Washington DC

After two nights at the Alexandria City Docks we moved up river to the Capital Yacht Club. This was supposed to be close to everything but the hike to the Metro station was further than Kaye wanted and since we had been there many other times she decided to stay on the boat while I investigated some places I had never seen or at least not for the last 50 years or so. So after adding dollars on an old rf Metro card I had, I set off for the city. In 2-1/2 days (May 13-15) I saw, the Smithsonian Museum of American History, The Bureau of Engraving (where the print those $100 bills that are government is sprinkling all over the economy), the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and a walk by the capital and all the monuments along the Mall (Washington Monument to and including the Lincoln Memorial.) I forgot how much walking you have to do in DC. Even with the Metro you use up a lot of shoe leather getting around.

I was most impressed by the architecture of the Library of Congress which I don't think I had seen before. I vaguely remember in about 1957 using a map to guide my Dad through DC so we could drop off my brother at the Library of Congress where he was doing some research (probably on the Cranston family history.)

By Saturday, the forecast was for rain and I had seen enough in the city, so I got on-line and printed a ticket for the Washington National baseball game. They were playing Philadelphia Phillies and the ball park was only about 1.5 miles away - a nice 24 minute walk. Philadelphia won 8-5 and both teams had several homers. Fortunately, the rain held off until about 2 hours after the game ended so I managed to get back to the boat with groceries from the Safeway store that was on the way back from the ball park. I barely ate all afternoon because the Yacht Club sponsored a breakfast at the club every Saturday morning. For $5.00 Kaye and I had all we could eat and it was good.

Sunday May 17, dawned with a thick overcast and the wind was blowing. After filling the water tanks we headed out, turned up river on the Potomac to go by the Lincoln Memorial, the Kennedy Center, and up to Georgetown. At Georgetown there was some sort of Dragon Boat race. It appeared to be long colorful painted boats with dragon heads and tails. With this we turned and headed south past Ronald Reagan Airport, Alexandria, Mt. Vernon and left the big city behind.