Maryland - Day 15 - the drive north

Cherry Hill Park, College Park
Friday, 15 February 2019

today's route

I decided I'd go east today, across the Patuxent R. and up the Calvert Peninsula (it covers Calvert County).  I knew I wouldn't be coming back down to this part of the state and wanted to see as much as I could.  I got more than I bargained for.

But first the Confederate cemetery was on the way, and I saw several cars + drivers in the parking area of the alternative park.  In fact, almost every time I've gone down this road I've seen people there.  A popular site, I guess.  I found additional information about it in this article.   www.baltimoresun.com/confederate-cemetery 

Just north of California I turned east for the Pax River bridge.  At first, it looked like a normal, ordinary ol' bridge, but without warning, it became something not ordinary.

I looked it up later: the bridge is 1.37 miles long.  I copied this off the wikipedia page:  The bridge, carrying two lanes and no shoulders, rises to a height of approximately 140 feet (43 m) tall, making a trip over the bridge in windy weather somewhat nerve-wracking for travelers. From the top of the bridge, one can see the entire town of Solomons, the runways at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, and the Chesapeake Bay. 

I just wanted to prove I'm not the only one who thinks this bridge is scary.  I think the scariest part for me was that it has no real side barriers - just a wall that's about waist-high and sure wasn't very high to me in the RV.  There was no other lane I could use for fudge room - only one lane each direction and no shoulder at all.  

I got to the other side and pulled off the road at the very first opportunity and parked at some business's lot and sat and shook.  The shakes lasted quite a while before I felt I could even keep on driving.  They didn't go away altogether until this afternoon.  It was a terrifying experience.

So what's up with Maryland and its bridges?  Are these people just really tough or something?  And if so, what does that make me, a native Texan?  Just thinking about that bridge now makes my palms sweat.

I would have expected the land up the peninsula to be pretty flat, being right on the Chesapeake Bay and all - I'd have figured the glaciers and prehistoric water levels would have flattened it.  Instead what I found was some rolling hillside and farmland.

I passed a field with an obviously handmade sign saying: Free Field Grass - U Cut.  Was this guy asking someone to go mow his field?

All the way up the peninsula and into the Washington, DC, metro area I was looking for someplace that would sell me a milkshake.  I don't usually buy them but decided it might help ease the continuing shaky feeling I had (unintentional pun).  All I could find were Mexican restaurants so finally gave up on that idea.  But instead of doing some sightseeing as I'd planned, I decided to go straight to the campground.

This new place is $65/night with the AAA discount and, for once, is almost worth the price.  It's set up like a high-end KOA and really large.  I'm guessing that it's completely packed in the summer with families visiting DC.  It's almost right on the Beltway, that we keep hearing Washington politicians can't think outside of.  For even more convenience, there's a Metro stop right here at the park - the public buses come into the park and turn around and wait at the little station right by the campground office.

Not only do I have a wifi signal, this time the park is actually paying for it.   I can get 56 TV channels (not that I care about 50 of them but much better than none), so morning weather reports are back in my life.  It's a lot of money, but it's buying some convenience that I really needed right now.

Of note: one year ago today I moved into the RV permanently.  The critters and I (different cats, though) went off to a long weekend at Buescher State Park, near Austin.  And it kept going from there.