August 8, Day 24: Washington DC

• Miles today:   0
• Trip total:   4332
• Weather:   Hot and muggy.  High 94F  RH-87%
• Theme song:   "Money" by Pink Floyd
• Rodgerism:   "Do you give out free samples?"
• Lesson:   There exists a court above the US Supreme Court.

A bus comes directly into the campground and an occasional express goes directly to the Metro station.  Between that and the train it takes about 50 minutes to get into the heart of Washington DC.  Teresa thought that a Colonial Viper from the Battlestar Galactica was going to launch from the subway tunnel.

First stop, the National Archives.

I had planned to get advance timed-entry tickets, but waited until after we knew if our White House tour would be approved.  By the time we knew, all advance tickets were gone.  But we got there today about ten minutes before they opened, and the line was not too bad.  Once they opened, we got through security and went straight to the rotunda, where they keep the good stuff that usually has incredible lines.  We took our time viewing the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights (and a bunch of copies of other founding documents) and were out of there in less than an hour.  The entry line when we left was out to the street.

We wanted to find an early place for lunch to beat the crowds, so we wandered through the National Gallery of Art West Building.  In the tunnel to the East Building, there is a large cafeteria with great food.  The East Building and fountain in the tunnel (top view photo) were designed by I.M. Pei.

On to the Capitol Building, where we took advantage of the opportunity to take some photos from this vantage point, since tomorrow (when we tour the building) we have to leave our cameras behind.  (No cameras, bags, purses or anything are allowed on the White House tour, which we are also touring tomorrow.)

It was HOT today, and really humid.  We couldn't walk more than a block or two without getting exhausted.  On our way to the Supreme Court building, we learned how dangerous touring DC in the summer can be.  Since none of the museums or other buildings allow any fluids into the buildings (including water, hand-sanitizer, etc., and they search each bag) you have to find water outside and drink it outside.  In front (and in the cafes) of the museums there are concessions, but within several large blocks of any of the federal buildings (such as the Capitol, Library of Congress and Supreme Court) the streets are closed, and no vendors are allowed.  There are vending machines inside, after you wait in line (check the weather stats above) to get in.  You could get into some serious dehydration trouble.  A rifle-laden park-policeman guided me toward a hot-dog vendor on the other side of the Supreme Court, but it didn't exist. 

We ended up limping into the Supreme Court building an hour before our scheduled tour (snuck in through the wheelchair entrance) and raided their vending machine.  Then we wandered around a bit.  Rodger and Rachael were both disappointed that we weren't allowed on the legendary spiral staircases.

Looking upward from the first floor.

Five stories, supported only by their fastening to the wall and stacking on each other.  Very impressive!

  

The Court is currently out of session, but we got to listen to a nice lecture about the paintings, freizes and seating ettiquette in the courtroom, from the curator.  He also told us that it is true, there is a court above the US supreme court.  A basketball court, directly above the hearing chamber.  But the Justices don't play, they just sit on the bench.

Another subway to the Smithsonian, and the Museum of Natural History. 

Rodger has been looking forward to seeing the dinosaurs, so I jumped ahead to catch his reaction when he entered the gallery.

This is some goofy looking prehistoric elk that Rodger thought uncles Dan and Kevin would enjoy.

How about some bling?  The Hope Diamond.

What do you see when you gaze into this crystal ball?

Our last tour of the day was the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Rodger didn't get his free samples, but we did all find out how much it would br in $100 bills stacked as tall as we are.

August 7, Day 23: College Park Maryland

• Miles today:  178
• Trip total:  4332
• Weather:  Hot and super muggy.  Thunderstorms in Gettysburg (we were inside, stayed dry) High 93F  RH-87%
• Roads:   Speed limit (if I wanted to get run over in MD)
• Theme:  "Dog Days Are Over" by Florence and the Machine
• D'oh!:   Cheese grater
• Lesson:   Plan an entire day at Gettysburg if you visit.

An intentional late start to catch up on sleep, then we travelled to Gettysburg Pennsylvania for the Battlefield Monument.  No photos or tour of the battlefield as we were in a bit of a rush, but we did get to see the incredible cyclorama painting of the battle by Paul Dominique Philippoteaux (1884), which is over 45-feet high and 300-feet long (viewed in the round).

Just as we crossed the Maryland state line, Teresa realized that we had no photos for the day, and this was the third "welcome" sign we had missed in a row.  She insisted that we turn around at the next exit to remedy this error.  The detour took us through scenic Emmitsburg Maryland.

That also gave us the opportunity to catch the "Welcome to Pennsylvania" sign on the way up, meaning we are only missing New Jersey (and I'm still not convinced a "welcome" sign exists).

We got into the RV park at abour 5:30.  This one is quite the set-up.  It's right along the noisy beltway, and packed full, but other than that, it is top-notch.  Lots of cafes, laundry facilities, two pools, outdoor movies at night (Rodger watched "Rango") and clean, level sites.  The bus comes right into the campground, so we are set for touring tomorrow.

August 6, Day 22: Philadelphia PA

• Miles today:   0
• Miles total:   4154
• Weather:   Partly cloudy to overcast.  High 84F
• Theme:   "Liberty Bell" by John Philip Sousa
• Lesson:   Stick to self-guided tours.

What do you get when you cross a Bavarian and a Portuguese? The theme song to Monty Python's Flying Circus (and today's blog) from America's best-known Victorian-era composer, and the spitting image of my high-school music director (also a composer and trombonist) Norm Wallen.

We chose this campground because it offered a "guided" tour of Philadelphia, so we wouldn't have to find RV parking downtown.  Most of today's photos were taken from a moving van (if I was on the viewable side), and the few stops were meticulously timed, limiting opportunity for deeper exploration of historic artifacts and places or conversations with the docents and rangers.  It was quite frustrating and reminded me why I prefer to tour un-guided.  Our guide was very knowledgeable and made efforts to find answers to questions, but I think the major problem was trying to cram way too many sites into a one-day tour in an attempt to accommodate the interests of the broadest audience.  The entire tour from pick-up to drop-off lasted ten hours.  By mid-afternoon the kids were begging for it to be over.  We still enjoyed it.

First stop, the Liberty Bell.

It seems like most of the exhibits in the President's House complex (which includes the Liberty Bell) focus on contrasting this icon of American liberty with inconsistencies of libertine principles during the founding, such as presidents keeping slaves, the campaign for women's rights and such.  The rest of the displays dispelled Liberty Bell myth and legend, but there was a small display that detailed the preservation and restoration efforts, and one about the history of the bell's travels.

The tour of Independence Hall was brief (it's a small place) but very enjoyable, as the ranger engaged the audience and photos were allowed. 

 It will be interesting to see if the kids remember my point that the two rooms in the building housed the entire judicial and legislative branches of the first government, when we visit Washington DC in a few days.

The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were all we had time for as we had to get lunch before getting back on the van.

 

Cheese steaks at Campo's.
Teresa's hoagie was a little too spicey.

Our guide started rounding everyone up for the van (literally picking up everyone's trash) so we snuck over (one block away) for a quick photo of Franklin Square and the first US Post Office.  No time for a tour of the print-shop or museum.  It was a huge disappointment for me, as Franklin is my favorite founder, for many reasons.  (We also "viewed" his grave from the van).

Here's an interesting bit.  There were horse-and-buggie rides available in the city, and one of them bore the sign "Benj. Franklin Carriage Rides" and a smaller sign behind the driver, "Tips are the reward for a job well done."  Times have changed in Philadelphia, because I seem to recall that Poor Richard once wrote, "A job well done is it's own reward."

I wish we had more time to explore the grounds and architecture of Christ's Church, but Rodger at least got the opportunity to ring their bell, which is 50 years older than the Liberty Bell.

Teresa got some quilting lessons at the Betsy Ross house, which probably would not have been a stop on a self-guided tour (her involvement with the original US flag is at best family legend) so it was nice to see the inside of an 18th century house in downtown Philadelphia.

By the time we reached Valley Forge, everyone was exhausted and the kids (total of four on the van) were getting restless.  Once again, it is great to experience history in panorama (even from a moving van) to better understand the scope of an event.  The hill-tops at Valley Forge were an ideal place for an encampment, with sweeping views of the broad surrounding valleys.

This may look like just another ubiquitous statue of George Washington (at Valley Forge) but it is actually the latest excursion into amateur entomology we call "Name That Bug."

Back at the campground, we ordered pizza.  We can't get it delivered to our house, but we brought ours along this time.

August 5, Day 21: West Chester PA

• Miles today:  104
• Trip total:   4154
• Weather:   Warm and clear.  High 84F in Philadelphia.
• Roads:   Speed limit except through construction over Delaware bridge ($15 for the troll)
• Theme:  "Fish Heads" by Barnes and Barnes (not much to work with today, so you get what was running through my mind)
• D'oh!:   RG-59 coax for cable-tv.
• Lesson:  Pennsylvania laws

We scrapped plans to visit the Edison lab in West Orange (Don doesn't feel like driving north, upstream through all that mess again) so Rachael got to sleep in, Rodger got to play with Alex some more, Teresa had another good visit with Marianne and tia Marina, and Don had the opportunity to better organize parts of the RV.  Then it was a short drive down to Philadelphia for an early evening.  There was no site-seeing involved and no "Welcome to PA" sign on the bridge, so I apologize for the absence of photos.  There are none to share.


It's a nice (but hilly) campground on the Brandywine River about halfway between Philadelphia and Lancaster near Chadd's Ford, and we have a secluded spot at the edge of the woods.  It is miles from nowhere and the road getting here was a bit tight, with a couple of one-lane bridges and tight turns, but no problems.  It might be a little more interesting in a larger class-A or pulling a trailer.


With such a short day it was hard to find a lesson, but since we're trying to learn something every day, it is always a good idea to become familiar with local laws.  Here are a few on the PA books...

• No singing in the bathtub.
• It is illegal to sleep outside on top of a refrigerator.
• Housewives are not allowed to hide dirt under a rug.
• If you are driving on a country road at night you must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait ten minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.
• If a motorist sees a team of horses coming toward him he must pull well off the road, cover his car with a blanket or canvas so his car blends in with the countryside, while the horses pass.

August 4, Day 20: New York (part 2)

Miles Today: 0

Trip Total: 4050

Weather:  Clear. Humid. High 84F.

Today's Theme Song: "New York State of Mind" performed by Oleta Adams

Lesson:   To avoid exhaustion, plan more days for a NYC visit.

All Yakima residents and expatriates can be proud of Oleta Adams, who also attended AC Davis high-school, and whose legendary talent was an inspiration to many of us in the jazz band and choir.

Today was another easy commute into NYC for some more exploring.  Beautiful weather once again.


We took the "E" subway to the World Trade Center where construction on the new tower is in full swing.

The National 9/11 Memorial is scheduled to open on September 11, so we could only visit the preview center across the street. 

 

We had to find a place for Rachael to satisfy her Starbucks jones (she claims it calms her homesickness).  She finds it incredible that in the largest city in the USA, she saw only eight Starbucks locations on the first day.  (Compare that to three locations on one floor of the building across from where Teresa worked in Seattle.)

It was only 11:00am and the lines for the Statue of Liberty ferry were already at least 1/2 mile long, meaning wasting the entire day and not a chance of getting inside the statue itself.  On the advice of Marianne and her son Chris, we opted instead for the Staten Island Ferry, with no wait and no charge, and a close passage to the statue.

Teresa's cousin Stan works right next to the ferry terminal on Staten Island, and joined us on his lunch break before we caught the return boat.

With sweeping views of Manhattan, Brooklyn and bridges to Staten Island and New Jersey, he was able to give us a panoramic narrative of the 2001 attack that you could never get from any printed account or video.  He told us how a friend witnessed the first plane impact while crossing the bridge driving a bus full of morning commuters, and turned the bus around.  Every day for weeks afterward, the newspaper would publish the name and photo of another person with whom Stan went to school, played ball, or otherwise knew, lost in the attack.

No visit to NYC would be complete without tube-steaks!

The "1" subway back up to Times Square saved miles of walking, and positioned us for some souvenir shopping and close access to the bus terminal for our return to NJ.

Another nice family dinner at Marianne's, and the kids got some pool-time with their new-found cousins.

Many thanks once again to Javier and Marianne for their hospitality, generosity and courtesy.  I get the impression that the New Jersey state motto may not be "now go home!" after all.