Slowly slowly trying to catch up on the blog now. As I start to write up this part of our journey we are actually just about to cross the bridge in Calais, Maine over into Canada. So I’m really having to reach back into the old grey matter to recall how it was when we arrived into Delaware on Thursday 30th April.
We only had a couple of days to get to Washington in time for Charlie’s birthday weekend as we’d promised him we would take him to the Spy Museum. We headed straight to the Welcome Centre just over the border and they told us to go to Assateague Island National Seashore. Which is what we did. You don’t need to ask me twice to visit a National Park site – and of course the kids were very keen to get another badge!
This 37-mile barrier island on the Maryland and Virginia coast is constantly changing. The island is covered with wild horses put here 300 years ago by the colonists put to avoid livestock taxes. Although some say the horses were shipwrecked here which seems a little far fetched. There are 2 very distinct herds. The Virginia section of the Island has 250 horses which belong to a volunteer fire company. Each year the ‘Salt Water Cowboys’ round them up then swim them across the bay to auction them off for charity. Whereas those in Maryland are treated as wildlife. They are truly wild. A funny sort of breed with short legs and a stocky build which is perfect for the sand and marshes. As everything they eat is coated with salt they drink twice as much as normal horses and they have a somewhat bloated appearance.
They are hugely important to the area and effect the whole ecosystem on the island. They physically shape it on the beach and on marshes they eat the grasses and the roots that hold the dunes together making the island even more vulnerable. Because of this they can only have 80-100 horses in the herd otherwise the impact on the island is too great. So as to retain the ‘hands off’ approach with the animals they shoot blow darts of vaccine to stop them getting pregnant – can’t see that method of contraception taking off anywhere else. Although it might be an idea in some places!! When they are 4 years old they are allowed to foal – once only. But the horses have got wise to this and stay well out of the Rangers way, meaning it is a very long drawn out exercise.
Left to themselves they’ve returned to ancient behaviours; separate groups with a very clear hierarchy each with one stallion his mares and their foals. The stallions fight to protect their bands, biting and kicking, so they all have battle scars. They all have a home range and treat the beaches as their own, swimming in the bay. Not a problem in Spring but in Summer when it’s full of visitors it can get interesting I’m sure.
Friday 1st May we woke to pouring rain and winds of 50mph. We had promised the kids they could go fishing. Charlie wisely declined but William was insistent so he stood on the pier while the van shook in the storm. Caught nothing but he was happy. He certainly is more from Uncle Jon’s school of fishing than our – we are complete fair weather fishermen. Sunshine, nice view and a beer are key ingredients for us!!
We persuaded him back into the van and drove on into Delaware and then straight out again into Maryland – sorry I’m sure there is lots to see there but we just didn’t have time. We did stay that night in a lovely campsite called Maryland State Park Koptekope in Denton. The kids fished in the lake there and we had a fire and a BBQ and had got chatting to the campsite host. We were very excited to hear there was a family on the campsite in a rig they had brought over from Hawaii. So we thought we might finally get the last remaining license plate for our tick list – sadly they came in later than us and left earlier the next morning so we are still down just the one plate!!
Saturday after a quick stop off in Annapolis at a mall for some last minute birthday shopping we arrived into DC. We were a little concerned as to what kind of a campsite we would find, but recommended by the Carle’s who had passed through here a few weeks before us, we were delighted and ended up staying 7 nights – our longest stay of the entire trip!! Great big sites, lovely pool, shuttle service into the city – loved it! And look who was in reception waiting to welcome us….
Sunday 3rd May was Charlie’s birthday. The Avengers was most definitely the theme this year. Months back he had spotted in his National Geographic Kids US Road Trip book that Washington has a Spy Museum and had put it on his ‘to do list’. So we were very pleased with ourselves in managing to arrive here in time for him to do it as his birthday treat! Charlie has a tendency to over think things and build them up so much in his mind that he very often ends up slightly disappointed with the reality of things. But not this time!
It was brilliant. We did the hand held GPS spy investigation round the city. Walking the streets picking up clues and information which we entered into our ‘spy device’ to help stop a Russian Informant. Then the museum was full of brilliant interactive exhibits where you could test your suitability to become a spy – memorise your cover, crawl silently through air ducts, spot potential targets etc. Lastly a huge section on Bond Villains which we all loved. Brilliant. Charlie completely enthralled, William completely huffy. Hot cities are not normally conducive to our best Family Behaviour honestly!! Charlie spent all his birthday money on Spy Gear – listening devices, door alarms (perhaps better suited to a bedroom door in an actual house than a venetian blind style divider in an RV!!). Anyway, a complete success. Finished off with pizza and Avengers movie in the cinema – one happy 9-year-old!!
We hadn’t really known how long we would want to spend in the city. We have certainly learnt that the outdoors / nature activities suit us all better than endless city based cultural activities. So we thought we would just stay till we’d had enough. As I said, the campsite was great, access to the city easy and the city itself fabulous. So we just kept on heading back in there day after day…
We did 2 days on the open air bus tour which was a very easy convenient way of seeing a lot without walking too many miles in the very hot city. So we took in Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, WWII memorial, Vietnam War Memorial and Korean War Memorial – forcing the children to do Ranger Programs at each one!
It was from the bus that we spotted what we were reliably informed was the President making his way across town. A huge convoy of identical black SUV’s tearing through the middle of the road with endless police outriders, a helicopter just above it and an ambulance at the back (complete with gallons of blood the same type as the President). Best security is uncertainty apparently – guess they know what they’re taking about having had a fair few President’s shot at over the years…
The next couple of days we spent trying to make our way round just a few of the fantastic Smithsonian Museums. Kids first choice was the Museum of the American Indian which surprised us. They’ve been truly fascinated by the whole Native American history since we arrived in North America. A great museum which demonstrates the stories of just a few of the millions of Natives that were forcibly removed from their land, being shepherded out west with promises of land. After decades of engagement they could no longer resist so they gave up their lands, fields and forests to remain free.
Every nation had to give up their land; the Cherokee Trail of Tears is the most famous but there were lots more. 250,00 remaining at end of 18th century compared with the millions before the Europeans arrived. They gave up their land in exchange for the right to continue to hunt and fish in their usual hunting grounds which still continues today. One beautiful story of how they ‘Took their fires with them. They took the embers along. Then when they got to their new homes they rekindled them. So they still burn the same fire.’
We made a very quick stop in the Air and Space Museum, where the kids were primarily interested in the Amelia Earhart exhibits (I suspect that maybe due to Night at the Museum – although I’m happy to pretend to myself that they are fascinated in strong, adventurous, pioneering women!!). We were in town on VE DAY so were able to watch the huge fly by over the National Mall of WWII planes including B52 bombers and Mustangs which was very cool.
Longest stop of all was of course the National History Museum. Been to a few NHM’s now but this one was incredible. Rocks and gems to human evolution and every type of animal. Favourite animal – pink fairy armadillo – not making that up!! Favourite exhibit was the computer program that allowed you to see what you would look like as prehistoric man – very good.
We took a lot of photos outside those all too familiar buildings – didn’t get that close to the white House surprisingly though. Sadly we were just a couple of weeks too late for the infamous Cherry Blossom – so we will have to come back to tick that one off!
We all absolutely loved Washington. It is so very beautiful. The buildings and architecture so iconic and familiar. The city itself feels small and easy to navigate. We met nothing but lovely people and felt very safe. Charlie’s best friend, Luke, lived here for the first 3 years of his life and so we all felt very ‘at home’ here somehow. We obviously had to have a burger at Ollie’s Trollies for Luke! Thinking back on it now I feel very nostalgic for it somehow. One of our all time favourite US cities and definitely one we would return to – although there is always New York, but that will come later!!!
Wickenswanderings 