This weekend, while camping at Cedar Hill State Park, we finalized our reservations for our next big trip — to Shenandoah National Park and Washington, D.C. (For the record, the folksong refers to the Missouri River and in most versions of the song the name “Shenandoah” refers to an Indian chief, not the Shenandoah Valley.) Because we’re visiting our nation’s capital over Memorial Day weekend, we had to contend with full campgrounds and three-night minimum stays, but we finally got everything booked. Our original plan to make the 20-hour trip in two days seemed a bit ambitious, so we adjusted our itinerary. We’ll travel from Dallas to Memphis for an overnight stay at the KOA Journey, then we’ll head to Rocky Top Campground and RV Park in Blountville, Tennessee, for our second overnight. From there, we’ll travel to Cherry Hill RV Park, just outside of Washington. That gives us about 72 hours to explore the monuments, museums, and memorials in and around the capital.

Unfortunately, the White House is only open for public tours on Fridays and Saturdays, so we’ve set our sights on the Capitol, Supreme Court, and National Archives. We’re also planning to visit the Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, and MLK memorials, as well as the WW2, Korean, and Vietnam Veterans memorials. And no trip to DC would be complete without a visit to at least some part of the Smithsonian, so we’re hoping to see the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

We admit, it’s a lot to take in over a short span of time, but we visited the Mighty 5 in five days, so we’re feeling confident.

Our weekend at Cedar Hill State Park also found us pursuing our regular passions: engaging in conversation around the campfire, snuggling with our doggies, imbibing signature cocktails, enjoying al fresco brunches and dinners under the pavilion, reading The New York Times, taking long walks, and making new discoveries on ancestry.com.

Why must weekends be so short?