September 3, 2001
Today was Labor Day, and it was the only day where we really
encountered crowds on our trip. We drove through Winchester this
morning since it was dark when we got in last night and we hadn't
had a chance to see the town. We saw a crack dealer standing on a
corner who had been sentenced to wear a sign stating that he was a
convicted drug dealer. Looked like free advertising to me - now we
know where to get it if we want it. Then we headed north on a state
highway and stopped at a flea market. We thought they might have
really far out West Virginia oddities, but it was just the same
crap you find at flea markets anywhere. Next we drove through
Harper's Ferry. It's a neat old historic town, but it was really
crowded and we moved on.
Today once again we had trouble finding lunch. We were just
inside Maryland now, one of the most densely populated states, and
we couldn't figure out where these people eat. We finally ended up
with a gas station cheese steak sandwich, which ended up being
Steak-um's and slices of American cheese on a bun, but at least it
filled us up. We picnicked on the Potomac at a park by the C&O
canal in Point O' Rocks, Maryland.
Tom Poses
We visited Sugarloaf Mountain next. I used to go here as a
retreat from the city when I lived in the area. We bypassed the
hiking trails and rock-climbed straight up to the top. It's a fun
climb. We decided to take a trail down and picked the wrong one and
ended up in the wrong parking lot. We had to walk along the road
until we got back to where we began.
Jana didn't realize it because we'd been driving on scenic
byways all day, but we were dangerously close to the city. As soon
as we left Sugarloaf Mountain, we were in full-blown D.C. suburbia.
We drove through Rockville, my former employment and residence.
Jana was completely unimpressed and anxious to escape there.
Great Falls
There was one more spot of nature to visit today, Great Falls,
very near D.C. The waterfalls were gorgeous, but it was super
crowded. Strangely, at least 95 percent of the people there were
Mexicans - No hablan ingles. Too bad we weren't farther along in
our Spanish lessons so we could talk to people. This was the only
truly way too crowded place we visited.
Really Great Falls
Tonight we stayed at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia. We were
afraid to make reservations in D.C. because we might inadvertantly
end up in a sketchy neighborhood. We stayed at the Homestead
Alexandria Suites - Awesome! $48 hotwire deal. Full-size fridge,
microwave, coffee, etcetera.
We went for dinner at Thai Old Towne in Old Town, Alexandria -
very hot curry for Tom, soft crab & shrimp for Jana. Our Thai
waitress was wearing a South Park tie. Afterwards, we walked along
the riverfront - charming.
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