Travels with Tumbleweed: Washington D.C.

September 10, 2010

We arrived in College Park, Maryland, home of the University of Maryland, on Monday, September 6th. We are in an RV park called Cherry Hill Park. It is one of the closest parks to Washington D.C. We spent our first day catching up on housekeeping duties such as laundry, cleaning and grocery shopping. Our friends, Bob and Pink arrived at 2:00 on Tuesday and it was very exciting to see them. A little bit of home so far away. We celebrated with dinner and a glass of wine and then Bob took us for a drive into the city to see the monuments at night. I had my first look at the Washington Monument and it was incredible. To see something that you are used to seeing only in pictures, right in front of you is very moving. We returned to the RVs and celebrated our reunion with a glass of champagne.

Wednesday we ventured into the city again. This time we took the Metro bus to the Metro Rail station and took the subway into the city. It was quite an experience. I assume it is like the subway in New York but it took all four of us to figure out where to go and what to do. We were quite proud of ourselves when we actually made it to our destination. Our first day we visited two of the Smithsonian museums, the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History. The original Smithsonian Institute was housed in one building.


The original Smithsonian

There are now several individual museums, all part of the Smithsonian. All of the museums are incredibly large...and all free. The Museum of Natural History had a wonderful exhibit on the oceans which Pete and I enjoyed very much. The elephant display in the foyer was magnificent.


Museum of Natural History Oceans


Museum of Natural History, Elephant display


Museum of American History; First Ladies dresses

The Museum of American History had a wonderful display of the First Ladies dresses that dated back to Martha Washington. Also on display were some of the china and other items used by the First Ladies, as well as some wonderful portraits. I took a picture of the inauguration dress worn by Michelle Obama. Pink and I loved this display. Pete and Bob chose to explore elsewhere. We don't know why.... It was also amazing to stand in the middle of the National Mall and be able to see the U.S. Capitol on one side and the Washington Monument on the other.


U.S. Capitol


The Rotunda

On Thursday we started our day with a wonderful tour of the U.S Capitol thanks to the sister-in-law of a good friend of ours. She is the sister of our friend Marcia's husband Tim. These tours are free but you must have a ticket and the ticket must come from someone such as your Senator or Congressman. Shannon works on Pennsylvania Avenue and was gracious enough to get tickets for all four of us. Our tour began at 9:00 in the morning and was of the Rotunda as well as views of the Old Senate Chambers and the Old Supreme Court Chambers where Thomas Jefferson had been sworn in, among other historical events. We were in awe to be able to stand in the same places that Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and others stood before. So much symbolism here. And we discovered so much about government, past and present.


Pete and the Wright Bros., Orville & Wilbur


Theater box where Lincoln was sitting

From the Capitol, we went to the Air and Space Museum which, according to the brochures, can take a full day. We saw everything from the Wright Brother's plane to U.S. missiles to an actual Space Lab. From there, we walked up to the Ford Theater. This is where President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865 by John Wilkes Booth. It was a very well done presentation and museum which included several artifacts from that night, including the gun used and the booth where Lincoln and his party where sitting. Our last stop of the day was the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where they featured a display of Norman Rockwell paintings now owned by George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. We have both always loved Rockwell's work and saw many we had never seen before. Pete grew up looking forward to seeing his illustrations on the cover of Post and Look magazines.

JFK gravesite with eternal flame

Changing of the Guard

Our last day of touring Washington D.C. was focused on the Memorials. We started our day at Arlington National Cemetery. We were able to see the graves of the Kennedy brothers, John, Robert and Edward Kennedy as well as Jackie Kennedy Onassis. I think the most moving part of this tour was the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. There are three buried in the tomb at this time. One from World War 1, World War II and the Korean War. The soldier from Viet Nam was identified thanks to DNA in 1998. This tomb is guarded by an Army Honor Guard 24 hours a day, seven days a week, regardless of the weather. It has been guarded since 1921. The dedication of these soldiers is amazing. From there we took the subway back under the Potomac River to Washington D.C. We went to the Washington Monument, although we weren't able to go up inside as tickets had sold out early that morning. From there we went to the Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean Memorial and Viet Nam Memorial. Of all of them, our favorite is the Lincoln Memorial. To walk up those steps and stand in front of that statue brings tears to my eyes. He was such a great man.

Lincoln Memorial

On our long walk back to the subway, we passed by the White House. It too was impressive. I was hoping to get a glimpse of Beau, the dog but alas, the only things moving were the armed spotters on the roof!

We didn't make it to the Iwo Jima (Marine Corps) Memorial or the Jefferson Memorial but will see them on our way to Mount Vernon. There is so much to see in this city. It would take weeks to see it all and absorb it all. We feel good about what we were able to see. Security was extremely strict everywhere we went. We were searched at every place we visited and a lot of areas were closed to vehicle traffic.