Day Seven- Mama and Misty's Vacation

Today is the 4th of July and we are in our Nation's capitol. This morning Neil called and said that the other day he realized that we would be here on the 4th of July and asked if it was planned. My response? "Nope, we just got lucky." Of course it was planned. There would be no other reason worth coming to DC on the busiest weekend of the year. There are so many people here. I have decided that from now on I will be traveling everywhere in the off season. I detest lines that much.

We started the day pretty early by taking the Metro over to see the Independence Day Parade. It was held on Constitution Ave and was plenty packed and very hot and muggy outside. There were also some rude people that kept standing in front of me while I was trying to take pictures. I learned that all of these factors make a very grumpy Misty. Mom retreated early and found some shade. I lasted for about half of it and had to get out of the crowd. Fortunately, I got some pictures before I did.



We then decided to go to the National Archives and see the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. The line to get inside was about an hour long in the hot sun, but it was all worth it. There was air-conditioning inside! Okay, okay, seeing those documents also made it worth it.

After two hours, when we finally looked at everything inside the Archives that we could (mostly because of the air-conditioning), we entered the hot crowded National Mall. Once there I left mom on a bench while I scouted a good location to watch the concert and the fireworks.

There were some really interesting exhibits on my scouting mission. It appeared that two major groups were represented. The Hari Krishnas and the Super Christians. I preferred walking by the Hari Krishnas. They didn't care whether or not your soul would be saved and left you pretty much alone. You didn't have to say "No thank you" over and over again to their pamphlets and they didn't tell you that you were going to burn if you didn't repent. All that said, it is important to note that I am a Christian, I just have a different standard of missionary work. Nobody likes being told that they are a sinner.

I found out some good information and retrieved mom and drug her about a miles to the steps of the Capitol where we could see the the concert and the fireworks over the Washington Monument. It really was a sweet spot and coveted by many, but we had to earn it by sitting there 3 1/2 hours in advance.

While we were there it began to rain. A lot. And then it started to run down the steps and drench not only our tops, but also our bottoms. We were not smart enough to bring umbrella or eat dinner before we entered the secure area so I left on another mission to get those items.

This involved walking another mile in the rain to Union Station. There I found what we needed and walked back. Upon my arrival I discovered that the security line had grown substantially since the first time we went through. What was once 15 minutes was now an hour. During my waiting time I practiced my patience skills by telling myself that I wasn't going to miss the concert and that regardless of the annoying moments, the overall trip to DC with my mother was an amazing experience (pretty impressive huh?).

I finally caught up with mom and the concert started. It was amazing. It was one of those moments that you will always remember. I am a lover of this country, its foundation and its freedoms. To be on the steps of the US Capitol Building celebrating our independence, with music and fireworks was spectacular. I was so happy to share that memory with my mother.



When the show ended the night wasn't over. There were about 500,000 people there and most of them were taking the Metro home. We did okay in that we got on one of the first stops so there was some room on the train, but it was extremely crowded, standing room only. We were only about 4 quick stops away, but it took about an hour of stopping and jerking. This was the first point in the the trip where I was exhausted. It was a really long day, but really worth it.