Yesterday we said goodbye to Maine and entered New Hampshire. We didn't drive very far before we set up camp in Gorham close to White Mountain which we were supposed to go up today, but this morning the sky opened up again so we decided to stay cuddled up reading..............well, Mom is reading while I keep her warm under the covers.

The last campsite was the first with grass on the ground instead of all mud

 

only 2 more tents here, the rest live here all season in big campers with all the luxury they have at home

 

Friday night the ladies had a "craft"evening painting cans to bees and collecting money to send poor kids to camp, 

That's a good cause so we sat down and painted too. 

There was this pug laying under the table who barked at everything passing the door, and the cutest little toypoodle who showed teeth and growled at anyone coming near her.

No manners at all.........................I tried showing them how to behave by sitting quietly on my chair keeping an eye on everything. My Mom was super proud of me when I got all compliments.

    

Very dog friendly place and great ice cream

   

It was only a 3 hour drive to next stop Gorham but since we were in no hurry we stopped and explored on our way

Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. His exploits revolve around the tall tales of his superhuman labors, and he is customarily accompanied by Babe the Blue Ox.

 

 

 

After his death, his fame probably spread from camp to camp, more tales were added to those told about him, and thus, gradually, he became, in time, an exaggerated type of the lumberjack, and the hero of more exploits than he could possibly have carried out in his lifetime.

One tale told by a lumberjack stated: When Paul Bunyan was driving a large bunch of logs down the Wisconsin River, the logs suddenly jammed in the Dells. The logs were piled 200 feet high at the head and were backed up for one mile upriver. Paul was at the rear of the jam with the Blue Oxen and while he was coming to the front, the crew was trying to break the jam but they couldn’t budge it. When Paul arrived at the head with the ox he told them to stand back. He then put the ox in the old wise in front of the jam. Then, standing on the bank, shot the ox with a 303 Savage Rifle. The ox thought it was flies and began to switch his tail. The tail commenced to go around in a circle and up stream and, do you know, that ox switching his tail forced that stream to flow backward and eventually the jam floated back also. He took the ox out of the stream and let the stream and logs go on their way.

 

 

 

 

 

This town had an odor of rotten eggs and that means it's a papermill here, and Mom knew that from a place she was often visiting as a puppy, and will do again next year with me..........

 

   

 

Mexico??? something wrong with the navigation system?

 

 

 

not much else here except this really cool looking church

 

 

 

so we arrived in Gorham (for some reason Gorham makes Mom think of a cartoon? or ?) 

We parked by this gorgeous house.............when will Americans dig their wires underground?

 

 

 

 

Looking for a place to camp Mom called around and one in the park wanted $108 for a tent???? Noway said Mom 

so we drove back a few miles to Timberlake Camp which is really cool

  

 

These phones do not exist anymore and this one didn't work either

 

 

After camp was set up we walked a trail along the river and Mom said it could as well be her puppy country except her frinds aren't here.  Still it was super nice so now I'm looking forward going to Sweden

     

Mom did not like it when I went too close to the edge

 

There's a lot more tent campers here and not as big rigs, but some looks like they're permanent for the season

Another Floridian lives here

 

The phrase was adopted from a toast written by General John Stark, New Hampshire's most famous soldier of the  American Revolutionary War, on July 31, 1809. Poor health forced Stark to decline an invitation to an anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington Instead, he sent his toast by letter: Live free or die, Death is not the worst of evil.

In 1971 the New Hampshire state legislature mandated that the phrase replace "scenic" on the license plates

 

some people sleep in hammocks under a tree glad Mom not trying it...........what a circus it would be when she needs to get up to use a restroom in the middle of the night

 

this is a giant pupa ...........it'll turn into a giant butterfly ..............that's what I think and I'm sticking to it

  

A mailbox to fit the place 

  

 

Mom made great breakfast this morning 

 

 

and I did the dishes

 

 

 

lots of these little critters running around here, they're cute but not willing to make my acquaintance

 

 

 

It's almost 4 in the afternoon now, and the sun is back up

Hopefully, everything dries up quickly so we get a great view from the White Mountain tomorrow

all is well

  

We are staying at many beautiful places the only complaint is really crappy if any, wifi 

As usual, Mom is up way before the rooster and after coffee started to break down our camp only to put it up again a few hours later. (she's getting real good at it. 10-15 min and everything is in place)

We didn't have far to go and it was a real foggy morning and driving slow along the coast we came to Acadia National Park campsite too early to check in so Mom decided to continue on to Bar Harbor only a few miles away. 

Wow, what a cute little town we walked along Main street looked in store windows, and met a lot of early risers walking their dogs and picking up coffee from a small hole in the wall ????

   

Bar Harbor is a town on Mount Desert Island along Maine’s Frenchman Bay. It serves as a gateway to the mountains and cliffs of neighboring Acadia National Park. Towering over the park, Cadillac Mountain has trails and views of the town, the bay, and the Cranberry Islands. Sand Beach is ringed by mountains. From the town pier, the Shore Path winds along the bay overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the Porcupine Islands.

It was a great walk and did I say the fog was thick?

 

 

Now I know why Mom bought me a life west. Apparently, she planned to put me in one of those rickety boats.

Lucky for me she decided against it because like she said what's the point if you can't see further than the edge of your paddle?

 

Balance Rock is considered to be a glacial erratic which is defined as a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area. It can be carried for hundreds of miles by glacial ice. Balance Rock was "dropped" on Bar Harbor`s shoreline at the end of Albert Meadow. It has become a tourist attraction as it balances on its perch

 

 

 

Many tried their strength to no avail 

 

so many different buildings and they all scream "Look at me"

 

 

 

 

After lots of walking, we went back to check-in at Blackwood campsite in Acadia National Park.  

it is a 47,000-acre Atlantic coast recreation area primarily on Maine's Mount Desert Island. Its landscape is marked by woodland, rocky beaches, and glacier-scoured granite peaks such as Cadillac Mountain, the highest point on the United States East Coast. Among the wildlife are moose, bears, whales, and seabirds..............which we have seen none of yet..........except maybe the birds

If Mom considered our last camp "rustic" I don't know what to call this place...........

Still, it was great for sleeping and lots of trails to explore which we did until evening and then went to bed early listening to the sounds of the forest.

Early Thursday morning and again thick fog and even though it would have been a good idea to wait until later for the drive up the mountain we had made a reservation (which was necessary to pass the gate) for 7am.

Mom had figured since we can stay as long as we wanted we could always take a nap and wait out the fog........

It was super windy and freezing and yes we napped until around 9am when more people came up and walked too close to the car for my comfort so no more sleeping and we still couldn't see much

 

driving down 

 

Finally got a little warmer and clearer the lower we got 

 

We then drove the Park Loop Rd, which is a27-mile (43 km) road and the go-to scenic drive around the east side of Mount Desert Island, 

   

   

We stopped to look at the scenery often and walked many easy paths 

 

 

Thunder hole got its name because waves crash with a thunderous boom & high-flying foam when seas are up. It is a naturally formed inlet caused by the repeated erosion of ocean waves. At the end of the inlet is a small cavern. When crashing waves from the ocean travel down the inlet and into the cavern, air and water are forced out

Beautiful but dangerous if you're not careful

It was getting quite crowded and Mom is hungry so we went back to the cute dog-friendly town for lunch

Oh boy, did the town look different now, Wall to wall people on sidewalks and I hate that, all I see is feet and more feet.

Luckily Mom carries me around the worst crowds so I don't get stepped on

 

 

Mom had a lobster cobb salad, not much there for me so she also ordered fries.

 

   

 

Everything here is focusing on lobsters and they sure are fresh and tasty. This was an interesting fact Mom didn't know about....................times change it's now considered luxury food for most

 

 

The crowds were getting to both of us and since the Canadian border still are closed Mom decided to drive west....... and we're now on a KOA campsite outside Bangor. The first place where we camp on grass ...........and it has a nice shower, we may stay another night here.

   

 

The battery is running out on the PC better save and send quickly.

to be continued 

 

We both had the best night's sleep and woke up early to a very foggy and damp morning. After coffee (for Mom) we went for a walk in the quiet woods. Mom decided to stay here one more night to rest it's a very rustic place but it's quiet and dark at night.

Along the road, there are many Antique shops....................at least that's what they're called. Mom calls them junkshops, but what does she know?

 

the owner of this shop said he's been collecting stuff for 22 years and claims he knows where everything is........Mom was tempted to quiz him but since we don't need any junk............

   

we often stop at the shore for walks we are in no hurry ............ the seaweed is thick in places but it doesn't smell like rotten fish like Mom remember it?

 

some people are looking for oysters and chucking them right there ............yuck

this guy was sketching and Mom wishes she had brought along her watercolors ......... 

We stopped in a small town named Bath and I don't think there were any tourists at all here....... a band was setting up to play Don Petty in the park but we didn't want to be late for the campsite. They have "first come first served"policy so after a walk we continued on

     

Many artists of all kinds are plentiful here and Mom was very interested in this home made loom and the creations this lady had. No buying just looking and maybe get inspired for a future project.

   

The lobster roll is a very popular lunch here in Maine, and we stopped at a roadside wagon where we met this great couple. They live an hour away where they have an alpaca farm, but drive to this place once a week for their lobster rolls. That of course assured Mom that these must be the best there is and they were yummy according to her. Again all I got was few fries

    

   

Lots of interesting stuff along our route 

 

Seriously Mom, do we need one of these? She didn't buy a keg, but bought ME a lifejacket????? I wonder what she's up to now just have to wait and see I suppose

 

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge is a 2,120 feet long cable-stayed bridge that carries US 1/SR 3 over the Penobscot River. 

The bridge is one of three bridges in the US constructed recently using a cradle system that carries the strands within the stays from bridge deck to bridge deck, as a continuous element, eliminating anchorages in the pylons. Each epoxy-coated steel strand is carried inside the cradle in a one-inch steel tube. Each strand acts independently, allowing for removal, inspection, and replacement of individual strands. The cable-stay system was designed with a system that uses pressurized nitrogen gas to defend against corrosion.

In June 2007, six reference strands within three stays were replaced with carbon fiber strands – a first in the US. Monitoring on the strands will evaluate this material for future use in bridge designs. These engineering innovations helped the bridge appear in the December 2006 edition of Popular Science as one of the 100 best innovations of the year. The total project cost was $85 million.

 

 Penobscot Narrows Observatory is the first bridge observation tower in the United States and the tallest public bridge observatory in the world. The tower reaches 420 feet (128 m) into the air and allows visitors to the view..........Nope and nope said Mom we were NOT doing that.............and very happy about the decision after reading this: The elevator has had a series of technical problems, including one on July 1, 2014, when 13 people were temporarily stuck in the Observatory due to the elevator doors not opening

 

At the foot of the bridge is Fort Knox (there's a second FortKNox in Kentucky named after the same General)

located on the western bank of the Penobscot River in the town of Prospect about 5 miles (8.0 km) from the mouth of the river. Built between 1844 and 1869, it was the first fort in Maine built entirely of granite, most previous forts used wood, earth, and stone. 

It is named after Major General Henry Knox (wonder if I'm named after him?) the first U.S Secretary of War and Commander of Artillery during the American Revolutionary War, who at the end of his life lived not far away in Thomaston. As a virtually intact example of a mid-19th century granite coastal fortification, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 and declared a Historic Landmark on December 30, 1970

 

     

Local memory of the humiliation of Maine at the hands of the British during the American Revolution and again during the War of 1812 contributed to subsequent anti-British feelings in Eastern Maine. The Expedition of 1779 aimed to force the British from New Ireland (Maine) but ended in a debacle. The Americans lost 43 ships and suffered approximately 500 casualties in the worst naval defeat for the United States prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Then in autumn 1814, during the War of 1812, a British naval force and soldiers sailed up the Penobscot and defeated an outnumbered American force in the Battle of Hampden. The British followed their victory by looting both Hampden and Bangor  The American defeat contributed to the post-war movement for Maine's statehood, which occurred in 1820, as Massachusetts had failed to protect the region.

Besides the main fort with 64 guns, Fort Knox had two open water batteries facing the river, each equipped with a hot furnace to heat cannonballs sufficiently that they could ignite wooden ships if the ball lodged in the vessel. These furnaces became obsolete with the adoption of ironclad warships.

 

   

 

There's a lot of steps and spooky cellars where you had to bring a flashlight as a matter of fact Fort Knox was featured as one of the haunted locations on the paranormal TV series "Most Terrifying Places in America" we stayed above ground and the only spooky thing we saw was this gas tank on a bike in the parking lot.

 

 

The campsite where we are now is called Quietside and we'll be here for another night. Mom wants to finish the puzzle
in this very very rustic place

   

all is well

We left the hotel around 11 am and continued North on route 1 following Maines coastline, many small villages start to look much the same but New Caste stuck out not only because there was a 24-hour rest stop nearby. My Mom had just stopped so both of us could take care of business and we met the guy that tended the lot. We asked if we could stay overnight and were told many people do that and it's ok. They kept chatting for 45 min. and when Mom complained about how expensive everything was here in Maine he said that's how it is south of here and he wanted the state cut off by the bridge. We supposed he wasn't too impressed by all the rich tourists visiting.

His name is Don and he came back in the morning without bringing coffee for Mom and a treat for me....................... .what nerve

 

New Castle is a very nice little town not too crowded and no wall-to-wall T-shirt shops. It appeared to be mostly locals who stopped for a bite to eat have a beer and listen to live music.Great dogfriendly place  

Here we finally got a whole lobster ............well Mom did........... I got some french fries

 

After supper and a walk around town, we went back to the rest-stop for the night.

Mom doesn't know but I spend a lot of the night keeping watch. That's my job and I can sleep while she drives.

 

The following day's first stop was Pemaquid Point, with its dramatic streaks of light and dark rock reaching to the sea, shaped by massive movements thousands of years ago, was a fascinating place to visit even without its pretty white lighthouse. The spot is one of the most frequently visited attractions of the Maine coast, receiving about 100,000 visitors each year.
The name “Pemaquid” is said to have had its origins in an Abenaki Indian word for “situated far out.”

It's a cloudy cold day and Mom didn't feel comfortable walking on the cliffs further out, could be slippery she said and I didn't mind going back to the car and curl up in a blanket.

 

     

It's raining and it's windy which messes with my hair..............Mom's hair we shouldn't even talk about..............it's called

camping hair she says and she don't care

 

 

From here we drove to Camden Hills state park where we set up camp

By now Mom has it all up in 15 min, and I think it's quite cozy

 

In the early morning, we went for a hike to Mnt Megunticook 1385 ft. Still a slight drizzle and very foggy

 

    

Here we are taking a break before heading back to our camp. Mom really wanted to stay another night but our spot was booked by new guests 

 

I wasn't supposed to share this movie because Mom doesn't want to admit she's huffing and getting tired..................

No dogs are allowed without a leash in the park, but the rebel in Mom let me loose sometimes when she feels I can be trusted...........and I love love love to run

 

we had to pack up and continue on and made a short stop in Belfast so Mom can do her laundry

 

The next stop was Fort Knox

 

I tell you all about it tomorrow, now it's getting dark and time to light a fire. We are just outside Acadia National park camping. As usual, there are no campsites within the park but close enough to get the feel...GoodNight

 Good morning, last night the weatherman on the radio kept warning that we should expect severe storms and to stay off the roads, so Mom started to look for a motel to get inside. Little did we know that where we are now is more expensive than any other place we visited. Noway were mom going to pay $600 to get indoors so after a lot of calling around she finally found this place that "only" charged $285 for one night. As it turned out it was already occupied 

 

He didn't take much room so we stayed anyway. I offered to eat it, but Mom thought that was too gross and it could make me sick 

I'm getting ahead of myself again, this is the last two days drive

My surprise was great, I got my cookies and a great smooch before we continued on our way. We left Pennsylvania and drove to Vermont, where Mom used to go skiing when she lived in NY. 

   

According to Mom, this area looks exactly like her puppy country. I haven't been there yet but she promised next year that's where we're going for sure 

this is kind of telling a little about this area....................funny 

Looks like Lilly has been here too? Must have been in her previous life because I don't believe sweet Lilly would do anything like this now

 

The next state is New Hampshire and that's pretty much more of the same ..................forest and mountains. We slept close to this nice peaceful wterfall.

 

New Hampshire has their discount liquor shops at the rest-stops along the highway?   Seems strange to Mom 

But they also serve great breakfasts

   

OK, so liquor is ok, but not snacks?? Why do adults need to be told what to eat? That's really strange according to Mom, but I will remind her next time she tells ME not to eat some great stuff I'm sometimes lucky to find in the streets.

Just like Europe.........great art in the middle of a roundabout 

 

small village streets are lined with pictures of their fallen soldiers from wars overseas on their telephone poles. .........sad

 

This is a begonia that Mom wishes she could have, she's never seen it before and was considering snipping a leaf, but it would be hard to keep alive until we get back.

   

We're getting closer to the ocean and Maine.

 

Driving along the coastline which is known for its rocky coastline, maritime history, and nature areas like the granite and spruce islands of Acadia National Park. Moose are plentiful in Baxter State Park, home to Mt. Katahdin, the endpoint of the Appalachian Trail. Lighthouses such as the candy-striped beacon at West Quoddy Head, dot the coast, as do lobster shacks and sandy beaches like Ogunquit and Old Orchard. 

The multi-billion mansions also line the coast.

  

 

Lot's of lobster fishermen here 

And a 101year old lobster fishing lady that became Moms role model......................she's driving a huge TRUCK mom admire her 

here's interesting information Mom never knew..........

   

We're slowly driving north while Mom is looking for a campsite (fancy places like this frown upon overnight vehicles parked) Little did we know they aren't interested in giving us a small spot either. Only if you drive a huge bus like this are you welcome? And everything is booked ..........no more room anywhere??

 

A police officer in York that's biking up and down the shore to give parking tickets was really cool. He said we're ok for a few minutes if we only wanted to look and take pictures.

 

This area is gorgeous with many light houses, Google says there are 65............

The first one we visited was Nubble. In 1874 Congress appropriated $15,000 to build a light station at the "Nubble" and in 1879 construction began. Cape Neddick Light Station was dedicated by the U.S Lighthouse Service and put into use in 1879. It is still in use today.

   

Considered to be the "most photographed" lighthouse, and I could understand that it is a 41-foot conical tower sitting on a cliff on its own. There's also an island tramway supply bucket to get across  

• Nubble Lighthouse keeper Eugene Coleman likely offered up a few celebratory fist pumps in 1938, the year when both electricity and indoor plumbing were introduced to the Nubble. It’s said that he inherited the previous keeper’s large tabby cat–nearly 20 pounds’ worth of feline companionship. Known as Mr. T, the cat became a tourist attraction himself and was often spotted swimming to and from the mainland.
• Twice a year–for “Christmas in July” (July 28 this year) and to kick off the holiday season (November 30)–the Nubble’s white lights are illuminated ceremoniously. More than 1,230 feet of rope lighting edge the lighthouse and outbuildings, costing the town about $3,000 per year

This town seems very pet-friendly and I made a friend that was off lead??  MOM!!!!  I wasn't trusted on the cliffs ?

 

 this girl had the nerve to photobomb me

 

we spent a few hours here just sitting around looking at people and the ocean, very very pretty area.

 

seagulls had some cliffs on their own to poop on

 

    

 

we're now in a town named Freeport and it's very nice here, but incredibly expensive, so I don't think we'll be staying here long and even though we don't have too far left to get to Canada it looks like the border still are closed because of Covid...............so change of plans? not all that unusual for Mom so just wait and ee what happens.

 

Special store for me, and yeeeesssss cookies............ nobody in here gave me any attention??? what's wrong with them?

 

 

 

The storm warning turned into nothing more than a little rain as usual and looking at the forecast it doesn't look any worse. I thought Mom should know how the weather people always like to exaggerate and create drama after living in Florida for years..........she says they may be different up here..........nope same stuff.

 

We'll keep on driving in a few and who knows where we'll end up tomorrow.

All is good

 

 

 

 

  

After Washington DC, we continued to Gettysburg a small town in Pennsylvania where there's a lot of history.

 Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the "High Water Mark of the Rebellion", Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle and was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal "Gettysburg Address".

 

as usual, the"no dogs allowed" sign made me work again. Mom was very concerned about how I would handle all the canon shooting but decided to give me a chance. I did think it was a little spooky but stayed quiet ...........I take my job very seriously so I don't understand her worries

 

Cycloramas were a very popular form of entertainment in the late 1800s, both in America and Europe. These massive, oil-on-canvas paintings were displayed in special auditoriums and enhanced with landscaped foregrounds sometimes featuring trees, grasses, fences, and even life-sized figures. The result was a three-dimensional effect that surrounded viewers who stood on a central platform, literally placing them in the center of the great historic scene. Most cycloramas depicted dramatic events such as great battles, religious epics, or scenes from great works of literature. Hundreds were painted and exhibited in Europe and America during the 1800s, yet most were lost or destroyed as their popularity died out with the introduction of a more entertaining art form, motion pictures.

The "Battle of Gettysburg" Cyclorama at Gettysburg National Military Park is one that has survived. This fantastic painting brings the fury of the final Confederate assault on July 3, 1863, to life, providing the viewer with a sense of what occurred at the battle long touted as the turning point of the Civil War.

The culmination of the battle was captured on canvas by the French artist Paul Philippoteaux, a professional cyclorama painter and artist. Philippoteaux was not present at Gettysburg but came to the United States in 1879 when he was hired by a group of entrepreneurs to paint this monumental work for a special display in Chicago. Philippoteaux arrived in Gettysburg in 1882 armed with a sketchbook, pencils, pens, and a simple guidebook to help him locate the site of the climactic charge. The artist spent several weeks on the battlefield, observing details of the terrain and making hundreds of sketches. To help him recall the landscape with accuracy, Philippoteaux hired a Gettysburg photographer to produce a series of panoramic photographs for his use. These images are some of the earliest detailed photographs of Cemetery Ridge, the Angle, and the "High Water Mark", and the field of Pickett's Charge. Philippoteaux was also lucky enough to interview a number of veterans of the battle, who helped with suggestions on how to depict the chaos of battle.

This was a true masterpiece very spooky and noisy (war is) I kept my cool 

No filming was allowed during so this is after it was over.

 

 the battle was a crushing defeat for the Confederacy. Union casualties in the battle numbered 23,000, while the Confederates had lost some 28,000 men–more than a third of Lee’s army. The North rejoiced while the South mourned, its hopes for foreign recognition of the Confederacy erased.

Our next stop was a spur-of-the-moment thought. We were very close to Bethlehem in PA where Mom used to visit a friend with two little girls. The little girls have now grown to ladies with kids on their own, and it reminded Mom how old she really is. So much blablabla so I tuned it all out and concentrated to keep an eye on the three big cats living here

   

Mom decided the little girl would look so much better in the cowboy hat and I agree with her

The following day we set up camp in Lake George, a place Mom visited many years ago it's a popular tourist destination in upstate New York.

The campsite was walking distance to town but because it's in the woods it was hard to keep everything clean, which didn't bother me one bit, but you know how Mom is. Still, it was quite cozy and we had everything we needed.

 

   

 Lake George is a town in New York’s vast, protected Adirondack region of mountains and old-growth forest. The town sits on the lake of the same name. On the shore, the Fort William Henry 

 

Check this out a fort for me, and whomever William is      

 

we walked and walked and took in all the sights many people take a one hour cruise on the lake.

a sign said no-smoke boats? that's not what I see?

I think they're sending smoke signals to a different village maybe?

 

fantastic wood carving to show what once was

   

these ladies reminded Mom of a story from her puppy time but couldn't remember exactly

 

I wish we could have driven this instead of walking 

 

there were also trolleys to drive you around but Mom insisted on walking..

I like to bring up something that's bugging me, So many places do not want me on their property but I promise I'm not the one that leaves trash behind. Sure I do my business but Mom picks that up so I don't understand why I can't go everywhere, but the people that leave their trash can?

 

some people have a very different taste

 

Finally a break, I like to sit around watching people go by

   

many beautiful buildings and flowerpots everywhere, in other words, a typical tourist town 

       

Early morning we parked by the lake and this is what caught Mom's eye...................I thought NOWAY but she said oh yes because she did it last time here 30+years ago. Do you see that small dot in the sky? That's a parachute that's being pulled by a boat.

Luckily it's getting too hot for me to stay in the car and this time I'm glad there were no dogs allowed. 

 

we're now on to our next destination and Mom said it might be a great surprise for me................hope so

all is well 

Yesterday was a very sad day, it was time to leave Curtis and Marlene to continue on our trip. We've been having a great time with great people and Mom is still grinning from ear to ear when she thinks about the crabbing adventure.

Some day we have to go back .................right Mom?

Today we're in the United States Capitol and even if Mom has been here twice before there's a lot to see. Unfortunately, a lot of things were closed off because of Covid and a sad event happened in January...........

We started at the Capitol which we were told they will open for visitors again soon

 

The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress and the seat of the legislative branch of the U.S federal government. It is located on Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall.

 

parking is not so easy around here nowhere is it free and Mom was quite proud when she managed to download an app to pay for parking, $3 an hour with her phone, then add an alarm in time to refill money to avoid a parking ticket. 

You CAN teach old dogs new tricks.................

Second, we went to the Arlington memorial and the tomb of the unknown soldier

   

The Tomb of the unknown Soldier stands on top of a hill overlooking Washington, D.C., the tomb is made from Yule marble quarried in Colorado. It consists of seven pieces, with a total weight of 79 short tons (72 metric tons). The tomb was completed and opened to the public on April 9, 1932, at a cost of $48,000.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been perpetually guarded since July 2, 1937, by the U.S Army. The 3rd USInfantry Regiment ("The Old Guard") began guarding the Tomb on April 6, 1948. There is a meticulous routine that the guard follows when watching over the graves. The Tomb Guard:

1. Marches 21 steps southward down the black mat behind the Tomb
2. Turns left, facing east for 21 seconds
3. Turns left, facing north for 21 seconds
4. Takes 21 steps down the mat
5. Repeats the routine until the soldier is relieved of duty at the changing of the guard 
   

There was a sign telling you to show respect be quiet and not to chew gum.

 

 

 

Other unknown servicemen were later placed in crypts there, and it also became known as the Tomb of the Unknowns, though it has never been officially named. The soldiers entombed there are:

                 

                  Unknown Soldier of WW1 entombed November 11, 1921; President WarrenG Harding presided

• Unknown Soldier of WW2 interred May 30, 1958; President D Eisenhower presided
• Unknown Soldier of the Korean war also interred May 30, 1958; President Dwight Eisenhower presided again, Vice President Richard Nixon acted as next of kin
• Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam war interred May 28, 1984; President Regan presided. The remains of the Vietnam Unknown were disinterred, under the authority of President Clinton on May 14, 1998, and were identified as those of Air Force 1st Lt. Michael J Blassie whose family had them reinterred near their home in St.Louis Missouri. It has been determined that the crypt at the Tomb of the Unknowns that contained the remains of the Vietnam Unknown will remain empty.

Steep hills 95F (35C) and a lot of walking and stairs exhausted Mom but like a good trooper she kept on pushing my stroller. England premier minister Boris Johnson was visiting so they were shooting canons. We heard it but didn't make it up the hill in time. 

They were putting away the canon and it looked like they were struggling so despite Mom being tired she offered them help (like the good person she is)

They politely declined but they also got a good laugh. HA they don't know what Mom is capable off  

( a few bacon strips should be coming my way after that comment,)

   

After this Mom needed a shower real bad and we started to look for a place to stay that didn't cost an arm and a leg and allow dogs that should also be within walking distance. We found the cutest place called Hive hotel with a small room in the basement???? that didn't sound good but they had a shower. What a great surprise, the room is tiny but clean and had everything we needed.

 

This hotel was really close to the Lincoln memorial so after a shower, we were off walking again. Her Garmin watch showed we walked 8.6miles this day (13km)

 

The Lincoln Memorial is a US national memorial built to honor the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln.

The building is in the form of a Greek temple and contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln and inscriptions of two well-known speeches by Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address and his second inaugural address. The memorial has been the site of many famous speeches, including MLK jr's "I have a dream" speech, delivered on August 28, 1963, during the rally at the end of the march on Washington for Jobs and Freedom 

Along the top of the memorial is an intertwining rope of laurel to represent unity – the major theme of the memorial There are 58 steps leading up to the top, 2 for the number of terms he served as President, and 56 for his age when he was assassinated lucky for us there was an elevator.

Lincolns view is incredible so I'm sure he's quite pleased where he's sitting keeping an eye on the capitol and Washington monument

 

The exterior of the Memorial echoes a classic Greek temple and features Yule marble quarried from Colorado. The structure measures 189.7 by 118.5 feet (57.8 by 36.1 m) and is 99 feet (30 m) tall. It is surrounded by a peristyle of 36 fluted Doric columns, one for each of the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln's death, and two columns in-antis in the entrance behind the colonnade. The columns stand 44 feet (13 m) tall with a base diameter of 7.5 feet (2.3 m). Each column is built from 12 drums including the capital The columns, like the exterior walls and facades, are inclined slightly toward the building's interior. This is to compensate for perspective distortions that would otherwise make the memorial appear to bulge out at the top when compared with the bottom, a common feature of  Ancient Greek architecture.

   

 

From here we walked to the Vietnam wall 
The wall originally listed 57,939 names when it was dedicated in 1982; however other names have since been added and as of May 2018 there were 58,320 names, including eight women. The number of names on the wall is different than the official number of U.S Vietnam War deaths, which is 58,220 as of May 2018. The names inscribed are not a complete list of those who are eligible for inclusion as some names were omitted at the request of families

   

A short distance away from the wall is another Vietnam veterans memorial, a bronze statue named The three servicemen. The statue depicts three soldiers, purposefully identifiable as European American, African American, and Hispanic American. In their final arrangement, the statue and the Wall appear to interact with each other, with the soldiers looking on in solemn tribute at the names of their fallen comrades. The distance between the two allows them to interact while minimizing the effect of the addition on Lin's design

 

A street performer played sad tunes nearby

 

 

 

The Washington Monument can be seen almost everywhere you walk, it is an obelisk built to commemorate, George Washington once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and the first President of the USA (1789–1797).

The monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss is both the world's tallest predominantly stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 554 feet 7+11⁄32 inches (169.046 m) tall. It is the tallest monumental column in the world if all are measured above their pedestrian entrances. Overtaking the Cologne Cathedral it was the tallest structure in the world between 1884 and 1889, after which it was overtaken by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

 

   

This is a memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the armed forces and as civilians during  Worl War2

Consisting of 56 pillars, representing U.S states and territories, and a pair of small triumphal arches for the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, surrounding an oval plaza and fountain.

Opened on April 29, 2004, it was dedicated by President George W Bush on May 29, 2004 More the an 4.6 million people visited the memorial in 2018.

     

this is how most people got around and we could have too if it wasn't for not leaving a spot for me, but I told Mom we should have brought my backpack .............should have could have blablabla

 

it's getting dark and Mom is beat but we can't leave before we walked by the White House to see if Joe and Jill is home

There was no way of getting close to it. Because of recent violence, there are guards and fences keeping you far far away. As matter of fact, they recently built a much higher fence around it.

 

This is a National Historic Landmark building which is the headquarters of the United States Department of the Treasury An image of the Treasury Building is featured on the back of the 10$bill.

We saw a big rat scurrying by this place, Mom was wondering if there may be a few of them inside too?

   

 

The Red Cross National Headquarters built between 1915 and 1917, it serves both as a memorial to women who served in the American Civil War and as the headquarters building for the Red CrossIt was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965

 

 

oh, I forgot to tell you we went to the National Gallery of Art too but it was closed due to covid but we did walk around in the sculpture garden.

 

This silver tree was both our favorites

 

 

 

 

 

A rabbit? a donkey? a horse?   That's up to the viewer's imagination 

 

 

 

 

There's so much more to see here, but cities are so tiring so after another large coffee (for Mom) and the promised cookies for me we'll be getting back on the road again. to where ???? not a clue, but I'll let you know

 

 

 

  

 

OOoops I think Moms senior moments are rubbing off on me...............what a horrific thought 

Anyway, before we got to the town for my surprise we stopped in Norfolk Virginia to look at a naval ship.

Wisconsin was last decommissioned in September 1991 after a total of 14 years of active service in the fleet, and having earned a total of six battle stars for service in World War II and Korea, as well as a Navy Unit Commendation for service during the January/February 1991 Gulf War.

 

 

the USS Wisconsin BB-64 was the last authorized of the four mighty Iowa-class battleships, the largest American dreadnoughts ever built. Wisconsin, or “Big Wisky” as it was affectionately nicknamed, enjoyed a service life that spanned six decades and three conflicts. Entering service just as the supremacy of battleships was giving way to aircraft carriers, the heavy guns of the four Iowa-class vessels were still unmatched when it came to naval firepower. BB-64 could hurl shells over the horizon at enemy ships, but also at targets far inland — a duty it performed right up to Operation Desert Storm Long since decommissioned, this great piece of American maritime history was not destined for the scrap yard. Resurrected by the City of Norfolk and the USS Wisconsin Foundation, it has become a museum ship and navy heritage site that continues the legacy of duty, honor, and country that was the calling card of Wisconsin's crew, and to inspire future generations of Americans. 

 

 

 

 

Mom decided that maybe it wasn't the greatest idea to take the tour inside since we were told there was many steep stairs where I had to be carried and Mom says I'm too heavy for that.

I appreciated that desicion because instead we went for a walk in a nearby park

 

 

we met a police officer with his dog, we thought they looked very much alike.

 

 

 

The Norfolkians have a lot of cool ways to get around, I noticed Moms interest and had to point out there was no place for me.

 

 

this could have worked though

some statues we liked in the park 

   

 

After a few hours in the park were on our way to Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel

   

Hopefully We're caught up with stories for now.

Tomorrow we're on our way for new adventures

All is well