Time of year ---- Early Summer (May) 1997 I think)
Length of trip---- 4 days
People ---- Myself
Bikes used ---- 1993 Suzuki Intruder 1400
The trip
Vacation time again. I headed south down RT. 295 towards the Delaware Memorial Bridge. I crossed at Deepwater New Jersey over to Delaware into Wilmington. Here I picked up RT. 95 south through Baltimore down to Washington D.C..
I know Washington can be hell to drive in so I started to hit the back streets around the Mall to find a place to park. I saw a sign that said "parking" so I pulled in. Turned out it was the Holiday Inn parking garage. As this was indoor parking and I wanted to take my time doing the tourist thing, I checked at the front desk for a room. $55 a night. Not bad, I thought, especially for downtown Washington. (probably a bit higher now)
After checking in, I thought I'd check out the Smithsonian. Turned out I was only a block from the Space and Air Museum. Wow! This was great.
I spent the rest of the day in the museum and saw the IMAX movie too. What a great museum.
Next day, after a restless night sleeping on the hardest mattress I ever put my back on, the floor was softer, I walked the Mall. Over the next two days, which included a room change, I visited the Museum of Natural History, the National Archives and the Capital. Try to fix up with a tour in the Capital. You'll get to see more.
After the Capital, I went the few blocks over to the FBI Building. You have to sign up for the tour, so I ended up sitting for about 45 min. waiting for the next tour to start. The tour was interesting but not great as the tour guide didn't seem to know much about the FBI or what we were looking at. I think she was the prototype of a new robot. I actually had to tell her what we were looking at.
The next day, I left Washington down Rt. 95. (Lot's of traffic.) I turned off on Rt. 17, heading towards Fredricksburg Virginia. I drove through Fredricksburg, not stopping to visit the Civil War sites. I was going back further in time. I plan on a trip back in the future, but I was looking for Revolutionary sites, namely Yorktown.
After a very relaxing run down Rt. 17, hardly any traffic but a few cops with radar, I entered Yorktown.
In 1781, Gen. George Washington fought British Gen. Cornwallis and eventually took his surrender on October 19, 1781, thus ending the American Revolution. After the visit to the battlefields, I headed down Rt. 17 and found a motel for the night.
Next day, after checking out, I followed the signs to Jamestown, the first English settlement in the Americas. Here I found a recreation of the first fort where you can see how the settlers lived back in the early 17th century. Also there were two recreated boats, built to the exact measurements of the ships that brought them here. I was amazed how small these ships were. It must have taken quite an individual to sail across the Atlantic in such a small craft. Also there is a recreation if an Indian settlement showing how the native Americans lived and survived.
Note: From here you can take the bus to Bush Gardens and the historical town of Williamsburg. I didn't go this time but I hope to on the next trip.
After Jamestown, I headed south/east on Rt. 17 towards Norfolk Virginia.
As I entered the outskirts of Norfolk, I found the traffic to be horrendous, so I turned northon RT. 13 and started for New Jersey and home.
I caught the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-tunnel to the Maryland Eastern Shore and the Cape May-Lewis Ferry.
Note: On the way north, you will pass Ocean City Maryland. Nice town to stop and visit. Very clean with nice beaches. Just turn right on RT. 50 at Salisbury.
I managed to time my arrival, (I was lucky), just as the ferry was pulling in. I got in line with the other travelers, paid my fare and got on the ferry for that relaxing cruise across the Delaware Bay.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. An enjoyable 4 days seeing a lot.
I enjoy riding solo as you don't have to adhere to anyone else's schedule, and I would recommend this ride to everyone.