National Mall Memorials

Day 29: We woke up in Lexington, Virginia with the intention of hiking to Crabtree Falls, but it was really chilly out. Grey skies and potential rain changed our minds and we hit the road. Some other time, perhaps! My dad recommended a restaurant in Staunton called the Mill Street Grill because of the old stone and wood beam infrastructure. Sounded super nifty, but they didn’t open until 4 p.m. and it was only 9 a.m. (20 minutes away, we weren’t waiting for that either).

Out of luck on our little adventures, we headed to the next big destination. The grocery store. We stopped in one of the smaller towns off the side of I-81 and went into the Lion. We purchased fixings for our salads and made them in the car. We both had constant headaches and wondered if it was from the MREs the night before??

Unfortunately, I dripped one small drip of sardine oil onto my NEW, NEVER WORN ON THE TRIP hiking pants and had a little melt down.  Someone needs a nap.  So, I did.  About 40 minutes later, Chad ate all the salad fixings and I woke feeling a little better. 

The pit of despair is knowing it could have been avoided, that it was one of my most clean pieces of clothing, AND I currently don’t have the means of washing it thoroughly.  Hurumph.

The Battle of Manassas, also known as the First Battle of Bull Run, took place close to Washington, D.C., and was considered the first major battle of the Civil War in 1861. We did a driving tour of the different fields used for the battle and wandered the grounds (sparingly, we were saving our feet for walking in D.C.).

Instead of catching a walking tour, we were able to watch a longer movie detailing the events of the war. The cinematography was detailed and the actors were dressed in the different uniforms of the men who fought in the different regiments. We left the theater feeling somber and could feel the heavy weight of death as we walked to the car (which was part of the battlefield were it all happened). The souls and earth still mourn while nature renews itself to help clear the energies.

I had reached out to one of my college friends, Lisa, to ask about places to see while in D.C. because she had been interning/working there studying law. Thank you for the tips on food and places to see! An inside scoop is always helpful when traveling to new places.

Knowing we wouldn’t have time to hit the attractions before they closed, we still booked it over to the National Mall over by the Capitol to scope out the destinations for tomorrow. 

We parked in Lot A by the U.S. Park Police Headquarters, maxed out the 3-hour parking limit ($6 total) and walked EVERYTHING.  We walked 7 miles in 3 hours without even going into ANY of the buildings.  That a was just the distance needed to see the whole thing! WOW!  Our feet hurt!

Some of the destination points we saw/noticed on our walk:

George Mason Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA Approved!), Smithsonian Castle, National Mall, Ulysses S.

Grant Memorial, United States Capitol, National Gallery of Art, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (Night of the Museum!!!), Smithsonian National Museum of American History, National Museum of African History, President’s Park, The White House, Lafayette Square, World War II Memorial, Constitution Gardens, Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.

Phew, what a list!!!

Taking the suggestion from my friend Lisa, I mapped us to Ted’s Bulletin.  We parked a few blocks away in a residential neighborhood (2-hour free parking) and made our way to the main strip of businesses.  The homes were skinny and right next to each other, reminding me of San Fran homes.

Walking into Ted’s was like going back in time.  The front section had a pastry display and bar seating; in the back we could order a sit-down dinner.  I hoofed it to the back and we were served by a friendly waitress, Dejah, who was absolutely thrilled we were road tripping.  We chatted for a little bit about where we have been on this trip and she mentioned she would like to also road trip someday but drive west.  Do it!!!!! 

Now in high spirits, I mentioned “you could even make it in the blog if you wanted to!”

Chad and Dejah both laughed loudly. Dejah said, “I ‘could’?? There’s a chance I ‘could’ be in the blog? Oh, I ‘could’ make the cut!”

Bashfully, I realized how it came out, and apologized. Lol there isn’t a screening process for anyone to be in the blog haha and we laughed some more. Dinner was off to a hilarious start.

HUNGRY, we ordered a MASSIVE Cobb Salad and the large Ted’s Burger (all recommended by Dejah and the salad was massive like she said) and cleaned our plates. (The mood lighting was great, but the phone camera isn’t so great in dimmer settings….lol a blurred burger is the result).

Our tour guide Lisa said to get the pop tarts, so we asked Dejah which one was her favorite.  She said the strawberry was mmmmmm and the new seasonal lemon was good too.

I had a hankering for the blueberry cream cheese and we ordered one of those. The order came back and there were THREE warm pop tarts on the plate! What a surprise! Dejah, you sneaky and thoughtful human! (She even said I ‘could’ have a picture with her 😉).

When we were about to leave, she came back with a to-go box but we didn’t have any food left over?? She said there were a bunch of pop tarts in the box for us! SAY WHAT?! Again, super sneaky and thank yous don’t cover it. We appreciate your hospitality and for making a great ending to the day. Best wishes on your road trip when you go!

Well, the pop tarts to-go didn’t even make it more than 10 minutes.  Chad having a bottomless pit for a stomach, 'popped' the box open (punny, huh?) the moment we walked out of the restaurant. The box was packed full!  Like, more than 8 +++ full. They are really good. REALLY. The strawberry and blueberry-cream cheese were my favorites.  Thanks again!

We drove into Maryland to rest at a Cracker Barrel about 30 minutes away and the to-go box was reduced to crumbs. The lot was quiet, no other cars were parked, and we fell asleep almost instantly. We briefly noticed how quiet and still everything was outside. So peaceful after a long day walking through history.