Washington D.C.

 

We left the peace of the Amish countryside and within 100 km were thrust into the most intense driving day of the trip so far.  Even though it was only 150 km more, or so the map said, it took us the rest of the day.  

It didn’t help that the navigator missed the memo about no hazmats (aka propane) in tunnels, thereby giving us a full tour of the harbour district of Baltimore (going around instead of under the harbour).  Or, that I got my east and west mixed up and took us off the freeway at the wrong exit, giving us a tour of some other urban areas.

But once we got to the campground all was forgiven.  We were at Bull Run Regional Park, quite close to Washington DC, somewhere between a shooting range and an airport, with a full choir of cicadas to entertain us.  

This is how they do the drive-through sites.

One reason why we stopped here was to meet Joe, one of  Dave’s colleagues from his mapping team that he’s only met through on-line meetings.  Joe and Amy joined us for supper at the campground and it was so wonderful to meet them and get to know them a bit.

The next day we ventured out, figured out the Metro system and found our way to The Mall in Washington DC.  This is an incredibly large green space that is free for people to wander around and enjoy.  It stretches from the Capitol to the Washington Monument and on to the Lincoln Memorial, a distance of several kilometers. We walked the length from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial and back and also briefly ducked into the Museum of Natural History.  It was a very hot day so we took frequent breaks to find shade, have some over-priced refreshments and rest. 

When you're too hot, fill your hat with water from the fountain and dump it on your head!

A part of the World War II monument.

A part of the Vietnam War memorial wall of names.

On Sunday, Joe and Amy came to collect us and we attended church with them.  We haven’t been able to go to church too often on this trip as Sundays were driving days.  The message was about the promises of God.  God is so faithful and we are so grateful to Him for all the protection He has given us.  Like the song we sang said: “All my life you have been faithful.  All my life you have been so so good.”  Following the church service, Joe and Amy ordered in fried chicken dinners from the Lazy Dog restaurant and we had another wonderful time of visiting together, getting to know their beloved schnauzer, Baxter, and managing a walk around the block in the heat and sunshine. 

We returned to our trailer to prepare for what would be the longest driving day yet.