We left home base on Oct 10th and returned on Oct 20th. After 10 days, almost 20 hrs driving and 1100+ miles, The DW and I were NOT ready to come home. As a furloughed (nonessential) federal employee, I was out of work for 20 consecutive days so the timing of our trip was actually perfect. We began the planning process in February. The trip consisted of several firsts for us and the everything worked perfectly except the fishing rods! We wallydocked (our 1st time) in Fredericksburg, Va. We saw the movie Gravity in 3D which was excellent! We got out early Friday morning and headed to Gettysburg, which the NP was closed but the tour guide did an excellent job telling the story from outside the barricades. Then it was on to Pinch Pond Campground in Manheim, Pa. Pinch Pond would be our base camp for 4 nights. While there we went to the Penn State vs Michigan in State College, Pa (our 1st time). What can I say 4 overtimes and PSU winning. The win was especially gratifying to us since our oldest son played for Appalachian State University when they beat Mich in the big house about 5 years ago. Sorry wolverine fans! Sunday was our trip to Hershey (1st). Monday we toured the Amish country and Tuesday we toured the Yeungling Brewery in Pottsville (1st). Wednesday morning we broke camp early and headed for Annapolis, MD. We toured the Naval Academy (1st) which was very impressive!! A big THANK YOU to ALL who have served our country regardless of the Branch of Service! After the tour we headed to Stoney Creek Inn in Riviera Beach, MD for crab cakes. The DW and I are big fans of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. We had seen Stoney Creek on the show and it was a must stop on this trip. This was also a 1st for us. The crab cakes and cream of crab soup were excellent by the way. I also liked the decor! After dinner it was on to Tuckahoe SP in Queen Anne, MD. This was just an overnight stay and we rose early Thursday morning and headed towards Virginia Beach, Va for a 3 night stay. Some friends had told us about StingRays Restaurant (1st) on HWY 13 heading south just before you cross the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel- Bridge. Our lunch was excellent! I had the fried chicken. I believe they had my grandmother back in the kitchen. This is Crabman's home base area I do believe. We arrived at First Landing SP in Virginia Beach mid-afternoon on Thursday. This would be the sit back and relax portion of the trip. First Landing SP (1st) did not disappoint us one bit. The only sticking points I have with this SP is I really don't like their reservation system (not site specific) and the sand spurs! We broke camp on Sunday and arrived at home base late in the afternoon. All things considering, we both thoroughly enjoyed our 2013 trip. Below are a few pictures to document the trip.
