D.C. Part 2!
Our third posting...finally!
It is surprisingly difficult to find time to process all that has happened, sort out the photos and write about it. Get ready to be partially caught up on what we have been up to!
Friday, October 20th
Our third day in Alexandria with Tim and Justine. Everything is going great!
I have a confession. Van Burgundy's serpentine belt has been making an awfully annoying squealing sound since we left Saratoga. Now there is a rattling that goes with it when we start her up in the morning. YIKES! We took her to a mechanic yesterday but she decided to go silent while we were there so we couldn't diagnose it. Maybe this morning we can replicate the sound. I think it sounds like very loud popcorn being popped. Emma thinks it sounds like paper flapping in the wind.
Us waiting at the mechanic's shop for our turn. We were pretty comfy.
Emma and I got up early and drove her to the shop a couple miles away. The rattling started up about half way there. We thought we were going to make it, but alas, the rattling stopped just before we pulled into the shop for them to diagnose it. We tried several things to get the noise to reappear but to no avail. The mechanics were great and worked with us to try and solve this mystery. They never charged us for the time they spent with us and told us not to worry so much about the noise if it only happens briefly upon startup. Maybe when the noise is more constant, then we will take her into a shop. (I would say this does not count as breaking down. It was more of a preventative checkup.)
After burning a couple hours of the morning worrying about the van, we decided it was time to leave our things behind and venture into D.C. (My first time!) We packed a daypack and got on the Metro Yellow line at King Street / Old town and hopped off at the Smithsonian Stop. The Subway is very modern here compared to Chicago and NYC. When we climbed up the steps back to the surface, we were smack dab in downtown. The Mall was only a block away or so! We had a lot of walking ahead of us.
The first stop was Smithsonian Castle. Super cool looking from the outside, and super cool things on the inside! We walked around the first floor looking at a collection of random relics from the past. Each item was one of a kind! Shown above is a large gold molding of Caesar's Thumb. Wow.
(Hang Glider Prototype)
(DC-3)
Next stop was the Air and Flight Museum. We were both super excited to wander around this one. It was recommended to us multiple times. Mankind has come so far so fast in aviation it is ridiculous. The exhibits covered different eras in flight. The leaps in technology we saw were astounding! First flight was achieved in 1903, and then in 1930s you have this thing. Wow.
Curtiss V-8 Bike. 136 MPH. The only motorcycle to hold the land speed record. Cooool.
A rare Wright Bros Bicycle! Also Cooool.
Pictures in front of the Capitol Building.
We continued walking around the mall towards the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was probably my favorite memorial. The building and statue are just so iconic and larger than life. The Vietnam Memorial had a very sad atmosphere. The amount of names on the wall was shocking. 58,318 in total. As you walk along the wall you try to grasp just the American death toll alone, and it is impossible. Each solder listed there died a violent death. They all had their own unique life stories, and each of them ended for the same cause. It was a scary thought.
It was a heavy way to exit our tour of the National Mall, but we will never forget the sights we saw!
From here, we walked through George Washington University and caught the train at Foggy Bottom back to Alexandria!
OK. I spent far longer writing about our day trip to the Mall than I had intended. I have a lot more to catch you all up on! We will be posting again very soon!
-Erik
It is surprisingly difficult to find time to process all that has happened, sort out the photos and write about it. Get ready to be partially caught up on what we have been up to!
Friday, October 20th
Our third day in Alexandria with Tim and Justine. Everything is going great!
I have a confession. Van Burgundy's serpentine belt has been making an awfully annoying squealing sound since we left Saratoga. Now there is a rattling that goes with it when we start her up in the morning. YIKES! We took her to a mechanic yesterday but she decided to go silent while we were there so we couldn't diagnose it. Maybe this morning we can replicate the sound. I think it sounds like very loud popcorn being popped. Emma thinks it sounds like paper flapping in the wind.
Us waiting at the mechanic's shop for our turn. We were pretty comfy.
Emma and I got up early and drove her to the shop a couple miles away. The rattling started up about half way there. We thought we were going to make it, but alas, the rattling stopped just before we pulled into the shop for them to diagnose it. We tried several things to get the noise to reappear but to no avail. The mechanics were great and worked with us to try and solve this mystery. They never charged us for the time they spent with us and told us not to worry so much about the noise if it only happens briefly upon startup. Maybe when the noise is more constant, then we will take her into a shop. (I would say this does not count as breaking down. It was more of a preventative checkup.)
After burning a couple hours of the morning worrying about the van, we decided it was time to leave our things behind and venture into D.C. (My first time!) We packed a daypack and got on the Metro Yellow line at King Street / Old town and hopped off at the Smithsonian Stop. The Subway is very modern here compared to Chicago and NYC. When we climbed up the steps back to the surface, we were smack dab in downtown. The Mall was only a block away or so! We had a lot of walking ahead of us.
The first stop was Smithsonian Castle. Super cool looking from the outside, and super cool things on the inside! We walked around the first floor looking at a collection of random relics from the past. Each item was one of a kind! Shown above is a large gold molding of Caesar's Thumb. Wow.
(Hang Glider Prototype)
Next stop was the Air and Flight Museum. We were both super excited to wander around this one. It was recommended to us multiple times. Mankind has come so far so fast in aviation it is ridiculous. The exhibits covered different eras in flight. The leaps in technology we saw were astounding! First flight was achieved in 1903, and then in 1930s you have this thing. Wow.
I thought this space station looked a lot like Starbug from Red Dwarf. What do you think?
Stopped into the United States Botanical Gardens for a hot second. Made for a good Photo Opp. Emma was in heaven. She blends right in with her colorful outfit!
Ok, moving right along. Walking out of the U.S. Botanical Gardens we headed for the Capitol Building next.
We continued walking around the mall towards the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was probably my favorite memorial. The building and statue are just so iconic and larger than life. The Vietnam Memorial had a very sad atmosphere. The amount of names on the wall was shocking. 58,318 in total. As you walk along the wall you try to grasp just the American death toll alone, and it is impossible. Each solder listed there died a violent death. They all had their own unique life stories, and each of them ended for the same cause. It was a scary thought.
It was a heavy way to exit our tour of the National Mall, but we will never forget the sights we saw!
From here, we walked through George Washington University and caught the train at Foggy Bottom back to Alexandria!
OK. I spent far longer writing about our day trip to the Mall than I had intended. I have a lot more to catch you all up on! We will be posting again very soon!
-Erik