From military memorials to Natural History

I woke up at 6:30 AM after a good night's sleep, and very ready for coffee. Lois and I breakfasted in our room, then walked downstairs to meet several classmates at 8 AM and prepared to see as much as possible on our day off. Among the party of sightseers were: Lois and I, Julie, Dan, David, Thisj, Brandon, Steve, and Jennifer. We took the Red Line to the Metro station and exchanged for the Blue Line, then got off at Arlington. We decided to spring for a $7 bus ticket which allowed us to get off at the Kennedy graves, Tomb of the Unknowns, and Arlington House. We stayed for the changing of the guard at the Tomb, which was most moving, then got back to the bus stop just in time to see it take off, so we waited in the cold for an extra 20 plus minutes, which allowed us time to see the Challenger memorial, the mast of the Maine, etc.

Arlington house is certainly one of the most beautiful houses around, though much in need of renovation, which is slowly occurring. All the furniture and paintings are out, sadly, though the view is still well worth a visit.

At the end of our tour, we put on our walkin' shoes in earnest and walked across the bridge to the Lincoln Memorial, then toured the Vietnam, Korean, and World War II memorials. By the time we got to the Washington Monument, several people were asking about lunch with more than passing interest, so Jennifer led us to the Museum of Natural History, and we fought our way through the crowded and chaotic lines (the credit card readers were down) and had expensive, but edible cafeteria food. After lunch (we saw Orv coming in as we were going out) we scattered to the four winds.

Julie and I spent much of the remainder of the afternoon in the Museum of Natural History, slowly going through the Mammal, Dinosaur, African, and Gem exhibits (yes, we saw the Hope Diamond. Yes, it's pretty incredible) and as we walked out the the latter, found Sarah hanging onto the the rails looking pretty darned beat: she'd arrived in the city at 2 PM after nearly 24 hours awake.

She declared that she required a keeper and had called David, so we agreed to babysit her until David came; he called later from just outside the doors, because they wouldn't let him bring his coffee in. We met him outside and tried to figure out an action plan for the remainder of the hour and change until our previously agreed-upon rendesvous at 5:30.  Fortunately, it was late enough in the day that we got right into the Hall of Records, got through security and walked straight up to the rotunda where the  Declaration, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are displayed. These three key documents are the cornerstone of our democracy and the very foundation of our nation. Faded and faint as they are, few who see them can feel unmoved by all that they represent.

Still with boodles of time, I started calling members of our party to see where they were in our sightseeing, then we spotted Steve slowly not-quite-limping up Constitution Avenue, so I jaywalked and ran to catch him.  Back behind the Natural History Museum, I raised Branden who instructed me to look up when I asked his location: there he was waving from the second floor stairwell. I reached Lois and found that she and Jennifer D. were still at the Museum of the American Indian, so once Branden hit the gift shop, we started back to the metro.

The hard part came at Dupont Circle, where some fiend had disabled the up escalator (it's a LONG LONG way to the top) and crowds of people had to make the climb. I finally gave up about 2/3 of the way, caught my breath, and made it to the top wishing heartily for a drink.

A good day, clear and cold, and well-spent indeed. Now for dinner and a good rest for the week ahead.

From west to east

Morning did come early, too early, for I woke up several times during the night. Could be the coffee I downed yesterday evening at 6 PM as I followed the anti-jet-lag diet, could be because I was keyed up about the trip. Rhonda and I dressed hurriedly and went downstairs to catch the airporter. Most of us decided to forgo the not-so-free breakfast bar, which wouldn't be ready until we'd gone. The fellow shepherding things wanted to charge $2 for a yogurt, and I decided to take my chances at the airport.

I checked in online yesterday, so check in was a breeze, and just before seven, we were all aboard a packed plane heading for Minneapolis. I had as seatmates two gentlemen who flew planes for the National Guard, and they were entertaining. We touched down early in the Twin Cities, early enough to grab a slice of pizza before our next connection to Baltimore. While we were sitting at the gate I exchanged a few pleasantries with a woman about my age, then happened to read her boarding pass, which bore the same surname as the president of Ag Foresty. When I inquired, I learned that she was his sister-in-law! She had ascertained we were all from Washington, but was tickled to find out we were all Ag-Foresters. Who'd have thunk? I told her to let Dave know that we were all behaving.

I had a very nice seat-mate indeed, a young woman who lives in a remote part of Idaho, so we talked about my natal state, rural medicine and education for the whole flight. We landed about 5 PM in Baltimore and collected all our bags, then caught a shuttle express to our hotel in DuPont circle.

The Carlyle Suites are very cool, an Art Deco hotel within easy walking distance of several shops and restaurants. We found a Korean restaurant after throwing our things in our rooms, and had some great meals.

Finally, the Seattle contingent arrived, and we all got our allowance and agendas from Ellen, who gave us a neighbourhood walking tour. After scoping out the location of the metro, most went off to a Chinese restaurant and Stephanie and I gathered some supplies at the local Safeway.

Tomorrow is our free day, so we hope to make the most of it and see as much as we can.

The journey to Washington

Grant very kindly picked me up and we drove over Highway 2 bound for Spokane, where Stephanie had arranged several rooms for the eight of us at the Hilton Gardens. When we arrived, Matt was already there and eager for a meal, so we sauntered over to the Prospector and ordered a few items that weren't too much to consume.

Rhonda and Clay showed up after an hour or so, so we downed a couple of beers, then called it a night, for morning would come early.