Holiday Images
USA 1999: The Mid-Atlantic States
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From the battlefield we drive to Williamsport on a section of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park where there is a canal basin and warehouse. We watch two films regarding the history of the184-mile waterway, before exploring a section of the canal that includes the 260-feet-long Conococheague Aqueduct.
At 3pm we leave Williamsport to drive to Harpers Ferry which is situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, which is also the meeting point of three states: West Virginia; Maryland; and Virginia.
 
During the American Civil War, it was the northernmost point of Confederate-controlled territory. An 1890 history book on the town called it "the best strategic point in the whole South." The town changed hands eight times between 1861 and 1865.
 
However, by far the most important event in the town's history was John Brown's raid on the Harpers Ferry Armoury in 1859, the defence of which resulted in the destruction of the town.
A shuttle bus takes us to the Lower Town section of Harpers Ferry. We explore the historic buildings including John Brown's Fort (above), the most visited tourist site in the state of West Virginia. A footbridge crosses the Potomac River close to the confluence - from the bridge it is possible to appreciate the historical and military significance of these wide rivers as they cut through the well-wooded hills.
 
Returning to Frederick we look for a restaurant in the Spectrum Drive area. There is a queue out of the door at the Golden Corral so, after a short wait, we eat at the bar in Applebee's
 
(Day 25: Sunday, June 20th): it is raining as we head north for 22-miles to Catoctin Mountain Park. Located just south of the border with Pennsylvania, this national park consists of about 6,000-acres of rocky outcrops and thick forests. Hidden within the park is the presidential retreat Camp David, but it's not marked on the map of the park that we picked up at the visitor centre.
We hike two short trails in the Cunningham Falls State Park, to the falls (above) and to Hog Rock. We drive the full length of the five-mile Park Central Road that divides the Catoctin Mountain Park. This takes us past a driveway, the entrance to which is guarded by heavily muscled men.
It is raining again when we reach Monocacy National Battlefield, the site of the Battle of Monocacy in the American Civil War fought on July 9, 1864. The battlefield straddles the Monocacy River southeast of Frederick. The battle, labelled "The Battle That Saved Washington," was one of the last the Confederates would carry out in Union territory.
Our final objective on a day with cloud and some rain is Manassas  National Battlefield Park - the site of two Civil War battlefields. The battlefield covers a large area which we tour after viewing a short film in the visitor centre. There is a short walk at Henry Hill (left) which includes the Bull Run Monument which has the inscription:
 
In Memory of the Patriots Who Fell at Bull Run
 July 21, 1861
 Erected June 10th 1865
 
It remains one of the oldest extant monuments on any Civil War battlefield.
 
The Hampton Inn at Manassas is just a five minute drive away. It is still raining when we set out from the hotel to find the Golden Corral in Dumfries, but soon realise it is too far away. Instead, we have a good value meal at a very busy Old Country Buffet.
(Day 26: Monday, June 21st): it takes us an hour to drive to the Alamo drop-off at National Airport, Washington, after driving 3,473 trouble-free miles in total. Our scheduled flight is delayed on its incoming leg from Dallas/Fort Worth, so we are switched to Flight AA1569 which  takes us to O'Hare International in Chicago. We have just over 5-hours in Chicago before a Boeing 767 flies us to Birmingham. We land at 8:20am on Tuesday, June 22nd.
 
Another thoroughly enjoyable trip to the United States in which we have explored an area largely unknown to us; an area that not only features a beautifully varied landscape, but one that has witnessed, and now remembers, much of the short history of the country.
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Mid-Atlantic
Flights by American Airlines
 
May 27th: Birmingham International to O'Hare International, Chicago
                  Flight AA 23 - 10:37am/12:35pm (7 hours, 58 minutes)
                 
                  O'Hare International, Chicago to National Washington
                  Flight AA 1570 - 3:04pm/5:30pm (1 hour, 26 minutes)
 
June 21st: National Washington to O'Hare International, Chicago
                   Flight AA 1569 - 1:27pm/1:57pm (1 hour, 30 minutes)
 
June 21st/22nd: O'Hare International, Chicago to Birmingham International
                   Flight AA 24 - 7:12pm/8:20am (7 hours, 8 minutes)
Mid-Atlantic

Accommodation

Nights

Hilton, Washington, DC

4

Best Western, Dewey Beach, Delaware

1

Hampton Inn, Williamsburg, Virginia

4

Comfort Inn, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina

2

Hampton Inn, Raleigh, North Carolina

1

Hampton Inn, Asheville, North Carolina

2

Hampton Inn, Stone Mountain, Georgia

1

Holiday Inn, Chattanooga, Tennessee

1

Hampton Inn, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

3

Hampton Inn, Boone, North Carolina

1

Hampton Inn, Lynchburg, Virginia

1

Hampton Inn, Charlottesville, Virginia

1

Hampton Inn, Frederick, Maryland

1

Hampton Inn, Manassas, Virginia

1

Aircraft

1

 

25