Day #61
Wednesday October 10, 2007
Staying in Gettysburg, PA
0 miles today
11,776 miles total
31 states total
Traveling by tour bus today to Washington D.C. I’m was sitting at the pickup bench in the KOA at 5:40 AM. I’m excited about the history, the sites, the whole trip today.
I sat on the bus next to a guy named Ron from Minnesota. He is retired, and his wife nearly so. He was good company. The traffic into DC was awful. I just cannot imagine having to drive in this every work day. I just don’t see how people can do this. It must be worth it to some...
First stop: Arlington Nat’l Cemetary where we saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Such precision, such ceremony, and so solemn an occasion. It was very impressive. The cemetery itself is just so large. The story of Robert E. Lee’s home there at Arlington just adds to the whole place.
Second stop: Iwo Jima (and Marine Corp) Memorial
I really appreciated the bronze sculptures and the sand blasting in the stone.
And the Marines have been there in every conflict we’ve been in as a nation it appears.
Third stop: Vietnam Vets Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean Conflict Memorial. Having been in the awards/engraving business for years, I’ve blasted black marble, drilled and handled lots of white marble, and have sold and delivered to customers lots of bronze plaques/castings. All of these elements were present in these memorials. The white patina of the Korean monument was really striking. Kind of spooky looking almost. The size and scope of the Lincoln Memorial was much larger than any pictures I had seen. Six huge blocks of marble form the Lincoln statue portion. The many references to God, the Almighty, divine Providence and various Scriptures assures me (or reassures me) of the Godly foundation our great country has. The Vietnam Memorial was much different in its construction than I had envisioned. It’s amazing to see the extent, or the number, of the names on the wall. Each one represents a loss to our society, our culture, our country; and then a very personal loss to each family.
We finished up at the Smithsonian with a little more than 90 minutes to go on our own way. The American History museum and the Arts & Industry museums were both closed. I wondered in the natural history museum for a while, but just couldn’t even really get started.
Our tour finished up driving around and viewing many of the DC landmarks. We had dinner at a restaurant in Gettysburg before everyone was dropped off at their hotels or campgrounds.
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