Washington County

The Washington County sign, even though I thought we had already been in Washington County for several minutes by the time we found the sign.

A quaint street in Boonsboro, that Mary made me get out of the car and take a picture of since pictures through the windshield are not up to par.

 This is it. The world famous Crystal Grottoes Caverns, the most naturally kept cavern in the world! We didn't know it existed till we saw it on the internet. But it is about to become the biggest cave in Maryland, as they are excavating new rooms all the time (though we didn't know there was one cave in Maryland, much less multiple ones).Also, the road outside the caverns is the first asphalt road in America.

 The reflection off a lake inside the cave, where frogs often come underground to winter.

The caverns were originally discovered when the government was drilling for limestone in the 1920s. After the caverns were discovered, the owner decided to make them into commercial caves for people to tour. Our tour guide was very informative, telling us about all the animals that live in the caves (bats, rats, ROUS, frogs). Also there are roots from plants above that grow all the way down into the caves and break through the walls, including a honeysuckle root. Our tour guide knew a  lot about how stalagmites and stalactites were formed, but the lights will get turned off on you if you do not keep up with the tour. Which is very green and energy conscious, but also scary.

The blanket formations that make the cavern famous. Also interesting was that a room was recently found that is bright red, which researchers discovered was caused by a carnival that was in the area for several years that left pieces of iron which seeped into the ground. Several rooms are being excavated by hand and are not open to the public.

Secret cow hideout in a tunnel underneath the road.

Its a restaurant....and a gun store.

The inn author Nora Roberts owns.

An alpaca farm near Hagerstown, which also includes an alpaca store with merchandise made from alpaca wool. Mary got a sweater, and I got a scarf. For Christmas.

These two gelded alpacas came galloping over when the hose was turned on. They looked very cute but also very hot. They were a lot smaller than expected.

The black one has to be kept separate, since he isn't gelded, but he can see his buddies over the fence. He also liked the water with the hose and washing his feet in his water bucket.

Antietam National Battlefield, site of the bloodiest single day of the Civil War. It's a pretty compact site, and it doesn't take long to go through, but its worth it to get the audio tour or a tour guide, or a knowledgeable Civil War enthusiast, such as my dad. Because we didn't have any of those and we didn't really get what was happening some of the time. But there are bike trails, and walking trails. Also, spring for the bug spray. As fun as it was to hear Mary flip out about the bugs, just do it, because the bugs will get in any facial crevice you have.

One of the vast number of monuments scattered all throughout the park.

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Me with the canon in front of the visitors center.

Burnside Bridge, where intense fighting took place. It spans over Antietam Creek, where visitors can go kayaking, although it isn't very deep. Graves were situated all along the river, with markers torn from the planks on the bridge. Also, we eavesdropped on what looked like a private tour, and the tour guide said that that big tree was there during the battle. Its in a photograph by the bank.

Bloody Lane, the center of Confederate territory during the battle. Originally called Sunken Road, the lane filled with so many soldiers as the Union advanced that it became known as Bloody Lane. That blue car kinda not in the parking spot is Mary's.

A Confederate solider being hit by a cannonball. The canon is being fired by a smiling Union solider.

A tense moment of short range combat between the Confederacy and the Union.

Two reconciled soldiers posing by a fence surrounding a local cornfield.

Final Thoughts: There is loads to do in Washington County, if you have a little money and know where to go. Washington County scores in regards to natural beauty, with mountains, caverns, rolling hills, and farms. Definitely swing by Antietam, especially since its one of the few battlefields in the North. The Appalachian Mountains are right there, and there's probably biking and hiking to be found. But no matter what you plan to do, if you're going outside, bring bug spray.