The Nation's Capital (2011 Vacation Days 1-3)

This year, we decided to drive from Arkansas to Washington, DC, for our annual summer vacation.  The trip lasted roughly 9 hours on Saturday then another 10 hours.  Of course, that includes stopping for food, gas, and restroom breaks!  The fact that we had six folks in the vehicle came into play.  That's not a bad thing by any means, but I know some of my friends are going to say, "Holy smokes! Why did it take so long!?"  Well, now you know part of the reason.  The other part is that we were not in a real hurry, so we took  our time.  We also managed to get stuck in a rubber-necking session on I81 there for a bit.  An accident in the SOUTHBOUND lanes meant the people going NORTH had to gawk as they went by. UGH.

We got to our hotel in Virginia with only one real hiccup: I had to make Shan move to a left-turning lane while we were already sitting in the straight-through lane. Ooops.  But, she did great and we checked in!  If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, you've probably seen various pics that I've been posting as we've traveled along.  If you're not a friend on Facebook or aren't on FB, well, I'll post some pics here for ya!  And, if you ARE a friend, well, you will other pics here that hadn't made to FB yet.

Monday, we headed to the city, taking the Metro to get us there.  We walked to the White House, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WWII Memorial, and Vietnam memorial.  We also visited the National Museum of American History.  I think we may have hit a few other sites in there, too, but I am too wiped out to remember!  We had a lot of fun and learned a lot!  Emily asked a question for each and every location and exhibit we encountered!  Though it may have worn us out to answer her questions, it was well worth it!  Tyler enjoyed himself with many of the things we saw inside the museum, and seemed to take in the various memorials as I explained what some of the elements were.

There is a LOT of construction and renovation going on around the city and to the different buildings.  That makes getting around a bit difficult in some places.  I bet the locals will be happy when all that is done and out of the way!

Tuesday, we are having a tour of the White House with our Congressman, Mike Ross!  That should be very educational and fun!