Day 1, Thurs: Touring Washington, D.C. by bicycle - 10.5 miles

We started out our day with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame.  The Arlington House, in the background, is a memorial to Robert E. Lee.

 

Memorials and markers precisely aligned span over more than 600 acres.  On May 30, 1868 -- the first Decoration Day -- the graves of fallen soldiers were decorated with flowers.  In 1971 the day was renamed to Memorial Day and became a federal holiday to remember the fallen of all of America's wars.

Abraham Lincoln Memorial.



The Reflecting Pool and Washington Monument.

The Washington Monument is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing at 555' 5 1/8 ".  On August 23, 2011, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake occurred 84 miles southwest of Washington, D.C.  Although the monument remains structurally sound, internal and external stone damage was discovered in many areas.  Most occurred in the top 50 feet of the monument.  It is currently being repaired. 

World War II Memorial

World War II Memorial

We continued on to the National Mall to visit a few of the Smithsonian Museums.  Eleven of the 19 Smithsonian museums and galleries are located here.

American History Museum
Archie Bunker's chair from All in the Family, 1971 - 79. 

 

Bobby Dylan's leather jacket, 1965.

Dorothy's ruby slippers, 1938.  Wizard of Oz 1939.

National Museum of Natural History
The Hope Diamond, 45.52 carats, is one of the world's most famous gems -- renowned for its flawless clarity, rare deep blue color, and its eventful history.  It is surrounded by 16 white diamonds and suspended by a platinum chain bearing 46 more diamonds.  Since it was found in the 1600's it has been recut and reduced in size twice, but has steadily increased in value.



The National Air & Space Museum
The Voyager is known for its successful nonstop around the world flight in December 1986.



This Apollo command module is identical to those used during the Apollo Program.  It was used to ferry the crew of the last Skylab mission to the Skylab Orbital Workshop and back to Earth again. 

On May 21, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh completed the first solo nonstop, transatlantic flight in history flying his Spirit of St. Louis from Long Island, NY to Paris, France.

The Smithsonian Castle
This building is made out of the same red sandstone as the Seneca Creek Aqueduct which was on the C&O Canal Towpath.   A selection of objects from each museum's vast collection is displayed here.  This museum featured two items from Decatur, IL.

Fence rail spilt by Abraham Lincoln and John Hanks.



Punch marks of railroad conductors from around the world.

Returning by bicycle to Ft. Myer, VA from Washington, D.C. via the Arlington Memorial Bridge.  It really is easy to tour D.C. by bicycle.