Broadway, Virginia to College Park, Maryland – 6 April 2023

We arrived in College Park in 30 degree temperatures, and we were baking.  Once we got set up and organized we took Jax for a walk around the resort to check it out and then down to the dog park.  Cherry Park was one of the most expensive we have stayed in but it had a lot of amenities. We were quite keen to try the pools and hot tub but while we were at the dog park, thunder and lightening started and the heavens suddenly opened up.  We started running with Jax back to the RV but took a wrong road and by the time we got back we were utterly drenched.

The next day the temperature dropped dramatically back down to 12 degrees.  Quite the difference. Our first priority was to get our bedroom slide sorted out before it fell out of the frame – with us in it!  We knew we were going to have to replace our mattress because it was way too big and way too heavy which was such a pity – as it was so comfortable. We managed to get a mobile Tech in, removed the mattress and were able to get it taken away by the RV park at no cost (considering this was Good Friday we were very lucky on both counts.) Once the Tech had fixed everything we drove to Camping World and bought another mattress. The new mattress was only an 8 inch memory foam type and nowhere near our deluxe spring 14 inch mattress but it will have to do for now.  If it gives us problems we can get it changed in Canada.

Day 2 and time to explore Washington DC.  As traffic in the area was a bit of a nightmare we parked at the train station in College park and caught the train into town instead.  When we had done our original planning we hadn’t considered that it would be Easter weekend. There were thousands of people everywhere. With so much to see and do we decided the best course of action would be the Big Bus tour again.  This was a Hop on Hop off bus ticket that was valid the whole day. Well we hopped on but never hopped off. It was so busy that it took 3 hours for the bus to do its entire route. However, it was well worth it as we got a good view from the top of the bus and were able to take some pretty decent pictures of some of the monuments and at least got a sense of where everything was. We were each given a headset and could listen to recorded commentary as we went along. After the tour ended we went to a Chop house and each got a bowl of veggies and protein and something to drink before catching the train back again. A really fun day. I have to say I was in total awe of the monuments.  I have never seen anything like it. Can’t wait to go back and look at them close up.  Also Arlington looked amazing from the bus, I would love to go there and do a proper tour. Just field upon field of perfectly lined up white tombstones.

The following day we planned to go to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History however, we were a little tired from the day before and dreaded standing in the huge lines we had seen outside the museum the previous day.  Also as it was Easter Sunday and the White House was organizing an Easter Hunt on the grounds, so we feared an even larger crowd.  So instead we took Jax for a lovely walk which was about a 4 minute drive from our RV resort.  It was called the Little Paint Branch trail which was a bicycle/pedestrian trail in College Park that runs alongside a creek and then a swampy area towards the University of Maryland. As we got onto the trail we saw a massive hawk on a nearby tree. Coming back we could hear lots of bullfrogs and then a large Crane flew over us and stood in the water near some turtles that were basking in the sun. Derek was just taking a photo of the Crane with the turtles when a beaver swam behind the Crane. So he managed to get all three – a very lucky shot indeed!

Over the past few months I had been having problems with my left knee. It would ache on the side at night, sometimes my hip as well. I would especially feel it after sitting for a long time in the car. I dug out the knee brace and put it on and decided to start taking Glucosamine again. Hopefully this is nothing serious as I do love our hikes and would hate to have a knee replacement and be off my feet for months.

Our last full day in College Park and we still didn’t feel up to facing the crowds in Washington, DC no matter how tempting all those attractions were.  We decided instead to drive to Annapolis, the capital city of Maryland situated on Chesapeake Bay. Known as “the sailing capital of the world”, it is the largest estuary in the U.S. A lovely little town (population of approx 40,000) and full of historic 18th century brick houses and the domed 1700s Maryland State House. The St. Anne’s Episcopal Church has Tiffany glass windows and a historic cemetery. Annapolis is also home to the United States Naval Academy.  The City of Annapolis earned Bird City Maryland status as recognition for their success in enhancing the city’s environment for birds and educating the public about the interactions between birds and people and about the contributions birds make to a healthy community.  In many ways Annapolis reminded us of Victoria, our home, especially walking down main street with its quaint shops and restaurants near the water.

After exploring Annapolis we took a drive over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. This is a major dual span bridge between Annapolis in the west and Stevensville in the east, in Maryland. The original span, opened in 1952 and with a length of 6.9 km, was the world’s longest continuous over water steel structure. The parallel span was added in 1973. Quite an impressive structure.

The final day in College Park and as I walked down to the living room to make my early morning coffee,  my back suddenly went into an almighty spasm.  I felt like I was going to pass out but Derek rushed over to help me and put me in a chair with a heat pad, muscle relaxants and my old back brace (from an old back injury – thank goodness I packed it) It was move day and usually I pack up the whole inside and Derek does the outside. I also make lunch for the road and then take Jax for a walk.  Well I couldn’t do a thing other than sit and watch Derek running around like a chicken without a head trying to get everything sorted out.  That foam mattress has to go.