Happy 4th of July, Americans! I've been back from my road trip for a while now and although I've been busy, it's time to share. It was an amazing trip. I couldn't have hoped for it to be any better. Even when things didn't go perfectly they still turned out either funny or fine.
We spent the first couple of days with friends in Frederick, just relaxing, catching up, and meeting their new, adorable baby. Our first full vacation day included getting up late, eating cinnamon rolls, wandering the town until we got too hot, escaping to the beach, and a lovely dinner.
Frankly, I was too preoccupied with catching up and enjoying the company that I didn't take many post-worthy pictures. But I might as well share a little of what I do have.
Like this terrible photo of the Batmobile. I take the fall for it being a sub-par photo since I drove by just a little too quickly--fine, way too quickly. In my defense, I was gleeful and it translated slightly to "peddle to the metal." I love it anyway.
A soda pop shop in Frederick. Leninade is something that I never knew I wanted.
A somewhat ominous sign for the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.
We didn't go in, but I'm still curious about what's in there that would apparently blow my mind.
A stroll by Carroll Creek.
These two flew by on tall bikes. It looks like they had stacked one frame on top of another.
That's it for my Frederick photos. I wish I had more of downtown, there were lots of pretty, old historical brick buildings and quirky shops. I loved the whole feel of the place--a little bit young and a little bit grounded in the past.
After roaming around Frederick and getting sufficiently sweaty from the heat, we decided to take a trip to the beach at Cunningham Falls State Park. It was only a 20-30 minute drive from my friends' house. Once off the main highway, the road to the park was beautiful, it wound up the mountain and through the trees, giving us a little peak of some flowing water.
The setting was really nice. My friend and I kept commenting on how the backdrop of trees looked so perfect that it seemed fake. I imagine it's even more gorgeous in the fall.
The water was kind of murky and leafy (and stinky when a certain person forgot to wash her suit immediately afterward), but I expect that in Maryland. It certainly didn't stop anyone from having fun.
Especially the baby. It was my friends' first time taking him to the beach, so it was exciting to watch them introduce him to the water. He loved it! He immediately started splashing around like an old pro as they held him.
All-in-all it was a fantastic day made even better by wonderful friends. I'd love to visit Frederick and Cunningham Falls (maybe for a hike next time) again. I'm sure it won't be too long.
This was just the start to a great trip. The next post will be about Baltimore, touring Camden Yards, and an Orioles' game.