[MSCW list] MSCW 2023 Drive Season - a Sneak Peek

[Timothy Metzinger]

Looking ahead for the 2023 driving season we're going to include Plains, Trains, and Automobiles, along with a mix of roads and areas.  We'll be covering Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, and a long overnight trip up to Niagara Falls.  I'll post more details at least a few weeks in advance, but I wanted to give you a "sneak preview" of my plans.

We'll be starting the season in March with a drive I'm calling the "Spring Warm Up". It'll be in Virginia, and include Lime Kiln Road and Leeds Manor Road along with US50 and VA55.  The drive will be two hours long, and will also offer the option of folks travelling to Washington VA for bruch (another 30-40 minutes) when the normal drive is done.

In April, we'll have another short scenic drive (about 90 minutes) in Maryland, making a figure 8 around the Loch Haven Reservoir and visiting Gunpowder Falls Park.  Our destination drive in April will take us to the Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad (the "Trains" portion of the season) for a three hour train ride along the Potomac.  This will be late in April when the weather should be decent, and we should be able to see some bald eagles.  There is a fee to ride the train, which varies depending on if you bring your own food/drink or sign up for dining service.

In May, we'll have a short scenic drive (90 minutes) in the Fairfax area (Vale Road, Lawyers Road, and others), and we'll have an all day drive through WV, up to cross the Mason Dixon Line into PA, and a visit to the abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike near Breezewood.  There will be a hike involved (1.5 miles each way) if folks want to see the abandoned tunnel (don't think we can go in).  Then we'll head West to Everett for a meal, and folks can get on I-70 to head home, or take US30 east to catch US15 south.

In June, we have the "Automobiles" portion of the season, with our annual trip to the AACA Cruise-In.   It's free, and include admission to the museum.  We'll also take another trip north in June to visit seven covered bridges (we can drive across five of them) and have lunch in Hagerstown and make our way home through the hills west of Frederick.

July will include a scenic drive in Maryland, and we'll also cover "Planes" with a trip to the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base, as well as a visit to the Maryland Coastline and hopefully a bit of beach/ocean time.

August will feature our annual "go fast-ish" drive on Fort Valley Road.  I'm on vacation that month so there may only be the one drive, but we'll see.

September will be our trip to Niagara Falls - where' we'll spend the night.  We'll also visit the Kinzua state park (home of a railroad bridge destroyed by a tornado) on the way home.   Definitely get your passports for this trip so you can venture onto the Canadian side of the Falls.

In October or November we'll have a trip for leaf-peeping, and we'll definitely have another chilling cruise in November or December, and we'll take another trip in December to see the Christmas lights in Longwood Gardens.

Sometime this year they should show The Blues Brothers at the Alamo Theatre, and we'll definitely have a get-together for that.   And if any great car movies come out, we'll fit those in as well.  Some things I'm still considering - a long day with a visit to the Back of the Dragon in SW Virginia, a visit to the Stephen City Drive-In, and I'd love to find a drive-in restaurant we can visit.  I also think a winery visit may be in order.

Please pass along any ideas you may have for fun roads or good places to visit.  I'm trying to not repeat any routes from the last five years (except for Fort Valley and AACA), but I always appreciate suggestions.

Keep your eyes peeled for the March drive announcement!  It'll be posted in the next week or so, since we'll scout the road this Sunday.

Drive safely and HAVE FUN,
Timothy (Tim) Metzinger
Scenic Drive Coordinator - Mazda Sport Cars of Washington, DC
tim.metzinger at outlook.com
703.963.3015