Friday, August 3, 2007 -
The One With Mike's Worst Nightmare
Day 1, Part 2
At 9:30 we decided to stop at the Maryland Welcome Center. I remembered there not being any rest stops in Washington DC since it was only a short drive, but theres usually traffic and I didnt want to get stuck having to go to the bathroom. Yep, that Stuck in a car syndrome again! It was only a quick stop, where Mike walked Oreo while mom, dad and I ran to the bathroom.
At the Maryland Welcome Center
We reached Washington DC at 9:45. The GPS gave us an alternate route which we thought would be past Washington DC. We hadnt listened to it the last time and really
what was the point of getting it if we werent gonna use it? So we got off of I-95 and made our way to the Marland-Washington Parkway.
Maggie!
The Maryland-Washington Parkway
Mike napping in the car
Well, there wasnt any traffic
but instead of getting us past Washington DC, Maggie took us directly through it. We always thought it was bad enough driving past DC on I-95 so we didnt at all anticipate driving through it, especially right at the end of rush hour. It wasnt too bad, though, and I was actually pretty excited. Im very patriotic, I love all things American, and Ive never been to Washington DC so I was psyched to get to see a little bit of it. I was kind of surprised by it, though. I knew that DC wasnt a nice area, but I didnt expect it to be as run down as it was. The streets we drove through were very slummy and just not good. Its weird for it to be so run down when the National Mall area is so nice. Anyway, we hit some traffic as we got closer to the government buildings and attractions, but it wasnt anything to worry about. What we DID have to worry about was the fact that dad had made a wrong turn and we again had to go all the way out of our way to get back to I-95. This shortcut was turning into a very, very long cut! We got to see the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument and the Pentagon, though, which I thought was awesome. I definitely have to get back to DC some time!
The Capitol Building
Driving through Washington DC
The Washington Monument
Driving through DC
The Pentagon
We finally made our way out of Washington DC and back onto I-95 at 10:25. We wont be taking THAT detour again! It was still fun to see everything, though. It made me feel very patriotic! Anyway, as soon as we left DC we were in Virginia, otherwise known as the worst state ever to drive through. Now dont get me wrong, I love Virginia. Weve visited several times and its a pretty state
but its just so damn big and takes FOREVER to drive through! I knew it was going to be a long ride so I just listened to my MP3 player and tried not to think about it.
A 10:45 we got off of I-95 and stopped at a gas station to use the bathroom. When ya gotta go, ya gotta go! We were back in the car in no time and got stuck in traffic right when we got back on I-95. I was so glad that we had stopped when we did! It only lasted for ten minutes, though, before we were flying down I-95 again.
Traffic in Virginia
Maggie again
The traffic finally opened up
Oreo loves the car!
We drove and drove and drove
and drove and drove and drove. I really hate driving through Virginia. Its huge and there was nothing to look at along I-95 but trees and more trees. Grr. I snacked on some 100-Calorie Pack Lorna Doone cookies and Ritz-Mix to pass the time, and we stopped again at an I-95 rest stop at 11:30. Mike and dad went to the bathroom while mom and I walked Oreo, and then we switched. We had stopped at this rest stop on all of our drives down to Florida and its a pretty nice one. They had some brochures and ads for Virginia attractions, vending machines and bathrooms. The bathrooms were gross, but at least the surrounding area was nice.
The rest stops parking lot
Walking Oreo
Dad, Mike and I
Some information on Virginia
. One time we were so excited because my Dad actually stopped there to spend the night...
it was awful and that was about 23 years ago could you imagine how bad it is now? Can't wait for your next update.
