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| The White House, Washington, D.C. |
A couple of months ago, Jim and I began discussing
the possibility of a real vacation – our first since our honeymoon. We
initially discussed a westward journey – Colorado and the Rocky Mountains,
Arizona and the Grand Canyon, California and Yosemite, or Montana and
Yellowstone. Every time we would sit down to plan, nothing really came
together. Eventually, one of us said, “What about Washington, D.C.?” I had
never been, and he hadn’t been since he was in high school. From that point,
things started to “click”. Preparation and planning were fun. We located a
condo through AirBnB, and I began planning meals that could be carried in our
cooler and prepared while we were there. We made lists of places we wanted to
see and whittled them down to our top priorities. Finally, in the afternoon of
Friday, July 28, we picked up our rental car – a black Nissan Altima. Not much
later, we drove out of Searcy, heading eastward.
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| Johnson University, Knoxville, TN |
The first night, we stayed at a Knight’s Inn in
Lebanon, TN, just west of Nashville. The floors in the lobby were dirty and the
attendant looked as if she hadn’t showered in several days. My heart sank as we
carried our bags up the stairs, stepping over some trash and castaway clothing
that littered the steps. The door to our room was swollen with the heat, so Jim
had to force it open. Plain, yellow walls, a rickety old air conditioner, and a
thin yellow bed covering bearing cigarette burns greeted my eyes. The stale
smell of vacancy, combined with artificial air freshener was nearly
overwhelming. I wanted to cry and leave, but we’d already paid for it so that
was not an option. I tried to remember things I’d read in Edith Schaeffer’s
book on homemaking. I made sure our things were tidy and arranged in a way that
was as visually pleasing as I could. We inspected the bed sheets closely for
bugs, but found none. The room was not what I would have chosen, but it
afforded an evening of character growth.
Our room that night also provided opportunities for
improved communication. While driving and discussing where we would stay, Jim
and I were both under the supposition that the other was focused on saving
money as the primary objective. While we both would have preferred to spend a
little more money to stay in a nicer room, neither of us communicated that
clearly to the other beforehand. We determined to communicate more clearly
during the rest of our trip.
On Saturday morning, we left Lebanon and continued
our eastward journey. We ate a late lunch of chicken salad sandwiches,
clementines, and Cheetos on the campus of Johnson University in Knoxville, TN.
The campus was pretty, and the weather was quite nice, so we ate outdoors at a
picnic table. We enjoyed driving and walking around campus. I do think that
Harding’s campus is prettier, though.
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| McDonalds near the Biltmore Estate |
From Knoxville, we followed I-40 to Asheville, NC. We
saw signs for the Biltmore Estate, and thought it might be fun to see. Upon
finding out that tickets would cost us a pretty penny, we changed our minds and
decided to continue on. The area of Asheville near Biltmore is very pretty. We
enjoyed looking at the fancy architecture. Even the McDonalds was fancy!
Just outside of Asheville, we entered the Blue Ridge
Parkway. How lovely! We took our time driving several miles. The mountains were
breathtaking, and we stopped at several overlooks to take pictures. We ate a
picnic dinner of egg salad sandwiches, cherries, and Cheetos at Bearpen Gap
near the Craggy Gardens trailhead and enjoyed the cool breeze and the scenery
there. In addition to the breathtaking mountain scenery, I enjoyed seeing
several wildflowers along the road and a few deer. At one point, there were two
young bucks by the road. We were near enough that I could see the fuzz on their
antlers. We also enjoyed the tunnels through some of the mountains. Sunset over
the mountains was lovely.
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View from one of the overlooks on the Blue Ridge
Parkway
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When we awoke and drove to church the next morning,
we realized that we had mixed up the worship times and that we’d missed them.
We were disappointed, but enjoyed some time of Bible reading and listening to a
sermon along the road.
After dark, we left the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove via interstate highway to Roanoke, VA, where we spent the night at a Hampton Inn. We arrived there around midnight. Through Priceline, we had booked a room with two queen beds. When we arrived, the concierge informed us that they were overbooked and put us in a studio suite with a king-sized bed for the same price. We selected a church to worship with the next morning and went to sleep around 1AM.
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| Lincoln Memorial at night |
From Roanoke, we drove the remainder of the way to
Washington. We again stopped late for lunch, this time in Staunton, VA. We
attempted to find a park for a picnic, but the steep, narrow streets made Jim a
little nervous. We came upon the public library where there were several picnic
tables and a pretty view, so we ate the rest of our egg salad there.
We arrived in the early evening at our condo in the
Congress Heights area of Washington, D.C. The strong smell of Febreze attacked
our senses the moment we unlocked the door. The condo appeared clean and
comfortable, but the strong scent made me question whether it really was clean.
For dinner, we ate the taco salad that I had prepared for one of our Washington
dinners. It had fared well in the cooler, and we enjoyed having the homemade
food. After dinner, we attempted to figure out the public transit system, but
we were both tired and overwhelmed, so we put it off until the next morning.
Traffic was not too heavy, since it was Sunday night, so we drove to see the
monuments in the dark. It really was special to see the places that I’d read
about so often as a child, and to remember the stories of these great men who
had made a difference at their time in our country. We took far too many
pictures of the Washington Monument, but we had a lot of fun doing it. We
walked toward the Tidal Basin, viewing the Jefferson Memorial from a distance,
and walking through the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. We got lost walking
back to our car, which caused some consternation. Our overwhelmed, tired
tempers clashed as we disagreed about which way we needed to walk. All came
right in the end, however, as we did find our car and drove back to the condo
in safe, but somewhat tense, quiet.
Monday morning brought fresh perspective and rested
heads. We ate our granola and yogurt for breakfast, and set out to walk the
mile to the Congress Heights Metro Station. There, we were able to purchase our
SmarTrip cards and load them with seven-day unlimited passes. It would have
been cheaper to load our cards each day with what we would need for the day,
but the peace of mind we had with the unlimited passes was quite nice.
The first destination we had planned for Monday was
the Holocaust Museum. We had planned to spend two or three hours there and then
go to the National Zoo. Instead, we spent five hours at the Holocaust Museum.
The exhibits were poignant and harrowing – very well done. The video
presentations were good for the most part; however, they revealed some
political and religious bias that, in my opinion, was unnecessary and
distracting.
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| Shoes. No words. |
The Holocaust Museum was so crowded that it was
impossible to see everything. Jim and I were most affected by different things
– although we were both touched by everything we saw. Jim was most gripped by
the stories about the unwillingness of the US to help Jewish refugees. While we
both understand that issues surrounding immigration and refugees are
complicated, it was good for us to reflect on the Christian responsibilities
toward hospitality, love, and compassion. The exhibit that reached into my
heart with a special poignancy was a simple one. We walked through small,
dimly-lit hallway which was lined on both sides by many, many shoes. Shoes of
all varieties were there – women’s heels, men’s street shoes, children’s
sandals. The inscription above them read,
We are the shoes, we are the last witnesses.
We are shoes from grandchildren and grandfathers
From Prague, Paris, and Amsterdam,
And because we are only made of fabric and leather
And not of blood and flesh, each one of us avoided the hellfire.
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| One of my favorite quotes at the FDR Memorial |
The tears started to my eyes as the shoes jerked me
to the humanity of these people who suffered the terrors of the Jewish
Holocaust. Stories from history can easily become just that – mere stories. But
the shoes. They reminded me that these were real
people. The were people who bought shoes not only because they needed them,
but because they liked them. The
variety of style demonstrated that. These were people with tastes, preferences, and needs.
The next exhibit was also simple, and beside the
humanity represented in the shoes, was such a poignant contrast that I shall
never forget it. There were two images in this exhibit – one of piles of shorn
hair and the other of bags containing this hair. The description attached read,
This hair shorn from arrivals at Nazi camps and killing centers was sold
very cheaply to private firms, which used it to make felt slippers, bumpers for
boats, and stuffing for mattresses.
The humanity of the shoes stood in stark horror of
the de-humanization here represented. Felt slippers made from the hair of the
tortured men, women, and children. I found myself wondering how a group people
can become so calloused to the sufferings of others. These things are so
important to remember. We ought to hold in our hearts the suffering represented
here. And, we ought to remember that humans still cause the suffering of other
humans. It is imperative that we stand against the horrors of cruelty.
We left the Museum soberly. We paid too much money
for lunch at the café next door, and chose to forego our zoo trip. The late
hour, and the sobriety of what we’d just seen made the zoo seem superfluous.
Upon finishing our lunch, we chose, instead, to walk around the Tidal Basin and
the monuments in the daylight. That was a welcome, gentle return from the
darkness and crowds of the museum. The monuments afforded more introspection,
as inscriptions containing quotations from these great men pulled my mind still
higher to noble thoughts. Thomas Jefferson reminded me of the great principles
of freedom and humanity upon which this country was founded. FDR reminded me of
the importance of peace, humility, and unity. Altogether, Monday was a sobering,
fruitful day.
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| In front of the National Museum of Natural History |
On Tuesday, we spent most of the day at the National
Museum of Natural History. I really enjoyed that, and wished we’d had time to
see even more of it. All of the exhibits were well done. The placards explained
the science simply and well. I was quite impressed. We spent a good portion of
our time in the Human Origins Exhibit, and I also enjoyed the Bones Exhibit. I
snapped a few pictures that I hope to show my Anatomy & Physiology students
this semester.
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| The entrance to Arlington National Cemetery |
From the National Museum of Natural History, we rode the Metro to Arlington National Cemetery. From the beginning of our walk through it, Arlington was also sobering. There are many things in D.C. that can be well-represented with photographs. Arlington is not one of them. It is simply not possible to grasp the largeness of it from pictures. Row upon row of pristine, white tombstones stretched out before our eyes, with each tombstone remembering a servant of Freedom. Shortly after we arrived at Arlington, we were caught in a pop-up shower that turned into a deluge. We sought shelter under a tree, but in the end, I don’t think we were any less soaked because of it. After the rain slowed, we sloshed and squeaked our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We were there in time to watch the ceremony for the changing of the guard. That was quite special. I was struck by the precision and respect. Again, it inspired gratitude in me.
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| Hiding under a tree at Arlington |
We walked to Union Station to eat lunch at a Chipotle
there. The day was warm, and we were in need of something to drink as well as
something to eat. After lunch, we walked back toward Capitol Hill, with the
Library of Congress as our next destination. There we took a guided tour where
we learned about the history of the building, as well as how to go about using
the resources at the Library. The building was my favorite of all the ones we
visited in DC. The art and architecture were exquisite, and I especially loved
all of the inscriptions that were included as part of the art. We spent much of
the afternoon there, but I think I could have spent all day, exploring all of
the ornate detail.
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| Beauty at the Library of Congress |
Thursday was our last day in D.C. We spent our time
at the National Museum of American History. I wish we had been able to do that
museum earlier in our trip. By Thursday, I was done with the crowds. I was
feeling drained and stretched too thin, so I was not able to enjoy the museum
as much as I would have otherwise. Still, it was a good experience. The
Democracy in America exhibit was a favorite for both of us. We walked through
the history of American politics, and I was comforted in some way. No matter
which side of the modern political you find yourself on, doom and gloom seems
to be the name of the game. We’re “embarrassed to be Americans,” prophesying
the imminent death of religious and social freedoms. But, the problems we have
today are not new. They’ve taken new shapes and have different particulars, but
these are the questions we’ve always had. And, when you take a look back
through history, you really can see progress. That’s important. While it is
very important to keep looking toward an ideal that you strive for, it is
bolstering to look backward to see from where you’ve come. I was thankful for
that perspective.
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| With relatives at Gadsby's Tavern. |
During our trip, and since we’ve returned home, I’ve
also been thinking about some of the practical aspects of the trip. What would
I do differently if I had it to do over again? What would I keep the same?
Overall, our trip went very smoothly, but there are a few things that I would
change.
Food
The food I had planned for the actual traveling was
perfect. It was nice to have a little bit of variety in our sandwiches instead
of doing PBJ for every meal on the road. Granola and yogurt was a perfect
breakfast for while we were gone. It was filling and nourishing, and traveled
well. The dinners I had planned were largely unused, which was disappointing.
Most of the places we went would not allow you to carry food in your bag, so we
had planned to eat lunches out and dinners in while we were there. What ended
up happening, however, is that we frequently didn’t eat lunch until 3 or 4 in
the afternoon and didn’t return to the condo until nearly bedtime, so we would
eat a small snack and just go to bed. So, we still only ate one meal out, but
we didn’t use much of what we brought. If we return in the future, I will
probably try to find a place to stay that is nearer to downtown so that we
don’t have an hour-long commute back to where we’re staying. That way, meals
will be a little easier to schedule.
Lodging
It was nice to have as much space as we did in our
condo. However, I was not a fan of the strong cleaner smell. I felt as if the
place was sprayed down for our arrival, but was possibly not well-maintained at
other times. Also, I just could not shake the weirdness of knowing that we were
staying in a stranger’s house. I really didn’t feel that we got the “local” feel
that people had raved about with their AirBnB experiences, so I was left with a
mediocre feeling about that experience. I think we’ll just go with regular
hotels next time we travel.
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| Sunset on the way home. |
Insults to Introversion
The crowds were just too much for me. By Thursday, I
was in meltdown mode, and that wasn’t fun for either of us. If we go back in
the future, or if we go to another large city, I’ll be planning a down day in
the middle of the trip where I can recover from the draining of my soul that
happens in large crowds.
Overall, our trip was wonderful. It was lovely to get
away together, to learn more about our history, and to gain a different
perspective of our nation.
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