The search is on....

Busskipper wrote:

Not sure what your final decision will be but - I have driven through Ft Wayne 20 or 30 times (from Annapolis) and it would be my personal choice to always use I-68 vs I-76 - reason being - truck traffic - roads, just not fun unless you are in a sports car!

If you have doubts just Google Map it and look at the roads, 68 is straight for the most part, is up and down the hills of Western Md and WV, it is easy to drive much less traffic, just a much easier drive. 76 is also a Toll Road.

You will enjoy the DC area it is one of the, IMHO, bigger National Parks, so you will need to plan your day just like you would if in Yellowstone, get good maps and plan you day, wear really good SHOES, as you will hike just like you would in YNP. The heat is abated by starting early and being inside during the day - Last suggestion is that the Native American Museum is the Best place to plan Lunch.

I grew up Spending Saturdays in DC - My Kids grew up spending Sundays in DC - now the Grand Daughters are getting to see it (Whenever we can) - it is always new and always Amazing.

Not sure of your time limit but a quick run to the Beach, would surely not be a waste (might be a long side trip but even if you just drove down for the day the kids will love the change of pace) Mid week to avoid traffic.

Hope this was of some help,

I guess my confusion with everything is that by visual comparision of google maps i-68 seems like a very short part of the trip. The suggestion to avoid i-76 is a good one I agree but i-76 is a very long road. From my eyes it appears to start off as i-80 up near the ohio/michigan boarder and then at some point it turns into i-76 but also continues as i-80 up across the northern part of pennsylvania.

To add to my confusion, you say you take i-68 when running from annapolis to ft wayne, yet from near as I can tell, i-68 only runs from morgantown to hagerstown?

Really I don't need to know the roads on your ft wayne trips, but using that to illustrate my greater point of what is the best way, utilizing i-68 during the trip, to come south i-75 out of michigan to head to dc? Or more specifically pohick bay (lorton va area)?

As I said before, we have been to nashville tn, columbus oh multiple times, norwalk oh multiple times, and wellington oh multiple times. So I have extensive experience running on the ohio turnpike (at least as far as to go to norwalk), as well as the lesser traveled roads that avoid the turnpike.

With the nashville trip I also had the experience of running with LOTS AND LOTS of trucks lol. Quite honestly, I'd rather not do that again, but if I have to I have to.

Thank you all for the replys and I hope this post doesn't sound adversarial because it isn't meant that way. If we were just hopping in the car, it wouldn't be as much concern, as I've done that a couple times already. Love that DC traffic! lol.