Washington DC is my backyard (office & home are 7 miles from the Rose Garden). I also have tour docents on staff who know all the angles and can compress three days of normal sight-seeing into one.....(MetroRail w/ a subway-smart guide beats tour busses & just wandering hands-down...)

Cherry Hill Campground is an option, but usually mayhem and high $$. An option might be Greenbelt Park (no hook-ups, but close by water, showers, dump station, etc)

http://www.nps.gov/gree/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

Also, there's an under-utilized campground a little further out - nice wooded flat sites w/showers....can virtually guarantee it would be exclusive-use for Barth G-T-G....

The regional park service (my employer) has fleet of mini-busses, so local transportation wouldn't be a problem......

If there's enough interest in a D.C. venue, I'd be willing to help pull it off.......

To Lee and Bruce,
I repeat, I like the idea of DC.
Nick

Threw this one at Suzy and it sounds good to us, depending,of course, on the price of gas and everything else a year from now. I haven't been to DC in about 40 years, and Suzy's never been, so it would really be a first time tour for both of us. Put us in the 70% bracket for now, and we'll see what happens.

Danny, like you I have been to DC but it was a long time ago. I'm a Viet Nam vet and the wall wasn't there the last time I was in DC. Would love to visit it.

Lee, since you have the connections and experience with the Park service, when would you suggest the GTG be to stay away from as many of the crowds as possible. In other words what are the slowest months of the year for tourism.

Nick

DC doesn't sound bad at all; my last visits there were '79.

Probably could not afford to drive the Barth to DC but bet I could fly and stay in cabin

quote:

the wall wasn't there the last time I was in DC.

....That makes it over 26 years ago Nick....time for a re-visit!

As to timing, I'd suggest late-Sept.- early-Oct.
Kids are in school so fewer family vacations, but too early in school year for school bus trips. In reality, there's only about 4-5 DC attractions that have waiting-line problems, and since everybody gets there early to avoid the crowds, arriving there a little later usually avoids the large number of crowd-avoiders

More importantly, MD/DC weather is much more hospitable then...little or no a/c needed during the day and little or no heat needed at night. That makes dry camping much more tolerable and MUCH less expensive than the regular tourist-trap places . For Barthers with kids, I'd think the DC educational experience would justify playing hookey for a day or two.....

If this turns into a GO, I'd suggest that over this winter we get an idea of attendee's want-to-see sights so we can tailor a one day guided tour as a group thing, leaving the second day for on-yer-own sightseeing to re-visit sites or see special-interest places. By then, we'll all have a lay of the land, be subway experts and be able to maximize our time, with little time wasted standing on a street corner staring at a tourist map......

For me, I'd plan to be there, and I won't care how much fuel costs!

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Ray:
Probably could not afford to drive the Barth to DC but bet I could fly and stay in cabin

Mary, you don't drive one from Memphis. You just buy one in Washington, DC. Fly over and drive it home.
Nick

Nick, been there, done that, got the shirt.

Hubby and I are going shopping in the next week or so for a house and some land about 80 miles from Memphis. He was born and grew up around Dyersburg, TN, and we are hoping to find something in that area. If we are successful then I would have room to park more Barths.

quote:

Originally posted by Mary Ray:
...some land about 80 miles from Memphis... If we are successful then I would have room to park more Barths.

I propose a Barth GTG in 2010... How about, 80 miles outside of the Memphis area?

You gotta deal, we just gotta buy the place first we are looking at a house and 2 acres of land this weekend. How many Barth's can you get on 2 acres of land?

I'm in the process of buying a lot at Deerlick Astronomy Village; I met Nick Cagle for the first time there, up at Grier Field.

Figuring on Lot 23, the one nearest the pond (well, Maggie and Casey ARE retrievers).

Anyway, Grier Field has hookups for about 8 RVs, and a shower room and restrooms. 2011?

quote:

Originally posted by Rusty:
I'm in the process of buying a lot at Deerlick Astronomy Village; I met Nick Cagle for the first time there, up at Grier Field.

Figuring on Lot 23, the one nearest the pond (well, Maggie and Casey ARE retrievers).

Anyway, Grier Field has hookups for about 8 RVs, and a shower room and restrooms. 2011?

I think I could afford the fuel to attend that one.
Nick

Will the GTG in 2010 located 80 miles from Memphis
have Pull Throughs, 50 Amp Hook Ups, Clean Hot Showers, Dump Stations, etc.?? If this is the case, we'll be there. Good luck Mary.........

Carl, probably not , Rusty's deal sounds a lot better to me .