I promised another historical stop. So here is Harpers Ferry (no apostrophe). It is so named because some guy named Harper started a ferry service across the Potomac River here in 1761. (Duh!) The town is just inside West Virginia from Maryland, and therefore completes our quest of RVing in all the lower 48 states! The town is on a point where the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers come together and the ferry to the Maryland side of the Potomac was for the settlers heading to the Shenandoah Valley. The town itself is very picturesque. I took these photos from the internet. The buildings on the lower part of the town are National Park museum-type attractions while higher up the hill the actual town begins. The town has been, and still is, subject to major flooding. Up the hill are touristy shops and tiny little restaurants with colorful umbrellas. Most are rather hidden as they front on the street about 12 feet or so, making them very narrow but fairly deep. (click to enlarge) Other pics from around the town. George Washington selected the town to be a major armory to manufacture arms and between 1801 and 1861 it produced 600,000 muskets, rifles, and pistols. It was destroyed in 1861 to prevent capture in the Civil War. There is an Amtrak stop here, making it a convenient stop for tourists. It's a neat place to visit. While there had been an automobile bridge across the Potomac, now there is only a railroad bridge and a walking bridge. The walking bridge is part of the Appalachian Hiking Trail which extends approximately 2200 miles from Maine to Georgia. We saw a couple of guys who were hiking a portion of the trail, and another guy who was hiking the whole thing. He had started in April and figured he had another month and a half to go. Moving on down the road, we stopped at a campground in the tiny town of Edinburg, Virginia. We were on the bank of a little river. ML's sound on her phone for incoming texts is the sound of ducks quacking, so she was 'talking' to her new friends. A couple of boys came down to fish. They said their summer plans were to work and fish. We were impressed that they were not doing video games or other non-productive stuff. This is a 'Mayberry' type place where boys can be boys. I kinda expected to see Andy Griffith and Opie come strolling by. Here's a map of recent progress. Stay tuned.
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Who are we?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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