Washington DC, July 17th
Today was another day for site seeing so did the same thing as New York, take a train downtown and scope it out to see where I can take the bike tomorrow. That’s the big difference between what I’ve seen on the west coast compared to the east. Out west it’s mostly national parks set aside for us to see the beauty this country has to offer whereas the east coast is all about the history. Not that the scenery isn’t as beautiful, true different, but there aren’t national parks set aside like there are out west. Ok, someone could argue that because everything that I did see today was run by the same National Park Service, but they are the National historical sites around here…not a large land mass – ya know what I’m talking about? Well, the train system around here is much easier to navigate than what New York was, but that might be because there aren’t as many trains to deal with or transfers. Anyway, made it down to the Mall/Smithsonian area which seems to be the natural choice to start a tour of Washington DC, but there’s no visitors center around…that is except for the Smithsonian one which is only concerned about their buildings on the mall. Found that to be a little strange and that I’ll have to make a walk to the Washington DC visitor’s center, but hey, I’ll see what I can around here before heading over there.
Well, just up the path is the Capital that have to get some good pictures of that. Didn’t get as close as I could’ve, but it looks like a great place to pull the bike up in front for more of that tomorrow. Started walking to the other end of the mall, ok, this mall runs from the Capital to the Washington Monument, but for as hot as it is figured I’d find some shelter in an air conditioned building and I’m kinda into machines and flight…you know, traveling down the road at 85 mph on a bike can be like flying…that have to check out the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum. Remember Oregon and the museum I saw there? Well, I was about to say that one difference is everything here is authentic, but I’m sure Oregon would claim all of what they have to be original and hey, they actually have the ‘Spruce Goose’, the Smithsonian only has a model. Now, what I mean is everything here from the Wright brothers first plane to the space station and rockets are the ones which were actually used that if you think about it, what an awesome collection of Air and Space paraphernalia…ok, maybe not paraphernalia, but you know what I mean.. I caught that when the lady giving a tour of the planes pointed out how one of the planes hanging use to be out of the reach of the public, but with the public getting taller all the time most are touching the thing that with it’s fabric cover and the oil from peoples skin, it’s damaging the plane. Now that explains the plastic covers around a lot of things, to keep the public from touching it cuz you know the signs “don’t touch” don’t do any good…which reminds me of a couple I was following thru the Hearst Castle. The tour guide kept telling us not to touch things but I notice how the chick would touch everything she walked by – sure she tried to hide it, but it reminded me of someone and how disrespectful that is…well ok, that’s a whole other story that we won’t go there. Ok, back to the Smithsonian and the other thing I have to try is the flight simulator... and signed up for a solo asking for the fastest plane they have. Well, wasn’t the kind of ride I thought it would have be, but spent enough time doing loops that it made for an interesting ride…takes some time to get use to the controls, but doing the loop’d’loop made for a fun ride.
Next stop, the Washington DC visitors center which was a walk, but on the way to the White House and got a good map as well as info on what I should see while in town. Headed toward the House, ya know, the White House and stopped into the White House’s information center just around the corner. Got an even better map from there since it’s the National Park service, yep, much better than the other, but it’s good to see our tax dollars at work producing as much paper as they can possibly hand out. Well, talked to the ranger who was very helpful and asked her how I could get a tour of the White House…well, that’ll take an act of God…ok not that bad, but a recommendation from a senator and at least a six week background check that it probably won’t happen. Like I told her, have been pulled over twice on this trip and each time they checked my record it was clean that I’m good to go. Anyway, she got the numbers for my senators, Mr. Coleman and Dayton that I called the Coleman office right away and guess what I get to do tomorrow, yep, a personal tour…no, not the White House hell, that takes a six week background check, but the Capitol. Ok that’ll work for me cuz that’s even something that you can’t just go and sign up for without going thru a senator. Got some great pictures of the White House and even one of me thanks to Marna and John, ok, I ask a lot of people along the way if I can take a picture for them because then I can ask for one in return, but I don’t always do that…have them take one of me. Sure, they ask if they can, but hey, I got that picture eye that I want to see what a camera that works looks like. It’s gotten bad enough with my camera that I can’t even tell thru the view finder what I’m taking a picture of, but hey, bear with me…I’m doing the best I can or at least the best the camera will allow me to.
Headed toward the Washington Monument only to find out you need a ticket to go into the thing, free, but they were all handed out by 9:30 this morning. Asked if I could get a ticket for tomorrow, but nope, they only hand out what’s left the day of…left from those not ordered online. Started my traveling spiel and the guy said, talk to the ranger and see what they can do for you. Well, the couple standing behind me heard my story and said they might have an extra ticket. Beth had ordered a number of tickets for 4:00 and 4:30 for their group and got those tickets at which point they didn’t have an extra one, but she asked about the 10 tickets she forgot at home and whether they could still get those…ok, I wasn’t surprised, but Brian said.; ‘so that’s what happened to the tickets’. She was told the same thing as me, talk to the ranger at the entrance and when she did, she asked if they could get me in on one of those tickets…thanks Beth, saved me from having to come back.
Now the story behind meeting Brian and Beth’s family and Phil and Laura’s family, who are from Chicago by the way…, remember my Chicago connection at Yankee Stadium? Well, Brian and Beth had lived in DC for years before moving to Boston, yep another town I’ve already been to, but all the while they lived in DC, had never seen all the monuments or sites the town has to offer – you know, the same story I’ve heard all around the country from people who live next to a national park all their lives and have never visited it. Well, they planned a vacation together and why not see Washington DC because Phil and Laura’s family have never been here and Brian and Beth can show their kids what they’ve never seen – and that brings me to meeting them all and telling my story of traveling the country where Phil said, ‘it must be hard for you meeting people along the way’…yea, he was kidding since you know me, I have no problem talking to anyone anytime about anything and especially my adventures traveling the country. Brian had an enticing story for me about his brother-in-law who just traveled Europe renting a bike for his trip and like I told him, I met some Brit’s in Indianapolis that invited me to the island if I can get my bike there and I should be able to travel Europe…now if I can just come up with the money and figure out a way to make money doing this – hey, ya never know, could sell everything I have except for the bike and make a trip like that…now it’d be great figuring out how I could make money doing it along the way.
Back to my adventures in Washington DC and while at the Washington Monument saw helicopters coming in, yep, the presidential helicopter and I was wondering why people were congregating around the White House. Yea, maybe I should’ve hung around there to get a picture of the president landing and getting off the thing, but things happening for a reason brought me to this monument to meet these families and get in for the last tour of the day. Oh, and for the story about the ranger taking us up in the elevator talking fast. She was saying how the ride to the top would take about 70 seconds and that’s fast compared to the 17 minute ride they had with the first elevator which was run by steam. Like I told her, back then they didn’t have to talk as fast, but think about it, they wouldn’tve had the same story to tell, now would they? The ride down took a little longer, again with the same ranger, but that’s because the elevator slowed down to show us the stones from the different states or donated by the wealthy…ok, didn’t get very good pictures, but it’s tough with a vator full of people and a flash against a window in a dark place…hey, at least I got to see’em.
More memorials and monuments to go thru and in this heat, well, I should’ve picked a cooler day. From the Washington Monument there’s a lot more to see and the WWII memorial was the first. If you’ll notice the pictures from atop the windows in the Washington Monument, it showed what the view use to be compared to my current picture and the WWII memorial is new. Was worth seeing and reminded me of my trip to Pearl Harbor a few years ago when I got to visit Maryanne and EK in Hawaii….remember them from Loma Linda in California? Boy how time flies. From there have to get a picture of reflection lake and the Lincoln Memorial, but couldn’t walk along the water all the way…a lot of goose poop and the water isn’t the best smelling. I remember pictures from years gone by when people would be wading in the thing and I had even thought about walking thru it to cool off, but not today. The presidential memorials are worth seeing, but the war memorials are the ones that really hit you because of the number of people that had to die for freedom…ok, maybe not all for this countries freedom, but to try and bring freedom to the world and like the Korean war memorial reads; ‘Freedom is not Free’.
Starting to run out of steam because of how hot it is and probably not drinking as much water as I should, but have to see the Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson memorials before I call it a day and that shouldn’t be a problem, their all on my way back to the train station. Spent some time at the Jefferson cooling off and trying to decide where to eat for the night and thought I had made up my mind until I got on the train. Was going to hit a place downtown for dinner and drinks since not on the bike, but have done enough walking for the day that I’m heading back to Mary Ellen’s and going to someplace close to home…at least here home. Ok, the other thing that just happened to me, the screen on my phone went out so now I have no idea who’s calling or who I’m calling…not that I’m gonna get the call I deserve, but hey, some people are just cold hearted – ok, enough, but can you tell I might be a little bitter? Well on my way to Gordon Biersch to see Keely again and a new bartender, Lori, saw a Sprint store only to find out they can’t do anything for me…ok, guess I can’t play the phone game and not answer when someone whom I don’t want to talk to calls, but then again, that’s not me. Tomorrow, a tour of the capitol and we’ll see where else the bike takes us. Washington DC Pictures.
Well, just up the path is the Capital that have to get some good pictures of that. Didn’t get as close as I could’ve, but it looks like a great place to pull the bike up in front for more of that tomorrow. Started walking to the other end of the mall, ok, this mall runs from the Capital to the Washington Monument, but for as hot as it is figured I’d find some shelter in an air conditioned building and I’m kinda into machines and flight…you know, traveling down the road at 85 mph on a bike can be like flying…that have to check out the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum. Remember Oregon and the museum I saw there? Well, I was about to say that one difference is everything here is authentic, but I’m sure Oregon would claim all of what they have to be original and hey, they actually have the ‘Spruce Goose’, the Smithsonian only has a model. Now, what I mean is everything here from the Wright brothers first plane to the space station and rockets are the ones which were actually used that if you think about it, what an awesome collection of Air and Space paraphernalia…ok, maybe not paraphernalia, but you know what I mean.. I caught that when the lady giving a tour of the planes pointed out how one of the planes hanging use to be out of the reach of the public, but with the public getting taller all the time most are touching the thing that with it’s fabric cover and the oil from peoples skin, it’s damaging the plane. Now that explains the plastic covers around a lot of things, to keep the public from touching it cuz you know the signs “don’t touch” don’t do any good…which reminds me of a couple I was following thru the Hearst Castle. The tour guide kept telling us not to touch things but I notice how the chick would touch everything she walked by – sure she tried to hide it, but it reminded me of someone and how disrespectful that is…well ok, that’s a whole other story that we won’t go there. Ok, back to the Smithsonian and the other thing I have to try is the flight simulator... and signed up for a solo asking for the fastest plane they have. Well, wasn’t the kind of ride I thought it would have be, but spent enough time doing loops that it made for an interesting ride…takes some time to get use to the controls, but doing the loop’d’loop made for a fun ride.
Next stop, the Washington DC visitors center which was a walk, but on the way to the White House and got a good map as well as info on what I should see while in town. Headed toward the House, ya know, the White House and stopped into the White House’s information center just around the corner. Got an even better map from there since it’s the National Park service, yep, much better than the other, but it’s good to see our tax dollars at work producing as much paper as they can possibly hand out. Well, talked to the ranger who was very helpful and asked her how I could get a tour of the White House…well, that’ll take an act of God…ok not that bad, but a recommendation from a senator and at least a six week background check that it probably won’t happen. Like I told her, have been pulled over twice on this trip and each time they checked my record it was clean that I’m good to go. Anyway, she got the numbers for my senators, Mr. Coleman and Dayton that I called the Coleman office right away and guess what I get to do tomorrow, yep, a personal tour…no, not the White House hell, that takes a six week background check, but the Capitol. Ok that’ll work for me cuz that’s even something that you can’t just go and sign up for without going thru a senator. Got some great pictures of the White House and even one of me thanks to Marna and John, ok, I ask a lot of people along the way if I can take a picture for them because then I can ask for one in return, but I don’t always do that…have them take one of me. Sure, they ask if they can, but hey, I got that picture eye that I want to see what a camera that works looks like. It’s gotten bad enough with my camera that I can’t even tell thru the view finder what I’m taking a picture of, but hey, bear with me…I’m doing the best I can or at least the best the camera will allow me to.
Headed toward the Washington Monument only to find out you need a ticket to go into the thing, free, but they were all handed out by 9:30 this morning. Asked if I could get a ticket for tomorrow, but nope, they only hand out what’s left the day of…left from those not ordered online. Started my traveling spiel and the guy said, talk to the ranger and see what they can do for you. Well, the couple standing behind me heard my story and said they might have an extra ticket. Beth had ordered a number of tickets for 4:00 and 4:30 for their group and got those tickets at which point they didn’t have an extra one, but she asked about the 10 tickets she forgot at home and whether they could still get those…ok, I wasn’t surprised, but Brian said.; ‘so that’s what happened to the tickets’. She was told the same thing as me, talk to the ranger at the entrance and when she did, she asked if they could get me in on one of those tickets…thanks Beth, saved me from having to come back.
Now the story behind meeting Brian and Beth’s family and Phil and Laura’s family, who are from Chicago by the way…, remember my Chicago connection at Yankee Stadium? Well, Brian and Beth had lived in DC for years before moving to Boston, yep another town I’ve already been to, but all the while they lived in DC, had never seen all the monuments or sites the town has to offer – you know, the same story I’ve heard all around the country from people who live next to a national park all their lives and have never visited it. Well, they planned a vacation together and why not see Washington DC because Phil and Laura’s family have never been here and Brian and Beth can show their kids what they’ve never seen – and that brings me to meeting them all and telling my story of traveling the country where Phil said, ‘it must be hard for you meeting people along the way’…yea, he was kidding since you know me, I have no problem talking to anyone anytime about anything and especially my adventures traveling the country. Brian had an enticing story for me about his brother-in-law who just traveled Europe renting a bike for his trip and like I told him, I met some Brit’s in Indianapolis that invited me to the island if I can get my bike there and I should be able to travel Europe…now if I can just come up with the money and figure out a way to make money doing this – hey, ya never know, could sell everything I have except for the bike and make a trip like that…now it’d be great figuring out how I could make money doing it along the way.
Back to my adventures in Washington DC and while at the Washington Monument saw helicopters coming in, yep, the presidential helicopter and I was wondering why people were congregating around the White House. Yea, maybe I should’ve hung around there to get a picture of the president landing and getting off the thing, but things happening for a reason brought me to this monument to meet these families and get in for the last tour of the day. Oh, and for the story about the ranger taking us up in the elevator talking fast. She was saying how the ride to the top would take about 70 seconds and that’s fast compared to the 17 minute ride they had with the first elevator which was run by steam. Like I told her, back then they didn’t have to talk as fast, but think about it, they wouldn’tve had the same story to tell, now would they? The ride down took a little longer, again with the same ranger, but that’s because the elevator slowed down to show us the stones from the different states or donated by the wealthy…ok, didn’t get very good pictures, but it’s tough with a vator full of people and a flash against a window in a dark place…hey, at least I got to see’em.
More memorials and monuments to go thru and in this heat, well, I should’ve picked a cooler day. From the Washington Monument there’s a lot more to see and the WWII memorial was the first. If you’ll notice the pictures from atop the windows in the Washington Monument, it showed what the view use to be compared to my current picture and the WWII memorial is new. Was worth seeing and reminded me of my trip to Pearl Harbor a few years ago when I got to visit Maryanne and EK in Hawaii….remember them from Loma Linda in California? Boy how time flies. From there have to get a picture of reflection lake and the Lincoln Memorial, but couldn’t walk along the water all the way…a lot of goose poop and the water isn’t the best smelling. I remember pictures from years gone by when people would be wading in the thing and I had even thought about walking thru it to cool off, but not today. The presidential memorials are worth seeing, but the war memorials are the ones that really hit you because of the number of people that had to die for freedom…ok, maybe not all for this countries freedom, but to try and bring freedom to the world and like the Korean war memorial reads; ‘Freedom is not Free’.
Starting to run out of steam because of how hot it is and probably not drinking as much water as I should, but have to see the Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson memorials before I call it a day and that shouldn’t be a problem, their all on my way back to the train station. Spent some time at the Jefferson cooling off and trying to decide where to eat for the night and thought I had made up my mind until I got on the train. Was going to hit a place downtown for dinner and drinks since not on the bike, but have done enough walking for the day that I’m heading back to Mary Ellen’s and going to someplace close to home…at least here home. Ok, the other thing that just happened to me, the screen on my phone went out so now I have no idea who’s calling or who I’m calling…not that I’m gonna get the call I deserve, but hey, some people are just cold hearted – ok, enough, but can you tell I might be a little bitter? Well on my way to Gordon Biersch to see Keely again and a new bartender, Lori, saw a Sprint store only to find out they can’t do anything for me…ok, guess I can’t play the phone game and not answer when someone whom I don’t want to talk to calls, but then again, that’s not me. Tomorrow, a tour of the capitol and we’ll see where else the bike takes us. Washington DC Pictures.
posted by Dalej Webb at 6:55 PM
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