Getting into Washington DC

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The drive from Martinsburg WV to our campground just north of Washington was a fairly short one but we were very glad that we were coming in on a Sunday afternoon rather than a weekday. The traffic was bad but manageable. We can only imagine how bad it would have been. 

Cherry Hill Campground is right outside the beltway where I-495 and I-95 intersect. It is a very nice campground that definitely caters to the traveler visiting the area to see the sights in DC. We got in early enough that we could go to the 4 o'clock training session on how to get around using the Metro and other tips for us visitors. We decided to sign up for a night tour of DC so we could get a little bit of an understanding of the city and also see some of the places at night. 

The bus comes to the campground so there were no worries about needing to drive somewhere and catch a bus. We stood around chatting with many of the other 20 or so people that were doing the same thing. The bus turned out to be about 30 minutes late and the driver was supposed to drop us off at a terminal in Union Station to hop on a different bus for the actual tour. But with the delay, there wasn't going to be another driver or bus, so our first driver stayed on for the few additional hours and gave us a good tour. 

We were able to get off the bus at several locations and given 20 to 30 minutes to wander around on our own with only minimal directions from him. The thing that surprised us was just how many other buses and people were out that night. Admittedly the weather was perfect and it was fun to see the places all lit up. 

We never got lost but at one stop we were the last couple back to get on the bus. Now according to my watch we were there with one minute to spare. But the driver pointed out the difference between a passenger and a pedestrian is simply a matter of missing the bus!


Here are some of the highlights of the trip that first night. 

Display at FDR Memorial

FDR and his dog Fala

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

View of Washington Memorial from Lincoln's Viewpoint

Iwo Jima Memorial at Night

With the campground being so close to two major interstates, I expected it to be very noisy. Admittedly it was but I almost think that the volume of traffic was so large that the noise ended up being a nearly constant white noise source. Other spots we have camped at near busy roads were worse because you were able to pick out the individual motorcycles or semis accelerating at a sporadic rate.  I think the more important thing was that the temperatures at night were such that all the windows were closed.