Cherry Hill RV Resort, College Park, MD:  Off to I-Hop for breakfast this morning and then headed out on the Beltway to Dulles International Airport and the satellite Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.  Again, no charge for the museum—just $15 to park.  Spent all afternoon in there.  Saw the Discovery shuttle and watched the IMAX movie, “Hubble.”  The Discovery shuttle flew several missions and the crew made repairs and improvements to this amazing telescope.  The movie was amazing.  We also saw the IMAX movie “Fighter Pilot” which was very good as well.  I bought a book from Col. Wolfgang W.E. Samuel, who emigrated to the U.S. from Germany at 16, didn’t speak English, and graduated from high school in Denver two years later.  Graduated from the U. of Colorado, spent 30 years in the Air Force, flew reconnaissance missions against the Soviet Union, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross three times and numerous Air Medals.  He wrote this book, “German Boy” about his life as a child during WWII.  Left at 5:00 to head back.  The temperature hovered between 97 and 100 on the drive back.  Took us over an hour, what with rush hour traffic.  The drive on the Beltway wasn’t bad though.  Actually, it’s kind of pretty—lush trees and all the noise abatement walls are covered with vines and other lush vegetation.

Smithsonian's satellite Air & Space Museum at Dulles Airport

SR-71A Blackbird
This plane still holds the world's air speed record.  They flew it to Washington from California in 1 hr. and 20 min.  The pilots actually wore space suits.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery

Gemini Space Capsule--Mike actually made all the titaniam plates for this capsule when he worked for McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis

Me and Wolfgang W. E. Samuel, the author of "German Boy"

Boeing B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay

Enola Gay

Cherry Hill RV Resort, College Park, MD:  Ventured into D.C. for the first time today.  Took the bus from our park, which is a regular city bus.  This bus was also an express, so we zipped right to the College Park metro station.  We loaded our metro card with funds and hopped on the train.  Trains are clean and fast, and the stations are modern and clean.  A great way to get down there.  We met an Aussie couple at the bus depot in our park who have been traveling all over the world for 9 years.  They’re traveling the US for two years.  Bought an RV in Florida and have been traveling around here since.  Don’t know what they did for a living, but they’re younger than us and have been everywhere.  We rode the train with them and then split up when we hit the street in D.C.  We had planned on going to the Air and Space Museum, but that went awry when we started walking around—in the opposite direction.  Walked down Constitution Avenue and I was interviewed by PBS for their PBS News Hour.  Should be on tonight.  Hope I don’t come off like a dumb blonde.  Truth be told, it’ll probably end up on the cutting room floor.  After that we continued to walk around and ended up in the Museum of Natural History.  Lots of crowds here, but the schools are out because of the heat and the fact that a lot of people are still without power.  All the museums here are free, and they’re air conditioned.  So, lots of people.  We got tickets for the IMAX 3-D movie, “To the Arctic”.  After that we walked around the museum and then back on the streets.  Walked over to the original Smithsonian.  Walked back up the Mall to our train station and stopped for a late lunch at a restaurant across the street from our station.  Back on the train and then the bus back to our park.  Hot again today.  Upper 90s I think, but low humidity. 

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

Museum of Natural History

Hope Diamond--over 45 carrats
Museum of Natural History
Picture by Mike

Washington Monument
Picture by Mike

The original Smithsonian

The crypt of Smithson--founder of the Smithsonian

The Capitol

Cherry Hill RV Resort, College Park, MD:  Hot again today.  I sat outside reading my book for a while, but the heat drove me inside.  I feel for the millions still without power in this heat.  Went for a short walk.  This park is rated one of the best in the country.  It has some great amenities, but the sites are just so-so.  At least we back up to the woods.  Put a round roast in the oven and watched golf.  They’re playing not too far from us—over in Bethesda.  Roast beef, mashed potatoes and a vegetable for dinner.  Not a great day to have the oven going, but it tasted good.

The huge Prevost next to us--a young couple too.

KOA, West Chester, PA, to Cherry Hill RV Resort, College Park, MD:  Left this morning a little after 10:30.  Mike drove because I tossed and turned all night last night.  We had another storm come through last night, but not as bad as the night before.  I guess D.C. got a lot of damage from that storm.  We saw a lot of evidence of that on our drive down here.  We got here, set up, and did the cleaning by 2:45.  This park is really nice.  Two pools, a restaurant on the property, and they have a little bus depot here where busses run on the hour into the metro stop for D.C. and Baltimore.  So we’ll probably take advantage of that at some point.  We have a provost motor home next to us—probably 44 feet and cost around one million.  We’re here for 13 days, so we’ll have plenty of time to see what we want and relax a lot as well.  Eating light tonight and just relaxing tomorrow.  Probably won’t venture into D.C. until Monday.  96 here today.

Water towers of NYC

KOA, West Chester, PA:  I knew we should have taken care of the laundry last night.  Because a virulent little storm passed through around 5:00 this morning and knocked out our power.  We didn’t have electric or water for a while.  Doesn’t really affect us at all, but the laundry room was without power as well.  Power came on briefly but was short lived.  We headed down to the laundry room anyway thinking it would come back on at any moment.  Sat around there for a while and then finally gave up and drove into town and did the grocery shopping.  Came back and the power had been restored, so Mike dropped me off at the laundry room and he went and put the groceries away.  We finally finished the deed and went back and put everything away.  Had some lunch and sat outside enjoying the warm sultriness for a while.  This area is so beautiful with its verdant, lush rolling hills, scenic streams, and pastoral farms.  Wish we were staying here a little longer, but tomorrow morning we leave for an RV resort north of Washington, DC.  I think it was like 95 today or something. 

 

Holiday Inn Midtown, NYC:  Back to the Flame Diner one last time for breakfast and then back to the room and started packing.  Left for Penn Station around 1:15.  The train was right on time and we left for Trenton at 2:45.  I’m much more impressed with Amtrack after this trip.  Arrived in Trenton around 3:30 and walked over to the parking garage where Mike parked the truck.  Parking cost $140!  About an hour drive back to West Chester.  Stopped at the quaint Marshalton Inn for dinner and then back to the KOA.  Back in the beautiful Brandywine Valley.  Unpacked and relaxed.  Was going to do the laundry tonight, but I had two Chardonnays and I’m a little inebriated.  Tomorrow is another day.

Water towers of New York

Holiday Inn Midtown, NYC:  Our last full day in NYC.  We had breakfast at the Flame Diner and then walked back to 57^th Street and caught the 31 bus which goes cross town and up the east side.  Going to tour Gracie Mansion which is the official home of the Mayor of NYC.  Bloomberg doesn’t live there but uses it for official functions.  A wood frame house built in 1799 on what was a Revolutionary War site by Archibald Gracie, a Scottish merchant.  This was their country home.  It’s about five miles north of lower Manhattan.  The only way to get there back in the day was by boat.  I think it’s the only wooden home still standing in Manhattan.  After the tour we got back on the 31 bus and got off at Park Avenue and walked around there for a while.  Back on the bus and got off on 8^th and 57^th and had a late lunch at C. J. Reynolds on 57^th.  There were a couple of guys next to us who were right out of The Sopranos.  We were eating outside and I was picturing a black sedan pulling up and a bunch of guys with machine guns jumping out and spraying us with bullets.  Nice guys though.  New Yorkers are actually very friendly.  Back to our hotel and relaxed the rest of the day. 

Gracie Mansion

Gracie Mansion

Gracie Mansion

Little lighthouse on the tip of Governor's Island in the East River across from Gracie Mansion.