Washington, D.C. - Day 2

What a day!!  It was another dawn to night day.  On the road by 7:15 a.m.  We decided to go to the station that we were bused to.  We asked for directions from the campground people.  However, when we followed their directions, we couldn't find the station.  Since we had an 10:00 tour at the Capitol scheduled, we decided to turn around and go back to the original station.   We also decided because we couldn't take the I-pad or my big camera, we would go on the Metro to Union Station where there are lockers, put that stuff in a locker and then go to Rodney Davis' office to pick up our tickets.  This little change made the Metro ride even longer.  To make a long story short, we didn't make the 10:00 tour.  They rescheduled us for 2:00 p.m.    We had tickets for the White House for 12:30 p.m. so we decided to head that way and stop at a few memorials on the way.  Bad idea!  The traffic was horrible and the only stop we made was at the Jefferson Memorial.  We got off at the White House stop but most of the blocks surrounding the  White House had been blocked off.  We don't know why, but it made us have to walk several blocks out of the way.  Finally, made it to the White House at 12:35, got in a long line, and began the security process.  There were four security checkpoints we had to pass through.  Again, long story short, it took us an hour before we even got into the  White House.  We walked out of the White House at 2:15.  We missed the Capitol tour again!

We decided we needed to retrieve our cameras and eat and we knew Union Station had restaurants so we headed back to Union Station.  We had pizza and got back on the bus to go to Lincoln Memorial and the rest of the memorials.  We finally got back on the Metro at 7:00 p.m.and home by 8:15.  It has been a long, and sometimes frustrating day.  The traffic has been intense and all the extra security measures combine to really slow things down.  There is no way we can see all the things we wanted to see.  Our goal tomorrow is to see the Pentagon 911 Memorial, Ford Theater, and the Spy Museum and then call it quits.   With the way things went today and even yesterday, I won't be surprised if we can only fit in two out of the three.  We have been to Washington, D.C. three times before and have never experienced the long days to see so little.  911 surely changed the way we live and visit the Capital.

This outside view of the  Capitol was taken from the Big Bus and we won't see the inside this trip.

We really like the Korean Memorial.  These soldiers represent all the different positions a soldier may have in the Army.  The soldiers are set in a trianglar piece of land.  From any point in the triangle, you can see one of the soldiers looking at you.   A reminder to us not to forget them.

This statement was on one of the walls of the memorial.  The Korean War was a United Nations conflict and the United States was just one of many countries who sent military to fight in the war.

This was taken from the Lincoln Memorial.  The Washington Monument is being renovated and is not open.  Just our luck.

The Lincoln Memorial.  It seemed like every school group was at the Memorial.

The Vietnam Memorial.  Charles E. Crutchfield went to school with Carol.

The World War II Memorial.  It is so huge that it is impossible to get a picture of the entire memorial in one shot.

Hunter resting after a long hike from the Lincoln Memorial.

The buildings here are so beautiful.  Even the front doors are magnificent.  These doors lead to the EPA.  It looks like there was no expense spared.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial.  As you can see, this memorial is not as popular as the Lincoln.  No crowds.

This and the pictures which follow were taken from inside the White House.  

This picture was taken from the bus.  It shows the Trump International Hotel which was the renovated old post office.  For $400 a night you can have a room.

Hunter has already fallen asleep.  It was a long day with lots of walking.  We should all lose weight.  The weather has been perfect.  Tomorrow it is finally supposed to get into the 80's and then into the 90's for Sunday and days following.  We will be heading for home just in time.  Tomorrow will be our last day here.  Hopefully, we will be able to see the Pentagon 911 Memorial, the Ford Theater, and the Spy Museum.  The city has a big parade scheduled and some kind of race through the streets so we may not be able to see all three.  We have already been told that the buses may not be able to stop at all it's scheduled stops.  Oh, well, we can only do what we can do.