Day 58 - DC 3

The other day we were exhausted from walking all over the place all day long, today, we are actually tired from riding all over the place all day long.  I had my heart set on going to the Smithsonian's other Aerospace Museum which is quite a ways outside of Washington D.C. at the Dulles Airport.   We were advised by the staff at the park that if possible to avoid driving as traffic is a nightmare.  So we took their advice and took the Metro and bus.   We left the trailer at 7:15 this morning, drove the ten minutes to the Metro Station, took the Green Line from its extreme end of the line to DC, switched downtown to the Silver Line and took it to the extreme other side of DC.  Then we took the city bus for a 40 minute ride to the Museum.   We got there at 10:00 just as they opened for the day.   Nearly a three hour trek.  Martha was a good companion as I am not sure she had the same enthusiasm for the Museum as did I.

First we went up into their tower and got a 'Air Traffic Controller' outlook of the Dulles Airport.

So many planes.  There was only one that I had my heart set on seeing and made the trip to see.  This one below is not why I came, but it is awesome, the Stealth Blackbird.

The Lunar Ocean Landing Capsule.

The Concord.

We didn't even know that the Space Shuttle Orbiter Discovery was there or it would have been on our must see list as well.

We really had no idea of its size.  It is huge.

That's Martha standing alongside.

No, this isn't the floor tile of the Museum, it is a close up pic of the heat shield tiles on the Discovery.

A close up of the nose heat shield tiles.

This is a picture off the Stealth Blackboard from behind.  Can you see it?

Then we arrived at the reason that I was determined not to leave without going the distance to this Museum.   Sitting peacefully on the floor here rests the Enola Gay.

I think that this plane holds a kinship to the American Soldier.  Both used in the name of peace, both silently carrying the guilt and burden of their missions.  Fulfilled in the name of Freedom and Peace.

For me, seeing her, made the lengthy trip, and the day, worthwhile.

We took the 40 minute bus trip back to the Metro, then another half hour back into DC.  A change of trains and 20 more minutes out to view the National Postal Museum.   Now you know we have pretty much seen everything in Washington when we make a stop at a Postal Museum.

Where else would you see one of these roped off and on display?

They had lots of cool displays actually.   Mail carriers from day one.   A stage coach.

An old truck.

Bus.

This is a sorting room inside a rail car.

And passenger stages.  Pony Express displays.  I saw an old newspaper ad on display in Old Sacramento for Pony Express Riders.  It asked for small boned orphaned boys, 10-18 years of age.  The plaque that accompanied it went on the say that to many of those boys, the Pony Express became their family.   A picture of one of the riders at the museum said he held the record riding 31 straight hours without stopping when subsequent riders failed to show up at his relief stop.  Riders usually rode ten hours straight changing horses every ten miles.  When the boy that held the 31 hour record finally arrived at the Pony Express Station that had a relief rider, he was sound asleep in the saddle.  A private endeavor, the Pony Express closed up the day the first telegraph message was sent and replaced their value.

I remember Post Offices with windows like this, maybe you do too.  If you do, you once lived in a small town, and now you are old.  Like me.

It was a fun Museum actually, and surprise, no crowds at all.

Are you surprised?

The Post Office made 400 of these Street Mail Boxes.

On the wall they had photos of famous stamp collectors.  This one below, is John Lennon and his dad.

Then, after the excitement of the Postal Museum we calmed things down with a short Metro ride over to Ford's Theatre.  Inside we discovered that the gift shop was open but the theatre itself was not.  Kind of disappointing.  I guess it is only open weekends this time of year.

Below the entrance to the actual Theatre.

I did take a photo of a poster showing the inside and President Lincoln's balcony seat.

Then we walked past Trumps International Hotel.  He bought the Old Post Office building and inside it is under a massive remodel.  

Across the street they were selling an interesting T-Shirt.

We walked past what was the Original building housing the Smithsonian.  When I went there as a kid, 60 years ago, there was only one building as I remember it.  Now this building, which is next door to the Smithsonian Castle we toured the other day,  is currently closed for renovations.

Back at the trailer park after ten hours absence.  Today we traveled over 5 hours of just riding in Metro Trains and Busses.  

We leave tomorrow morning for Fort Monroe, Virginia.  A three hour drive and two day stay there which include nothing more in the way of site seeing than a visit to Virginia Beach.  The weather is not supposed to cooperate for our intended day at the beach, but who knows?  I hope that you have enjoyed coming to Washington with us, we are glad to have you along.