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Overview 1
National Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center- Chantilly VABah, humbug! (Informational) Irene is still giving me fits. The route I uploaded had me driving all the way to the Prince William Forest RV Campground in Dumfries VA on non-Interstate roads. The first thing Irene did was take me to an I-64 onramp. I might have to call Garmin. Tuesday, April 10, 2012 was a beautiful day, but the wind was miserable. Gusts really made me work behind the wheel – especially when an eighteen wheeler passed me. The aerodynamics on those babies is such that the Pilgrim gets shoved around quite a bit even on a calm day. I really would rather have been where the semis weren’t. The trip itself and setup were uneventful, but the wind continued to blow pretty steadily through the evening hours.
Wednesday was overcast and cool so I decided to take care of some housekeeping errands – purchase some specialty office supplies, get the oil changed in the truck and call Garmin. The tech support guy found a glitch in the database I downloaded and fixed it for me. With that repair completed and some new knowledge about Irene, I should be up ‘n runnin’ in the GPS navigational world. Oh, by
Overview 2
National Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center- Chantilly VA the way, I have had exceptionally good luck with the weather this year (as almost all of my photos can attest) so I took a picture of my RV site to prove that I do encounter some “other than perfect” days. LOL Actually, I can’t complain about weather getting in the way of virtually anything during the two-plus years of the great adventure.
The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum has so much bulky material that it has two facilities. Kay and I visited the facility on the National Mall in 2010. Thursday I headed for the Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly VA. Like all Smithsonian facilities, the museum is free but parking is $15.00 for the day. Need I say, “Carpool if you can?” What a jewel! In the aircraft hangar, there are five BIG airplanes – a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird (a long-range, Mach 3+ reconnaissance aircraft), an Air France Concorde (a supersonic passenger aircraft), a Boeing 307 Stratoliner (the first passenger aircraft with a pressurized cabin), a Lockheed 1049F Superconstellation (a four engine propeller-driven civilian passenger airliner and military transport) and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay (which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima Japan on August
Overview 3
National Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center- Chantilly VA 6, 1945). We’re not talking models here folks, we’re talking the real deal!
Nope, there is no Goodyear blimp, but there is the cockpit/cabin from one of the early Goodyear blimps. There are no hot air balloons, but there are several gondolas and the Double Eagle II cabin which was the first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean. There is the Virgin Atlantic Global Flyer in which Steve Fossett set the record for the fastest solo nonstop unrefueled flight around the world between February 28 and March 3, 2005 with a time of 67 hours 1 minute. There is Pathfinder Plus (that, with a wingspan of 121 feet, set the national altitude record for solar-powered, propeller-driven aircraft at 80,201 feet). There is every type of aircraft from hang gliders to ultralights to aerobatic and racing aircraft. There are airplanes from each military era – from the pre-1920s aircraft (WW I) to post-Vietnam. There are aircraft from numerous countries including a Russian MiG. Then, there are piston and jet aircraft engines, fuel pumps, governors, magnetos and even spark plugs.
Then there is the space hangar. The Space Shuttle Enterprise is, err was, the showpiece. I’ll have more about that
Overview 4
National Air & Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center- Chantilly VA in a bit. The subjects in the hangar include human spaceflight, rockets and missiles, applications satellites and space science. The mobile quarantine facility from the moon exploration era, the Mercury capsule Freedom 7, a Mars Pathfinder lander and Spacelab artifacts are on display. Numerous rockets, missiles and drones are also on display along with several rocket engines. Then there is the observation deck where one can watch the activities at Dulles International Airport and listen to the radio traffic. Then, for a fee, there are the simulators and the IMAX movies. I had to pass on all of those because I just plain ran out of time. Start early, and plan a FULL day.
Oh, I said I’d get back to the space shuttle. While on the free guided tour, the docent noted that Enterprise would be leaving the next week and would be replaced by Discovery. It just so happen that I will still be in the DC area on Tuesday, April 17 when Discovery is scheduled to arrive piggybacked atop the Boeing 747 shuttle transporter. Kay and I had seen the launch of Discovery on February 24, 2011 as she began her final mission. I’m looking forward
Hot LZ Exit From A CH-34
In The Lobby Of The National Museum of the Marine Corps - Triangle VA to seeing her arrive at her final destination.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps is only a couple of miles from the Prince William Forest RV Campground. It goes without saying that it was on my “A list.” This attraction is difficult for me to assess objectively. Somewhere on the web site, I saw a warning for parents about the graphic nature of the depictions of war. I saw nothing that, in my opinion, would cause undue stress in a young child if properly managed by a capable adult mentor. The notion of having a discussion about life and death and the effects of war might, indeed, have a stressful effect on the adults; and this attraction, more so than the war monuments on the National Mall, might very well elicit questions from children and promote such a discussion. My advice is to be prepared.
The boot camp section would be interesting to most people. It brought back some old memories, prompted a few chuckles and gave me some information about drill instructor training that I didn’t know. The main exhibit area starts with the birth of the Corps in 1775 (yes, a year before the Declaration
It Flew Over Mount Suribachi
The National Museum of the Marine Corps - Triangle VA of Independence) and progresses chronologically. Most of the displays are replete with photographs and many human interest stories. One that caught my interest is that of a wounded 19-year-old corporal, James Day, who spent four nights defending an outpost on Okinawa for four nights. After each of his senior officers died in battle, his nomination for the Medal of Honor seemingly had been lost. It was - for 53 years - before it was awarded to now-General Day by President Clinton.
The names of Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller and Victor H. Krulak will mean nothing to most non-Marines, and it is not the names but the stories that are meaningful and interesting. The World War II area had a multimedia experience of being on a landing craft preparing for a beach assault. The flag that flew above Mount Suribachi was on display. The museum curator was after my heart when I learned that no FLASH photography of the flag was allowed. I had a meaningful history lesson passing through the Korean War section. I expected to find the siege of Khe Sahn and the battle for the City of Hue addressed in the Vietnam section but did not expect
to enter the area as though disembarking a CH-46 helicopter nor to see the awesome extensive coverage given to the Battle of Dai Do.
On April 30, 1968 my battalion, 2
nd Battalion, 4
th Marine Regiment (nicknamed The Magnificent Bastards), made contact with a force of North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) along the Cua Viet River. The fighting was intense from the onset and lasted until nightfall on May 2 when the NVA withdrew. The numbers vary in different accounts, but nearly 100 Marines were killed or died later of injuries and about 300 Marines were injured seriously enough to require medical evacuation. Approximately 3000 NVA were counted as KIA, and almost 50 were taken POW. The Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. William Weise, was wounded and awarded a Navy Cross, and Battalion Sergeant Major “Big” John Malnar, a combat veteran of WWII and Korea, was killed and posthumously awarded a Silver Star. Company G Commander, Captain Jay Vargas, and Captain James Livingston of Company E each were wounded three times and each was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
It was later determined that the force we had engaged was the 320
th NVA Division
and that the North Vietnamese plan was to overrun Dong Ha, the primary combat resupply base for northern South Vietnam. Despite the approximate 4:1 numerical disadvantage we faced, Dong Ha was spared attack. The photos of the action were sobering; however, I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw the heretofore-unseen-by-me-photo of Lt. Col. Weise lying on a litter waiting for evacuation holding his IV bag high in the air as he was chomping on the stub of a cigar. When some other visitors to the museum looked at me inquisitively as I chuckled, I told them that he was my CO. They asked if I had been at Dai Do and then offered to take my picture next to the exhibit. Unbeknownst at the time, the photo of the CO on the cot is just behind my right shoulder. A very good account of the action can be found in Leatherneck Magazine:
http://www.leatherneckmagazine-digital.com/leatherneckmagazine/200904?pg=31#pg27 I planned my departure from Florida for New England to get me to Washington DC for the Centennial Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. From what I have heard, the entire nation has experienced a very mild winter and all of nature is out of sync with
the calendar. The cherry blossoms in the nation’s capital are no exception. By the time I arrived, there was nary a cherry blossom to be seen. There was a parade with a dozen or so entries from Japan including the Mayor of Tokyo Shintaro Ishihara and the Ambassador of Japan Ichiro Fujisaki. High school bands represented South Dakota, Pennsylvania, New York, Mississippi, Massachusetts, Maryland, Ohio, California, Rhode Island, Georgia, Virginia and Washington DC. Performances were given en route by recording artists Debbie Gibson, opera tenor Nathan Pacheco and Sister Sledge. There were clowns, antiques cars, a unicycle performance team, reality TV winners/finalists, baton twirlers, tap dance teams and horses.
The Washington Metropolitan Police Department Motorcycle Team put on an incredible “don’t try this at home” performance drill. Any parade of note would have helium balloons that depicted likenesses of cherry blossoms, Miss Piggy, cherry blossoms, Bugs Bunny, cherry blossoms, Kermit the Frog, cherry blossoms, Scooby Doo and cherry blossoms. Moon-walker Buzz Aldrin, Olympians Kristi Yamaguchi and Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, entertainer Marie Osmond, Miss America Laura Kaeppeler and politicians of dubious import beyond Metro DC were on hand to offer parade-requisite bobble hand lessons or, (in the case of the
You're Famous Now, Lady
National Cherry Blossom Centennial Parade - Washington DC politicians) at the sight of a cousin or neighbor, a flamboyant full arm swing. I might have slighted some of the entries, but the parade was 1-1/2 hours long. Despite the lengthy intermissions caused by performances for the folks who paid big bucks for a bleacher seat, the parade was excellent.
I only had two complaints. Complaint #1 - The parade was great right up until the very end – nobody knew if the parade was over or if another “deep pockets” performance was underway. No police car, no street sweeper (there were horses, you know), no hint, no clue. It just ended! Complaint #2 - While I was trying to get pictures, one lady who had a chair directly in front of where I was standing and who (apparently) didn’t have a zoom on her smart phone kept walking out to the edge of the parade to take pictures of the various units. Since she kept getting in the way of me and those around me, I surmised she wanted a picture of her inconsiderate ass plastered all over the Internet. She got it! The guy she was with, I suppose her husband, got lippy with some guy
President Andrew Jackson
Lafayette Square- Washington DC half his age and ten times as fit and almost got his face plastered all over the curb. What a pair. I thought the middle of the parade might have some fireworks, but the common sense of the younger guy prevailed.
After the parade was over, I walked to Lafayette Square. The seven-acre public park, with its five large statues, is located directly north of the White House and was originally called "President's Park." In the center stands an equestrian statue of President Andrew Jackson. In the four corners are statues of Revolutionary War heroes - France's General Marquis Gilbert de Lafayette and Major General Comte Jean de Rochambeau; Poland's General Thaddeus Kosciuszko; Prussia's Major General Baron Frederich Wilhelm von Steuben.
Sunday morning, being less crowded than through the work week, found me back downtown again to check out the vantage points for the flyover of the Discovery on Tuesday next. With some time remaining in the day, I walked over toward the National Geographic Museum. Since it was moving on toward lunchtime, I was wondering if there were any diners around without linen tablecloths and champagne glasses! Lo and behold, Subway to the rescue. I’m not sure
Not All Breeches Were From The Iceberg
“Titanic: 100 Year Obsession” Exhibit - National Geographic Museum - Washington DC how the profit margin can absorb what must be some pretty high-dollar rent, but I had a good old-fashioned Fogleburger.
The National Geographic Museum web site is different than that for most museums and seems almost evasive about the contents of the attraction. It describes the travelling or temporary exhibits but has no information about a permanent collection. I now know why – there is no permanent collection. There are two free exhibits at this time. “Big Cats: Vanishing Icons” is in the display windows adjacent to the sidewalk, and “Beyond the Story: National Geographic Unpublished 2011” is inside. There are also two exhibits that have an admission fee. At this time “Titanic: 100 Year Obsession” and “Samurai: The Warrior Transformed” are being shown. All the exhibits are done nationalgeographically – superbly! Since there really is no museum in the traditional sense of the word, I cannot make or withhold a recommendation. I would suggest checking the web site to determine your level of interest in the exhibits of the day before making your decision. I also am of the impression that the opening of new exhibits might be DCs version of opening night on Broadway – a tough
Front View
Mount Vernon: George Washington’s Estate - Alexandria VA ticket to procure. Photography was allowed only in the Titanic exhibit and, of course, from streetside.
I had earmarked Monday for a trip to Mount Vernon: George Washington's Estate & Gardens. Mount Vernon was purchased from the Washington family by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association in 1858. It has been restored/redecorated/refurnished to reflect the estate as it was at the time of his death on December 14, 1799. Martha Washington lived on the estate for over fifty years from the time of their marriage in 1749 until her death on May 22, 1802. There is sooooo much more to see and experience than his home! Plan to spend the entire day, or you’ll be cheating yourself.
The orientation center presents a young Washington in an 18-minute film, “We Fight to Be Free” and a 1/12 scale replica of the Mansion. The museum and education center offers numerous multimedia presentations in 23 galleries and theaters that span Washington’s lifetime. Everything is first-class. The movie in the Revolutionary War Theater comes complete with snow falling from the “sky,” fog rolling in at your feet and seats quaking from the nearby explosions. The Washington portrayals of different ages were generated with
Back Porch
Mount Vernon: George Washington’s Estate - Alexandria VA computer-aided aging applications. The guided tour of the home covers the first and second story. The third story is opened around the Christmas holiday. Other than the “Wow factor,” I can’t think of anything particularly remarkable except the view of the Potomac River from the back porch.
Outside is a completely different world. From the elegance of the mansion, the visitor is immersed in the life of a famer – the occupation for which Washington most prided himself. I don’t want to break anybody’s bubble, but the Father of Our Country was an environmentalist. He researched, developed and practiced a seven-year crop rotation schedule. He plowed in unharvested buckwheat to replenish the soil and used compost to fertilize his vegetable gardens. By the mid-1760s Washington had switched his main cash crop to wheat from tobacco because wheat was taxed less by the British and was less damaging to the soil. Washington designed a sixteen-sided, two-story barn with gaps between the floorboards of the second story such that horses could trot over harvested wheat spread on the second story floor to break the wheat grains out of the straw. The wheat would fall through the gaps in the floor to
Washington’s Tomb With Martha On His Right
Mount Vernon: George Washington’s Estate - Alexandria VA the first story floor where the grain was shoveled into bins.
The plantation outbuildings include a detached kitchen, a salt house, a smokehouse, a storehouse, a spinning house, a wash room, a coach house, a stable, a paddock, a blacksmith shop, a dung repository, a servants’ hall, slave quarters, overseer’s quarters, gardener’s house and a greenhouse. All of the outbuildings are furnished authentically and have informational plaques posted. There are three gardens where vegetables and flowers were grown. Down the hill (and a pretty formidable hill it would be for many) is the 4 acre pioneer farm site. Between the pioneer farm and the mansion is Washington’s tomb and the slave burial area and memorial. I only had time to participate in the garden tour and missed the others, and I completely forgot about the Purple Heart Memorial as it is quite removed from the epicenter of the attraction – out of sight, out of mind. Mount Vernon is a must see, and I’m putting it on my “I wouldn’t mind revisiting it” list as well.
I set the alarm for at 5:00 AM Tuesday so I could beat the rush hour and get to the National Mall
in plenty of time for the Discovery flyover between 10 AM and 11 AM. That left time for coffee and then hit the road by 6:00 AM. When I arrived at the Prince William Forest RV Campground, I was given printed instructions for getting to the nearest Metro station. There was not an address to enter into my GPS, but the instructions were straight-forward and simple. At 6 AM everything was going according to schedule until I got on I-95 northbound toward Washington DC. The freeway already was a parking lot! The only instruction set I had was via the freeway, and I had no idea of how to get there via the surface streets. This wasn’t a problem yet, because I had built in a big time cushion. It took me almost an hour and a half to go 19 miles ON THE FREEWAY!
Part of the parking deck at the Metro station has enough clearance for my truck, but part of it does not. There are no restrictions to keep vehicles that don’t need the clearance out of the high clearance area. One reason I left early was to assure myself a spot in the high clearance
What I Got – I’ll Take It
Space Shuttle Discovery Flyover - Washington DC area of the deck. There still were plenty of parking places. We’re good to go. Onto the Metro I go and get off at the Smithsonian Station right on the National Mall. I wandered around between the Metro Station and the Lincoln Memorial looking at the options I had laid out on Sunday. Today, my best frame looked like it would be next to the World War II Memorial. I had an hour to kill so I got a cup of coffee and revisited the three Vietnam Memorials and the Korean War Memorial.
About 9:50 AM, I got in position. My planned shot would have captured Discovery between the American and POW flags of the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument. The area around Washington Monument, one of my other planned options, was extremely crowded. Shortly after 10 AM, Discovery and her transporter appeared. She was too low and too distant to use the frame I had planned, but she still was a sight to behold. She made two more passes. Takeoff and landing operations were suspended at National Airport while the three flyovers were executed. It was spectacular, and I was awestruck! The once in a
Scholarly Reading, I’m Sure
James Mason Memorial - Washington DC lifetime moment was worth every minute of the I-95 morning rush.
There were three as yet unvisited monuments on my list that are located around the tidal basin - James Mason, FDR and MLK. With one of the foci of this trip being the Revolutionary War, I stopped at the Jefferson Memorial to get a refresher course on this Founding Father. Mission accomplished. I walked a short distance to the James Mason Memorial. Mason is considered one of the "Founding Fathers" because he was a delegate from Virginia to the U.S. Constitutional Convention and because he, along with James Madison, is known as the "Father of the Bill of Rights." During the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, Mason and fellow anti-federalist Patrick Henry pressed for the addition of explicit States rights and individual rights to offset the increased federal power beyond what had been given in the Articles of Confederation. When the final draft did not include those rights, Mason refused to sign the document – thus, he is not a "Founding Father." His efforts eventually succeeded in convincing the Federalists to adopt the Bill of Rights.
My next stop was the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. I had
The Largest Waterfall
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial - Washington DC absolutely no idea that this memorial was so enormous. I entered from the south and thought the first waterfall was the memorial, but there was a second and a third and on and on, seemingly ad infinitum. There are sculptures of Eleanor and FDR as well as the everyday citizen he so significantly impacted during the New Deal. The quotes chiseled into the stone are reflective of his philosophy. When I reached “the end” of the memorial, I found the visitor center and gift shop. In reading the NPS brochure, I learned I had regressed vs. progressed through the monument. If you want to view the memorial via the “path most travelled,” begin at the northern or MLK Memorial end. I would suggest getting a NPS brochure beforehand to enhance the memorials meaning.
The third of the memorials was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. During my last visit to Washington in 2010, the memorial was under construction. A “stone of hope” was removed from the “mountain of despair” and adorned with a likeness of Dr. King gazing upon the Jefferson Memorial. All three memorials are worthy of a visit. My starting point and my destination led me to
circle the Tidal Basin clockwise. Starting from the Lincoln Memorial/Reflecting Pool Area (the Reflecting Pool is currently under renovation) would take one through the FDR Memorial sequential correct.
My next stop was the Arlington Metro Station for a short ride to the Pentagon Station. On the way, I stumbled upon a statue of John Ericsson (1803-89) stranded on a traffic island amid busy traffic lanes at Ohio Drive and 23
rd Street. I stopped to bid John a good afternoon and to get his story. John was the "inventor and builder of the Monitor. He revolutionized navigation by his invention of the screw propeller." John's three friends promote labor, vision and adventure. I continued across the bridge toward Arlington Cemetery and the Metro station. A one-stop ride had me at the Pentagon in minutes.
When I exited the station, there was a sign directing me to the memorial, and there are signs about every ten feet on the fence around the Pentagon dictating, “No photography.” I’m not sure of what that’s about – it’s definitely not a photogenic building! Besides that, I was too close to get the whole thing into a single shot anyway. I walked about a
Directory Of All The Victims
Pentagon Memorial - Arlington VA block to the Pentagon Memorial. Only a few people were at the memorial, and a nice young officer (probably Pentagon police) gave me the entire explanation of the events of 9/11 and the symbolism of the memorial. I had my camera in my hand on purpose and he said nothing. That was all the permission I needed.
The Pentagon Memorial has an enormous amount of symbolism incorporated into the design; but, briefly, there is a Memorial Unit for each of the 184 people killed at this location on that dreadful day. Each Memorial Unit consists of a cantilevered bench with the victim’s name inscribed on the end of the bench and a pool of flowing water under the bench that is internally illuminated at night. The Memorial Units have been placed in rows according to the birth year of the victim. The first row has only one bench for three-year-old Dana Falkenburg, and the last row also has only one bench for 71-year-old John D. Yamnicky. Each bench is positioned so the name of the victim can be read based on the location of the victim. Facing the Pentagon, one can read the names of the victims from the
The Memorial Units
Pentagon Memorial - Arlington VA Pentagon; and facing the direction of the approach of American Airlines Flight 77, one can read the names of the victims from the airplane. According to the officer I referred to, the aircraft approached over the hill where the Air Force memorial now stands. It is quite sobering and impressive. An alphabetical listing of all the victims (with birth year) is at the entrance so visitors can easily locate the row where the Memorial Unit for a specific victim is located. Hats off to the creators Julie Beckman and Keith Kaseman.
My last stop of the day was at the Air Force Memorial. I should advise everybody that walking to the memorial requires climbing a hill many would describe as formidable – taller and steeper than at Mount Vernon. There is ample parking at the memorial. The memorial is nice but – well, let’s just say I didn’t do well in Art Critiquing 101. I never thought I would find myself quoting President George W. Bush, but the inscription says, “A soldier can walk the battlefields where he once fought; a Marine can walk the beaches he once stormed; but an airman can never visit the patch of sky
Entrance To The Parking Lot
Air Force Memorial - Arlington VA he raced across on a mission to defend freedom. And so it's fitting that the men and women of the Air Force have this memorial, a place here on the ground that recognizes their achievements and sacrifices in the skies above.” October 14, 2006. Finally, I agree with him about something. If you take the Metro to the Pentagon Memorial, you’ll get a good view of the Air Force Memorial. If you are driving in the area, you might as well stop. Make sure to look toward the Pentagon to assimilate the flight path of American Airlines Flight 77.
A=Tuesday was a very long and very busy day, my man! B=Wednesday was a nasty looking day with a reasonable chance of rain. C=I played around with the distance calculator on Google Earth and, landmark to landmark (no allowance for potty stops, etc.), I walked 8.54 miles on Tuesday. A+B+C=I’m staying put, labeling some photos, writing some in the blog and reading a little in the American Revolution book I purchased at Yorktown VA. Thursday and Friday were forecast to be better days before rain on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
Thursday was a very nice day so I headed
Tree Root Grew Around This Bayonet Artifact
Manassas National Battlefield Park - Manassas VA for Manassas National Battlefield Park as planned. There was not a single Battle of Manassas, there were two Battles of Manassas conducted, essentially, on the same terrain. I was told that in Southernese a run is a river, creek or stream in Northernese. Bull Run is adjacent to the contested turf so the battles are frequently referred to as First Bull Run and Second Bull Run. First Manassas was the first major land battle of the Civil War. Both Union and Confederate forces were confident the war would be short because the opponent, when faced death and/or injury, would run. Both were so very, very wrong.
After Fort Sumter fell to the Confederates on April 13, 1861, President Lincoln recruited a volunteer army conscripted for ninety days. Most of the ninety days had lapsed when President Lincoln urged his commanders to get this thing over with. On July 16, 1861, Gen. Irwin McDowell’s 35,000-man army marched out of Washington DC to take the Confederate Capital of Richmond VA. Many citizens and congressmen followed the troops out of town with wine and picnic baskets in hand to watch what they thought should prove to be an impressive show. McDowell’s objective
was to capture and control the railway junction at Manassas. Gen. Pierre G.T. Beauregard had his 22,000-man Confederate force blocking the Union crossing of Bull Run at every ford and bridge. On the morning of July 21, Manassas One started. The Confederates prevailed in ten hours of heavy fighting that left nearly 900 young men dead on Matthews Hill, Henry Hill and Chinn Ridge. Any thought of or hope for a quick war had vanished.
Just over a year later, both armies would again clash in a three-day battle that would cost the lives of 3,300 men. Manassas Two was longer and more strategically complex than Manassas One, but the Confederacy prevailed yet a second time on this hallowed turf. At the Henry Hill Visitor Center, there is a one mile walking tour around Manassas One with interpretive signs along the way. An 18-mile driving tour of Manassas Two begins at Brawner Farm. A ranger program is available at both sites. I participated in the ranger programs at both facilities and the walking tour of Manassas One, but did not take the driving tour. Manassas National Battlefield Park is recommended for all who are interested in U.S. history and
Docent Explaining The Process
Washington's Distillery & Gristmill - Alexandria VA is a must see for all Civil War Buffs. Allow at least half a day. I devoted a day and ran out of time.
Friday looked to be another fine day. With rain in the forecast for the three days coming, I took advantage of the weather and headed for George Washington's Distillery & Gristmill. I had driven past the attraction on the way to/from Mount Vernon but didn’t have time to stop on Monday. I didn’t even have time to see everything at Mount Vernon. For many years the grain produced on the plantation had been processed by a small mill on Dogue Run Creek. After switching his main crop from tobacco to wheat, Washington’s small mill was inadequate. In 1770 he constructed a large merchant-size mill downstream from the original mill. One coarse set of millstones was used to grind corn for use on the plantation, and the other fine set for grinding wheat for domestic sale and foreign export.
James Anderson, Washington’s farm manager in 1797, advised him to expand the operation at Dogue Run by constructing a distillery next to the mill. The experienced distiller pointed out to Washington that all the key components
Georgeshine In The Making
Washington's Distillery & Gristmill - Alexandria VA were already in place – grain, an ability to grind the grain and water. The distillery was completed in 1798 and featured five stills. In the first year of operation, over 4,000 gallons of rye whiskey were produced and the second year saw production rise to 11,000 gallons. After Washington’s death on December 14, 1799, his step nephew-in-law inherited and ran the mill and distillery operations until the distillery burned in 1814.
Even though everything at the site is a reproduction, the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association staff conducted extensive research to assure that the attraction is as accurate as possible – just as it has done at Mount Vernon. The costumed interpreters were pleasant, well-informed and anxious to answer questions and linger in a conversation. This attraction is a definite must see in my opinion, but to most it would not justify slighting the Mount Vernon plantation to accommodate the one to two hours it takes. I guess it depends on what is omitted at Mount Vernon and on personal choice.
My next stop was the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Alexandria VA. I got my information from the tourism literature, didn’t perform any investigation before my
The Right Side Of The Museum
National Inventors Hall of Fame - Alexandria VA visit and must accept some responsibility for my extreme disappointment with this attraction. The web site touts five elements – the Hall of Fame, Museum, Portrait Gallery, Theatre, and Museum Store. The Portrait Gallery features electronic portraits of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Thomas Edison, Helen Free (developer of self-testing for diabetics), Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple Computer) and Under Secretary of Commerce David Kappos. Creative special effects allow the gallery portraits come to life in a humorous, interactive chat that highlights the history of America's intellectual property system. In the theater, a short film provides a look at the range of inventions submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I found both informative and entertaining.
The museum contained only one exhibit – “Exercising Ingenuity: Inventions in Health and Fitness” – which highlighted a few dozen inventors including Charles Atlas, the mail-order, body-building guru of the 1950s and 60s; Dr. John H. Kellogg, a breakfast food pioneer and early advocate for good nutrition as a means of achieving good health; and Dr. James Robert Cade, a professor of renal medicine at the University of Florida and developer of “Gator”ade. There was a considerable amount of information focused on
The Left Side Of The Museum
National Inventors Hall of Fame - Alexandria VA one specific area, perhaps enough information to write a short book on that finite subject! There also was some vintage exercise equipment on display – a vibrating chair, a radiant heat bath, a posture chair and a massaging machine. All four were inventions of Dr. Kellogg.
Not knowing about the existence of the kiosks where the visitor can reference the members of the Inventors Hall of Fame and not knowing the mechanics of how those kiosks operate, I really can’t comment; however, I did learn from the web site that the museum exhibit changes yearly. Parking is a pain, as it is in much of suburban Washington DC, so I would suggest checking the web site to assure the subject matter interests you before making your decision to visit – that is, unless you have a specific inventor or invention you would like to explore and you can’t find what you need on the Internet!
My final stop of the day and of this two week visit to the Virginia side of the Washington DC metro area was at Great Falls National Park in McLean VA. Envisioning a big waterfall in this relatively flat topography piqued my curiosity,
Impressive
Great Falls National Park - McLean VA and I’m glad I had some residual time to visit. George Washington had surveyed the Potomac River and its tributaries in his youth. He believed canals that circumvented unnavigable portions of the river would be a boon to trade between the eastern seaboard and the Ohio River Valley. In 1785, Washington presided over the construction of that canal and lock system along the Potomac. The Patowmack Canal opened in 1802, three years after Washington’s death; and it remained in service until faster, more economic options became available some 26 years later. After transporting their load, most boatmen dismantled their boats, sold the wood for lumber and walked back home.
Don’t expect a Niagara Falls when you visit. Great Falls is more a formidable set of rapids than a waterfall in the traditional sense. The base is frequented by experienced kayakers who row out into the areas plagued with undertows and whitewater, and the viewing vistas are easily accessible – the best view has wheelchair access. I walked the trail (about a mile each way) along the remnants of the Patowmack Canal to the northern boundary of Great Falls Park. Across the Potomac (in Maryland) is the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal National Historical Park. From looking at the Great Falls Park visitor guide, the C&O Canal NHP appears to have a functional canal and locks, but I doubt that the view of the falls would be as good.
Washington DC – our nation’s capital. What do I say? In the city itself, use the Metro. In Virginia, there is as much to see as there is in the city, and, although parking is not cheap and not always plentiful, using a car is preferred. I have at least two weeks more to re-visit in Virginia and two weeks more to re-visit in Washington DC. Someday I hope to visit while the cherry blossoms are in bloom and walk around the Tidal Basin, but I wouldn’t trade that life experience for the treat of watching the Space Shuttle Discovery on her final flyover. Majestic! Now, it’s off to Gettysburg PA.
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Helen
non-member comment
Thanks for the tour
I was thinking about you and your up close view of Discovery as I was watching it on TV. Great that you were able to witness two memorable events in "her" life. I did not get to Mt. Vernon so enjoyed your review and pictures. Thanks for taking time to share your adventures with us. I was in DC in July before 9/11 so the Pentagon memorial and King memorial were also new and interesting to hear about. I'm so glad you are able to enjoy so many things as you travel. Be safe!!! Love you.