Sharp's Travels

Today is our daughter Nikki’s birthday, happy birthday Nikki. It was another hot and humid day with a high of 87 degrees and a low of 72 degrees. We did our morning walk at 6:30 am before it got hot with the sun out. Cheri continued with her fall cleaning inside and I worked on outside stuff. I power washed the grill and now it’s ready for some good ole grilling. I cleaned the grease off the pin box on the 5th wheel so I could get Old Glory out and display her. I went over to Grandma’s and fixed her toilet and checked out the golf card. I placed an order for new connection parts between the charger power cord and the cart. They weren’t making a good connection anymore. We didn’t do our evening walk until 7:30 pm and didn’t get back until 8:45 pm, stopped and talked to a few people along the way.

We were up doing our morning walk by 6:30 am. It turned out to be another hot and humid day with a high temp of 87 degrees and a low of 74 degrees. This morning Cheri did some laundry and went with Grandma to get groceries. I worked on getting the patio mats out and installed for the winter. I also got the water softener regenerated. By the time I got done with that it was too hot to work outside. So I did some inside fall cleaning. I cleaned the air conditioner filters and the furnace vents. This afternoon we went to get our yearly flu shots and then I dropped Cheri off so she could get her hair cut. I went to Lowe’s to get some spray for Grandma’s lawn and parts to fix her toilet. We waited until 8:00 pm to do our evening walk and it was still 80 degrees. It may be hot, but it is much better than being in north where it’s cold.

While we were waiting for the dealer to finish the warranty work Cheri gave me a much needed hair cut. Then of course I had to go and do some shopping in the RV store. I bought a book on Camping with the Corps of Engineers. It is a complete guild to campgrounds owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The sites range from free to around $20.00. I also bought a UHF adapter for the TV antenna that will help bring in the 14 and above channels better. The dealer was done with the warranty work at 10:00 am and we were on the road by 10:30. We arrived at Baker Acers around 12:00 pm. The first thing I did was mow the lawn and sprayed it for ants before parking and setting up the 5th wheel. By the time we got set up I was soak and wet. It was 86 degrees and very high humidity. Cheri had gone over to see Grandma while I mowed the lawn. I went to see her late this afternoon. This evening after it cooled off a little we took a short walk around the park to see who has already arrived for the winter.

We were up early this morning so we could be out of the way so the warranty work could be done. We took the motorcycle and went for a ride. We did some Geocaching and found three of them this forenoon. We came back to the 5th wheel for lunch and then off to do some shopping. It was a warm and muggy day and threatened to rain while we were out riding. We ended up putting on 60 miles and it did rain this evening.

We drop the truck and 5th wheel off at the RV dealer to have some warranty work done. Then we gave Larry & Emmy Becker a call to see if they were home. Sure enough they were so off we went with the motorcycle to see them. We spent the afternoon together visiting and then out for supper at the local restaurant. After supper we headed back to their place to get the motorcycle. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the 5th wheel. We got back at 7:45 pm. Just in time to get the TV antenna up and the TV on so Cheri could watch Dancing with Stars (Her favorite show). We are able to stay in the 5th wheel while the dealer does the warranty work.

JB and Douna pick us up at 9:30 am and we went to Welaka for breakfast. Then it was back to the 5th wheel for a visit. JB and Douna left around noon and we packed up and headed for Ocala. On the way out of the campground the sewer bracket got caught on the edge of the black top road as we were coming out. There was quite the hump coming up on to the highway. It bent bracket pretty bad. I use some bungee cords to secure it for now. I will work on it after we get to Zephyrhills for the winter. It was 2:30 pm when we arrived at the Wandering Oaks RV Park. After getting set up Cheri did laundry and I watched the NASCAR Race and the Packer game at the same time. It was a tough job, but I suffered through it. It was a nice relaxing evening.

We left St Augustine around 10:00 am as we only have 50 miles to go today. Our trip today took us to Welaka to spend some time with friends JB & Douna Hamilton. We arrived at their place around 11:15 am. It has been several years since our last visit. The plan was to park the 5th wheel in yard of their rental property. As I was backing in to the yard the 5th wheel started to settle deep into the yard. The next thing I know I am stuck in the sand street. After much work I finally got the 5th wheel back on the sand road. JB and I headed down the road to the River wood RV Village. JB knows the owner of the campground. After I got the 5th wheel setup we headed back to JB and Douna’s place. After a nice lunch we put their pontoon boat in the St Johns River. The four of us took a nice boat ride into Little Lake George and then up the Oklawoha River which winds its way into Ocala National forest. We saw several gators and the trees and Spanish moss was beautiful. After we got back we went out for supper in Welaka and then back to the 5th wheel for a visit. It was a great day to spend with friends.
I have uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Ocala National Forest

We began at the Visitors Center in St Augustine, Fl this morning.
We parked the truck here and began our walk of the city.
We picked up our maps at the Oldest Drug Store; it was filled with old time remedies for whatever ailment you had.
We passed through the Old City Gates onto St. George Street. We walked by the Oldest Wooden School House, built prior to 1763; the Spanish Quarter, a 1740’s Spanish village and Saint Photios Greek Orthodox Chapel.
We also did all the little shops all the way down the street.
We stopped for lunch at a little café and we each had a Penni Sandwich, which was very good.
By 1pm we were ready to head for the Castillo de San Marcos Fort. They had volunteers dressed in costume ready to demonstrate the firing of the cannons. Gay got lots of pictures of the fort.
We had to go back to the Visitors Center to pick up the truck to cross over the Matanzas River to Anastasia Island to visit St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum.
We took the audio tour as we moved through the grounds and up into the lighthouse. We got all the history that way. This lighthouse is 165ft. high and you have to climb 219 steps to reach the top. We enjoyed the spectacular view of the city and beaches from up there. We learned about the keepers, their families and browsed through the museum.
Our last stop was Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth. We had a drink of water from that Landmark Spring. We took in the Navigator’s Planetarium and the Explorers globe as well as checking out the grounds.
Today we had 85 degree weather. I guess we have finally made it back to the warm weather here in Florida!
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: St Augustine

We were packed up and ready to hook up and leave by 9:30 am. Now the fun started, the site we were parked on was on a concrete pad with a lot of washed stone in front where the truck was setting. Trying to get hooked up I got stuck in the washed stone that was about six inches deep. After much forward and backwards I finally got the truck hooked to the 5th wheel. Now the trick was to get out. On the first try, I backed up to get over so I could get by the power pole. So now things should be good. As I was turning out Cheri said the motorcycle was going to hit the power pedestal. So once again I back up to get over the opposite direction. Finley we got out of the site was on the road around 10:15 am. We arrived in St Augustine around 1:30 pm. We are staying at St John’s RV Park. We got the last site that we could get into with our 5th wheel. We plan on being here for two nights. Tomorrow we will explore St Augustine

Today we went to Cockspur Island to tour Fort Pulaski. Construction began in 1827 and required $1,000,000 and 25 million bricks to build it. It took 18 yrs to complete. The fort was designed for 140 cannons but only 60 were installed.
There is a Moat, 7 ft. deep, completely surrounding the fort. The water was brought by canal from the Savannah River and controlled by tide gates. There is a drawbridge at the entry point.
We arrived in time to watch the Park Ranger demonstrate the soldiers clothing and gear worn back in the Civil War era. She also demonstrated the loading and shooting of her musket.
They were doing some building at the fort and we found out it will be another site for scenes in the Robert Redford movie being shot in the Savannah area.
We continued on to Tybee Island and used Gay’s new GPS to locate a cache hidden in a big old tree. Someone had hollowed out a limb and stuck the cache inside it. Clever!
We drove down to the beach and the fishing pier. We didn’t stop because you had to feed the meters while you were there. No free parking.
We headed back to the Tybee Island Light Station. It’s one of America’s intact Light Stations, having all of its historic support buildings still on its 5 acre site.
It had the Head Keeper’s House, Summer Kitchen, First Assistant Keeper’s House, Second Assistant Keeper’s House, Garage, Fuel Storage Building and the Lighthouse.
They did a beautiful job restoring it all. We toured the buildings, as well as climbed to the top of the 154ft tall lighthouse. There were 178 steps to reach the top. The light from atop the lighthouse can be seen 18 miles out to sea. The lens is one of thirteen First Order Lens in the United States, which still functions in a Lighthouse as an aid to navigation. The Tybee Lighthouse is Georgia’s oldest and tallest. The view from the top is marvelous.
We walked across the street to check out the museum housed at Old Fort Screven. They displayed artifacts found, weapons used in numerous wars and Tybee’s role in defending the American Coastline.
It was another nice day. We stopped at Applebee’s for supper and then headed for the 5th wheel.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Tybee Island

Today was beautiful, about 72 degrees. We took the truck to downtown Savannah. We parked at the Visitors Center and went inside to check out our options for getting around town. We found we could hop Savannah’s free transpiration bus that makes 10 different stops in the historic area. We also found out the Paula Deen’s restaurant, The Lady & Sons, was within walking distance of the Visitors Center so that’s where we headed first.
We ran into the filming crew preparing the streets for Robert Redford’s new movie. No luck in seeing the actor! They were putting dirt and bark on the streets to give it an old look for the movie.
We didn’t have to wait in line to make reservations at Paula’s restaurant. We walked right up to the desk and we able to get a 12:30 lunch time reservation. WOW!
We had 1 ½ hours to look around before lunch. We walked by the Capitol building. It was very impressive with its gold top. We also checked out some of the shops including Paula Deen’s store. All her cookbooks are personally autographed.
We checked in for lunch early and within 10 minutes they gave us a ticket to take the elevator to the 3rd floor. We were seated by a window. We each ordered the pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw and jelly roll fries. Gay wanted to try the green fried tomatoes too. We each had lemonade to drink and for dessert I ordered pecan pie! We have watched lots of Paula’s cooking shows on TV and now we can say we’ve eaten at her restaurant.
After lunch we wandered the streets, checking out the City Market Stores and the city’s magnificent architecture and made our way down to the Colonial Park Cemetery, where one can wander the grounds and check out the many crypts and grave stones dating back in the 1700 and 1800’s.
We also went inside the huge Cathedral of St. John the Baptist with its twin spires and Gothic features. The windows and carvings inside were beautiful. The architecture inside the church was beautiful.
We made our way back to the Visitors Center by way of some of the 21 park squares that are laid out throughout the city.
By 3pm we were headed back to the 5th wheel. We didn’t use the bus service at all today. We walked everywhere and were ready to call it a day.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Savannah

It was another cool morning a temp of 42 degrees, although it did warm up to 68 degrees. We went to the Savannah Mall shopping today. Some time back our GPS that we use for Geocaching died. When we got to the mall I see they had a Bass Pro Store. So I checked out the GPS units. I bought a Garmin Dakota 20. I can also use it on the motorcycle. On the way home we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few groceries and fuel up the truck for $2.329 for diesel, the cheapest since we were in Georgia last spring. When we got home I played with the GPS for a while and it’s going to take a while for me to figure everything out. I got the grill out and did some hamburgers for Cheri to freeze and a rib eye steak for supper.

Everyone took their time getting around this morning. It was 47 degrees this morning, the high was 59 degrees and windy. So we stayed home today and visited with Darren and Jodi. We did watch football on TV. Cheri fixed pancakes for breakfast and around 1:30 pm Cheri and Jodi went to the local Subway store to get subs for a late lunch. Around 3:00 pm Darren and Jodi headed back to Atlanta. Sure was good to see them. The rest of the day was spent reading and watching TV. I think Cheri has some plans for tomorrow on what we are going to see.

We were slow getting around this morning. It was very cool day with a high of 60 degrees and was very winding making for a cold day of site seeing. Our first stop was the Harley dealer as Darren wanted to get a T-shirt. I bought one and Darren didn’t fine one he liked. From there we headed downtown to the historic part of Savannah. We parked at the visitor’s center and got tickets for the trolley tour. It was an interesting 90 minute tour of the historic district. After the tour we made a trolley stop at the Sorrel-Weed house. We walked down around the corner to the Mellow Mushroom pizza place for a late lunch and early supper. After we eat we went back to take the tour of the Sorrel-Weed house. It is the most haunted house in Savannah. There has been many sighting over the last 200 years. Ghost Busters have visited the house and found things that proved that it is indeed a haunted house. After the tour we headed down to River Street. This was my favorite place. All the old building had a lot of history and it was fun to see all the big ships pass by. There was a Harley Davidson store there where Darren did find a t-shirt he wanted. Then we had some ice cream and waited for our tour. At 7:00 pm we got on the Ghosts and Gravestone Trolley tour. It was interesting to see and hear all the ghostly stories the tour guild told us. The tour lasted about 90 minutes. We got back to the 5th wheel around 9:30 pm. We were all cold and tired. In fact we were cold most of the day.

It rained during the night and on and off most of the day. Very overcast and didn’t see the sun today, which was OK because we didn’t have anything planed for the day. Cheri did laundry and cleaned, I tried to stay out of her way. This afternoon we did take a little ride in the rain. We wanted to find a place to eat this evening when Darren and Jodi got here. They arrived around 7:45 pm and we headed out for a late supper. We had a nice visit while eating and after we got back. Darren went right to work on our computer getting the updates that needed to be done. He also took care of some small issues we had. Nice to have someone that can do all of the computer things for us. We watched a little TV and call it a night at 11:30 pm.

It was a cool 45 degrees this morning and a mist in the air. We decided this morning that we would do the 300 miles to Savannah today. So I got on the phone and made a reservation at the Savannah Oaks RV Park in Savannah. It was a cloudy overcast day, nice for driving. We arrived at the campground around 4:30 pm. We will be here for seven days checking out the history of Savannah. Cheri wants to go and eat at The Lady & Sons restaurant. It is owned and operated by Paula Deen and her sons. Darren and Jodi are driving down from Atlanta to spend the weekend with us. It will be good to see them.

We were on the road by 10:30 am. It would have been earlier but I wanted to fill up the truck before we hooked up at the station across the road from the campground. The fuel was soooo slow that after 45 minutes I gave up, only got 60 gallon. We run into rain around 1:00 pm. The good thing it was only a mist while I was setting up. As I write this it is still raining. We are staying at the Four Oaks RV Resort in Four Oaks NC. We will be here for the night and then tomorrow we will push on to Savannah GA. It is 300 miles from here and probably take two day to get there.

We paid to stay another day here in Williamsburg. When I had our mail forwarded I forgot that Monday was Columbus Day and no mail. It probably was a good thing because Cheri and I were getting burned out by being on the go the last few days. So this was to be a day of rest. We did take a short motorcycle ride this afternoon and stopped and took a tour through the Williamsburg Pottery factory, very interesting. Then we made a stop at the Williamsburg General Store. We got home around 3:00 pm. I got the grill out and grilled a ribeye steak for supper. Tomorrow is pack up and move day. Don’t know where we will end up tomorrow night. All I know is it will be south.

Americans won their independence here in Yorktown during the last major battle of the American Revolutionary war on Oct. 19, 1781. British troops surrendered to General George Washington and his French Allies. Yorktown played a very important role in American history.
Today we visited Yorktown battlefield. We watched a film that discussed the importance of the battle and then went out onto the battle field with a Park Ranger. The National Park Service has reconstructed a nearly complete picture of General Washington’s siege. Our guide took us to 3 different locations on the field and explained how the battle took place. She was really into history so it was very interesting to listen to her.
We also took the 16 mile driving tour to the British Inner Defense Line, the Allied Siege Lines, the Moore House, where the negotiations for the surrender terms took place and the Surrender Field where Cornwallis’ Army marched onto and laid down their arms.
We were able to catch the trolley into Yorktown and saw Cornwallis’ cave where he made his headquarters, the Yorktown Victory Monument.
Yorktown Victory Center consisted of great artifacts museum. We also checked out the Army Encampment. It includes sleeping quarters, supply tents and cooking fires. They demonstrated the firing of one of their big cannons.
Also at the Victory Center was a re-created 1780 Virginia Farm. There was a house with a detached kitchen, a tobacco barn and fenced crop fields.
It started to sprinkle so we headed for home making a stop at Wal-Mart for a few groceries.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Yorktown

Our destination today was Jamestown Settlement and historic Jamestown in Virginia.
When we arrived at Jamestown Settlement we had time to watch the introductory film before we met with our costumed guide that led us to the Powhatan Indian Village. She showed us the ceremonial dance circle and told us how they planted their food. We were led into the village. It consisted of several dwellings. We went in to check a few of them out. There was also a gal explaining how they hollowed out a tree to use as a canoe. There were also demos on cleaning skins and rope making.
We headed down the trail and were met by another costumed guide that led us to James Fort. It was a re-creation of the one constructed by the Jamestown colonists on their arrival in 1607.
Inside the wooden stockade are small thatched roofed houses, including the church, a storehouse and an armory. We visited the blacksmith and a gal preparing the daily meal.
We walked to the waterfront and went aboard the replicas of the Susan Constant, Godspeed and the Discovery. These were the shops that brought the settlers to Virginia. It took them 4 ½ months to sail to Virginia from England. These ships were managed by crews living and working on the main deck while passengers remained below with the cargo.
We stopped at the Glassblower to watch costumed craftsmen demonstrate the 17th century art of glassblowing. It took them no time at all to make a small vase. They did some gorgeous work. Their ovens were built just as they were back in the 17th century.
Historic Jamestown was on down the road a little further. It is the original site of the James Fort, the first permanent English settlement in 1007.
Park Rangers conduct guided tours of the site. Our guide was fabulous. Ruins of the early settlement are still visible, including the brick tower of a church built in the 17th century.
There are statues and monuments of important personalities. So far they have unearthed 1000’s of artifacts, some of which are on display in their new museum.
It was another long day of walking. We got back to the 5th wheel around 4:30pm. I got supper and we settled in for the night.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Jamestown

We took the bus from the Visitors Center back to Colonial Williamsburg at 10am this morning. We got off the bus at the Capitol so we could finish the buildings at the far end of the complex.
Our first stop was the Apothecary. They sold herbs and spices that could be made into medicine. The costumed interpreter told us all about all the items for sale.
We went to the bakery. We just looked around and didn’t buy anything.
The Golden Ball Jewelry shop had some beautiful items and right next door was the Silversmith. They told us how the silver was melted down and demonstrated how the cups and ladles were made.
We checked out the Milliner and the Tailor Shop. They were busy cutting our pattern and sewing gowns that were ordered
We got tours through the Raleigh and Wetherburn’s Taverns. It was neat to see the different eating spaces and check out the sleeping quarters. The gentlemen could be sharing a room and bed with someone they didn’t even know. They could be quite a number of men in one room.
The Wigmaker shop was closed but we peaked in the window and got to see all those head pieces the gentlemen of that time period wore.
We went into the Tarpley’s Store and I bought a Gimmel Ring. In the 18th century they were used as wedding rings. It consists of 3 bands joined at the base in such a way that when closed, the two hands are clasped one in the other. Traditionally, the conjoined rings were separated at the engagement ceremony: the outer bands were presented to the bride and groom and the middle band to a close friend of the bride. At the wedding ceremony, the bands were reunited on the third finger of the bride’s left hand. It is so neat!
We watched the military band march the streets and the firing demonstration behind the courthouse. They had cannons fire off and the red coats firing their muskets.
We had to go into the Magazine and Guardhouse to see all the weapons that were stored in the Magazine. The walls in the Magazine were lined with hand guns, rifles and swords. It was quite a site.
We toured the court house and listens to a gentleman explain some of the laws back in that time period.
The Blacksmith, Post Office and Printing Shops were next. From there it was on to the Cabinet Maker. The furniture was beautiful. We checked out a couple of desks with hidden compartments. At today’s price, these pieces would go for about $35,000.
We headed back to the Castle to the Palace Scullery, where they brew beer. They had just finished a big pot that was brewed over the fire in a big kettle.
We headed back to our 5th wheel for supper and at 6:30pm headed back to the Visitors Center to catch the bus for the Capitol. We had purchased tickets for “Cry Wolf”. We were to weigh the evidence and determine the guilt or innocence of “The Virginia Witch”. We were 2 of the 12 people who were chosen to sit on either side of the Governor as his High Counsel. The court room was full and the prisoner was brought in and sat on a stool in front of the Governor. The evidence was presented and witnesses were called. At the end of the trial we were all asked if we thought she was innocent or guilty. I voted innocent and Gay voted guilty. As it turned out our vote allowed her to go free. All the characters in the play were great. It was fun to hear how trials were done back in the 18th century. They were able to find evidence that this person really was found innocent back in the day.
Once again we caught the bus and were back home by 9:15pm.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Colonial Williamsburg 10-10-09

We spent the day at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. It is a 301-acre historic area that brings Virginia’s 18th century capitol city to life every day.
We began our tour by walking through the Great Hopes Plantation and then took the orientation walk to get some pointers on what to see first.
We checked out the Bruton Parish Church. Many prominent men attended this church. They included Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry.
This church has been in used since 1715 and still serves as an active congregation. It is the original building. It is laid out quite different inside.
We went into the gunsmith shop and then to the home of George Wythe. He was a professor of law and teacher of Thomas Jefferson. He was the first among Virginia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence.
We saw how wheels were made at the Wheelwright shop.
We toured the Geddy House, looked through the weaver shop, shoe shop and the Market Square.
At 2pm the Shawnee Indians put on a skit up by the Governors palace and then it was time for our tour of the palace. It was the residence of 7 royal governors and the first two elected governors of Virginia, Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. We had a costumed interpreter take us through the house and explain all about the furnishings and the people who lived there.
We watched a reenactment of the reading of the Declaration of Independence at the Capitol building and then we went on a tour of the Capitol.
It is unbelievable the craftsmanship of these buildings.
It was time to get something to eat before our Ghosts Amongst Us walking tour at 7pm. We were led by lantern to 3 different homes and told some ghostly stories.
By 8pm we were at the bus stop and ready to head back to the visitors center to pick up the truck and head back to the 5th wheel.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: colonial Williamsburg

Today is our last day in Washington DC. Gay wanted to check out the International Spy Museum. We got there around 10:30 am and never came out until about 3 pm. You gain access to the world’s largest collection of international espionage artifacts. There are exhibits about weapons, cameras, disguise and surveillance. It was all very interesting.
Their gift shop was full of spy novels, spy movies and games. All the kids around loved it.
We got back to the 5th wheel earlier than usual and Gay did some chops on the grill for supper and some brats to freeze for a later date.

Today we were at the National Museum of Natural History. When you enter there is an eight-ton, 13ft tall African bush elephant. Hugh!
We went to the Butterfly Pavilion first. I knew it would be warm in there and I didn’t bring a jacket today and I was cold. To our surprise on Tuesdays the exhibit is free. There were hundreds of butterflies in the Pavilion. One landed on Gay’s shirt and stayed there quite a while. You had to be careful where you stepped, the butterflies were landing on the walkway in front of us. They were all so colorful.
We went back downstairs and picked up our tickets for the 3-D IMAX show on Dinosaurs and another 3-D show on Wild Ocean.
We had time to check out the Ocean Hall before our movies. Some of the many fascination exhibits were a full-scale model of a North Atlantic Shale and a 1,500 gallon aquarium featuring a live Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystem.
We took in our two 40 minute movies and then went for lunch at the café.
We went through the Gems and Minerals. We saw the 45.5 carat Hope Diamond. WOW!
We checked out the Dinosaur Hall, the gigantic fossilized bone of all those creatures. There were lots of different ones on display.
We looked at all the mammals and watched a gentleman in the lab work at getting fossils out of stone.
We spent the whole day in the Museum of National History and by 3:30 pm we were ready to start our trip home.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Natural History Museum

Here we go again. We caught the 9:30am bus to the Metro. We took the train all the way to the U.S. Capitol today. We walked through the Cannon House Office building U.S. and by the Supreme Court building and then made our way to the U. S. Capitol Visitors Center. We were lucky and got tickets that were good for a tour of the Capitol Building leaving in just 1 minute. What timing!
Our guide took us into a theater to watch a short movie that describes how the U.S. Congress established a new form of government, tells the role Congress plays in the daily lives of Americans, and introduces us to the building that houses the U.S. Congress.
We were taken into the National Statuary Hall. Congress invited each state to contribute two statues of its most notable citizens. Today some of these statues are displayed in this room. Next it was into the Rotunda. It is the heart and center of the Capitol. It serves as no legislative function; it is a ceremonial space where state funerals have been held since the time of Abraham Lincoln.
We were shown the Senate Chambers and the House of Representatives Chamber. It was a neat tour.
We walked the underground tunnel from the Capitol over to the Library of Congress, but did not exit the building; we turned around and went back to the Visitors Center for lunch at their restaurant.
We checked out the Exhibition Hall and then headed outside and walked around the Capitol and got a few more snapshots.
We got pictures of Ulysses S. Grand Memorial, Peace Monument, and Garfield Statue.
We strolled on into the U.S. Botanic Gardens. It’s one of the oldest gardens in North America. They have more than 60,000 plants for exhibition, study, conservation, and exchange with other institutions. The collection includes economic plants, medicinal plants, orchids, carnivorous plants, cacti and ferns. Historic specimens include original 1842 founding collection. All the flowers were so pretty.
Another day in Washington D.C. and still much more to see!
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album U.S. Capitol

Today is Sunday and the bus leaves the park every hour instead of every ½ hour. We got on the bus at 10am and took the Metro green line and then transferred to the blue line landing at the Smithsonian stop.
We headed right away to see if we could get tickets to go up in the Washington Monument. They were all sold out for the day. That was ok. Yesterday we did go up in the tower at the Old Post Office and got to oversee the city.
We walked up by the Washington Monument, got some pictures and moved on to the World War II Memorial. It honors the 16 million Americans who fought in the most devastating war in world history. Gold stars on the Freedom Wall stand for the 400,000 Americans who died. It is all laid out so well. There is a reflection pool that stretches from this memorial all the way down to the Lincoln Memorial.
We walked over to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We had been there once before, years ago. There were people there today that were trying to make an imprint of their loved ones name on the wall. We walked past statues of men and women who served in Vietnam.
We continued on to the Lincoln Memorial. It was designed in the style of a classical Greek Temple. It overlooks the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol. Within this building is a 19 foot marble statue of Abraham Lincoln. He is flanked by inscriptions of his second inaugural address and the famous Gettysburg Address.
We strolled over to the Constitution Gardens. Here on the stones, they list all the signatures of the people who signed the Constitution.
We walked up by the White House and got to see the front, back entrance and lawn. The living quarters for the president and family are on the second and third floor. It was an impressive site.
We went down to the White House Visitors Center and watched a 30 minute video on the rooms inside the White House, the furnishings and china used for special events. There were lots of pictures of past and present presidents and families.
We tried to tour the Ford Theater where President Lincoln was shot but it was closed because they were having a show today. We did tour the house where Lincoln was taken and died, after he was shot, located across the street from the theater.
We were ready to quit touring for the day so headed back to the metro to head home.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: DC mall

We were ready for another day of walking. We were at the bus stop by 9:15am and headed for the Metro Train. Our first stop today was Arlington National Cemetery
When we entered the cemetery, we headed for the Tomb of the Unknowns, established in 1921. A sentinel of the Third U.S. Infantry maintains vigil around the clock. The sentinel paces 21 steps alongside the tomb, pauses 21 seconds, then returns. The changing of the guard takes place every hour. We had 10 minutes to make a 20 minute walk to the top of the hill to catch the 11am changing of the guard. I was puffing real hard by the time we got there. We made the climb in 12 minutes and were there to see the ceremony. Following that, they had the placing on the wreath ceremony.
The cemetery covers 624 acres and shelters the remains of over 320,000 servicemen and women, Veterans from every war and major conflicts in United States history.
We walked by the graves of the astronauts, Edward Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy and his eternal flame. It is a very solemn place.
We had to hop back aboard the Metro to go to the Pentagon Memorial.
The memorial captures that moment in time at 9:37am, when 184 lives were lost as flight 77 came crashing into the Pentagon. Each Memorial Unit is a cantilevered bench, l lighted pool of flowing water and a permanent tribute by name. Each memorial bench is made of stainless steel and inlaid with smooth granite. At night a light reflects off the water and onto the bench.
Paperbark Maple Trees are clustered around the Memorial Units. They will grow up to 30 ft. tall and provide a canopy of shake over the Memorial in years to come.
You can see the difference in the color of the side wall of the Pentagon where the repairs were made after the attack. This memorial was beautifully done.
We decided to get continue to explore and took the Metro to Pennsylvania Ave and check out the Old Post Office. It was built back in 1899. The architecture of this building is something else. They sure made buildings pretty back then. Today it houses shops and restaurants and daily entertainment.
It has a 315 ft. clock tower that you could go up in and get a great view of the city. We only waited in line about 10 minutes before getting our turn to go up. We checked the panoramic view and took the stairs down to the 9th floor so we could check out the big bells in the tower.
Once back on the ground floor we went over to the National Archives building. This is where you can see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and the Bill of Rights. One needs lots of time there to check it all out.
It was 5:35pm when we got off the Metro and we had another 45 minutes before our bus came to take us back to the park. It was a long day. We needed to sit down and put our aching feet up!
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: Arlington Cemetery

Today we took the bus from our park and headed for the Metro Station to hop aboard the train that would take us to the National Zoo in Washington DC.
We managed the metro quite well. We had to switch from the green line train to the red line train and arrived at the zoo around 11:30am. This zoo is one of the world’s leading research zoos. They are working to save animals and build healthy populations in the wild.
The direction we headed for first was the giant panda habitat. We saw one outside playing with an orange crate and then inside we got an up close look at one sleeping on the rocks and another sitting down with his legs stretched out in front of him eating a carrot. When he was done he just fell asleep there. They are a neat looking animal.
We loved the gorilla habitat. They just had a new baby girl born there and the Mom was holding it and lugging it around. The little one even put her hand up on the window and all the little kids wanted to touch the window by her hand. It was so cute.
We saw the bear, cheetah, elephants, leopard, lions, meerkats, monkeys, sea lion, tiger, turtles, zebra and much, much more.
The zoo is on a hill and we walked downhill to all the exhibits and were lead to believe that there was an entrance at the bottom of the hill. WRONG! We had to climb back up the hill to get out. I had to stop a couple of times to rest. Thank goodness for those benches on the sides of the walkway.
Back out on the street we headed for the Metro train. It took us 1 hr and 10 minutes to return to the park.
There are 25 other Excel campers here in the park and we stopped to talk with them a bit before heading for our unit.
We call this a GREAT DAY!
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: National Zoo

Hard to believe that it is the first of October already, don’t know where the last two month have gone. We were on the road by 9:00 am as we had 300 miles to go today. It was a day that I hadn’t been looking forward to due to all the traffic from New York to Washington DC. Things started out ok and then at the first toll booth we almost got into an accident with a van. They are rebuilding the toll booth and not a lot of room to get out of the booth and back on the highway. I guess this van didn’t want to be in back of us so up the left side of us with no room for him to get by, anyway that’s what I thought, but was wrong. I had to make a quick evasive move to keep him from side wiping the truck. Well we are both wide awake after that happened. We had our trip will planed and mapped out so no problems right. Well we planned on going on the New York throughway, well when we got there a sign said no trucks. So now we have to find a place to pull off and check the map for a new route. Of course with all the traffic finding a place to pull off and get back on was a major task. Before we left we knew we couldn’t go through any tunnels because we are carrying LP. So motor homes and travel trailer can’t use the tunnels. Finally we get on I 95 south and things are going good. Cheri is concerned because we don’t see any RV’s. I told her that they didn’t want to use the short cut and she said that they were the smart ones. We did have one tunnel that we had to bypass near Baltimore which we knew about ahead of time and had our route around it without any problems. Will except for getting back on I 95, three times the GPS said for us to exit left on to I 95 so I work my way across three lanes of traffic and everything is good. Well now the GPS says exit right so now we have to cross the three lanes of traffic back to the right, didn’t make it and missed the exit. As it turned out we only had to go a mile to get turned around and headed in the right direction. We finally arrived at Cherry Hill campground in College Park at 4:00 pm. While we were checking in two guys came in and wanted to know who owned the Excel 5th wheel. After a long stressful day I thought this can’t be good. It turned out that there is an Excel caravan of 26 Excels staying in the park and they wanted to welcome us in and invited us to come to meet their group. All said and done it was an interesting day and with the good Lords help we had a safe trip. It did cost us over $60.00 in tolls today and $16.00 to cross one bridge and only $2.00 for cars.

We booked a tour into New York City for today. We left by bus from the nearby KOA Kampground at 7:30 am. We had a big, comfortable bus with 29 people aboard plus our guide, Woody. It was about a 2 hour ride. From 25 miles away you could see the Empire State Building come into view.
We passed by the Giants and Jets Football Stadium and headed for the special lane just for buses as we headed into the Lincoln Tunnel. The tunnel is 1 ½ miles long and 75 feet under the water. There are 3 tubes going into the tunnel, 2 lanes each. It is monitored for quality of air and has TV cameras to watch everything going on down there. The tunnel cost $190 million to build and handles about 30.5 million vehicles per year.
We entered lower Manhattan and then passed by Ground Zero. There wasn’t much to see. They had it all fenced off and had lots of machinery in there digging. There hasn’t been any building started as yet. They do have a sphere that used to be by the Twin Towers set up in a park as a temporary memoriam. It shows the damage done to it during the attack. It is set up with an eternal flame.
We were dropped off to take the ferry to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty. It was a gift from France in 1886. The Lady is 150.9 feet tall. She weights over 265 tons and is totally made out of copper. We walked all the way around the base. She is an awesome site. In order to go inside you need to get tickets about 2 months in advance. However, if we’d had more time, we could have gone inside. The Park Ranger notice I was wearing a Packer jacket and asked where we were from in Wisconsin. He was also from there. He asked if we were going inside, we said no, and he offered to mark our tickets so we could go in. Darn, our tour was leaving the island in 20 minutes and that would not give us time to take advantage of his offer!
We re-boarded the ferry and they took us to Ellis Island, gateway for immigrants between 1892-1924. 12 million immigrants passed through. 40% of all Americans can trace their ancestry to Ellis Island. Our guide Woody’s father passed through here coming from France at the age of 18 yrs.
We walked through Battery Park after we got off the ferry then boarded the bus and headed to South Street Seaport where we were dropped off again for lunch. Gay and & headed for a New York Deli to get a sandwich and then back to the port to capture a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge and the tall sailing ships docked there.
Back on board the bus we headed to the lower east side and on through China town. We didn’t realize China town was so huge in New York.
We passed by the Manhattan Bridge, it has a different more elegant stone archway for an entrance. Also went by Madison Square Garden, this is where they have the ice skating rink in the winter.
We stopped at the Empire State Building. It was built in 14 months and opened to the public. 4,000000 go through it each year. We worked our way through the line and took an elevator up to the 80th floor. They shuffle people off this elevator and onto another to go up the remaining 6 floors. The views from up there were awesome. We picked the perfect day to be up there, you could see for miles.
We jumped back on the bus and were taken by Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. We saw SAX 5th AVENUE and Macy’s Department store, which takes up an entire block.
We were dropped off at Times Square and saw the ball they drop on New Year’s Eve, the ABC studio where Good Moring America is filmed. Gay took lots of pictures and even had time to have New York’s best cheese cake at Junior’s.
At 5pm we were headed back out of the city. It was a great day and we were back to the campground before dark. We are so glad we decided to go.
Gay has uploaded pictures of the day. See album: New York City