GA SMA FAILED TO MAKE FREQ CHANGE UNTIL 40 NM INTO ADJACENT ARTCC SECTOR.

Narrative

IFR FLT FROM COLUMBUS; OH (OSU) TO MANASSAS; VA (WIO). AFTER BEING HANDED OFF TO CLEVELAND CENTER UPON PASSING THE ZANESVILLE VORTAC ON R144 EBND; I FLEW DIRECT TO THE MORGANTOWN VORTAC AND THEN R44 DIRECT MARTINSBURG VORTAC. APPROX 7 NM W OF MARTINSBURG; I CONTACTED CLEVELAND CENTER TO INQUIRE ABOUT A FREQ CHANGE AND WAS INFORMED I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TALKING TO WASHINGTON CENTER FOR THE PAST 40 NM! I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED WASHINGTON CENTER WHERE I WAS HANDED OFF THE DULLES APCH AND PROCEEDED TO MANASSAS ARPT W/O FURTHER INCIDENT. UPON CLOSER REVIEW OF THE LOW ALT ENRTE CHART; I DID NOTICE THAT A FREQ CHANGE SHOULD TAKE PLACE 34 NM E OF THE MORGANTOWN VORTAC ON V44 AT THE LIZIO INTL. IN RETROSPECT; I KNOW I SHOULD HAVE BEEN PAYING CLOSER ATTN TO THE CHART RATHER THAN MARVELING AT MY 163 KT GND SPEED AT 11000'. THE LONG PERIOD IN WHICH I WAS NOT CONTACTED OR DID NOT RECEIVE A FREQ CHANGE FROM CLEVELAND CENTER SHOULD HAVE ALERTED ME TO THE FACT THERE WAS A PROB; WHERE I COULD HAVE MADE AN EARLIER INQUIRY RATHER THAN TRAVELING 53 NM INTO WASHINGTON CENTER AIRSPACE W/O CONTACTING THEM.