June 29, 2021

June 29, 2021

From Fredericksburg, VA we drove a half hour north in DC rush-hour traffic. Our first stop was Prince William Forest Park. This is another of FDR’s Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps parks that became a national park. I am guessing because it abuts the FBI and Marine Corps Quantico facilities. Contrary to the website, we found the Visitor Center closed. Aimee and I decided to do the Crossing Trail. This trail intersects with the historic Telegraph Road. This was the main north-south road. George Washington marched his army on it on the way to Yorktown. We missed the cutoff and ended up doing a longer hike than we planned. Even though it is still early we are sweating when we finish.

Just down the road is the National Museum of the Marine Corps. We decided to pop in to enjoy the air-conditioning. Instead we find a fantastic museum and end up staying two hours. I had to breeze through the majority of it. It covers the Marine experience and every war/action they participated in. Each is done well with artifacts and dioramas. Part of the Korean War section is refrigerated to reinforce the coldness of the war environment. My favorite part was the early history. Marines started out as the sailors who used guns.

I was astonished to learn how many military actions we have been involved with around the world. For example, the Korean War of 1950 was not our first; we invaded Korea also in 1871! We had lunch on site at the Tun Tavern. It is named after the colonial inn where the first Marines were recruited.

We left Quantico continuing north. Just south of DC, we exited at Mount Vernon, where George Washington had his plantation estate. After entering this large complex we go directly to the main house for our timed guided tour. It is a very large house that is kept in the 1799 time-frame, the year of his death. Like Robert E. Lee’s Arlington House, it is framed in wood that is painted to look like cut stone. We sat on wooden chairs on the back porch for a while to cool down and enjoy the beautiful view of the Potomac and Piscataway Park on the opposite bank.

We then visit the dozens of out buildings devoted to different needs and crafts of a large slave plantation/city. This includes, laundry, weaving, shoemaker, garden, stable, smokehouse, ice-house, greenhouse, slave quarters, overseer’s house, blacksmith, kitchen, and storehouses. It is incredible. No wonder these ‘rich’ plantation owners were always on the verge of bankruptcy. It would have been cheaper and less complicated to have employed hired help. Slavery was not the most economical choice.

After visiting the tomb of George and Martha Washington, we ducked in the air-conditioned museum. It is quite extensive and well-done. It reinforces how lucky our country was to have George as general and first president of our new country. There is even a whole section on George’s teeth.

On the way to our nearby hotel, we stopped at Washington's industrial size Grist Mill and Distillery. We walked around it; unfortunately it is only open for tours on the weekend.