We were sad to leave Niagara but more adventures
awaited. While the shortest route from Niagara
to Washington D.C. did not include Pittsburgh when I saw that the Cardinals
would be playing there during our trip I made sure to plan for the minor detour
so we could catch a game. I spent weeks searching for the best tickets
that did not break the bank. I finally
scored seats about 15 rows behind the dugout.
After three innings we ended up in the bleachers so MJ, and then the
other two kiddos, could try and get balls and autographs from the bullpen
guys. We saw a crazy wild finish with
our beloved Cardinals winning in extra innings. As an added bonus all three kiddos walked
away with a ball.
We only
spent the one night in Pittsburgh before heading off to our nation’s
capital. I had been twice previously
but it was over 20 years since my last visit.
The kids and Keli has never been.
We arrived to the most amazing campground of the trip. It had the most beautiful pools,
landscaping, and even the sites were extremely nice. However, we spent very little time there. We were quite close to the Metro and used it
to move around town and see most of the big sights. The first day was spent finding the Pandas
at the National Zoo. This may have been
the highlight of the trip for Panda obsessed Cooper! We somehow squeezed in the National Archives,
Air and Space Museum, Natural History Museum, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln
Memorial, Washington Monument, Arlington Cemetery which included JFK’s final
resting spot and the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Washington Monument, World
War II memorial, Vietnam Memorial, a duck tour, and a distant look at the White
House. Overall, while in D.C. we logged about 25
miles of walking but had a great time. We could have spent so much more time here. Of all the kids, MJ was the most impressed by
all the history but we hope the little kids will remember some of it!
The only
change to our itinerary came after D.C.
We changed our final stop and added a day to meet up with the Freemans
one more time. We met up in South Carolina for two nights and
did the traditional camping activities.
Swimming, s’mores, fishing, and more.
It was great to have one day of
rest before heading home.
We spent 28 straight days on the
road. Overall I think it went as well
as we could have hoped for. Bickering
was minimal, sleep was acceptable, and memories were plentiful. I wish I had some great lesson from our
maiden voyage. I don’t. What I can say is we all had a very good
time. I think our kids will remember at least parts of it and I can’t wait to hit the road again. I am already planning for next summer even
though we have a few smaller trips planned for the school year already. We are leaning towards a New Orleans, Texas,
Arkansas route. Stay tuned for more
details! J
