Day 36

So I guess we traded the barking dog for a crying baby breaking the silence of a beautiful campground at midnight. And 2am. And 4am. I commend the parents for bringing their toddler camping but ohmygoodness two nights in a row makes me feel like I have babies again. It definitely does not mix well with driving during the day. At least our drive today was relatively short!

I got up early and organized the laundry. At least I could get something done instead of starting my day off angry! When I finished and was packing it all away the best thing happened - I found my flip flops!  I'm from Florida and I spend just about every day of the year in flip flops. I'd spent the last 5 days in tennis shoes or hiking boots and I was running out of socks. I may have done a little dance.

We have had a pet roach with us on this trip. He has found his way into food, sleeping bags, on pillows, and in the RV. He had actually been missing for a few days when he showed up in Ryan's cereal! We all kinda missed him and were glad to have him back.

Breakfast ended with a full out impromptu game of ball tag with camp balls. The balls were flying and even if you weren't part of the game you were ducking every few seconds to avoid being hit!

After packing up we headed to the Visitor's Center to turn in the girls' junior ranger books. We all noticed the flag a half mast and wondered who had passed away. When I turned on the radio to see we realized it was September 11th. Most years I enjoy when I lose the dates and days of the weeks after about 10 days, but today I felt bad I hadn't at least thought about the day today.




After we both filled up with gas we stopped a couple miles down the road at the county jail where Sundance Kid was held. It was just supposed to be a quick photo stop, but we ducked into a museum to learn a little more about the history of the area and ended up spending about an hour learning about all kinds of things! We learned more about buffalo jumps, arrowheads, crime sprees, the westward expansion, one room schoolhouses and much much more.

Brayden gave away his cowboy & indian playset to his cousins but as soon as he saw a similar set today he had to have it. He missed playing with those guys and Ryan decided to spend some of her money on a set too. We were about to have a big war at the next campsite!

The museum guy gave us some advice about our next stops so we made a plan and got on the road. Dave wasn't working today so he definitely wanted to see Crazy Horse and Mt. Rushmore so we made them our priority. We found the South Dakota sign and tried our best to look like the presidents. then we arrived at Crazy Horse shortly after later ready to explore.

None of us knew much about the mountain carving but we were both excited to see it. We started at the museum with a movie and were blown away at the history of the project as well as the ongoing plans. We had no idea just how large it was. We had no idea it was a privately-funded project. We had no idea it was still underway. We had no idea the scale and intensity of the project. To say we are impressed is a huge understatement.

Then we walked into the collection of Native American historical documents and artifacts and we were amazed again. I could have spent three times the amount of time I did in there but I knew the kids would be pulling on me. I did read the original letter Chief Standing Bear wrote the sculptor asking if he would be interested in working on the his idea. The colloection of photographs, clothing, jewelry, weapons, and documents was overwhelming.

We made our way outside for a better view of the sculpture and a look at the 1/34th version of the project. This was when I realized this project will not be completed in my lifetime for sure. They are just starting the index finger pointing to Crazy Horse's land. There is so much more!!

Grammie decided we should make a pact to come back in 20 years to see what progress has been made. I'm pretty sure we won't be driving that time!

Next we toured the location of the family's original house. The sculptor, his wife, and their 10 kids lived right in the spot where we were standing with a beautiful view of the mountain. It was a very interesting glimpse into their life and a look at more of the art he created.

After one more peek at the mountain we all headed back to our vehicles and got on the road to Mt. Rushmore. This was the one spot Brayden mentioned wanting to go when we first started talking about this year's trip so I knew we had to make it happen. The kids immediately grabbed junior ranger books and started working.

The view of the mountain was wonderful and we stayed awhile on the terrace appreciating the time and effort put into it. We headed down to the museum exhibits and movie next. This project had quite a bit more backing from donors and the government so it was able to be finished in 14 years. We learned a lot about the plans, the workers, and the project while we were there. The kids even tried their best to draw the mountain for one of the activities in their books. Laney even ran over to hug a tree for one of her activities too!

We found out on the way out that Grammie would not be able to drive the two fun roads out of the park toward out campground - Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway so while she drove around to our campsite, we headed down the Iron Mountain Road. The views were spectacular and the fun of driving it for me was even greater! In only 17 miles the road has 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, 3 one-lane tunnels and 3 pigtails, turns which loop over their own road, allowing the road to climb rapidly.

We made it into our campground just as Grammie was setting up at her spot. While I got veggie burgers started, the kids and Dave set up the tents and helped Grammie finish setting up so we could eat before dark. The macaroni ended up pretty cold, but the rest of the dinner was delicious. It may have had something to do with the fact that we were all quite hungry.

Dave and Laney decided to retire for the night so the rest of us stayed up and enjoyed a fire for awhile. Thinking back it had been about 4 weeks since we'd been able to make a fire with all the fire bans due to all the extreme dry conditions. When it was time to add a new log and Ryan was falling asleep in my lap we drowned the fire and go to bed. More driving on crazy roads tomorrow!

Day 36

Even though today wasn't the actual day, we were planning on celebrating Brayden's birthday today since Dave would be flying home this evening. After a quick breakfast once the kids finally got up, we were on the train headed for the International Spy Museum. This was the one place Brayden had asked to go earlier in the year when we were planning the trip so we saved it for this day.

We were so glad we did because the kids had an absolute blast! As with most museums I didn't get to read as much as I wanted, but I did learn a lot of interesting things. We were all given a secret identity at the beginning which we were to commit to memory for later questioning. Ryan was an 18 year old art student from Britain, Laney was a 25 year old fashion designer, and Brayden was a 13 year old boy from Canada.

    

This museum was a mix of James Bond paraphernalia (lipstick pistol) and historical spy artifacts (trojan horse miniature replica). The history of spying was especially intriguing to me, especially the Russian and German spy rings, the Navajo code talkers, and all the double agents. I'm going to have to assign myself a project to learn more!

  

The kids were also given a mission scavenger hunt of things to be sure to find on all the floors of the museum so they were practically obsessed with that the majority of the time. There were a few favorites - the girls loved climing through the air ducts to see how little noise they could make and listen to the voices below. They even dragged me along once!



They all also loved the hang test from one of the James Bond movies. I believe it was an attempt to simulate hanging from a building with wind blowing in their faces. Ryan was the only one to make it to the one minute target and a believe she did it twice!

At the end of the museum the kids were all quizzed on their identities and their secret missions. Ryan was the only one who successfully completed her mission and maintained her identity. I guess she has another job possibility in the future. Of course, we will never know about it.

After the final clue was found outside, we headed next door to the Shake Shack for birthday milkshakes. The line was just about out the door so we knew these were going to be good. There was even a separate line for shake-only orders! We made sure to sing "Happy Fake Birthday to yoooouuuuuu...." to Brayden all day which received a lot of "Mooooooooommm...." and rolled eyes. I guess that's 12 for you. What he doesn't seem to get is it just makes us embarass him more!

Next we went to the White House Visitors Center. We figured if we couldn't just walk into the White House like citizens could do when Abraham Lincoln was president, this might be the next best thing. Plus we were hot and it was nice a cool in there!

We all learned so much about the White House! The kids especially loved learning about the families that lived there and how they lived their every day lives. There were great photos of Betty Ford, The Eisenhowers and all their grandchildren, The Carters, and The Reagans just living like regular people. The kids also loved reading about the different additions to the White House the different presidents made. We all enjoyed watching the movie which simply had photos and voice overs of different presidents and first ladies talking about their awe and appreciation of the building and their place in it.






Next we found a park for lunch and presents. We laughed at all the funny cards and Brayden loved the legos the girls picked out for him. Instantly they all made plans to put them together as soon as we got back to the campsite.

On our previous trip to Washington D.C. Dave and I were unable to figure out how to get to Arlington Cemetary before our flight. On another trip with his parents as a kid, they were unable to as well. This time we decided to go by Metro and finally get him there!

After grabbing a map we headed toward the Kennedy's grave first. Within minutes we were completely surrounded by white headstones in every direction. It was beautiful and sad and shocking and humbling all at the same time. The peaceful spot where The Kennedys were buried was on a hill overlooking much of the cemetery.

Then we made the trek up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers. Dave seems to remember some of the remains being identified through DNA so it might not be plural anymore. We were treated to a somber display of the changing of the guard as we walked up.

Since we weren't sure how busy the airport would be at this hour we decided to head back to the visitor's center and say our goodbyes to Dave. We'd all gotten so used to him being with us it was hard for the kids, but we knew he'd be back in a week. We all still wished he'd been able to stay the original 17 days.


After a quick trip to the gift shop Laney and I talked the other two into walking to the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial. It was about a 15-minute walk around the outside edge of the cemetary the kids most enjoyed because of the shock of bicycles whizzing by us. Ryan said she was glad she came once we heard the bells of the Netherlands Carillon next door. The giant tower full of bells at the top was given to the U.S. for our assistance in World War II.

And they were both glad they came once we saw the enormous monument.

The Marine's involvement in each war was inscribed around the monument. Perhaps I'd purposely forgotten some of my history class lessons, but there were wars I didn't even know happened on there!  The memorial was immensely larger than I'd ever imagined.







After a very hot walk back we hopped back on the Metro to our car and off to stock up on groceries and such. The night before when I'd been ready to cook dinner there was an issue with my last propane tank for the grill so everyone had to settle for crackers, cheese, and fruit for dinner. Brayden was also wanting to pick out something fun for his birthday breakfast in the morning!

It was dark by the time we made it home so I cooked some pasta by headlamp and we all collapsed in our tents for the night. Tomorrow we would explore again and celebrate one kid being 12 already!

Day 35

Dave and I were up early to begin packing and getting the kids moving. Once everyone was sufficiently clean we enjoyed a nice breakfast Joann had left out for us again and finished up laundry. Joann and her home had been so welcoming and comfortable, we were sad to leave! The kids mentioned several times to me they would rather stay with her than a hotel!

We said goodbye to Uncle Mike and Aunt Sue and were surprised also be able to say goodbye to Natalie and Samantha. It was a beautiful, cool morning and they were all out getting some yardwork done. Aunt Sue directed us to a 7 Eleven for the kids to get Slurpies and we stopped by Target to stock up for the first few days of our stay in D.C. After a couple hours on the road we were there!

This time we were staying in Maryland just a few minutes from the train that would take us to the city. We were in a horrible spot with barely any room for our tents but I didn't want to deal with the hassle of picking out a new spot, figuring out if it was open for our six days, and wasting our precious potential time with Dave in the city. Once we got the tents set up for the night, we hopped on the train to explore. The night before I'd booked us a night walking tour of the monuments we were all looking forward to.

We made it to the National Mall just as they were closing many of the food options so I turned to Zamato for the 19th time this trip to find us a quick and delicious place for food. We found the Elephant and Castle Pub and were all starving after just snacking all day! We all ate as quickly as we could as we only had about 40 minutes before the start of the tour, but it was delicious!

Tonight's tour was a little bit different than the tours we'd done before. I believe the tour was called D.C. by Foot, but it was free and we were encouraged to pay what you thought the tour was worth and the end or what you felt you could give. If everyone were honest and generous, wouldn't that be a great way to do business? I do believe it might make some people in the service industry work a little harder!!

   

We were greeted by Ingaborg at the Washington monument, a native of Washington D.C., ready to learn and explore. We were treated to an extensive history lesson as well as a city background at each stop along the way.

Here we all are!!


We visited the Washington monument, World War II memorial, Vietnam memorial, and Lincoln Monument. This tour was definitely one of my favorite things of the trip.


   

   






This was definitely one of my favorite pictures from the tour. This statue of Abraham Lincoln is so big! The kids were almost as impressed as I was too!

This tour was such a nice look at all the monuments at night. The reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Monument reflected the Washington Monument beautifully. It was definitely a moment I will never forget.








We stumbled on a monument Dave and I had accidentally found in our travels here before the kids loved. Albert Einstein was just sitting on the steps free to climb all over. We might just have to come back here one day.

   

We made it back home shortly before midnight exhausted and ready to collapse. The kids were all packed in like sardines in their tent and had a difficult time settling down from the day. Dave and I however, were asleep within minutes.

Day 32

My internal clock has definitely shifted to EST.  Dave is going to be thrilled with me getting up at 4:30am again.  Of course this morning, I grabbed my camera and headlamp in search of the sunrise on the beach trail.  It turns out the campground is not where I was hoping as the sunrise was over the dunes, but it was still pretty.

We had a leisurely morning of pancakes, showers, and packing up.  We had a fire with breakfast as the kids had been collecting materials they'd found to see how they would burn.  Is every child fascinated by fire? The kids had been inching away as soon as they saw me start to pack up so I left them to play while I packed the car.  We stopped by the playground on the way out of the park which gave me just enough time to make some snacks for our drive before I hopped on the ship to go to London.  And England.  With a furry shark on board.

Now this is putting your whole body into it!  Something tells me that's not the way you want to steer a ship though.

This is something we've never seen before - camping in style!

After a quick stop at Trader Joes we jumped on the road for another long drive.  I was excited about this one as we were heading to the Outer Banks for a night.  As with most of our big stops, I'd wished now we had booked for a few more days, but I don't think Dave would have allowed for me to take a 60-day summer trip!

Brayden was excited about this day as we were planning on stopping in Kitty Hawk at the Wright Museum and National Monument.  We'd read so many things about these brothers and seen so many replicas at various museums, we were excited to see the full history here.  After walking around the displays for awhile, we headed into the auditorium to see the replicas of the planes flown here.

Afterward we stepped outside to see the camp houses like they'd lived in during their time there as well as
monuments to their first day of flight.  As we were walking out, Brayden had the fun idea to race the plane to see if they could run as fast as the Wright's flew.  The first 3 flights were pretty easy, but that last one of 852
feet in one minute made them collapse at the end!  For the record, they beat each time by a matter of a few
seconds.

Next we did the park loop around the monument and climbed around a plane for fun.  I think the kids liked this part the best!

They were all acting like they were gunners on the plane shooting down all the tourists....even Laney!

I heard distant thunder approaching so we ran back to the car in an attempt to get to the campground and set up before our daily rain shower.  The rain began to fall within 10 minutes and was coming at us sideways by the time we reached the ferry to Ocracoke Island.

I'd had visions of us hanging out watching the water slide by from the ferry steps enjoying the ride, not sitting
in my car fogging up my windows playing games!  The kids had fits of giggles and a bunch of fun, so it was still relatively enjoyable.  Except for escorting girls to the bathroom - that was crazy!

All this time I was texting Dave to see how long this weather would last.  His first response was "you might want to get a hotel room".  Ugh.  I'd been looking forward to this beach ever since we'd left Cape Cod and now we weren't even going to get to swim!  When I told the kids there were ecstatic we might stay in a hotel but still resolved to stay in the tent if we had to.  I was quite relieved to think we might be able to have a dry tent. And dry everything else.

As we rolled off the ferry I had visions of being on the Amazing Race show as the line of cars headed toward the town 13 miles away on the island.  What if everyone needed to get a hotel room like us? There was crazy rain and lightning striking all around us.  Not a storm I'm thrilled about riding out in a tent!

I randomly picked a place on my gps that was past the first few and we headed straight for it.  The streets were already flooding so we had to go slower than normal.  The cars in front of me peeled off like a banana to the first few hotels.  Once I found ours, I left the kids in the car to continue listening to the 39 Clues book and went in to attempt to sweet talk my way into a room for the night.  Luckily, we snatched up the last room available with enough beds and it even had a kitchen!  The kids helped me grab our groceries from the morning and backpacks and we left the soaking rain outside.

I felt like we'd returned to the beach hotels of the 1960s in this place, but it was quaint and perfectly accommodating for us.  We had a snack dinner of whatever was in the bag - pesto & baguette, grapes, cheese, tomatoes, and cookies. Not bad at all!  The kids worked on their travel journals all the while chattering about the days in their pictures so long ago.  We read a few chapters before crashing in the cool, dry room.  Although I'd been looking forward to staying there, I wasn't quite ready for the lack of shade, bugs, sandspurs, cactus, and heat so that would just have to wait until tomorrow.

Quote of the Day: "Yeeeessssss!  A hotel!" said by all kids as we were getting drenched already.

Day 32 - Wrights and Water