There is no better way to finish off a summer than by taking one last road trip. On August 28th we left home as soon as Daddy got off work and headed east through Michigan, Ohio and then passing through Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania. A quick stay at the Hampton inn in Somerset, PA and we were back on the road. August 29 - Today's' journey will take us across the Pennsylvania country side to Gettysburg! As a history buff I have always wanted to visit Gettysburg. After watching North and South and Reading Underground to Canada so many years ago I had discovered an interest in the underground railroad and the Civil war. So seeing such a monumental location. The same field where Lincoln himself addressed the masses. Arriving in Gettysburg we headed straight for the visitor center. Beautiful and big! We took in an incredible Imax movie and wandered around the exhibits, talked to the guides and even got our passport stamp in our National Park book. Then we headed out drive the paths around the Park. Here are some pictures from our lunch time/ early afternoon visit to Gettysburg. After Gettysburg we got back in the car and headed towards the Capitol. The kids and Jason got to cross Maryland and Virginia off their lists, and before we knew it we were on the George Washington Parkway and getting our first looks at the amazing Monuments and Capitol that we would be touring over the next few days. We headed straight to our hotel. Luckily we had cashed in some loyalty points and received a 3 night free stay at the Comfort Inn Downtown DC/Convention Center, http://www.dcdowntownhotel.com/ where we were only a few blocks walk to many of the sites we would be seeing. Some of our favourite places to visit were the Smithsonian Museums. http://www.si.edu/ All completely free by the way! We visited the Museum of American History, National Air and Space Museum, and the Museum of Natural History. The Museums were wonderful. One of our favourites was the National Portrait Gallery. http://www.nationalportraitgallery.org/ Were we were able to view portraits of all the Presidents. Aug 30 and 31st were amazing days! We bought tickets for a tour bus that picked us up one block from our hotel and that would take around the National Mall Monuments, and across the Potomac to see Arlington National Cemetery. I had been here 4 years earlier, but no matter how many times you visit, it simply takes your breath away. Our first stop was Arlington. It is very emotional and impressive, sitting high up on the hill over looking the beauty of Washington. Arlington House sits on the grounds and had once belonged to the family of Mrs. Robert E. Lee. Because of their family siding with the south during the war it was confiscated and used by the Union as their cemetery and grounds. Not only are military personnel buried here. President and Mrs. Kennedy along with Robert and Edward Kennedy are buried here as well. You can also see the ceremony of the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. From Arlington you can also see the Pentagon, Capitol, Washington Monument, Lincoln Monument. Following Arlington we caught our bus back across the river to start visiting the Monuments on the Mall. My personal favourite of course is the LINCOLN MONUMENT. Another one of my favourite monuments is the Korean War Memorial.... and here is Ethan at the Vietnam War Memorial. Notice how it goes on a slope deeper into the ground at the middle. That represents to hardest and when the war was suffering the most American losses. Of course no visit to Washington would be complete without pictures of the White House and Capitol Buildings. Here are a few of the White House. And a few as we walked around the Capitol. Look for bronze figure named Freedom at the top of the Capitol. No building in DC is permitted to be taller than this statue. That way no matter where you are in DC you will always see FREEDOM. It was such an incredibly busy two days. Though all these sites are located on the National Mall it does take a lot of time and foot power to get around to see them all. We were pretty tired after all that walking. Here are a few more sites we saw on the Mall. The Jefferson Memorial and of course the Washington Monument though covered in scaffolding. On September 1st we got up and after breakfast we checked out of our hotel. It was time to start working our way back towards home... though we still had a few things to cross off our list on the way there. The first one was PANDAS. Yes, real live Pandas. We have never seen one before, and the Smithsonian National Zoo has more than one. So we were determined to visit the Pandas and some of their other Zoo friends before leaving the city. Again... FREE VISIT at a Smithsonian site. Heading home we made our way back through Virginia, into Maryland and then stopped at the National Historic Park of Harpers Ferry where the Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia meet as their borders intersect at the river. The entire town of Harpers Ferry was bought and protected as a Historic Site because it is the location where Abolitionist John Brown lead a small group of armed men in a raid against a federal armory, in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. The stop earned us yet another stamp, a place to stop and rest, and a place to learn more about American History during the Civil War Years. Here are some photos of our stop at Harpers Ferry. It was a very hot day. We wished we had some time to cool down and tube in the river too like many others were doing. After Harpers Ferry we spent the night in a Pennsylvania Hampton Inn, and on September 2nd all we had left to do was get home. The first day of School was the very next day. But when in Pennsylvania there is one place we usually stop, and that is the Grove City Outlets to do some back to school shopping. No tax on clothes will make it a necessity to stop, have some lunch , and then pick up a few items like running shows for school before we head home.
What a fast, but Monument adventure. One I would very highly recommend to everyone!!! To close here are a few tips on Washington from the Richards. 1. Splurge a little Staying on the mall can be expensive. But I think when it comes to all the trips I have ever taken this was one of the best dollars ever spent. To be that close to the White House, to be steps from the Washington Monument absolutely makes the trip magical. Looking out the window at night and see history shining down on you. What could be better? My suggestion- http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/wasjw-jw-marriott-washington-dc/ Also splurge a little and purchase a pass for the hop on hop off trolleys. Walking Capital is doable, but your legs will be too tired, and the rest of you won’t enjoy it as much. Pay for the pass, and ride to where you want to go, you can always walk from monument to monument, and when you are ready to rest for a bit, just hop on the next trolley that comes along, and it will take you to either the next site, or back to where you stated from. The MALL is huge and you may think you can just walk it. Also, if you want to make a visit across the river and up the hill to Arlington National Cemetery, this is the way to go. So if you want to see everything you set your heart on… give your feet the break and ride the trolleys so that your heart won’t be disappointed. My suggestion- http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/ -Free is fun Now that you’ve splurged, enjoy all the free stuff. Yes! Free Stuff! I know hard to believe, but in D.C. There is an abundance of it. To see the Monuments, the most of the many Smithsonian Museums there is no charge. http://www.si.edu/Museums - Check the calendar I once got lucky… really lucky! And I just happened to be in D.C. on one of the rare weekends a year that they open up the White House Garden for visitors to tour. You can stand near the Oval Office, and see the Rose Garden. The scheduled tours are open to public on a first come, first served basis, and tickets are required. Once in the fall in once in the spring usually so look ahead to see if your planned visit coincides with one of these days. The tickets can be obtained at the Ellipse Visitor Pavilion at 15th and E streets beginning at 8 AM on tour days. These tours take place on a scheduled weekend in the spring, and once again in the fall. - Take your time Really take your time. Focus your trip primarily if not solely on the Capitol and the Mall and all it has to offer. Especially enjoy exploring what the monuments have to offer. These are not just pieces of stone with names and dates carved into them. They are beautiful pieces of art that whisper stories to you. They make you think, they make you smile, and they may even make you cry. Standing under the roof of the Lincoln Monument take the time to read the Emancipation Proclamation on the wall and realize what it meant to so many slaves, step out to the edge of the steps and look out over the Reflecting Pool and Down across the Mall towards the Capitol. Take in that same view as Martin Luther King Jr. did so many years ago, when he spoke the words “ I have a dream” on this exact spot. At the Korean War Memorial, look into the faces of the eerily beautiful created soldiers and see how their eyes seem to follow you, and watch as a family member makes a rubbing from the wall at the Vietnam Memorial in honour of someone they lost. There is so much to take in so don’t rush it, or you may miss the meaning and heart behind it and regret it once you are back home.
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