Trout Pond Recreation Area

Twelve sites out of thirty-six in this remote campground have electric hookups and several are double sites which are great for family groups. Most of the sites are fairly level but we were glad that we didn't reserve a site and were able to get one of the best. Amenities include picnic tables, grills, flush toilets, showers, a dump station, and a small lake for fishing and swimming.

All the sites are designated as accessible. The lake has a paved trail to the water's edge. The trail from the campground to the lake is not accessible. We did not try any other trails.

The roads to the campground are a little narrow and twisty but paved and should be fine for all RVs. The maximum campsite length is 45' Park    38.95277, -78.73472

Hirshhorn Museum and Yayoi Kusama's Dots

When we visit my sister and brother-in-law in Washington DC they always come up with interesting things to see and do. This time is was a special exhibit at the Hirshhorn Art Museum. The museum has been collecting works by artist, Yayoi Kusama, since 1996. Two of them feature mirrors that make the small exhibit spaces appear to go on forever thus the names: Infinity Mirrored Room—My Heart Is Dancing into the Universe and Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field .  

This is a fun exhibit but you have to be fast when taking photos because each visitor is only allowed to be in the rooms for about 30 seconds. The exhibition is ending November 22, 2022 but I think the rooms may travel to other museums.

There are other exhibitions in the museum which focuses on late-twentieth-century and contemporary art. Most of the exhibits are temporary so there's always something new to see.

The museum is accessible.  Infinity Mirror Room—Phalli’s Field has a path that dead-ends without a turnaround so backing up is necessary. The path in Infinity Mirrored Room—My Heart Is Dancing into the Universe turns twice. It's easy to get  disoriented so pay attention to the docent who will show you a diagram of the exhibit you enter.

When visiting DC we park on one of the street around the National Mall. On most streets the fee is $2.00 an hour payable by credit card or phone app and and limited to three hours. The spaces are not marked with lines so RVs fees are the same as car fees. Museum  38.88889, -77.02301

Plane Spotting at Gravelly Point

Planes landing on Runway 19 or taking off from Runway 1 of Ronald Reagan National Airport fly directly over the Gravelly Point so it's a popular place to watch them. The planes were taking off the day we visited but apparently when they're landing they come much closer to the ground due to the short landing strip. Either way it's a cool place to visit.

The point is accessible.

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. This is a good place to park for access to the Mount Vernon Trail.   Check the height restrictions on the George Washington Memorial Parkway before driving on the parkway.  38.86474, -77.04037  Gravelly Point

National Apple Museum

 Pennsylvania's loamy soil and frost protection from the rolling hills have helped make it the country's fourth largest producer of apples with about 100 different varieties grown. The museum has displays on early growing and packing practices, processing equipment, advertising labels, apple products, and household items.

The museum is accessible to some extent. A ramp provides access to the first level. An asphalt path goes to the second level. The path and the parking lot both slope uphill. The second level entry has a short step up. One small section of the second level is accessed by a few steps and another by a short steep ramp.

The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Museum  39.92854, -77.25414

Donaldson Farms Market

Donaldson's is a traditional farm market with a large section of fresh fruits and vegetables. While the farm is not certified organic many organic farming practices are used. No-till planting and biodegradable ground cover help to safeguard the environment. With this in mind we happily bought a variety of produce including some of the dirty dozen which we usually avoid unless they are organic. Everything that we bought was very good except for the peaches which weren't picked ripe and weren't as good as Columbia River, Georgia, or Chambersburg peaches even after they ripened. The corn, which we ate along with the zucchini, and shrimp from our freezer, was excellent - so good that we bought more corn and zucchini to eat the next night along with barbecued chicken. Yum!

    

The market is accessible but the parking lot is surfaced with loose gravel which is difficult to push through. The accessible space has a paved section that goes into the store.

This is a Harvest Hosts site. The parking area is a very large grassy field.  Guests are requested to not park close to the houses at the south side of the lot. We parked near the entrance where the employees parked. Another guest parked at the far west end beside the corn field. Market  40.83048, -74.8433

 

State Museum of Pennsylvania

 

The natural history of Pennsylvania is covered fairly well with exhibits on geology, plants and animals of prehistoric eras, and dioramas of animals currently living in the state but much of the human history is missing. There are few exhibits on Native Americans or early European settlers and nothing on the French and Indian War or the Revolutionary War. The largest exhibits cover the Pennsylvania Turnpike which opened in 1940 as the first superhighway in the US and the industries that built the state. A smaller but interesting exhibit covers integration in Pennsylvania's parks and schools and the experiences of the first African American family to move into Levittown, Pa. 

 

The museum is accessible.

Parking is available on Foster Street but check the signs carefully. Parking is free on the Sunday. Museum 40.26576, -76.88584

Waterloo Village

Waterloo Village, originally called Andover Forge Farm, was established in 1760 with the Musconetcong River supplying the water power needed to run the forge and make pig iron. In the early 1800s the property was bought by John Smith to take advantage of all the good farm land that had been created when the trees were cut down to make charcoal for the forge.. Smith realized that the proposed Morris Canal would run through his land and continued buying until he had over 2000 acres. Three generations of the Smith family owned and developed the town property which included a church, school house, store, hotel, tenant housing, apple orchards, crop land, an ice company, and grist, plaster, and saw mills.

 

When the canal closed in 1920 the Smiths abandoned the town. Eventually the property went into foreclosure and was sold in 1945. The land and buildings sat empty for three decades until Percival Leach and  Louis Gualandi, business partners and history lovers, bought the property and restored the buildings. The two men created a very successful non-profit living history village with working blacksmiths, potters, candle dippers and weavers. Due to Guanlandi's death and possible shady financial deals by Leach, the non-profit went bankrupt and the state took over. Unfortunately the state has not provided adequate funding to staff the park so now it's a ghost town with beautiful old houses The visitor center, museum, and some of the other buildings are open on the weekends and for special programs.

We did not visit on the weekend so the sawmill was the only open building. It's still an interesting place to roam around. Almost two dozen original buildings are still standing and there are a few interpretive signs, although they are faded and hard to read. One of the buildings, possibility the museum, has walking tour maps in a box outside.

The village is not accessible but the paths can be managed with assistance. I did not notice any ramps.

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle.  Village  40.9146, -74.75913