Maryland to Virginia via the Capitol

US Naval Academy in  Annapolis, MD

Before leaving Maryland we stopped in at the United States Naval Academy in Annopolis. The entire campus is a National Historic Landmark covering 338 acres, and is home to many historic sites, buildings and landmarks. It was very interesting to learn how the candidates live there and are trained, and what a privilege it is to earn a placement there.

Crossing the state line into Pennsylvania, we stopped at Gettysburg which is home to the biggest battle ever fought on US soil, and also where in 1863 Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg address (Four score and seven years ago...). Its a physically huge site, and after a trip to the impressive visitors centre to see the restored Cyclorama we toured the battlefield on a National Parks bus.

View over the Gettysburg historic battlefields from an observation tower 

Scattered with memorials and monuments from both the Union and Confederate states, the battlefields are a truly unique memorial to the many lives that were lost on both sides, in a style of fighting and battle that is thankfully consigned to the past. The town is very much lived in however the surrounding fields are mostly untouched or have been restored, and now make up the Gettysburg National Military Park. It was very interesting to learn about and understand the origins of the civil war over the fractious issue of slavery, and to ponder the possibilities had the result swung the other way.

Sachs Covered Bridge

Leaving Gettysburg we stopped briefly at the Sachs Covered Bridge, that was used by General Lee's retreating Confederate Army and still standing today though to foot traffic only. Next stop was the Crystal Grotto's near Boonsboro, a natural cavern complex with more formations per square foot than any other known cave system in the world. Taking 100 to 150 years to form just one cubic inch, the speleothem's varied from fine and delicate to gigantic columns from floor to ceiling, and was an impressive sight.

On the same day we made a quick stop at Harpers Ferry national park, at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. Being right on the boundary between the Union and Confederate force, it was a strategic position and the town changed hands no less than eight times during the course of the civil war.

Sunny Obama

Finally making it to the Capitol, Washington D.C., we had perfect weather to see the sights, first stop being the White House. Not expecting to see anyone significant especially as The President was away in China, we had a great surprise to see the two first dogs Bo and Sunny out on the South Lawn which made our day.

Within walking distance is the National Mall,  a national park in the heart of D.C. We walked to the Washington monument, through the park to the World War II memorial at the end of the reflecting pool, and on to the Lincoln Memorial where the imposing statue of the solitary figure of Lincoln sits in contemplation. As we stood on the very steps where in 1963 Martin Luther King delivered his "I have a Dream" speech, it felt like a truly monumental place for many reasons. The nearby Jefferson memorial, though not as prominent in popular culture or with visitors, was equally impressive though we couldn't help being reminded of a certain Simpsons episode where Lisa visits Jefferson because Lincoln was too busy !

World War II Memorial on the National Mall with the Washington Memorial in the background

Getting ready for the first ever
"Concert for Valor"

Around the Mall are many museums and we spent a long time in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, which was very moving and emotional. It was a busy week in D.C. because 11th November is veterans day in the USA, and the Mall was the setting for the first ever "Concert for Valor", held in honor of veterans of the US Armed Forces. Unsurprisingly, security was incredibly tight and having seen the number of porta-loos we decided to skip the free evening concert and watch it live on TV instead. Fortunately the estimates of 800,000 people were over enthusiastic and in the end around 100,000 people turned up, but we are still glad to have seen the preparations.

Selfie in front of the Capitol

On our final day we visited the United States Capitol building on Capitol Hill. Like many of the museums and public buildings in D.C. it is open to anyone and free to tour. Starting with a short film and an exhibition of the history of the building, the highlight was touring the building, starting in the crypt, moving through the old supreme court chamber, and finishing in the impressive rotunda beneath the famous dome, despite it being surrounding by scaffolding for refurbishment.

 Adjoining the Capitol by underground tunnel is the National Library of Congress, strictly speaking the Jefferson Building which is one of three that make up the library as a whole. The building is just as impressive as the Capitol itself, and we learnt that the original collection of books was completely destroyed by the British in the war of 1812 when they used the collection of books as kindling to burn the Capitol building.

US Capitol looking East from the Mall

Icicles. Its that cold !

Deer on the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway

Having had our fill of museums and state buildings we are back on the road, going west inland through Bluegrass country and heading towards Kentucky. We've already driven Skyline Drive and the BlueRidge Parkway, atop the Blue ridge mountains of Virginia in spectacular sunny weather, and visited the famous Luray Caverns with more stunning calcite formations. We planned to go inland now before winter sets in and whilst its still fairly mild, but if you follow the news you may have seen that the USA is in the midst of an Arctic blast. The night before last the outside temperature dropped to -10c, so perhaps that hasn't gone quite to plan, however there has been very little snow here like unlike the north of the states where they are measuring it in feet per hour. Fingers crossed it doesn't get as far as where we are !

Finally for the folks who follow us but are not on Facebook, here is the link to the latest selection of photos. Next update should be around Thanksgiving at the end of the month, so please keep checking back.