Karen (always looking for a road trip)

@camarowrx

camping, road trips, hockey, random stuff #ParkChat HOFer #EndTheStigma No creepy DMs. I'm married and not interested.

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Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 23d

Smoke-haze from Montana wildfires on this day in 2013. This is from along I-90 near St. Regis.

Montana wildfire smoke in July 2013 from St. Regis, MT area.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 26d

You aren't the only one who feels cynical. The number of times I've had to call park rangers on site squatters is greater than the number of times I haven't over the past five years. The latest was in Great Smoky Mountains this past spring. #ParkChat

Not my tent. Not my chair. Not her site.... not the previous night and definitely not THIS night. And when she returned, she made it clear she was unhappy to get booted, which, months later, still makes me mad. How DARE you try to play the victim when you are clearly the one in the wrong? I didn't make my plans weeks earlier and drive 10 hours for this BS. I wasted HOURS because of this person and the fact that I couldn't set up my stuff. Note that Smokemont Campground has zero cell service, and the ranger station was not staffed. :(

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 26d

Past Seneca Creek, there are no more campgrounds. CanalTrust has renovated some lockhouses that you can stay in, from rustic (22, 25, 28) to 1920s (6, 10, 21). Lockhouse 49 is a hybrid. We stayed at 25 in Feb; it was COLD. There's a special passport. #ParkChat

Lockhouse 25 in February 2026. Yes, just two weeks after SNOWCRETE. We chipped away at the snowcrete on the steps to make it safer to enter/exit, especially at night in case we needed to use the portajohn; this is a rustic lockhouse, so no heat, power or indoor plumbing.

Some of the beds in lockhouse 25. All told, I think between the double bed, twin beds and all the trundle beds, I think it can sleep up to 8 or 10 people.

Some of the "period" decor in lockhouse 25.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 26d

A7 #ParkChat Being a 185mi long linear park, C&O Canal NHP has several "developed" campgrounds that can be reserved via RecGov. These are either drive-up (Spring Gap, Fifteenmile Creek, McCoys Ferry) or walk/hike-up (PawPaw, Antietam Creek). There are also hiker/biker campgrounds every 5-10mi.

A sign for the Horseshoe Bend Hiker/Biker Campsite, showing the proximity of the adjoining two (Killiansburg Cave downstream and Big Woods upstream). Each no-cost/not reservable hiker/biker site can be used for ONE night, and has a fire ring and from around April through November, a water pump (may need iodine tablets/boiling), and a portajohn. Theoretically, more than one person/group can use a hiker/biker campsite at a time (there is usually a lot of space available), but I guess that would depend on your comfort level with other group(s) there.

The Crosstrek at site 4 at Fifteenmile Creek. There is a fire in the ring, and Hoosier Bear and Snappy are sitting in a campchair.

Looking down at my campsite at McCoy's Ferry from the path that leads from the campground up to the towpath proper. Yes, that is a fourth generation Camaro Z28. All cars are camp-worthy in my book! And you'd be shocked how much gear you can get into one of those cars.

A picture from one of our earliest camping outings at Antietam Creek, April 19, 2015. Antietam Creek requires you to carry your gear across the canal, so there are some sites that really suck to camp at if you have a lot of gear, especially now with RecGov. This photo is from the days of FF, and you can see the little orange tag on the site post that indicates we paid our camping fee with the campground host.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 27d

A6 #ParkChat It's not really an oddity and more of a fact -- the C&O Canal was in direct competition with the B&O Railroad it's whole life, starting with construction. One of the most contentious sites was near Point of Rocks. The courts ruled in favor of the Canal, forcing the rail to tunnel.

The B&O Railroad tunnel at Point of Rocks. The other end of the tunnel is at Harpers Ferry.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 27d

The C&O Canal Terminus (MM0) is literally in Georgetown, though IYKYK there's a lockhouse on the National Mall. This is because a lot of the National Mall used to be part of the Tidal Potomac. #ParkChat

Mile marker 0 on the C&O Canal Towpath, the entrance lock in Georgetown.

A National Historical Marker on the C&O Canal Towpath at Georgetown. It says:

One of the best preserved and least altered of old American canals, the Chesapeake and Ohio grew from Washington's vision of linking the valleys of the early west with the east by “ties of communication.”

The Potomac Company fostered by Washington to improve navigation of the Potomac transferred its rights in 1828 to the Chesapeake and Ohio Company organized to connect the Ohio at Pittsburgh with Georgetown by a continuous canal. In October 1850 after 185 miles were built the construction ceased at Cumberland until 1924 trade continued on the old canal. Today, it is a memorial to national progress and the canal era.

Erected 1942 by The District of Columbia Daughters of the American Revolution; National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

The Lock Keeper's House on the National Mall.

The placard on the Lock Keeper's House. It essentially says : The Lockkeeper’s House, located at 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, is the Washington’s oldest extant structure in the nation’s capital and one of the few surviving structures from the era of the Washington City Canal. Built around 1837, the house originally served as the residence for the lockkeeper who operated the canal locks that connected the Washington City Canal to the Potomac River and the Anacostia River. The canal itself, authorized in the early 1800s, was intended to facilitate commercial traffic through the city and provide a direct water route from the Anacostia to the Potomac. However, by the mid-19th century, the canal had fallen into disuse due to competition from railroads and recurring flooding.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 27d

A4 #ParkChat Some portions of the C&O Canal are more busy than others. The closer you get to DC, the busier it becomes. The Antietam Creek and McCoys Ferry Campgrounds fill very quickly during the spring/summer, though Fifteenmile Creek and PawPaw offer great fishing and hiking opportunities too!

East (north, downstream) side of the Paw Paw Tunnel.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 27d

A3 #ParkChat The C&O Canal has a lot to discover. Closer to DC, you can do the Billy Goat Trail(s). Closer to Hancock, you can see historical structures like the Round Top Cement Factory. You can also go to the Seneca Quarries, where a lot of the stone for the Smithsonian Castle was mined.

The Round Top Cement Factory, which is about an hour hike from Hancock.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· 27d

A2 #ParkChat The C&O Canal Towpath is busy in some sections all year long, especially in the Georgetown (MM0-6) area. It's very picturesque in autumn, and very quiet in winter further upstream/west. I love the spring with the ephemerals.

Virginia bluebells along the C&O Canal towpath during the spring

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 9

No offense, but I'm getting ready to head off to the West. Soon. Very Soon. But I still loved the #ParkChat tonight, so thank you!

"Eastward I go only by force; westward I go free." -- Henry David Thoreau, 1862. At the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko, NV.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 9

A10 #ParkChat As remote as I can be. I don't like non-private campsites. I end up getting chatty neighbors who keep interrupting my solitude with, "I don't mean to intrude, but...."

My campsite at Assateague State Park most recently. The guy in the Cybertruck just couldn't stop bothering me. <sigh>

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 9

A8 #ParkChat LOL, I have been told by many of my friends over the last 15+ years that they love my photo sharing during trips so they can "travel too." I guess the most recent trip was to Assateague State Park (and sort of the ASIS NPS site too). Horses waking me up in the middle of the night. 😵‍💫

Assateague horses alongside the campground road.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 9

A6 #ParkChat #404Family jackpot!! We LOVE the Kosciuscko House!! @ecb08.bsky.social

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 9

A5 #ParkChat If I stick with east of the MS, I guess it's either at GRSMNP at Kuwohi. But otherwise, probably either Mt. Washington or Pikes Peak.

Me at Mt. Washington on the #404Family4th trip

The view from the Kuwohi viewing platform at GSMNP

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 9

A4 #ParkChat I'm surrounded by Civil War history here in Maryland, so it's hard to choose just one. For purposes of this, let's go with Antietam, and the yearly illumination, where 23000 candles are lit to illustrate the scope of one day of battle.

thousands of luminaries, stretching into the distance

thousands of luminaries, across from the Mumma Farm.

Spring brings daffodils to the battlefield. They are a bright spot, even on the bleakest days, at the bleakest part of the site (the sunken lane).

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 9

A1 #ParkChat Me and the #404Family visited Acadia in 2017 on our #404Family4th trip (including Steamtown, Springfield Armory, Weir Farm....). It was a lot of fun, and I do want to go back to hike more and take @patred.bsky.social with me.

Me, Jenn and Elizabeth along with Hoosier Bear and new friend Bob the Lob at Acadia NP

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 8

The "grumpy cat" meme, where an unhappy looking cat is pictured, staring off into space, with the word "GOOD" underneath.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 6

I've been there. In fact, @patred.bsky.social and I were just discussing our trip there the other day because the movie was on at the place we were at.

Corn on the stalk, the silk brown and old.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 5

I'm definitely not going east. I went east my last two trips; I really can't go any more east. #ParkChat

A ghost crab on the beach at Assateague State Park, which is just north of Assateague Island National Seashore.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 2

A11 #ParkChat Here's a beach primrose photo I took yesterday morning while at Assateague State Park (the Maryland DNR part of Assateague Island).

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 2

A10 #ParkChat I could name myriad sites, but right this moment, I want to say Fort Donelson. Grant didn't pull punches, even against someone he considered a friend and who'd helped him out (General Buckner). When the fabric of this country was on the line, Grant demanded unconditional surrender.

General Grant's letter to General Buckner

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jul 2

No one is stopping you. :) And some parks have special "not-so-Junior-Ranger" experiences, like Homestead (Nebraska). #ParkChat

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 30

I found a Mather Plaque! #ParkChat

A Mather Plaque on the west end of the Verrazano Bridge

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 28

I just got back from the Big Boy Reunion at Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA. It was pretty neat, and if you plan to go before Union Pacific 4014 leaves for Philadelphia on 7/1, I suggest going *early* to avoid crowds. We got there at 9:30AM, and it was already line-city. #ParkChat

Union Pacific 4014 "Big Boy" during its stop at Steamtown NHS

An old Canadian National (CN) steam locomotive at Steamtown NHS. This one is sometimes used for the regular train rides offered at the site.

A Baldwin Locomotive steamer on the turntable at Steamtown NHS.

A dilapidated steam locomotive in the far end of the railyard at Steamtown NHS

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 28

There's a USFS Visitor Center at Nebraska National Forest in Halsey, NE and one in Wall, SD for the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. Both gave me posters for my classroom when I said I was a teacher. 😃

I saw this plains cicada outside the Bessey District visitor center at the Nebraska National Forest near Halsey, NE.

The Scott Lookout Tower at the Nebraska National Forest (Bessey District).

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 27

Two more #BlueSkyArtShow #Macro entries from camping along the C&O Canal Towpath! A tiny caterpillar curled up (sleeping?) and a very tiny mushroom next to a maple seed helicopter. #ParkChat

a pale fuzzy caterpillar curled up in the dirt. A dilapidated clover plant is behind it.

A very tiny mushroom with a maple seed helicopter behind it. Grass is the background.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 27

A small butterfly -- a fiery skipper -- on a rock alongside the Potomac River next to the C&O Canal Towpath. I always look for the little things when camping, so this "macro" theme is perfect for a lot of my camping photos. 😃 #BlueSkyArtShow #Macro #ParkChat

a fiery skipper butterfly on a rock, proboscis extended

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 26

Here's some of my shots of wonder and beauty from our National Parks and Public Lands. Keep it going to show people and inspire them to want to protect them! #ParkChat

Sunset at Norbeck Pass at Badlands National Park. The clouds almost look like a stream of steam above the orange sun.

A Civilian Conservation Corp shelter along the River Bend Overlook Trail at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The Washington Monument illuminated and reflecting in the pool, as seen from the Lincoln Memorial. 11:45PM, November 7, 2016. Yeah, I may have stopped there on my way home from my ice hockey game in Northern Virginia to.... I don't know if "pray to Lincoln" is really what I was doing, but yeah.

The constellation Cassiopeia and an aurora borealis from the dock at group campsite K54 on Lake Kabetogama at Voyageurs National Park.

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 25

Beefy the bison encountered wild horses at Assateague Island today.... not the "buddy bison" you were looking for, but this is short video. ;) #ParkChat

Karen (always looking for a road trip)@camarowrx· Jun 24

I was at Assateague Island National Seashore earlier today. I came home for #ParkChat tonight! (I was coming home anyway, and anyone will tell you that I will definitely do #ParkChat on the road)