Need advice for a road trip ...

[psimonl]

Next week, I am going on a road trip in the North-eastern part of USA.

The basic plan is Catskill---Washington DC for 4-6 days--- Virginia Beach 2-3 days ---Boston and back home.

We are travelling light, camping and on a small budget.

Do you have any suggestion as to where to go, what to see, any campground you recommand along this path?

Last time I was there was some 20 years ago.

I am driving with my kid of 7 years old and my lover and we love outdoor activities (caverns, caves, swimming in lakes, ....)....

Thank you,

P. Simon Lachapelle

[Dr. Snubnose]

Take guns and knives.....Hatchet and coffee as well.....LOL...Doc :D

[Monkeywrangler]

TAXachusettes? You gotta have a permit even, for pepper spray there! Maybe take a couple steel tipped hiking staffs?

[The Deacon]

Plenty of camping in the Catskills and Adirondacks, as well as some other great spots in New York. If you like more primitive camping, choose one of the campgrounds run by the DEC. I can recommend Beaverkill, Mongaup Pond, and Devil's Tombstone and have heard good things about North-South Lake as well. If you prefer having some amenities, then choose one of the State Parks run by OPRHP. Have never camped at any of them, but have visited and hiked several in this area. Thompsons Lake is very nice, and just around the corner from John Boyd Thacher Park which has some great views and a trail for the adventurous called the Indian Ladder. It's also fairly close to Howe Caverns, if you want to visit a cave. Moreau Lake is also beautiful, as is Cherry Plain. I've also heard great things about the three Taconic parks (Taconic Rudd Pond, Taconic Copake Falls, and Lake Taghkanic) and about Clarence Fahnestock as well.

EDITED TO ADD: Links to DEC, OPRHP, and camping reservations websites.

[pg john]

One camping suggestion in Maryland is Greenbelt Park. It is close to the Metro for going into Washington for sight seeing so you will not have to drive or park. One of my favorite cheap thrills in the area is the Billy Goat Trail in Maryland. Be prepared for fantastic scenery and some rock climbing, bring your camera. Both places are on the web-hope this helps.

PG John

[psimonl]

Howe cavern is now on my path.... So is Secret cavern.

Thank for the camping sites proposal, I've looked into them and made notes, as I don't really knoew where we'll go. Road trips are different todays (better?, Worst???) because we can have constent access to the web and G3.

But is that a good thing????


I sometime wonder......

Simon

Keep the suggestions coming

[The Deacon]

Howe cavern is now on my path.... So is Secret cavern.

Thank for the camping sites proposal, I've looked into them and made notes, as I don't really knoew where we'll go. Road trips are different todays (better?, Worst???) because we can have constent access to the web and G3.

But is that a good thing????


I sometime wonder......

Simon

Keep the suggestions coming

Like most things, Simon, mobile technology can be a blessing or a curse. Plans can change, due to both pleasant things and unpleasant ones. Either way, there's the need to cancel existing reservations and make new ones. Being able to locate new lodgings and make reservations can take a lot of the stress out of those changes. Cell phones and wi-fi make that infinitely easier than it would have been 20 years ago. Before I started house hunting, I never owned a GPS. I got one, even though I wasn't totally convinced it would prove worthwhile. It was very helpful while I was on the road, and has proved invaluable now that I'm in my new home.

[Praxis]

Washington DC for 4-6 days---

DC has good transit options and driving into the city can be tough, especially during weekday rush hours, so your best best is parking or camping near a Metro station in MD or VA and using Metro to get downtown to the National Mall. Metro's website has a great trip planning tool that will help you get anywhere in the DC area. Buy a one-day or multi-day pass from the vending machine in the station. Much more cost effective than paying per trip.

http://www.wmata.com/

If you want to see the city by bike, here's the Capital Bikeshare website.

http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/

The Smithsonian Museums are excellent and free. Check out the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. You can reserve free tickets on their website. White House tours are very interesting, but generally must be arranged in advance for security reasons. Plenty of interesting neighborhoods in D.C. as well, but you may want to avoid Northeast and Southeast D.C. due to high street crime rates. On your way south from D.C. to Virginia Beach, check out the brand new National Museum of the Marine Corps. Just off Interstate 95 at Quantico, VA.

Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

Ben

[psimonl]

DC has good transit options and driving into the city can be tough, especially during weekday rush hours, so your best best is parking or camping near a Metro station in MD or VA and using Metro to get downtown to the National Mall. Metro's website has a great trip planning tool that will help you get anywhere in the DC area. Buy a one-day or multi-day pass from the vending machine in the station. Much more cost effective than paying per trip.

http://www.wmata.com/

If you want to see the city by bike, here's the Capital Bikeshare website.

http://www.capitalbikeshare.com/

The Smithsonian Museums are excellent and free. Check out the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. You can reserve free tickets on their website. White House tours are very interesting, but generally must be arranged in advance for security reasons. Plenty of interesting neighborhoods in D.C. as well, but you may want to avoid Northeast and Southeast D.C. due to high street crime rates. On your way south from D.C. to Virginia Beach, check out the brand new National Museum of the Marine Corps. Just off Interstate 95 at Quantico, VA.

Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

Ben

As a mather of fact, When IN DC' We'll stay at my Brother in law in Reston VA. He's been living over there for the past 10 years. He even married a very nice girl from Kentucky!!!

But I'll try to get some passes for the Capitole...

And thank Paul for your suggestion: I really think a GPS is now something we'll have to buy...

Keep them coming.
Simon