The White House, Washington DC

The White House, Washington DC

In early May, Mary and I had the opportunity to get away from Killington for a few days for a vacation of our own. This is the fourth and final installment of a 4 part article on our experiences.

As most of our friends and repeat guests know, Mary and I usually get away from Killington during early May. Killington in early May can be rather messy. Snow melt off the mountains is in full swing. Muddy soil conditions, combined with running water and sunshine cause the area to erupt in small insects of many different varieties. Many local golf courses are open, but the surrounding countryside is still devoid of color, as most trees are barely in the bud stage, still hibernating from the winter cold. With all this in mind, our vacation planning each year starts with 1 requirement....How far do we have to travel so that we encounter "Leaves on the Trees". On most even years we tend to limit our travel to North America. On odd years, we have been known to wander outside the country to see other parts of the world. This year we focused our vacation into parts of North Carolina in search of leaves on the trees (and green on the fairways).

In writing this series of articles, I have divided our trip into 4 parts: Heading South; Asheville NC - The Biltmore Estate; Pinehurst NC - A little golf; and Heading North via Washington DC.

Being basically driven out of Pinehurst North Carolina a day early because of the torrential weather, Mary and I set our sights on spending a couple of days in Washington DC before heading back to Vermont. While clearly you should be planning to take your vacation this summer in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Washington DC is a pretty nice place to visit too if it is along your route.

Much to my surprise, as we are traveling on the highway from Pinehurst to Washington (about a 6 hour drive in the rain), I discovered that Mary had never "visited" DC. She had been in the area on business several times in her pre-inn days, but she had never been a tourist in our nations capitol.There are so many things to do in Washington it can be somewhat overwhelming. We decided to keep it simple. When we arrived, it was raining buckets. Originally being a city kid, I knew we needed to park the car and forget it during our stay. I picked a rather non-descript chain hotel across the street from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, right next to a Metro stop, so we would be in a very central location.

Afer checking in and drying off a little bit, we headed to the Metro station. Our destination was what passes for Chinatown in DC, figuring we would keep dinner simple. The DC Metro was spotlessly clean, but living in Vermont for 12 years, presented a few challenges to get the right tickets to get on the trains. Like many city subways, DC has gone to automatic turnstiles which require you to enter a card with a magnetic swipe. That was easy enough to understand. What was hard was the automatic machine you needed to use to purchase the ticket. For someone who uses it everyday, it is probably a non-issue. However, as a casual visitor...ugh...it had an awful human interface with loads of buttons and gobble-de-gook to enter to purchase a $1.00 ticket. No matter, there was a Metro employee who saw Mary and I struggling with and laughing at the machine. He came over and very nicely helped us. We felt really good getting on the the Metro because of the polite manner in which the Metro employee worked with us.

When we got up the next day, it was still pouring buckets. We headed over to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for the morning. We got there just before the doors opened at 10:00AM. The Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. From an historical perspective, it is truly a trip though the 20th century, exploring everything from the first flights with what were basically hang gliders right up to present day space exploration. It can definitely bring out the little kid in someone who has been steeped in technology for most of his days.

Bill at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum (Click to enlarge.)

After Air and Space, we decided that a little culture was in order. We quickly walked thru torrential rains across the Washington Mall to the National Gallery of Art. The National Gallery has an extensive collection of works ranging from classical to modern. It was created in 1937 as a result of a gift from financier and art collector Andrew W. Mellon. During the 1920s, Mr. Mellon began collecting with the intention of forming a gallery of art for the nation in Washington. When he died, in 1937, he promised his collection to the United States. The A. W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust funded construction of what is now the West Building. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt accepted the completed building and the collections on behalf of the people of the United States of America.

Mary at the National Gallery of Art (Click to enlarge.)

Wandering around the National Gallery of Art, after being told how the Gallery came to be, I found myself in awe at the scope of the magnanimous gift left to the country. I can not think of any current organization, with the possible exception of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which has a entirely different focus, that comes close to the scope of the public donation made to create the National Gallery.

When we woke up the next morning, we were greeted with beautiful blue skies. Perhaps nature was paying homage to our return to Killington. Before getting on the road for a 10 hour drive, over breakfast I had discovered that Mary had never seen the White House. So off we went for a sunny stroll down the Washington Mall. Past all of the branches of the Smithsonian...past government offices like the FAA and the Department of Commerce...we strolled right up to the Washington Monument. And there to the right, about 1/2 mile away, was the South Portico of the White House, resplendent in the early morning sunshine. We walked up to the fence on the south lawn and played the requisite country bumpkin tourists, holding hands, snapping pictures..etc...you know the drill. All the while, in our post 9-11 era, we were under the watchful but non-invasive gaze of security officials from only God knows how many angles.

In walking around Washington, and taking in the splendor of all of the buildings, and at the White House, this kid from Boston can't help but think about larger things. As a country, and especially in this Presidential election year, we can argue politics. We can take various sides on various issues. But after traveling several thousand mile on our vacation, and seeing the White House glistening in the sun, I was left with the thought that the sum total of the parts which make up the United States will always transcend any temporary occupant who presides over our government and that great building. The symbolism of the institution embodied in the White House projects the reality that any occupant is temporary. And that no matter your point of view on the issues of the day, that this too shall pass. (Pardon the waxing quasi political)

After our walk about ended, we got in the car and pointed it north. 10 hours later, we were greeted with a snow covered Killington and gardens full of daffodils. We were home!

With our restaurant opening this weekend, the Birch Ridge Inn is now fully operational for the summer season. We hope that you have a chance to visit with us in Vermont. In the mean time, keep it in the fairway...and don't forget your sunscreen!