Dry Camping in DC

First, I will explain dry camping.

Dry camping means the only electricity you have in your RV is supplied by the battery, and the only water you have is stored on-board in a 50 gallon tank. There are no electrical plug-ins, and no water hoses.

And it is an adjustment.

Our typical setup routine involves plugging in and then notifying our family of where we are parked (‘cuz you guys are important) and lastly, turning on the radio while we pop open the beer and wine.

Except when we dry camp, we don’t have a radio. Or a single serve coffee maker, or TV, or toaster…. You get the idea. Anything that requires 120 voltage doesn’t work. Unfortunately, electric appliances are habit forming. And it usually takes a minute after you decide to take out the vaccuum cleaner that you realize, "oh, I can't use this right now....  Guess I can't clean after all. What a shame."
Obviously I find it more of a hardship to be without the radio.

Thank goodness cork screws are manual.

Essentials work – the lights, stove, fridge, and water pump all run on battery power. But we have to keep our eye on the voltage of the battery. If it gets low, we may need to boost it with a half hour or so of using our noisy generator.

By dry camping occasionally, we find that we get back to basics. We tend to have campfires more often, as it becomes our evening entertainment. Books are opened more often as well.

And hubby uses his old fashioned coffee percolator in the morning. It reminds us of what camping is supposed to be. And even if it is not our usual lifestyle, it’s still something we enjoy.

Dry camping in Washington, DC could mean parking overnight on a city street, and getting a huge ticket, or in our case, finding a campground near the city where you don't have to pay exorbitant camping fees.

We were pleased to find a National Park campground within the metro and transit boundaries of Washington, DC. It is not well known among RVers, probably because it is only dry or tent camping. But it put us up in a lovely forested area where we were greeted by deer and cardinals, and only a few other campers.

From our campsite, there is a path through the woods that directs us to the local Metro station. It’s a walking distance of 15 minutes in the woods and then a bus ride. 

Of course, put my hubby in the woods for even a few minutes, and he always brings something home. 

Anyone who knows him will ask, “is that for a hiking stick, or a campfire?”

It was for a campfire. Relaxing in the quiet crackle of campfire flames is the best way to end a day filled with noisy children running through museums and with pushing our way onto subway trains.

But noisy school children and groups of tourists are to be expected when we choose to visit DC in the spring. School break and the cherry blossoms happen at the same time, and that also tends to be when we are on our way north.

We find that it is worth putting up with the crowds to enjoy the beautiful blossoms reflected on the water of the tidal basin. 

And we can’t beat the free entrance to the museums of the Smithsonian in Washington.

It is the reason we stop by this way. And now that we have found affordable dry camping within the metro city area, we will probably stop again to see the difference it makes if we come in the fall.

W