There’s a girl in the heart of Maryland, with a heart that belongs to me…. One of my favorite songs and songwriters. He also did a great baseball song, A Dying Cub Fan’s Last Request.
After days of flat with just the Flint hils in Missouri for just a little break, we get to some bumps in the ground. We pass Coolville which welcomed me as a native son. Then over the Ohio, even this far up river, very impressive. The Ohio was, and still is the vein of commerce for hundreds of miles up from Cincinati. It also was the river of freedom for those self emancipating from the Evil Institution of the South.
Crossing the river to Parkersburg, we begin the climb up the eastern mountains. As we climbed, We saw some very nice places and some very destitute ones. The decline of mining and the rise of meth have taken their tolls here.
Still, the countryside draws you into it. we are still early in spring, with some leaves out and a lot of bud swell. Up into the mountains the views get broader. A gasification plant and mountintop removal mining show us the jobs here. We see a sign that says a union famiy lives here.
We pass in and out of WV and Maryland twice. Follow the road maps and see.
Decaying buildings are all around, and so is vast beauty. In Romney, WV, We have some wings at the Brass Rail bar and the Bartender clues us in on an interesting sign showing how far San Francisco and Ocean City MD are.
In Winchester we find a very rich, legitimate colonial town with horse farms that still do fox hunts, equestrian and polo. super big farms and very elitist. Its good to be rich I guess, I would not know.
One cool little thing we find is a colonial hose that still has its insurance plaque on it. this showed that the fire company that got there first and put out the fire was the one that got paid.
Back then they competed.
Off towards Washington, D.C.. we follow 50 until it almost runs into Arlington Cemetery. Then around onto Constitution Blvd and the Mall. The Lincoln and Washington monuments go by and we give Individual #1 the qudruple bird as we drive by 1600 Penn. We do a drive by on Congress and do the block around the SCOTUS.
Then a break at Tunncliffes bar (since 1796.) Crabcakes and pizza. We drive to Annapolis and Greg scores a deal for a 4 star hotel in Annapolis. Tomorrow the beach and the Nats vs. the Pirates on bobblehead night. Better be early. Sorry the pics aren’t in order . Still trying to figure out layout and formatting. Thanks for reading and following along on our trip. BTW, this portion of thr road is one of the oldest in America. Commisioned by G. Washington himself and planned by the Virginia Legislature. Called the Washington Highway. This road really does take you from sea to shining sea. Well except that in San Francisco it is a cloudy sea. But you get the driftwood. BTW tanks to my wife Lydia for giving me the time and space for this trip. Thanks to my son for being so great. He graduates in May from U of Texas at Austin in Biology. Hello to Sue, Gregs wife. Love you. Love to all of my siblings and relatives, near and far. We will be seeing Lydias cousin Manuel and his family tomorrow. HI! And to our dog Kerry. she is getting up there in years.
We hd a fright earlier this week with her and thought she was ready to go, but now she is better.