July 24, 2017

July 24, 2017
 

It is a long process getting to anywhere from Tucson. To break up the trip we have tried to include stops. This time we are stopping in Washington DC for a few days. With all the National Park sites and museums, we could easily spend a couple weeks here.

I have a long list to check off, so we are up early to rent a car and drive to the nearby Marine Corps Memorial. But not early enough. It is mobbed with a busload of American Legion youngsters.

We then fight rush hour traffic into DC and across to Anacostia to the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. I made a reservation over a month ago, getting the last two slots available for the 9 am tour. Like France, the tour starts ten minutes late. Despite being born a slave, and having limited education, this self-made man became famous and wealthy giving speeches and writing books. I was surprised to see he was a global traveler even making it to Egypt. His wealth allowed him to buy this mansion atop a small hill with a view of downtown. After the guided house tour, we watch a film on his life.

We got lost trying to retrace our route back across the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. So we took the southern bridge and crossed Virginia to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. There is no Visitor Center and Park Rangers are nowhere to be seen. This is an outdoor theater. It seems the only participation the NPS has is to donate tax money. That becomes increasingly clear as we drive to the next site. The park is surrounded by palatial mansions, probably owned by senators and lobbyists. It probably didn’t take much effort to pass a bill giving federal tax money to this local entertainment venue. In talking to locals, this area is the wealthiest in the nation, and For Sale signs flourish every four years with the change in administrations. Aimee and I were amused to see one was a mini-White House.

The Potomac River is the border between Virginia and Maryland. George Washington kick-started the construction of a canal to encourage trade along this unnavigable river. The biggest obstacle was here at Great Falls Park. It is a large beautiful cascade, surprisingly close to DC. We start off with the park film and then check out several overlooks. We watch one very skilled kayaker plummet down the falls. Some remnants of the canal and five locks that skirted this 70 foot drop remain.

From the falls we followed the George Washington Memorial Parkway south. This National Park road follows the Potomac and is limited access. It reminds us of the Natchez Trace and Blue Ridge Parkways, albeit much shorter and much busier.

We made a stop at the Clara Barton National Historic Site. Clara was a nurse during the Civil War who went on to found the American Red Cross. She lived in this house near the end of her life. It is in sad shape and is now closed awaiting repairs. Next door is Glen Echo Park. This is an old amusement park that is somehow now NPS responsibility. It appears to be mostly rented out for art and dance classes. With much effort I found a park ranger who didn't feel like getting up and starting any of the park films. After much hesitation, she said the projector was busted. Yeah right!

Back on the George Washington Parkway, we struggled to find the next sites. There was little signage, no turnarounds, and two exits could only be accessed going north. Once we learned the secret and going around the Lincoln Monument twice by accident, we made a stop at Theodore Roosevelt Island. This Potomac islet accessible only by pedestrian bridge has an enormous statue of TR. Farther north, Fort Marcy is one of several Civil War era forts that protected Washington from rebel attack. All that remains are some earthworks. It also happens to be where the body of Vince Foster was found in 1993.

Our next stop was the LBJ Memorial Grove on the Potomac. This is another islet that has a unmarked granite monolith with a nice view of downtown.

Our last stop was back to the Marine Corps Memorial. Surprisingly this massive and iconic Iwo Jima statue is now mostly deserted and the sun is in a better location for a nice photo.