We spent the past week in the Virginias, effectively marking the end of the first half of our trip. It’s hard to believe but November 26 marks 5 months on the road! In 5 months, we have travelled 14,778 miles and have seen all states north of the 37th parallel. We have a couple of weeks of R&R planned in Charlotte and Nashville and then the second half of the trip begins with our last leg west.
Ending the first half with the Virginias has been such a nice way to return home. The landscapes have grown more familiar. Rhododendrons and magnolias abound in the parks and even when not in bloom they say “welcome home” like nothing else can. And commercial establishments start to look more familiar too. Nothing like Chick-Fil-A signs on the highway to announce you are headed south!
We had 5 objectives in the Virginias: visit Mount Vernon and Monticello, hike Shenandoah National Park, visit West Virginia (a state the girls and I have never visited) and visit my dad’s plane. We left Washington DC on November 9 for the short drive to Pohick State Park near Mount Vernon. We made a stop at the Smithsonian Air and Space Udvar-Hazy Museum near Dulles to visit my dad’s plane. It has been on display in one of the two Air and Space Museums (the other one being the iconic museum on the Mall in DC) for almost 20 years, but I never tire of seeing it there. It is the closest thing my dad has to a memorial and being close to it is akin to visiting my dad. Seeing it conjures the sounds and smells I will always associate with childhood – a prop noisily spluttering to life and the distinct smell of Avgas permeating everything! I will never forget the day my mom and I drove the plane up to DC in the back of the largest commercial truck I could legally rent. My dad would have gotten a chuckle out of that trip – we had no business driving a historic artifact in a massive truck on the DC Beltway!
We got an early start on the 10th to visit George Washington’s home in Mount Vernon. Dan, Ava and I had all visited but it was a first for Hazel. Seeing that house will never get old for me. Perched on a hill overlooking the Potomac, the house is a glimpse of what peace and quiet must have looked like to our first President. Visiting on Veteran’s Day gave the visit extra weight. It’s hard to describe to the girls the impact that George Washington had on our fledgling nation. Choosing to step down after two terms probably saved our experiment in self-governance. The Declaration was a revolution, the Constitution a beautiful take on the principles of a republic – but without a leader choosing to hand the baton back to the people I think the radical documents of our founding might have been lost to history.
The middle part of the week was spent in Charlottesville visiting Monticello and hiking in Shenandoah NP. I had never been to Monticello and was eager to visit. The house and tour did not disappoint. Even with the gardens in hibernation, it was an excellent visit. Having recently visited Hyde Park (Roosevelt), Peacefield (Adams) and Mount Vernon (Washington) it was interesting how different Jefferson’s house was. Part museum, part library, part laboratory. Architecturally interesting with high ceilings, interesting furniture placement and octagonal rooms. Jefferson was the quintessential Renaissance Man. He was also a maddening contradiction; it is inexplicable why he didn’t free his slaves upon his death. Especially puzzling given some of his writings on slavery. Our tour guide was fantastic and handled all of his contradictions with grace and honesty. If you haven’t been, it is worth the trip. [note the interior pics below are of Mount Vernon, sadly you aren’t allowed to take interior pics at Monticello]
The Virginas also marked our return to the wilderness. Our east coast travels were mostly filled with historic sites, cities and the opportunity to catch up with friends. While we appreciated the past few weeks, we missed the parks! They are a little less spectacular now that most of the leaves are down, but they are still pretty and quiet. We went on a beautiful (20 degree!) hike in Shenandoah NP and a couple of hikes in the Camp Creek State Park in WV. We saw partially frozen waterfalls, a dusting of snow (much to Hazel’s immense delight) and boulder-stepped our way across some pretty rivers. I was a little relieved when we finished our last hike in WV. We were hiking in the middle of hunting season without brightly colored clothing to distinguish us from other drably attired forest residents. On our way out we passed several hunters on their way into the woods. I was glad not to be mistaken for venison!
We are now speeding down interstate 77, headed home. Looking forward to processing our thoughts about the first half of this adventure and spending time with family and friends. The girls are especially giddy about time with Maga (my mom) and their friends. There are a few sleepovers arranged that will surely result in tired girls – I doubt much sleep will occur given they have 5 months of stories to exchange! My gratitude in advance for the friends hosting said sleepovers, you are saints 😊.