We continued our Civil War-themed tour of the National Parks system this morning by visiting Antietam Nation Battlefield in Maryland. Antietam was the bloodiest one-day battle in American history and the Confederate loss provided the opportunity for Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. It’s hard to imagine that something so horrible occurred is a place of such serene beauty.

Without a tow vehicle, we had to find somewhere close enough to DC to park Lady T for the night that was also close to public transportation. Cherry Hill Park is exactly what we were looking for! This full-service RV park in College Park, MD is less than 40 minutes from downtown DC and the shuttle bus to the subway stops directly across from the camp store.

After a quick shower and late lunch, we walked to the entrance of the park and arrived just as the shuttle was pulling in. You can either pay with cash or a SmartTrip card and the subway only accepts the SmartTrip cards, which can be purchased on site.

We’ve both been to Washington DC before but it was a long time ago. I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves but suffice it to say that we visited a LOT of monuments today, mostly in the National Mall. My favorite was the Lincoln Memorial, partly because Abraham Lincoln is my favorite president and partly because we are huge Forrest Gump fans! I couldn’t help but imagine that Jay was Forrest, standing on the steps facing the Washington Monument and I was Jenny, running through the reflecting pool calling his name. I’m glad that we were here together in our nation’s capital.

On the way back to the subway station, we ran into a few street performers who had quite a crowd gathered and put on a pretty decent show. We caught the last shuttle of the evening back to Cherry Hill and are now relaxing as we prepare ourselves for our last full day on the road before heading home.

Follow us tomorrow as we explore the hallowed grounds of Gettysburg National Military Park!