Recently the short trip theme has seen lots of activity. Two hours from home is Charlottesville and only 45 minutes further puts you in Staunton, VA. “So what?” you may ask, “What’s there?” To which I say “A surprising lot!”
Here you have it: I visited Woodrow Wilson Museum and Birthplace, the P. Buckley Moss Museum, Mary Baldwin College, the Lunatic Asylum, historic downtown Staunton, the Frontier Culture Museum, and Sunspots Studios. I’ll tell you, I was not hurting for things to do!
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I had a 10 hour challenge: leave home, take in as much of Gettysburg as I could, and be home in time for dinner. Crazy goal but there you have it. The good news is that I succeeded and it was a great, albeit cold, day.
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Prior to today, only my wonderful mother had ever climbed Old Rag with me. Today that all changed as Kelsey hiked with me to both summits. Old Rag is such a wonderful hike that I’m happy another family member is in on it. Her choice was to climb the front to both peaks and then return down the front: six miles and climbing from 600 ft to 3,300 ft. We did it and it was great fun.
Here are a few pictures we took along the way…
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A really good museum will grab your attention. Being short on time at a museum will really sharpen your focus. I fell victim to both and consequently don’t have many photos to show for our visit. The pictures below will at least show the family in context.
For years I’ve intended to visit the Newseum and the one previous time I tried, I found it closed in Arlington and not scheduled to reopen for two years in D.C. I was out of luck … till today.
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It was a day between Christmas and New Year, the sky was free of clouds, and the temperature rose to almost 60 degrees. I got the idea to go exercise my new zoom lens and visit the National Zoo. It seems like most everyone and their relatives had the same idea. The place was packed!
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My first trip to France was from London via the Chunnel.
Good stuff, though my hostel left much to be desired.
Click here for a look back on my visit.
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Today I climbed Old Rag again. It was supposed to be sunny. It was not!
Took my hiking GPS and here are a few insights:
Oh, and look at what I found in the middle of nowhere …
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The acme of the day was the Manassas National Battlefield Park where the Civil War’s first land battle was fought. Before and after this I went hiking, hence “Manassas Sandwich”. From sunrise to sunset I was busy-busy but the weather will soon turn cold and I had to take advantage of this beautiful day.
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The rose window above is just one of many beautiful stained glass windows that include one with a moon rock embedded which commemorates the 1969 lunar landing. Windows were only a one feature of what makes the Cathedral a splendid place to visit.
As is always the case in a great cathedrals, the expansive interior and ornate construction take your breath away. In the past year I’ve been to many cathedrals from Notre Dame to York and Canterbury Cathedrals and the awe they can evoke stirs the heart. The Washington National Cathedral is no different. <fix>
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Where’s the southernmost point in the continental United States? Given the name of the blog post I don’t suppose you could guess incorrectly but just to be sure … the answer is Key West, Florida and they make the most of it.
After returning from the Dave Koz Cruise I stayed an extra day in southern Florida. Originally I planned a day of bicycle riding but the day seemed perfect for a long drive to a destination I’d long had in mind. After four hours driving, many bridge crossings and lots of great views, I arrived in Key West.
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