walk that takes you to the Great Falls Overlook – It was a nice easy walk that had a lot of shade and the overlook was beautiful!  There are many other hikes that spur off the towpath as well – pick up a map at the visitor center.

Next stop – Clara Barton National Historic Site and Glen Echo Park. The history of this area is rather interesting.  Twin brothers Edwin and Edward Baltzley received $250,000 for an invention - a reversible egg beater (1888). With that money they invested in real estate –516 acres of land.  They intended to create their own town for high society people – the town was named “Glen Echo on the Potomac”. They founded the Glen Echo Railroad and began to sell building sites. The Chautauqua Union of Washington DC chose Glen Echo as their assembly site. Chautauqua was organized to teach bible study, organization and management, but also grew to offering summer courses all summer long.  Many buildings had to be built to accommodate all of the courses. The Baltzley brothers over-extended themselves and fell into debt; this forced the discontinuation of the Chautauqua programs at Glen Echo. By 1899 amusement park rides were added to the site, as were ball fields, bowling, boating, picnic area, and a dance pavilion. The site did well as an amusement park. A pool was also added to the site. The popularity of Glen Echo peaked in the early 1940’s. Along came World War II – boat rides were discontinued due to gas shortages, the shooting gallery closed since ammunition was difficult to obtain and many of the park workers joined the armed services.  Segregation was an issue during the 50’s and 60’s with protests occurring at the park entrance.  In 1955, the park was sold and became a full blown amusement park. In 1968, the amusement park closed and was bought by the General Services Administration in order to protect the Potomac Palisades and to provide additional park lands. In 1970, the title was transferred to the National Park service. Now, the park offers a wide variety of classes – focusing on the arts. Many of the old buildings have been renovated and many elements at what was originally on site still remain. The Carousel, I believe, is the only ride that remains in operation.

Okay, so know how the Clara Barton site ended up here… The Baltzley brothers offered to give Clara Barton a house if she would head the Chautauqua Women’s Executive Committee in there development. Also, since she was an influential person at the time (1891) they thought it might help sell building lots. Clara Barton saw the house as a way to benefit the Red Cross and she accepted the offer.  She found the community too remote and commuting to DC was difficult so she only stayed in Glen Echo during the Chautauqua season. A few years later (1897), a trolley line extended to Glen Echo and Clara moved to the Glen Echo home full time at that point. 

Perhaps, I should have first told you who Clara Barton was. Clara Barton was the founder of the American Red Cross. The background is rather interesting and she was a very brave and determined woman.  She spent time in war stricken areas and then at natural disaster sites.  The home is open for free tours on the hour. The tour lasts about an hour and was interesting.

Wow, I spend more time than expected on those two interesting sites. Next on the docket was Great Falls Park in Virginia.  This park is nearly directly opposite of where we were early at the C&O Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. Great Falls Park provided a much better view of the falls and has three different viewing platforms.  There are a few exhibits in the visitor center but really the trails and falls are the highlight. The entrance fee paid to get in at the C&O site works to get in at the Great Falls Park site.

The last stop of the day was Arlington National Cemetery.  Parking is $1.75 for the first three hours.  The Cemetery is open at 8am-5pm or 7pm, depending on the season. There is a tour bus that you can hop on to get you around the cemetery ($8.75-$4.50). We just walked to the more well-known sites – which probably are the only places the bus takes you also. The welcome center as maps available as well as some interesting exhibits and displays. 

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier changing of the guard ceremony takes place every hour and during April-September at the half hour too. Other notable spots to visit include the Kennedy gravesites and the Arlington House. The Arlington House – The Robert E. Lee Memorial is a NPS site. The view from the Arlington House is impressive. The home is open from 9:30 to 4:30. The home site is currently under renovations, but you are able to walk through a large portion at this time. 

The evening was capped off with a visit with one of Mike’s college classmates. We met up at EW Beck’s Pub in Sykesville, not far from where we were camping.  The place was busy and the service in the bar area left a lot to be desired. The staff was nice enough put the TV on the Detroit Red Wings hockey game. The downtown area was very quaint.

Road Trip - Maryland! (Day 3-4)

May 27, 2013 (Monday)

Wills House Sign

Downtown Gettysburg was the first stop of the day. There was free on-street parking since it was a holiday. We walked around a bit while waiting for the David Wills House to open. David Wills played a very active role for the efforts that he provided the area after the battle, Mr.  Wills notified the Pennsylvania Governor about the condition of the battlefield – improper burials – largely due to the heavy rains in the areas right after the battle. In return the Governor, put Mr. Wills in charge of establishing a permanent national cemetery for all of the Union’s dead.

The president at the time, Lincoln, spoke at the cemetery opening ceremony, while on his visit he stayed at the Wills home. It is said that Lincoln completed what is known as the Gettysburg Address in the bedroom of the home.

There are two videos available for viewing as well as much of the home. An hour is adequate time to allow at the site. The cost is $6.50/adult and lesser cost for seniors and youth. There is $1 off with the AAA discount.

Catoctin Mountain Park

Upon leaving Gettysburg, (we wanted to get out of the area since we did not want to get stuck in the Memorial Day parade) we headed south to Catoctin Mountain Park.  We headed to the visitor center first – the parking lots were overflowing!  The park was created during the 1930s Depression.  Back in 1939, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked hard at this site to turn old farm land back to the native landscape of Eastern hardwood forest.  Camp David is located in the heart of Catoctin Mountain Park – that area is closed to the public.  Catoctin Mountain Park has 25 miles of hiking trails. Upon recommendation, by the rangers at the visitor center we hiked to Chimney Rock overlook and Wolf Rock.  Roundtrip the hike was about 4 miles in length and took us around 2.5 hours.  I would say it was a moderate hike – about 600 feet of elevation change and rocky terrain.  There were a lot of families with children hiking – I did not hear any complaining – amazing!

PA Capitol Building in Harrisburg

Continuing with our visiting the state capitol buildings for photos we headed to Harrisburg, PA. Parking was a little tough to find, probably largely due to a big festival that was going on a few blocks away.  Harrisburg was selected as the capitol location because of its access to the nearby Susquehanna River. Harrisburg was a large port city in the 1800’s and it played part in the early development of the Pennsylvania canal system. The capitol building has Italian Renaissance style. The dome is modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The capitol offers 40 minute tours pretty much every day, but apparently you have to call ahead of you would like to take the free tour.

Since we did not have any other plans we headed over to Hershey, PA. Three guesses as to what you can find there…Chocolate! There is a ton to do in Hershey – Hersheypark (amusement park), Hershey’s Chocolate World, ZooAmerica, Hershey Gardens, concert venue… We just visited Hershey’s Chocolate World. There are a few different attractions to pick from – we just opted for the free “Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour” Ride. It was a fun little ride that was not too long. You get free chocolate once you get off the ride. Other attractions included a 4D movie, trolley ride, create your own candy bar, and chocolate tasting adventure – pretty much each costing between $5 to $15. There is free parking for up to an hour or if you buy the attractions you can get a free parking also. There is a huge store, café, ice cream shop, and bakery on site also.

Welcome to Hershey!

May 28, 2013 (Tuesday)

The time came to pack up the camper and head into Maryland for the remainder of the trip. We stayed at Ramblin’ Pines Campground in Woodbine.  There really were not many pines at the park so I am not sure how they came up with the name.  The park was better than the last park, since the roads were paved (less dust) and the showers were hot. The site we had (D-12) was $49.50/night.

A stop along the way...Monocacy National Battlefield

On the way to the park, we stopped at Monocacy National Battlefield. There was room to park with the camper at the visitor center and we asked about how parking would work at the driving tour stops and were told that we should not have much problem other than at one stop. Well…if there were many cars at stops, we probably would have had some issues but we made it.  The visitor center was very nice (allow at least an hour), with lots of interesting displays – especially the light up map. The park ranger gave a 45 minute talk about the battle that took place. The ranger said that a lot of people really are not aware of this particular battle, but the battle was actually really important. The battle delayed Confederate forces from advancing to Washington, DC and ultimately forced them to withdraw to Virginia.  The driving tour covers around six miles. The sites really are not that interesting – just some old homes and farms. I would highly recommend the ranger presentation and visiting the visitor center exhibits, skip the driving tour if you do not have time. There are a few hikes at Monocacy. We took the hike at the visitor center (totally not worth it in my opinion) and the hike at the Gambrill Mill. The Mill hike offered decent scenery; again if you do not have time I would skip it. 

Road Trip - Maryland! (Day 1-2)

May 25, 2013 (Saturday)

Time for another adventure! This journey takes us camping in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Drummer Boy Camping Resort was the place we camped for the first three nights of the trip. It was not our first choice of campgrounds, but when we were looking at booking something (very early March) pretty much every place we called was booked for the holiday weekend. We ended up paying $88 a night! We probably could have stayed at a hotel for only slightly more and not had to haul the camper at 10 miles per gallon! Luckily, the further east we went the cheaper the gas – I think the cheapest we saw was $3.35 (compared to $3.85 when we left and returned MI).

The campground was pretty nice – they had a fishing pond, a few kids play structure areas, two pools (one had a waterslide), mini-golf, volleyball courts, etc. The water pressure was a bit low thus they had the closest bathroom to our site closed. For me shower water was not the warmest one night, but it was hot for Mike a little later. The roads were mostly stone, which made biking not the best. It did not get overly loud at night. The campground is right next to the freeway so there was road noise. There was also an active rail road track nearby.

May 26, 2013 (Sunday)

Welcome to Gettysburg!

We started the day early (8am) with a visit to Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center. It worked out really well with getting there so early – it was very busy by lunch time. We opted to watch the film "A New Birth of Freedom", view the restored Gettysburg Cyclorama, which depicts "Pickett's Charge", and tour the Civil War Museum. The film lasted 20 minutes and was interesting. Right after the film, you are directed to the Cyclorama – that lasts probably about 10 minutes. The film, cyclorama, and museum exhibit cost is $10.50/adult (reduced rate with the AAA discount, for seniors, military and children). While purchasing tickets for the Gettysburg activities, we also got tickets to visit the Eisenhower National Historic Site ($7.50/adult, $5/youth). There is a bus that takes to you to and from the Eisenhower site right from the Visitor Center. It should also be noted that there are many options for viewing the Gettysburg battlefield – licensed battlefield guide who ride with you in your personal vehicle ($65/car w/ 1-6 people), bus tour ($30/adult or $18/youth), or you can do a self-tour (free!). There are audio tour cd’s that can be purchased at the bookstore, if you want some commentary while on your self-guided auto tour. Plan to allow about 2 hours for any of the tour choices listed above. Every stop of the tour had parking available with the exception being the “Big Round Top”, that parking area was jam packed.

Eisenhower National Historical Site

Okay, back to the order of the day. After the video, cyclorama, and a partial viewing of the museum we hopped on, at our appointed time, to the bus to the Eisenhower site.  The bus ride was short and the bus was decent (clean and not smelly). Once to arrive to the site, you are greeted at the bus by a park guide, you are then escorted into the home and given a brief summary about each room. Upon exiting the home, you may stroll about the rest of the estate. There are some gardens, cattle and cattle barns on the site. There is also a ten minute video that is somewhat interesting. I recommend allowing 1.5 to 2 hours at the site. The bus picks up and drops off at the site every 30 minutes.

An overhead view of a portion of Gettysburg.

Back at the Gettysburg Visitor Center, we had a picnic lunch and then headed back into view the rest of the museum.  If you want to thoroughly view everything in the museum, you are going to need to allow at least two hours. Once we were satisfied with everything the visitor center had to offer we headed to the cemetery. There was a National Cemetery Walk just forming when we arrived so we joined. The walk was led by a park ranger and lasted about 45 minutes.  The walk was informative and very peaceful. I asked the guide about the NPS trading cards and he was able to give me the cards for Gettysburg.

There are many other walking tours available – each day of the three battle days, Little Round Top, Cemetery Ridge, Civil War Soldier, and Spangler Farm. The walking tours are all free, you just need to pick up the schedule at the visitor center and find out where the tour starts. The tours vary in length from 45 minutes to 1.5 hours.

Pennsylvania Monument - Gettysburg

After our walking tour was over we headed out to drive the battlefield.  We stopped everywhere we could and the tour lasted about 3 hours. There really is not too much to see other than a bunch of memorials. Oh, interesting fact – the Pennsylvania Monument, the largest in Gettysburg, was cleaned for the 150^th anniversary – the cost $1.1 million!

The evening was capped off with a visit to Mulligan MacDuffer Adventure Golf and Ice Cream Parlor.  The ice cream was delicious – there were probably about 20 flavors to choose from.  The 18-hole adventure golf was around $8/game for adults and $6/game for kids. They have two courses, we opted for the front course “Highlands”. Some of the holes were quite challenging. We did not have a hole-in-ones at all on this course.