Our Road Trip Comes To a Close: Saturday in Washington D.C.
Tuesday, November 20th, 2007
The sad fact was that the trip on which Bob and I had embarked just one full week before had come nearly full-circle and was drawing to a close. We were in the heart of Washington D.C. at the busy Hotel Harrington when we awoke on Saturday morning, August 11. We had just one day left to try and cram in as much as possible in Washington D.C. and the nearby Arlington Cemetery. The temperatures had returned to an acceptable level, but the sun shone brightly above in the early morning hours as we left our hotel. Bob made the three block walk to our rented car while I watched the luggage. We met up and headed toward the National Mall. Read the rest of this entry »
The intense heat began to abate by Friday, August 10, as our trip began to wind down. We had had to face reality the day before and spend two days in Charlottesville rather than the planned single day. As a result, we were forced to eliminate our journey into the northwest area of the state where we might have found a Stonewall Jackson Museum, Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters (egads!), the Museum of the American Presidents, George Washington’s Office Museum, and the grave of Patsy Cline – before heading back into the D.C. area where we had started our adventure. 
As Bob and I reviewed our plans for Thursday, August 9, during our trip around the great state of Virginia, we realized that they were a bit aggressive. There was so much to do – and all important things, particularly in the Charlottesville area – that we decided to take nearly two days to complete Thursday’s proposed activities and eliminate most of the items from our Friday list. Besides, we were getting nice and exhausted. 
Wednesday, August 8, 2007 represented the mid-point of our travels across the great state of Virginia and was the last day during which we stuck to our agressive itinerary. We had stayed at a Super 8 Motel in Appomattox, so our first order of business was to grab our complimentary continental breakfast. From there, as you might guess, we headed to the site of the famous signing of of the confederate surrender by General Robert E. Lee. Apparently this village was actually called Appomattox Court House, while the signing of the surrender itself took place in the house of Wilmer McLean rather than in an actual courthouse.