We loved the Jersey Shore! We started by taking a ferry from Maryland to Cape May in New Jersey. Cape May is a delightful town with beautiful beaches, cute shops and beautiful Victorian houses:

Then on to Atlantic City. It is in sharp contrast to Cape May. We are glad we went to see and experience it but feel no need to ever go back.

“Under the Boardwalk”


Trump’s now defunct Trump Plaza. It’s a blight on Atlantic City IMO:

And Trump Taj Majal. From what I could tell he no longer has an ownership in the property but it does still bear his name. It is such a cheesy casino and I think it would be an embarrassment if the president of our country was associated with such a business. Don’t know if it’s still there, but when he owned it, it included a strip club. Nice.

Seaside Park and Seaside Heights. Loved!

“Sir, do you have any other choices?”

We loved New Jersey. Loved the beaches and the pizza! Did not like the toll roads and the fact that you can’t go on most all the beaches without paying. Most are between $6 and $10/ per day per person. You can buy week long passes but each city has their own so, as a tourist, that gets expensive. But still had a grand time!

It is so hard to choose pictures to share. This place is completely different than where we’ve been the last month and its unique and beautiful. We have loved Maryland!
Camping close to the surf:

Beautiful sunsets:

Wild horses on the beach and in the campground:

Storms and tornado warning:

Ocean City Boardwalk. Too touristy:

A fun place for a drink and lunch:

And, finally, witnessed another proposal. Not as cute as the mountain top one but still sweet:

Another beautiful camp spot. The river is in the background:

Kayaking:

The Maryland countryside is beautiful. Lots of farmland and trees:

Abandoned buildings:

Cemetery on church grounds. These are everywhere:

And, finally, if you have to take time out to dump your poop tank, it’s nice to do it in a beautiful setting:

After the sightseeing frenzy of DC, we felt like we needed some down time. We found the perfect state park just off the Chesapeake Bay:

Part of the fun of this trip is seeing so much and learning so much! But also doing things we would never experience at home (like canoeing amongst alligators, exploring underground caves, etc). Right in front of our trailer we were able to catch blue crab that are in abundance in the Chesapeake. All you do is drop a line into the water with a chicken neck tied to it. The crab grabs on and you pull it up netting it just before it hits the surface. We kept at least 25 that were legal size. Threw many small ones back. Our Maryland “neighbor” showed me how to cook them and then get the meat out. It was so much fun!
Caught:

I realized I forgot to get a picture of the underside which shows why they are called blue crab so here’s one from the Internet. It’s illegal to keep the female. Marylanders say the male marking looks like the Washington Monument and the female marking looks like the Capital. Clever!

Cooked:

Crab Cakes:

Crab Dip:

We are now sick of eating crab. Never thought I’d say that.

Can I hitch a ride to California?

Library of Congress. We’ve seen a lot of beautiful old buildings including in Europe. But I think this is the most beautiful building I’ve seen. Pictures don’t do it justice:

US Capitol:

They’ve been doing renovations on the Rotunda. Boohoo:

Supreme Court:

The White House. For being the “People’s House” they sure kept us far away. We weren’t able to take a tour because you have to submit your request months in advance so they can do a back ground check. i wonder if those background checks are more effective than the ones that are designed to protect us, the citizens?


Arlington National Cemetery:


Washington and Lincoln Memorials:


We loved DC! There was so much to see, between the historic sites and the Smithsonian Museums. And getting around on the Metro was so easy! The down side was the crowds. Because school was out there were lots of families. The worst part was the scores of high school kids on school trips. Not all, but many of those kids were more interested in playing grab butt with each other and standing in front of exhibits or sitting on benches while on their cell phones. I don’t care if you do that but please don’t stand in front of the exhibits. The worst was at the Halocaust Museum. It is a very sobering place and documents a horrible time in history. To see kids standing around, goofing off and laughing, was so disrespectful. Don’t know where the chaperones were. Again, this was not all, but many. That being said, I wish we would have taken our kids to DC, as a family, when they were that age!
And finally, we are “museumed” out! Time to head to the Chesapeake Bay and back to nature.