Day 9 - Washington D.C.

Thursday, June 7, 2018
Posted from: Cherry Hill Park Campground - College Park, MD
Miles driven: 0
Total miles: 1711

Today is our first of five days in Washington D.C. We planned more days here than any other location on our trip. Everything is iconic, and not in a silly tourist trap sort of way. Things here have history and meaning. There is more packed into this small area than you could see in a year! Our goal is to condense it down to five days. Here we go!

The kids have never taken subway-type mass transit before. D.C. has the Metro underground rail lines. The Metro works just like the Subway in New York or the Underground in London. Pretty simple stuff...and REALLY clean!

Public transportation in the D.C. area works using SmartTrip cards that you load with money and then simply scan when you get on a bus, parking ramp, train, or Metro. We purchased these pre-loaded at the campground, then took a public bus to the nearest Metro station, College Park on the Green Line. Yes, our campground was near the University of Maryland...(part of the Big 10, so go Hawks!!!)

As we waited for the next train, Caleb asked if the train was going to go underground, and I said yes. The College Park station was above ground, so he was trying to figure out how it was going to get underground. We got on and he soon found out.

This is the look on Caleb's face when our train went underground the first time. He was in awe.

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Another side note about public transportation: My stomach does not always like public transportation. The constant starts, stops and turns on buses; the rocking on the trains. So I use a ReliefBand. It is an amazing little thing (and I've tried EVERYTHING). It is battery operated and sends a moderate current through your wrist and hand. It does a surprisingly good job of keeping the nausea at bay. Coming home, we got on the train and it started moving before I had remembered to put it on...I knew instantly. Once I put it on and started the pulses, the nausea went away immediately. It is approximately $100, but it quickly pays for itself and doesn't cause the drowsiness of medicine.

The band! You wear it upside-down with a gel (like an ultrasound gel) to help transmit the current. There are five levels. If you don't feel a strong current, then you bump it up a level. I've never had to use stronger than a three.

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We got off the Metro at the Archives stop, which naturally spits you out right at the National Archives. This is where the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Bill of Rights are housed. You cannot take pictures anywhere inside this building, so we don't have pictures, but we went in and walked around the museum (very interesting) and finally stood in a 5-10 minute line to see the documents. Grace and Cameron were really interested in this stop. Caleb really liked a touch screen table that walked you through the history of various human rights. He looked through the child-labor laws for quite awhile. I hope he doesn't get any ideas that those laws apply to chores. The dishes await back at the camper. 

Today looked like it might be one of the only rain-free days while in D.C., so we decided to spend our time walking the National Mall. It got a bit warm as the day went on, but the sights were worth it. 

In the background of the next picture is the Washington Monument and the new African American History Smithsonian. 

The World War II Memorial did not exist the last time Matt and I were in Washington D.C. This is a large, beautiful, and moving monument. 

There was a pillar for each state and territory. 

At the WWII monument. Each star on the wall represents 100 American service personnel who died. 

There were 4,048 stars. 

Looking from the Lincoln Memorial, just above Grace's head is the WWII Memorial. And of course, the Washington Monument is behind that in the center of the mall.

Lincoln Memorial. It's bigger than we remembered.

Our photographer, Caleb, took some great pictures of Mr. Lincoln. Lincoln has always been his favorite for some reason. 

Above us is the ceiling of the Lincoln Memorial.

Vietnam Memorial

After enjoying one end of the mall, we started walking towards the other end, and suddenly the U.S. Capital came into view. 

Caleb was still fascinated with riding an underground train. It is a 27 minute ride each way, so I'm sure we will all get used to it soon. 

The campground sells ice cream! A great way to end our day.

Caleb loves campsites with gravel so he can build roadways. This one was clearly still under construction. When he completes a road, he gets his Hot Wheels out to drive on the new road