Today we left the Carolinas and made our way north to the Maryland/Washington DC area. My husband was born and raised in Baltimore and I have always wanted to see our nation’s capital so lucky for us, they’re very close to one another.

But getting there from the North/South Carolina border took us a good eight hours, with only a few stops. Traffic near the D.C. area can rival what one sees in L.A., though their freeways are not seven lanes, on both sides…

Thankfully, my love let me be the passenger so I could soak it all up without having to keep my eyes on the road (though I did try to be a second pair for him when the rain came down.)

I stared out the car window for many hours today, and with the help of some Apple music streaming, I thoroughly enjoyed the greenery that sped past as I made some more observations along the way, which I thought I’d share with you now, along with some lessons learned as well:

• found out what a beltway is today (we don’t have them in California, right?) For those who don’t know, like yours truly, it’s a circular highway in an urban area.
• Virginia means business when it comes to speeding. There are cops right along the freeway and every few miles, one will see a sign detailing the state’s strict speeding rules (and yet, their typical speed limit is 70mph… Catch up Los Angeles!)
• Apple maps is hands down superior over Google Maps (though my husband would argue otherwise, hehe…)
• Humidity can make a day of 65* feel twenty degrees warmer, no joke.
• Rest stops aren’t as scary as I’ve made them out to be in my head. Or is that just the ones on the east coast?
• I pee quite a bit more than I did as twenty-something, and what better time to realize that when in a car for eight hours. (TMI?)
• Bug bites come in all shapes and sizes and they suck. Period. And I can’t stop SCRATCHING!!
• As strange as it is, I literally cannot pronounce the word “Potomac”, not for the life of me.

Till tomorrow…

#roadtripping