NPS Centennial Road Trip - Summer 2016: Hot Spots

[Pmount]

August 10 - 13

Before beginning the trip we learned about a special program in Kentucky celebrating the NPS Centennial. We had some extra time to spend on our way south to Tennessee, so completing the Kentucky NPS Pentathlon was perfect for us. To earn the patch you had to visit all five park sites in Kentucky.

After leaving the Louisville area we continued south and visited another Lincoln site, a reverse timeline for us on this trip, Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP. Again, no structures from his time period remain at this location, there are some original buildings at a site nearby. Inside the memorial building is a symbolic birth cabin. Nearby is the spring that Lincoln's family and neighbors used for their drinking water.

Abraham Lincoln Birthplace NHP - Hodgenville
First Lincoln Memorial


Sinking Spring


We ended the day at Cave City, after driving into Mammoth Cave NP so I could pick up the Junior Ranger booklet. I worked on it that afternoon and was able to complete it when we returned in the morning. A hike through the forest led to a cave opening that was once part of the larger Mammoth Cave.

Mammoth Cave NP
Critter on the Visitor Center patio


Dixon Cave


While working our way towards SW Kentucky and the next NPS site we stopped by the headquarters for Clarks River NWR in Benton. The side yard had a great wall sculpture and an area for kids. A series of signs provides activities for kids to do based on animal characteristics - looked like a fun activity for kids.
Clarks River NWR
Memorial tree


Animal Olympics


Great Blue Heron station


When we first heard about the pentathlon we were perplexed about the 5th site. With a little research we learned that a new section of Fort Donelson NB, located in Tennessee, had been established in Kentucky, all the way in the SW corner. Luckily we had accurate GPS coordinates to take us to this remote section along Kentucky Lake. It was purchased with funds raised by local citizens. There are a few interpretive signs, restroom and an attractive picnic ramada. By driving a narrow, rough road we were able to view the 1860s earthen works related to this Civil War site.

Fort Heinman - unit of Fort Donelson NB
Entrance sign


Earthworks


We ended the day nearby in TN at Paris Landing State Park. We enjoy the state park hotels in TN and KY, reasonable room rates ($72) and usually a tasty, Southern breakfast buffet.

Paris Landing State Park - TN


Now we had to drive across the southern border of Kentucky to reach the last 2 NPS sites; Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and Cumberland Gap National Park. When we got to the area that afternoon we drove down to a section of the park we had not previously visited, Blue Heron mining community. The drive down from US 27 was scenic and at times, steep. Once down along the banks of the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River there are several buildings from coal mining activities in 1937-62.

Big South Fork NRRA - KY
Blue Heron




Arch Rock


The next morning we took to the backroads of KY to make our way to Cumberland Gap NP. This park site has special meaning to me, my ancestors came across this gap in the 1700s from Virginia into Kentucky and Indiana.

Cumberland Gap NHP
View from Visitor Center


Sign


Cumberland Gap


Success!!
Kentucky Pentathlon


Wildlife Sightings

Swallowtail butterfly
Fox squirrel
White-tailed Deer
Frog
Cottontail, juvenile

Swallows
Wild Turkey
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
American Crow
Turkey Vulture
Gull
Flycatcher
Blue Jay
Black Vulture
Great Blue Heron
Northern Cardinal
American Robin
Canada Goose
Great-horned Owl
Towhee

[Pmount]

August 14 -16

After spending 2 nights in Whitley City, KY we headed south into Tennessee for few more stops before arriving at my sister's house in East Tennessee. Big South Fork NRRA is also in both KY and TN. The main visitor center is at Bandy Creek where there is a campground and a public swimming pool. Outside the flowers were beginning to fade, but I think the petals of the beebalm are unique.

Big South Fork NRRA - Bandy Creek, TN
Scarlet Beebalm


We went over to Oak Ridge to visit the second site of the Manhattan Project National Historic Park, at the beginning of the trip we had visited the site in Los Alamos, NM. Next year we plan to visit the third site in Hanford, WA. As with the site in Los Alamos, this site is still under development and only has a small presence in the American Museum of Science and Energy.
Outside is a metal sculpture made from steel beams damaged in the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Manhattan Project NHP - Oak Ridge
9/11 Sculpture


NPS desk


In the lobby of the museum was a full size car that had been created on a 3-D printer!! I am fascinated with what a 3-D printer can and will produce. This was pretty amazing.

3-D car


3-D car specs


Besides visiting my sister the purpose of arriving here was to park our van with her for 2 weeks and rent a car to continue our trip along the East coast. Three years ago when we did an extensive trip along the East coast we got very frustrated driving the van. As we were traveling in August camping was not planned so we decided to try something new. I had reserved a standard car and we got lucky and got an upgrade to a Jeep Patriot. This car gave us plenty of space for our gear and was much easier to maneuver.

Jeep


Once we transferred our gear and figured out the bluetooth set up (easy) we continued on our way. Before leaving Tennessee on this leg of our trip we stopped in Greeneville, TN at the Andrew Johnson NHS. This is where our 17th President lived before and after serving as President. He truly came from humble beginnings; as a young child apprenticed as a tailor. Within the visitor center is his Tailor Shop where he hired readers to educate himself.

Andrew Johnson NHS - Greeneville, TN

Walk to house


Display


Tailor Shop


We then headed north into West Virginia. The hilly terrain made driving less than enjoyable. The large trucks bogged down going uphill, then came charging downhill. We understood the dynamics of driving in this terrain, but it made driving challenging.

We stopped at Sandstone Visitor Center for New River Gorge National River. This site also manages the Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation, all of the sites we visited two years ago. This center is newly designed and does a great job of interpreting these ecosystems.

Sandstone Visitor Center


Sandstone plaques


We ended the day in Charleston, WV in a downpour, just when I was registering for our room. Better than while driving, but it delayed unpacking. Luckily we had picked up a pizza before registering so we ran in with a couple of beers and enjoyed our dinner. By the time we finished the rain had stopped.

Wildlife Sightings

White-tailed Deer

American Crow
Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Turkey Vulture
American Robin

[Pmount]

August 17

After driving north on I-79 to Morgantown we went off on back roads to enter Pennsylvania near Point Marion to visit Friendship Hill NHS. This is a beautiful location along the Monongahlea River where Secretary of Treasury, Albert Gallatin, built his home. The land was purchased on 1786 and the Gallatin House was built in three stages; wood, stone and brick and owned by him for 39 years when this area was truly the Western frontier. The simple, self-guiding tour of the house exposes the different building materials. The grounds themselves are beautiful, I wish it had not been so hot and humid. While Gallatin was the Secretary of Treasury for Jefferson and Madison he decreased the national debt, purchased the Louisiana Territory and funded the Lewis & Clark expedition.

Friendship Hill NHS
Gallatin statue


Gallatin House


Fireplace & Pokemon Go


About 1/2 hour away and along US 40 is Fort Necessity NB, the first battle in the French and Indian Wars in 1754. Along with preserving the battle with a re-created fort, the story of the National Road is also interpreted. The National Road brought settlers into the area in the early 1800s and eventually became US 40, a cross-crountry road, stretching from Atlantic City, NJ to San Francisco, CA and comprised the western half of the Lincoln Highway. A unique feature at this visitor center is a National Road-themed playground for children.

Fort Necessity NB
Visitor Center


National Road marker


US 40


Playground


A little over an hour north is the Johnstown Flood National Memorial. This site commemorates a flood in 1889 which killed 2,209 people and devastated the town of Johnstown. A dam had been built for the pleasure of a private hunting and fishing club which failed.

Johnstown Flood National Memorial
Display


Overview


Our final stop of the day was to Flight 93 National Memorial, our second visit to this site. This was our first visit since the visitor center opened. This is a very somber place, where Flight 93 crashed on the morning of 9-11-2001, brought down by the passengers to prevent the plane from being crashed into another building, possibly the White House.
The displays within the visitor center are heart-wrenching and ends with a window that overlooks the field where the plane crashed. The box of tissues in the window sill says it all.

Flight 93 National Memorial
Window


Overview


As we walked back to the car there was the sign board displaying the wildflowers of the area, a nice visual on which to leave.
Wildflowers


We ended the day in Hagerstown, MD. A full day covering a wide variety of history from 1754 to 2001, and unfortunately the site of two tragic events.

Wildlife Sightings
White-tailed Deer

Wild Turkey
American Crow
Eastern Bluebird
Northern Cardinal

[Pmount]

August 18 - 20

Not far from Hagerstown, MD, where we stayed the night, is Antietam NB. When we arrived at Antietam the parking lot was full, plus there were 3 charter busses parked. This is not Gettysburg, so we were surprised. It turns out today was a field trip for the US Army's Medic Training group. I have to say seeing a whole lot of camo-dressed soldiers wandering around the battlefield was a bit surreal. In 1862 those medics would have been busy, this battle is considered the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War, 23,000 died that day. At the end of the day it was considered a stand-off, however this battle led to President Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Antietam National Battlefield


Less than an hour away is a favorite park site, Harper's Ferry NHP, a quaint, historic town at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. From the main visitor center you take a free shuttle down into this well-preserved town. Many buildings are open with displays, and at times there are living history performances.

Harper's Ferry NHP




Another short jog brought us to Catoctin Mountain Park, best known as the site of Camp David, the US President's get away. The drive up to the main visitor center drops you into a dense east coast forest. In a cooler, drier season there are campgrounds and numerous trails to explore. The bank of flowers behind the park sign were pretty.

Catoctin Mountain Park - Camp David


We had arrived in the heart of history - another short drive brought us to Gettysburg NMP. Back in the 1980s we spent extensive time touring Gettysburg, over all it was a pleasant experience. Fast-forward to 2016 - my picture below says it all. The new visitor center has a very small NPS presence, most of it is to sell gifts, food and tour tickets. We had planned to take the shuttle down to the Eisenhower NHS, unfortunately the first bus driver I spoke to outside the Gettysburg center did not mention that we needed to purchase tickets, when we got to the bus loading area we could not board the bus without a $7.50 ticket. I can afford the ticket price, but getting the ticket and coming back down in a half hour in the heat and humidity was a no-go. Having just ridden a free shuttle at Harpers Ferry and being turned off by the over-commercialization at the center we left. We've been to the Eisenhower site in the past and hope to return, especially to get the Secret Service Junior Ranger badge! In short, go and visit Gettysburg, just expect large crowds and to pay for many services.

Gettysburg National Military Park


Now back to a great NPS site - Hopewell Furnace NHS, this brought back great memories. When we lived in South Jersey in the 80s this was a favorite day trip for our family. Hopewell Stoves were known for their high quality, back in the day - early in the 1800s they were produced here.

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Stoves




We spent the night on the west edge of Philadelphia. Our first stop was Valley Forge NHP, an even older memory for me. I grew up in South Jersey - the 60s, and Valley Forge was a common school field trip visit. It was another hot, humid day so we spent our time in the visitor center.

Valley Forge NHP


We were in Philadelphia to attend the National Park Travelers Club Annual Meeting, the first event for us was Friday evening. The host hotel was by Philadelphia International Airport, nearby was John Heinz at Tinicum NWR. We stopped here on our way to our hotel and found a hidden gem in an urban setting, considered the First Urban Refuge established in 1972. This site is 10 minutes from the airport. They took a swamp filled with trash and developed a haven for wildlife. The walk out across the main pond was great for wildlife viewing and Pokemon Go.

John Heinz NWR


On Saturday we went into downtown Philadelphia to Independence National Historic Park. Prior to the meeting start at noon we visited several sites;

Philadelphia
Liberty Bell


National Park Travelers Club members at Old City Hall stamping


Ben Franklin Press Shop


The meeting was held at the Arch Street Friends Meeting House which was built between 1804 - 1811, not much has changed. Thankfully the meeting was not in July when air temperatures were reaching in the 100s, today just the lower 90s and it was HOT, no air conditioning. We enjoyed seeing old friends and swapping 'war' stories about visiting NPS sites.

Arch Street Friends Meeting House


Wildlife Sightings
Fox Squirrel

Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Sandpiper
Wild Turkey
Canada Goose

[DonnaR57]

The new visitor center has a very small NPS presence, most of it is to sell gifts, food and tour tickets.

That's at the front of the VC. If you purchase tickets ($11.50 for us, back in 2014), you can see that extensive museum behind the ticket counters. For us, it was WELL worth the price. We could have spent two days in that museum and not seen it all.

Funny you have the Liberty Bell picture here. Just yesterday, I took our 2012 pics of Philadelphia to school to show my students the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It's one of the standards we teach, the American symbols.


Donna

[Pmount]

Funny you have the Liberty Bell picture here. Just yesterday, I took our 2012 pics of Philadelphia to school to show my students the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It's one of the standards we teach, the American symbols.
Donna

While in the main visitor center my nephew realized where we were and sent a request to get the picture of the Liberty Bell for my 7 year old great-niece. So I took the picture and sent it to them, found out she had studied the Liberty Bell in 2nd grade that week. I bought her a small replica of the Liberty Bell as a souvenir, when I gave it to her she exclaimed "It's just like the one my teacher has".
When buying the Liberty Bell replica I found out that the manager of the bookstore at the Underground Ben Franklin Museum (excellent museum) orders 1000 bells per month for his location and another 1000 per month for another location! We joked they should have a sign saying "Billion and billions sold..."

[Pmount]

August 20 - 22

Sunday morning we headed north to visit the Delaware Water Gap NRA, up where New Jersey tucks into Pennsylvania and New York. It was a very busy Sunday along the trails and river.

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Kittatinny Point - NJ


We crossed back into Pennsylvania and went north, back into the Delaware Water Gap NRA to Dingman Falls, a short side trip up to a small parking lot, which on a busy Sunday was monitored by NPS rangers to let cars in, as cars left. The short hike up to the main falls passed by a couple other falls. Today was a cooler day, the first in several weeks.

Dingman Falls Visitor Center


Waterfall


Just up the road is the family home of Gifford Pinchot, the first Chief of the US Forest Service in 1905 and a friend of Theodore Roosevelt. He was also the 28th Governor of Pennsylvania. Tours of the house are available, as well as the extensive grounds. Unfortunately it started raining while we were there so the grounds tour was a no-go.

Grey Towers NHS




We continued north along a series of backroads which lead to a dead end at the Delaware River to reach the next site - Upper Delaware Scenic & Recreation River. Besides preserving a section of the river, there is a museum honoring the author, Zane Grey. Sites honoring him are also in Zanesville, OH and Payson, AZ. This site is a home that Zane Grey and his family lived in while he wrote many of his novels, the study is well-preserved.

Zane Grey Museum sign


House


Grey's study


A quick stop in Scranton, after driving through a heavy rain, brought us to Steamtown NHS. The roundhouse, storing the many trains is always interesting, even on a soggy afternoon.

Steamtown NHS


We spent the night in Binghamton, NY. The next morning we continued north into New York. Our first stop was in Auburn, NY to see the home of Harriet Tubman, where she settled after the Civil War and her work with the Underground Railroad. This site and a couple others in Auburn has been designated as the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park . It is not an active NPS site, yet, once a land transfer to the federal government is finalized the site will move from a private group to the NPS. We could only look through the fence to the house, currently it is closed on Monday.

Harriet Tubman House - Auburn, NY




Along our way to Seneca Falls we stopped at Montezuma NWR, we were curious about the name, very South West, not Central New York. It turns out a doctor in the 1800s was interested in the Aztec leader Montezuma and named the nearby town. As we left the main area, driving along US 20, we saw 3 bald eagle nests on power poles.

Montezuma NWR


In Seneca Falls there are several locations which make up the Women's Rights NHP. The first Women's Rights Convention was held in 1848. I learned in the visitor center that this group of women became active after not being allowed to participate in the World Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840 in London. From this refusal to be seated as delegates at the anti-slavery meeting the Seneca Falls meeting to promote women's rights was born.

Women's Rights NHP


We jumped on the eastbound New York Thruway, a toll road which travels east-west across the state. The New York system was in better condition than the toll roads in Pennsylvania, and seemed a bit cheaper. In Rome, NY we visited Fort Stanwix NM, an early fort that has a complicated history. It was initially built by the British in 1758 with Oneida Indian permission, it saw multiple occupations including the Americans in the American Revolution. Today's fort is a re-creation of the original fort. The visitor center takes you through the the many occupations. I was surprised to see the Pokemon Go signs on the front door and to find a ranger and volunteer who were enthusiastic about the game.

Fort Stanwix NM
Door sign


Display


Fort


One more stop today - Saratoga NHP, along the Hudson River on the eastern edge of New York. We spent most of the time visiting with friends who had just been assigned here for Navy training. They had just arrived in Saratoga on Saturday, but were able to meet us at the visitor center where we sat on the back porch overlooking the Hudson River, enjoying another comfortable day. We spent the night in Albany, about 1/2 hour south and where the motel rates were much cheaper than around Saratoga Springs.

[Pmount]

August 23 - 24

Not far from Albany is the Martin Van Buren NHS, Lindenwald is the home of the 8th President of the US. He prepared for two elections while living in this house. While walking around the grounds I saw a small herd of goats behind a fence. A ranger walked over and told me they were there to control the weeds near the landscaped lawn. She showed me a plot that they had not attacked yet, and the difference was remarkable. They were to be moved into that plot the next week. Later I saw goats at a couple of NPS sites.

Lindenwald


Goat mowing


We crossed into Massachusetts and visited Springfield Armory NHS which supplied military weapons from 1777 until 1968. Some of the equipment used in the production of the weapons was made in the Blackstone River Valley, an area we would visit later that day. One of the amazing displays was the Organ of Muskets.

Equipment manufactured in Blackstone River Valley


Organ of Muskets


With sites both in Massachusetts and Rhode Island the Blackstone River Valley NHP is one of the new NPS sites. Sites are scattered along the Blackstone River, our first stop was at an ornate community library in Whitinsville, MA. The woodwork was amazing. We stopped at the headquarters building, which had been a cotton mill in the 1800s and has been converted into offices, stores and restaurants. The ranger and office staff were very welcoming and helpful. The area represents the Age of Industry which dates back to the 1790s.

Whitinsville MA Social Library


Headquarters - old mill


Nearby was Roger Williams National Memorial in Providence, RI. This is a small city park that has no original structures, but celebrates Roger Williams' 1636 arrival in the New World and religious freedom. Most of the colonies had some ties to a particular religion, including Williams, but he promoted religious freedom after being banned from Massachusetts. On the side of the visitor center was a thriving garden of native plants.

Native garden


We spent the night near Providence, first stop of the morning was in Narragansett to see Rhode Island's Whispering Giant by the sculptor Peter Toth. This statue is titled Enishkeetompauog Narragansett - translated to 'all human beings at the small, narrow point'.

Rhode Island Whispering Giant - Narragansett, RI


We headed southwest into Connecticut and Hartford to visit another future NPS site; Coltsville NHP. The hold up on most of the newly designated sites that have yet to open is the transfer of land to federal ownership. We went to Colts Park where Samuel Colt had his home, now there is a statue of him. Unfortunately we were there at noon and the sun was not cooperating for a good photo. NPS staff conduct walking tours of the neighborhood each weekend during the summer. This park will highlight the creative manufacturing process that Samuel Colt developed after he patented his revolver in 1836. The Colt Historic District includes the park, neighboring homes and factory buildings.

Samuel Colt statue



After having a picnic lunch in the park we continued to the western edge of Connecticut to a very favorite NPS site, Weir Farm NHS. Before we arrived, about a mile from the park site a black bear ran across the road. I am always amazed at how wild the east coast can be, seeing this bear crossing a busy highway is a treat. The American painter, J Alden Weir traded a painting and $10 for this 153 acre farm in 1882 where he raised his 3 daughters. The buildings and the land are beautiful and well worth exploring, which we have done on previous visits.

Sign


Visitor Center


In our quest for Centennial stamps we decided to head up into the Hudson River Valley and visit Hyde Park and 3 NPS sites. This is a return visit to all of the sites Val Kill was Eleanor Roosevelt's home in Hyde Park, a trail connects this home to the FDR home along the Hudson River. A drive onto the Vanderbilt Mansion grounds is a step back in time, back to the post-Civil War gilded age. While at the Home of FDR I tried to get a picture of statue of FDR & Eleanor, other tourists kept popping in for their photo op. I finally gave up and included one of them.

Eleanor Roosevelt NHS
Val Kill


Vanderbilt Mansion NHS


Home of Franklin Delano Roosevelt NHS
Statue


Thanks to Google Navigation we were re-routed a couple of times on our way to Parsippany, NJ for the evening and it saved us a lot of time.

Wildlife Sightings
Black Bear
White-tailed Deer
Fox Squirrel

Pileated Woodpecker
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bald Eagle
American Crow
Canada Goose
Flycatcher
Turkey Vulture
Great Blue Heron

[Pmount]

August 25 - 26
Happy Birthday NPS!

I grew up in New Jersey and lived there in the 80s, so enjoying diner food is near and dear to me. We enjoyed a diner breakfast this morning before visiting Morristown NHP. This is where George Washington and his Colonial troops wintered in 1778-80. George stayed in the house pictured below and his troops built and stayed in the shelter seen in the lower picture (reconstructed) in Jockey Hollow, an area nearby that today is mainly set aside for hiking. The visitor center on the same grounds as the headquarters building has many items from that time period, including the ornate quilt with fitted bedpost corners.

Washington's Headquarters


Quilt


Jockey Hollow - winter quarters


Very close by is the Great Swamp NWR, which seemed an odd name for land in the center of New Jersey. Near the end of the 1950s a jetport for the greater New York area was proposed to be built here, local citizens and environmentalists campaigned and successfully preserved this natural landscape. Today it is a wildlife haven in a heavily populated area.

Flowers


A few years ago Delaware was the only state which did not have an NPS unit, in 2013 First State NHP was established to recognize Delaware as the first state to sign the US Constitution and it's rich colonial history dating back into to 1600s. Today we re-visited the colonial town of New Castle. The courthouse, which serves as the visitor center was built in 1732. I thought their Pokemon Go sign was great; enjoy the history inside and keep the game outside!

New Castle town square


Pokemon Go bench


Fountain


Sheriff's House - future Visitor Center



Old Church along US 1, built in 1773


Today was the actual birthday of the National Park Service. We offered our birthday wishes at each site. Our timing was off, we missed having birthday cake at the different sites. On social media NPS sites were posting pictures of their birthday cakes all day long, some were very creative. We even tried for leftovers in the following days, but it was apparent the cake was enjoyed by all.

Friday morning we left Delaware and crossed into Maryland on US 50 across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We made a stop in Annapolis at the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Heritage Trail Office for some passport stamps. Even with the smaller var we found driving in Annapolis to be stressful, parking was allowed on both sides of the side streets which prevented 2 vehicles from passing, you waited to let other car pass you, it felt like hopscotch.

Our goal today was to visit the headquarters of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, in Virginia just north of Arlington Cemetery. The parkway itself, follows the Potomac River and provides for a very relaxing drive along a divided highway with no commercial traffic. Numerous NPS sites can be visited from the parkway, which we have previously visited. The office has an amazing collection of NPS passport stamps which provided 'stamping Nirvana' for my husband.

George Washington Parkway office


We stopped by Arlington National Cemetery, but it was too hot to walk around much, did enjoy the flowers at the main building.
Arlington Cemetery flowers


We stayed south of Arlington with plans to head into D.C. the next morning.

Wildlife Sightings
White-tailed Deer

American Robin
Turkey Vulture
Great Blue Heron
American Bald Eagle
Wild Turkey
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

[Pmount]

August 27

At the beginning of the trip my husband developed a sore foot, which was only going to get better after we got home and a trip to the doctor, so for this trip he was toughing it out. Most of our visits to NPS sites, except for the day in Philadelphia, was manageable up until our visit to DC. We had a plan - go early on a Saturday and it worked! Our first stop was at the Washington Monument and we got a great parking space. It was a beautiful morning in D.C.
.
Washington Monument
Parking




Because of our early start we had some time to kill before our next site opened. We hung out in Stanton Park, about 3 blocks north of the US Capitol where there is an impressive statue of Nathanael Greene, a major general in the Continental Army. There was a large play area which was busy with families coming and going. In the neighborhood was this gorgeous mansion with a dramatic weathervane, the photo doesn't do it justice.

District of Columbia house with weathervane


Nathanael Greene statue


Another new NPS site for us was the Belmont-Paul Women's Equality NM. The house was home to the National Woman's Party for 90 years, it was the epicenter of the struggle for women's suffrage and women's rights. The house is literally across the street from the US Capitol. As I toured the rooms I could only imagine the late night meetings and strategy sessions. Normally this site is only open by taking a tour, today they were holding an Open House, in honor of Women's Equality Day, the day before. Lots of informative displays, but the house itself is beautiful.

Belmont-Paul Women's Equality NM - DC
Door


Display


A place that is not a NPS site, but one we have wanted to visit is Lincoln's Summer Cottage, along our route today. The cottage - isn't a cottage, but a stone mansion that Lincoln escaped to during the hot, humid DC summers. Of course this site is only 4 miles north of the White House, but in a wooded area, even today. It is on the grounds of the Armed Forces Retirement Home, you enter through a guarded gate and are given a parking pass and directions, no ID or paperwork required.

Lincoln's Summer Cottage




Another natural area within the DC region, and a NPS site is Rock Creek Park. We always enjoy visiting the Nature Center, usually to do some hiking, but the heat was on! There are numerous animal and plant displays inside which I used to share some of our previous bird sightings during this trip.

Rock Creek Park
Pileated Woodpecker


American Crow


This concluded our east coast sweep, we now headed west and drove a section along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah NP. Just a bit change in elevation brought some cooler temperatures.
Along I-81 in Staunton we had a yummy dinner at an old-fashioned country-style restaurant, Mrs. Rowe's Family Restaurant. The bakery counter at check-out reminded me of Jacob Lake Inn, in northern Arizona - almost. The chocolate truffle cookies were good.

Shenandoah Visitor Center relief map


Wildlife Sightings
Fox Squirrel

American Crow
American Robin