Heading to D.C. and the Rally

[Oakman]

Our trip to the Cherry Blossom Festival officially began yesterday with the short trip to the 370 Lakeside RV park in St. Peters, MO. There is still quite a bit of snow on the ground from the recent heavy snowfall but it is melting. Unfortunately the melting has made everything a soggy, sloppy mess.



Dewinterizing the trailer went well. The only thing in our Silverback that is challenging is reaching the water heater bypass valves in the side storage area. All the systems are working perfectly after a long winter hibernation.

The one thing on my agenda today is to repair or replace the light fixture that is over the kitchen sink. On the last day of our last trip this past fall, the switch on that fixture broke. Since the switch is plastic so I’m guessing I will have to replace the entire fixture.

[RVChick]

Hi Oakman! Have a great trip! Looking forward to updates and pics!

[Oakman]

We spent last night at the Washington, PA KOA campground for the night. This place was definitely not up to KOA standards. The campground road to the campsites was uphill, rutted and potholed, I felt like I was off-roading getting to our campsite with the fifth wheel.

This was the good section of road to our campsite.


We departed this morning just before 8:00 AM for the 250 mile drive to Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD. It was a short drive but with the all day rain and the steep grades we encountered it was a bit stressful for me. As we drove through the mountains of WV, we were surprised at the amount of snow still on the ground.

REST STOP IN WV.


It didn’t make the drive any less stressful when we hit very heavy traffic 25 miles from our destination. It really didn’t help my stress level when I missed a turn for I-495 north and headed south into Virginia. Two toll booths later and my wallet a bit lighter we were headed back in the right direction. Four miles before the Interstate exit for the campground, traffic was at a crawl due to an earlier accident. It took 30 minutes to go those four miles.

We finally arrived safe and sound at Cherry Hill RV Park around 2:00 PM. We’re here two days early for the FROG rally.

At 6:00 PM we had a pot luck dinner at the campground conference room with some of the other early arrivals for the rally. There was a lot of good food and a chance to match up faces to FRF screen names. It was a good end to a long day.

FROGs at the Pot Luck dinner.

[Oakman]

Being the nice couple that they are, Ralph and Adie (RalphieAdie) invited us to join them to visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. We arrived just in time to join one of the free tours of the Basilica. The church is spectacular and worth a visit for anyone coming to the Washington D.C. area.



On the way back to the RV park we stopped at the IKEA store so the ladies could do some shopping. We also ate lunch at the store. I had the Swedish Meatball special which consisted of soup, meatballs, mashed potatoes, and a drink for $5.99. What a good deal.

It was almost 3:00 PM when we arrived back at the park so we headed over to register with Bob (F.R.O.G.) and Cindy for the rally.

At 6 PM, all FROGs met at the park’s conference center for dinner and a trivia game that Bob and Cindy hosted. The lasagna dinner was great and the trivia game (Washington D.C.) was very tough. Getting enough correct answers to win required interaction with not only your tablemates but also many of the other FROGs at the dinner. That alone made all of us winners of the game. I do have to say that Sid (Daisy Boykin) was a bit tight lipped when it came to sharing answers. The competitive spirit still burns brightly in him.

Lining up for food.


Awaiting the answers in the trivia game.


After dinner most FROGs went back to their rigs to rest up for the early start of the D.C. tour tomorrow. A few did gather for a campfire near Bob and Cindy’s Berkshire before calling it a night.

[RVChick]

Hey Oakman, it is fun to hear how your rally trip to DC is going! Thanks for the pics! Also fun to hear you meeting fellow FROG's Daisy Boykin and Ralphie Adie! I can't wait to meet FROG's at the Goshen Rally!!

[Oakman]

FROGs at the capital building.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Oakman

FROGs at the capital building.

Attachment 27003

They are looking in the right direction for Help in DC! Youroo!!