10/2/2010
We spent the night in Frederick, Maryland at an Extended Stay Hotel. Using Priceline “Name Your Price” we swiped the room for $35. We didn’t realize that this is one of those places designed for long term stays (hence the name), so we had our own kitchen, with a stove and fridge. This is the least we’ve ever paid for a hotel and yet it was one of the highest quality. Highly recommended if you’re in the area.
After the funeral we began our journey home, stopping at the nearby Antietam Battlefield – site of the bloodiest single day in American military history. Now run by the National Park Service there is a $6 fee (which is valid for a three-day visit), but the men at the visitor’s center said they wouldn’t charge us for some reason. We paid anyway, but that was really nice of them. So a big shout out to those National Park Service guys, whoever you are!
There’s a modest museum, but the real experience is the self-guided driving tour. Neither Laura nor I are big Civil War people to be honest, but the driving tour did fire our imaginations. It’s very well laid-out, and moves you through the battle as if you are moving with the battle lines. The battlefields themselves are left basically as they were at the time of the battles, so it does give you that “I’m really here” feeling, without beating it over your head with huge monuments. The tour concludes with the Antietam Battle Cemetery, a very visual reminder of the carnage and senseless waste of life.
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