Summer 2016 - Vermont, St. Johnsbury

Monday, July 25^th – Sunday, July 31^st

Moose River Campground – St. Johnsbury, Vermont

Photo link:

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/107097369989809012646/album/AF1QipNb8IDgkhH5rb6nXTXeoB2Omds45tj8ULmLbT4L?authKey=CKryvtzd0eX0VA

Our next adventure was near the town of St. Johnsbury Vermont. This small town is in the north east area of Vermont which is called the Northeast Kingdom. Again we drove the back highways traveling through beautiful green valleys, surrounded by the Green Mountains, farms and small villages along the way. We arrived at the lovely Moose River Campground just on the north side of town. We had a huge pull through campsite with beautiful gardens around the site.

The owners Mary and Gary were extremely friendly and provided us with all kinds of information on activities in the area. Knowing that we had dogs she told us about a nearby property called Dog Mountain, a place set up for the enjoyment of dogs and their people. The owners, who have since passed away, had set up the property for dogs to bring their people and run free and play with other dogs off leash. The property was a few acres on a gorgeous hillside looking over a valley.  There were many activities for the dogs to do; a swimming pond, big fields to run in and even some trails where they could hike with their people. There was an art gallery filled with dog art, mostly created by Steve Huneck, the owner of the property. They also had a chapel on the property that they had built in memory of their dog Sally, a black lab. This beautiful little chapel is decorated in dog decor and the walls are covered with notes, cards and photos of memorials to people's beloved dogs. It was overwhelming and very touching to see and read some of the memorials.

Kody (Kruzer) and Luca went every day, except one, that we were camping in the area. We would take them at the end of the day when there are a lot of other playmates there. Everyone played nice together, got wet in the pond and had a fun doggy play time.  The boys really enjoyed their time to get out and run off leash and to meet new friends.

The biggest attraction for Kurt and I was the Kingdom Trails. About 20 miles north, in the little town of East Burke, is an enormous system of mountain biking trails. There are over 100 miles of mountain biking trails for every level from novice to expert. We went there 3 days that week, and it was wonderful to ride such well engineered and maintained mountain biking trails. The small town of East Burke was very cool and of course centered around mountain biking.

For our last day in the area we decided to drive up further north to Willoughby Lake. I had seen pictures of this online and thought it was the one of the most gorgeous lakes I've ever seen. This is a glacier carved lake with high, rocky mountains on both sides and beaches on the north and south ends. The weather was great, the dogs were with us and we all had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful scenery. This was a wonderful way to spend our last day in the area and in Vermont.

Did I mention to you all that the weather up here has been just gorgeous? The temps have been around low 80s daytime and the lows at night usually dip down into the mid to lower 50s. Needless to say this is perfect weather for enjoying our summer activities. No wonder why we love it up here in the mountains so much.

Next we will be heading over to New Hampshire and to explore the White Mountains. Can't wait to see if it's as nice as Vermont.

Summer 2016 - Vermont, Lake Champlain

Wednesday, July 20^th – Sunday, July 24^th

Lone Pine Campsites – Colchester, VT near Burlington

Photo link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6312123842724909745?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCJmrsfyGx5KQ6wE&feat=directlink

What a beautiful drive from Rutland up to the Burlington area, by Lake Champlain. As usual we drove the backroads. Highway 7 was a gorgeous mountain drive all the way up to the campground, Lone Pine Campsites. The campground was nice as we had expected, we got settled in and right away we met our RV camping neighbors. Really nice family from Vermont and they only live 12 miles away. There were many Vermonters camping there. This campground was up on a ridge overlooking Malletts Bay in a town called Colchester, a bay off of Lake Champlain.

We drove down to Malletts Bay to have a look around and see what was in the area. It was a beautiful bay filled with sailboats and all kinds of recreational boating activities. We even saw a hot air balloon flying over the lake. We had taken the dogs so they could get out and run around a little bit. We started planning activities for the next few days.

Vermont, along with the town of Burlington, is very bicycle friendly. There are bike paths everywhere and we found an amazing Rail Trail that goes up the center of the lake on the causeway that was constructed originally for a railroad, which had been abandoned many years ago. The causeway had been constructed of huge chunks of marble which is very abundant in Vermont. We rode the trail the next day. We rode the bikes up to a point where there was a channel for boats to pass though. At that point we had to board a bicycle ferry that took us to the other side of the channel. We then proceeded up onto the island of Grand Isle in a town called South Hero. We rode around South Hero, which was a small community of farms, cafes and shops. We had a really nice lunch at Allenholm Farm Stand; they had all kinds of animals there, a petting zoo for children and everyone to see, we did enjoy looking at the goats.

After lunch we proceeded to ride the trail all the way back to our truck. The round-trip ride was about 21 miles at the end of the day we were exhausted but amazed by the beautiful Lake, the islands and all the mountains on the east and west. It was wonderful to look eastward and see the Green Mountains and then to look westward and see the Adirondacks in New York. This is a beautiful amazing place.

The next day we really needed a down day so we decided to just check out the city of Burlington, drive around and go to some sporting good shops. We decided to get a hitch mount bike rack to use whenever we are unhitched and need to go to a mountain bike park. It makes it so much easier than to take the wheels off of the bikes and put them in the back of the pickup and then have to reassemble everything when we get to our destination. We eventually found a store called Rack Warehouse, where we found the exact type of bike rack we needed.  Going forward on this trip we will be able to make it a lot easier to haul our bikes around.

Later that afternoon we decided to take a scenic drive up to the Champlain Islands. Again we encountered beautiful farms and quaint little villages throughout the Grand Isle area. There are so many beautiful views to the east of the Green Mountains and to the west of the Adirondacks, along with all the gorgeous little bays and beaches along the way. It was a great way to end our day.

Our last day was spent with our kayaks on the water. We found a river north of us called the Lamoille River. Kurt found an outfitter who hauled our equipment to the top put in and we just paddled downstream back to the outfitters place. We were able to take the dogs on this kayak trip, and they were glad to be outside. It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed the paddle. The current was running pretty fast because it rained the day before, so we completed the paddle in about 2 hours instead of 3.

We were looking forward to our next adventure in Vermont at St. Johnsbury and the Kingdom Trails for mountain biking.

Summer 2016 - Vermont, Rutland

Thursday, July 14^th – Tuesday, July 19^th

Gifford Woods State Park

Photo link:
https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6309598317523811057?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCIGvsaai7vew_AE&feat=directlink

Aaaahhh, what can I say about Vermont? Green Mountains, cool air, quaint small towns, farms along the highways, friendly people, maple syrup. As we drove into southwest Vermont and entered Gifford Woods State Park, we knew we were back in the woods. It felt so great to be out of the busy, touristy areas and back to nature. This park has no utility hook-ups, so we would be boondocking, which we were prepared for. The rangers at this park were friendly and helpful. We were excited to know that the Appalachian Trail goes right through the campground. The first day, we took the dogs out on the A.T. heading south. This part of the trail was very steep, rocky and challenging. The dogs loved it and the chance to get out and run. We were amazed at the beauty of the forest here; so green, marble rocks everywhere and the ground carpeted with delicate ferns.

The town of Rutland has some really nice mountain bike trails. The next day we packed up our bikes and headed to the trailhead. Pine Hill Park includes various facilities and activities provided by the town. The trails were very well engineered and maintained. We really enjoyed riding the trails in this wooded, hilly park. They were fun and challenging, with uphill climbs right at the start. After riding, we drove around the wonderful small town of Rutland with its historic homes, some of them quite large. It just seemed like the right size town, not too big or too small.

While there, we also hiked the A.T. heading north. This trail was less steep and some parts passed along Kent Pond and Kent Brook. We all enjoyed this trail and met many AT through hikers along the way heading south.

The Green Mountain Trails was another mountain bike trail system just north of the State Park. Near the town of Pittsfield, this private property allowed bikers to park on their land and ride the trails. The trails there were maintained by volunteers and were very nice, with less steep ascents and some technical aspects. Riverside Farm is a beautiful venue that is used for weddings and private events.

One of our favorite hikes was Deer Leap Overlook Loop. This trail was very steep to the top of a mountain adjacent to Pico Ski Resort. This ski area is smaller than Killington, which is also very close to our campground. This hike was another steep, rocky hike that mingled with the A.T. for a short distance. The dogs loved running free on this trail and hiked with us to the overlook. The strenuous hike was worth the view. Amazing to look out on the distant Green Mountains and the ski slopes on Pico, how beautiful!

The ski resorts utilize the facilities in the summer by allowing mountain bikers to ride up the lifts with their bikes, then ride down the mountain on the slopes. Kurt was able to do a couple of runs at Killington on the lower levels. I dropped him off up on the hillside where he could access the trails, then he rode them downhill. Wow, when he got to the bottom he was squealing like a kid about how it was like riding a roller coaster. He really had fun on these rides.

Our last day we spent on a mountain lake, Chittenden Lake. This crystal clear water lake was surrounded by the Green Mountains and had a nice beach area and boat ramp. We were ready to kick back and relax, so we took the dogs and some happy hour supplies and hung out for the afternoon. How relaxing to sit back and look at the gorgeous Green Mountains surrounding us. It was going to be tough leaving the next day.

Even though we still have two more stops in Vermont, we have already fallen in love with this state. This is one state so far that we would hope to revisit again someday.

Summer 2016 - Cape Cod & Massachusetts

Thursday, July 7^th - Monday, July 11^th

Bay View Campground – Cape Cod

Photo link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6306252091717055233?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPiU85uc_IC9ZA&feat=directlink

Our drive from Rhode Island to Cape Cod was very easy and uneventful; however, it was driving mostly on interstates. The best thing is that it was only about 60 miles and the traffic wasn't bad at all.

After we arrived at Bayview Campground on Cape Cod, we set up our RV and got very comfortable. This park was very nice with every amenity you could imagine and very clean spacious sites. The weather was overcast and gloomy, with little sprinkles here and there, so we decided just to take a scenic drive around parts of the Cape to get our bearings. We drove around the northern part of the Cape towards a town called Sandwich, which is an historical Colonial area. While there we drove to and walked on East Sandwich Beach to check it out. The beaches are very different there, lots of gravel and rocks, but the sand is really nice; it seems to be natural sand not renourished beaches. We also drove around the town of Pocasset, which was near where we were camping. This town is on the south side of the western part of the Cape. All of these areas were beautiful drives through winding rural towns with many small farms. There were several quaint small towns, obviously original Colonial settlements. This is what we pictured as typical New England. However, we again had no idea that Cape Cod would be so rural, with many big pickup trucks like ours driving around the area, we never had a hard time finding diesel fuel.

The next day we decided to drive to the Eastern end of the Cape to a town called Chatham, which is a major fishing harbor. Chatham is the typical New England town as we expected with all the original Cape Cod style homes and quite a few mansion homes along the coast, it was gorgeous.  We walked down to the fish market and the docks to watch the fishing boats come in. There were many seals who waited for handouts from the fisherman. Then we walked around the downtown area of Chatham to check out the shops and restaurants. We found a really nice restaurant that didn't have a huge waiting line and was a pub and grill, with very good food. We had a nice lunch there. We then headed home to get the dogs out for a walk so they could stretch their legs as they have been cooped up in the RV for a couple of days.

The Cape Cod Canal is a very wide sea-level canal extending across the narrow neck that joins Cape Cod to the mainland.  Along the Canal are really nice bike trails on both sides. We took the dogs up there to run along the trail and get rid of some pent-up energy, they really enjoyed it.

We were really wanting to jump on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, but the next two days the weather was going to be overcast and rainy. So we decided to stay through Monday as the weather forecast was much better and we would take the Martha's Vineyard Ferry then.

The next day we were able to again hook up with some friends, David and Linda, who we had met RVing back in 2013 when we did our first tour around Northern Florida. At that time they had just decided to full-time RV and work on the road. They are currently working at an RV Park in Cape Cod, so we went over to their place and had breakfast with them.  We had a nice time together talking about all of our travels and experiences RVing.

So on Monday we decided to load up and take the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard. We took our bikes so that when we got over to the Vineyard we could ride around the island. The weather was a little overcast but the ferry ride over was really nice and we arrived at the town of Oak Bluffs. While there we rode our bikes around town, checked out a lighthouse and all the old homes and neighborhoods. After strolling around town a while and checking out the little shops we decided we were hungry and found a really nice restaurant right on the bay front where we could sit and look out at the boats while we had our lunch. I had a lobster grilled cheese sandwich!  It was quite good, along with the nice chilled glass of sangria. After lunch, Kurt rode his bike around to the Western end of the island while I relaxed at the docks. The ferry ride back was very enjoyable, and from there we decided to ride our bikes from the ferry dock back to the parking area along a very nice bike trail called Shining Sea. At the end of the day we really enjoyed Martha's Vineyard and the experience of being there.

Tuesday, July 12^th – Wednesday, July 13^th

Boston Minuteman Campground

When we left Cape Cod, we headed to Harvard, Massachusetts. It’s outside of Boston about 45 miles, in a really nice rural area. We met up with some friends, Ken and Noelle, who used to live in Jupiter. Ken worked with Kurt and I at the same company about 15 years ago. We really enjoyed their friendship back then, and since reconnecting, we wanted to visit them at their home in Harvard. It was great to see them again, talk about old times and get caught up on what we are up to these days. We spent two days hanging out with them at their home and exploring the area. It’s so amazing when you haven’t seen friends in a long time and when you do, it’s like nothing has changed, expect maybe some grey hair. They also have a very awesome dog, Nika. We will keep in touch and hope to see them in the future and continue our friendship.

We also went mountain biking one morning at a local town park. The trails were much more difficult than what we are used to; with very steep, rocky and rooty single track. Maybe these trails will help us improve our skills as we continue to ride in New England.

For our next adventure, we will move on to Vermont, where we will spend 3 weeks in 3 different areas. So excited to visit this beautiful state.

Summer 2016 - Connecticut & Rhode Island

Tuesday, June 28^th – Thursday, June 30^th
Madison, CT – Riverdale Farms Campground

Photo link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6304195797987012849?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCMnZoYzE6dHG1wE&feat=directlink

We really didn't want to leave Turkey Swamp in New Jersey. We had great times with good friends. We headed out on the highway towards Connecticut, but in order to get there we had to drive way out west and north around New York City to avoid all the horrible traffic, bridges, tunnels and so forth. It was a long 5 hour drive. We drove mostly on turnpikes and interstates, some parts the roads were good and some parts were not so good. We finally arrived at our campground, Riverdale Farm Campsite, a very nice campground away from the highways and back in a nice wooded area. This campground is just north of Madison Connecticut. After setting up camp we really kicked back and enjoyed happy hour after the arduous drive.

We had researched the area around Madison and Clinton for activities and fun things to do. We did find a nearby mountain biking trail, which we planned to ride and also found out about a tour boat cruise around some islands off the coast of Guilford.

The next day we decided to head down to Hammonassett State Park, which is on the beach. Running along the coastline was a very nice Greenway Trail. We took our bikes there and rode the two and a half miles that currently exist, which mostly went through the state park. We also rode our bikes around the state park which was huge and had probably about 500 campsites. We had wanted to camp there, but they don't allow dogs in the summer as it is a complete boondocking campground. The beaches in the park were really busy and they were very nice; however they cannot compare with our gorgeous water in South Florida.

After visiting the state park we decided to take a scenic drive. We drove around Madison, Clinton and Guilford. These towns are very old with many historic colonial homes and buildings, very beautiful and quaint. It was obvious to us that there's a lot of money in this area, after seeing the huge historic mansions and also all the investment banks around the area. We also drove down to the inlet area of Guilford which is on Long Island Sound. This was our first taste of the old New England style harbors.

The next day we decided that we would take the offshore boat cruise and also go to the mountain biking trails. First we went to the trails and only Kurt rode them, as the internet described the trails as only advanced, but when we got there we found there were all levels of trails and I didn't bring my bike, bummer.

Next, we drove to Branford and the marina where the boat launches for the Thimble Islands tour. The Thimble Islands is an archipelago consisting of small islands in Long Island Sound, located in and around the harbor of Stony Creek in the southeast corner of Branford, Connecticut. The 45 minute cruise traveled around many of the small pink granite bedrock islands. Most of the islands are privately owned with houses built on them. There were a couple of islands that are state owned and have public access. It’s amazing that most of the houses were built in the 1800’s. A few are mansions and some are smaller homes. One island was occupied by the pirate Captain Kidd for many years. Legend says his treasure is hidden on this island.

We only had 3 days in Connecticut, so our activities were limited. We did see a lot and enjoyed our time there. Our next stop will be in Newport, Rhode Island.

 

Friday, July 1^st – Wednesday, July 6^th

Newport, Rhode Island – Meadowlark RV Park

After leaving Connecticut we had about a 55 mile drive to our location here in Rhode Island. We are staying in Middletown Rhode Island on the east side of Newport in a really nice RV campground. The location is very centralized to all the things that we wanted to see in this area. We have friends that are from Rhode Island that advised us of all the wonderful, fun things to do around here.

The first evening we just drove around to get familiar with the area. We purposely booked the 4th of July weekend because of the patriotic celebrations in Bristol Rhode Island. Driving around we looked at all the beautiful beaches, but they still don't have anything on our beaches in southeast Florida. We're just so amazed that everywhere up here in New England they charge to park at the beaches, here they charge $25 on the weekends and $15 during the week. It's a good thing we didn't want to go sit on the beaches with all the holiday crowds. The Newport area is very friendly to road bikers and against my best judgment, one day we did ride a couple of miles down towards the beaches since the traffic was so crazy. Now I know why I mountain bike instead of road bike, I'd much rather deal with trees than with crazy people texting in their cars. In various places around town there are these old, completely painted white bicycles with someone's name on it indicating that they were killed on their bicycle in that spot on the road. However there are still many people riding on the roads even where there's only a one foot wide bike lane. After that two mile ride I promised I would not ride on the roads here again.

On July 3^rd evening we drove the 14-mile ride up to Bristol to watch the fireworks. They were very nice but we still have not found Fourth of July fireworks that are quite as good as the West Palm Beach ones, which are also synchronized with very patriotic music. The next morning I drove up to Bristol for the historic July 4th parade. Kurt is not so fond of parades, so he declined to go with me. One of the best Fourth of July parades I've ever seen, it lasted over 2 hours and was amazing; full of patriotic displays and performances. Bristol was voted the most patriotic Fourth of July celebration in the country. Kurt spent the day riding his bike around the Newport area and hanging out down by the waterfront. Later that evening I decided to stay home and watched the Fourth of July celebrations on television, Macy's New York City fireworks, which were absolutely spectacular with four barges of coordinated fireworks on the East River. Kurt decided he wanted to watch the fireworks in Newport, so he rode his bicycle back down into town and watched the fireworks from the waterfront. He said they were very nice, but still no synchronized music. We were both pretty exhausted at the end of that day after celebrating the Fourth of July.

The next day we decided to go walk the Cliff Walk along the rocky Coast. This public path follows the rocky coast lined with many mansions. We were able to view most of the mansions from the Cliff Walk at various points on the path. These mansions were built in the 1800, during the “Gilded Age’. Parts of the Cliff Walk turned into a rugged rock hopping adventure and other areas were nicely paved and easy. We followed most of the three miles out and then back to our starting point. What a beautiful walk with the view of the ocean, the cliffs, the mansions and the views across the bay.

On our last day, we decided to take a boat tour around the Newport harbor. It was only $10 for the whole day, and you could hop on/off at any of the 5 stops. We were amazed at all the sail boats moored in the harbor, or docked at enormous piers. This area is obviously a great sailing area, home to the original America’s Cup sail boat races. We did get off the boat at Fort Adams to look around the fort built for the War of 1812. The weather was very warm and sunny, so we didn’t stay there too long. We continued around the harbor and ended up at the Newport Shipyards. The tour captain had advised us of a great restaurant in the shipyard where they made great lobster rolls. So we ended our afternoon there chomping on lobsta! After returning to our campsite, we took the dogs for a truck ride around Ocean Avenue and found a small crescent beach where we could let them run around off leash. It was a fine way to spend our last evening in Rhode Island.

Our next adventure will be in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Summer 2016 - Delaware & New Jersey

Summer 2016 – Delaware & New Jersey

Saturday, June 18^th – Wednesday, June 22^nd

Camping at Lums Pond State Park

Photos link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6299820529302221297?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLn86JmOiKS_hwE&feat=directlink

The drive from Maryland to Delaware again took us through many agricultural farmlands. We never knew this part of the country had so many farms. We also drove across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from Maryland to Delaware. Because of the shipping lanes, this bridge was very high for large ships to pass under, and the toll was $20 (WOW).

We arrived at Lums Pond State Park campground after a nice drive through Delaware. This State Park campground had just been remodeled with full hook-ups for RVs. Also the sites were very large and shady. There is a small lake with trails all around, plus many activities to enjoy. We were surprised to find that some of the trails in the park were for mountain biking. Nothing very advanced, but fun flowy trails. These trails were fun to ride and easy to access right from our campsite.

One day we drove to White Clay Creek State Park, which has highly rated mountain bike trails. We spent a couple of hours riding these forested trails, but then we had to leave as a thunderstorm was approaching. We did enjoy riding the trails and the challenges presented.

Another day we drove over to a small town, White Crystal Beach, on the Chesapeake Bay. The scenery was again very beautiful, with more farms. The little towns in this area were founded back in the colonial days, and very quaint with lots of history.

We also enjoyed simply relaxing at this nice park. After days of running around D.C., this was a nice place to chill. The dogs also enjoyed being outside more and soaking up the sun.

Camping at Turkey Swamp Park, New Jersey

Thursday, June 23rd – Monday, June 27th

The purpose of this stop in New Jersey was primarily to visit some longtime friends. Jay and Chrissie Patel have been friends since the guys worked together at the Space Center back in the early 90’s. They had relocated back to their home state of N.J. They now have two sons, Luke and Jake.

We camped at the closest campground to their home in Middletown, Turkey Swamp Park. Even though it was a 25 mile drive to their place, we went there every day to visit and hang out with them. It had been over 10 years since we had seen them. They have a lovely home with a gorgeous backyard and pool. It was so nice to see them again and get to know their sons. We mostly spent time at their home and with other friends. One evening we went to watch an equestrian event in which Chrissie was competing. She really enjoys riding horses and is continuing to learn more about riding competition. She rides with her sister-in-law who owns the horses.

On Sunday, we all drove over to Sea Bright Beach on the Jersey shore. Wow, the beaches up here are so different from S. Florida. First of all, there is admission to the beaches and then there is paid parking, and they are packed! The locals buy season passes that cover both fees. We met them and some other friends there to hang out and enjoy the ocean and sun. The boys were having so much fun in the water and we enjoyed conversation with everyone. After the beach we all went back to the Patel’s home for a cook out and swim in the pool.

While driving around in the area, we noticed the beautiful greenery and again many farms, mostly horse farms. This area reminds us of Ocala, Florida, with rolling hills, green pastures and very large horse farms. There were also many very large mansions, even in smaller communities. One town, Freehold Township near where we camped, amazed us with the large communities of huge homes, with rolling green yards. We were also told the Bruce Springsteen lives in this town. There’s definitely some big money here. Jay explained that many of these residents commute to NYC or other nearby large cities.  At least the drive was very scenic and we saw many parts of the Jersey countryside.

We truly have enjoyed our time here in N.J. and appreciate the surrounding communities. Our next destination is in Connecticut near the shore and close to Mystic CT. Our next challenge is to drive out and around NYC to try to avoid city traffic, tolls and forbidden bridges for RVs! Wish us luck.

Summer 2016 - Washington D.C.

Summer 2016 – Washington D.C.

Monday, June 13^th – Friday, June 17^th

Touring Washington D.C.

Photos link:

https://picasaweb.google.com/107097369989809012646/6297532418069859937?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLqb5fvIloaGggE&feat=directlink

Washington D.C. was on our bucket list, as Kurt had never visited there. We camped in College Park, MD at Cherry Hill RV Park. This is a very well run, large campground with amenities like I’ve never seen. We never really used the amenities (other than the laundry) as our main goal was to tour D.C.

For four days, we rode the Metro bus to the nearest Metro Rail station. Then we used buses and/or walking in D.C. to visit the places that we wanted to go. The first day we visited mostly the memorials and monuments: Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, World War II Memorial, the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, and Union Station. The following days we visited Arlington National Cemetery, where we witnessed the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also saw two funeral processions, with horse draw caisson, military band and 21 gun salute; very moving. We also visited the Washington Memorial, toured the U.S. Capitol (where we learned more history of the building) and visited the National Archives, where we viewed the original U.S Constitution, Bill of Rights and other historical documents. We stood outside the fence of the White House, and also saw the President’s helicopter landing on the south lawn. I spent some time at the Museum of Natural History while Kurt spent more time at the Air & Space Museum. At the end of each day we were exhausted, but thankful of all the special places we visited. We truly enjoyed our visit to the Nation’s Capitol.

Our next stop is in Delaware and a newly remodeled campground at a state park.