PAGE 14 - INTER-COUNTY LEADER - NORTHERN CURRENTS, SECTION B - JUNE 13, 2012
Highlights of a Washington D.C. trip
by Millie Erickson Special to the Leader SIREN/WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Diamond Tours bus trip left Siren on Wednesday, May 16, with 50 people from Wisconsin and Minnesota bound for Washington, D.C. The bus driver was Jerry. He has eight years’ experience and arrived with a big blue Southwest bus. Frequent stops were made, every two to three hours. The group’s Wednesday evening motel was in Lansing, Ill. Thursday, they toured the Toledo Museum of Arts, with world-famous paintings, sculptures and decorative arts. That evening’s dinner was at Hometown Buffet in Parma, Ohio, and they stayed at a Holiday Inn in Beaver Falls, Pa. Friday took them to Chantilly, Va., where they toured the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It was huge and contained many older airplanes. It is now housing the space shuttle Enterprise. Taking the elevator to the top of the lookout tower, they watched planes coming in, about one every five minutes, to the Dulles Airport. The Hampton Inn in Herndon, Va., was their home for four nights. Saturday morning, they picked up their step-on guide, Larry Middleton, in Pentagon City. He was a tall, elderly, witty fellow. Born and raised in Washington, D.C.,
The Smithsonian Insititution is the world's largest museum and research complex, with 19 museums, nine research centers and more than 140 affiliate museums around the world. - Special photo he showed them the highlights of Washington, D.C. – the National Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, the White House, National Cathedral, Georgetown, the WWII Memorial and more. Took a walk along the Potomac River.
Rows of grave markers at Arlington National Cemetery. - Special photo
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Guide Larry took the group to the top of the Kennedy Center to view Washington, D.C., in the dark. It was awesome. Sunday, they went to Arlington National Cemetery. They experienced the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, which was established in 1921. A guard maintains vigil around the clock. The guard paces 21 steps alongside the tomb, pauses 21 seconds, then returns. Changing takes place every hour. (Every half hour from March 15 through September.) It was a very precise performance. Other memorials and monuments are located throughout the 624-acre cemetery. Every Memorial Day a flag is placed on every tombstone, over 320,000. They visited the grave site of President Kennedy and family, where an eternal flame burns. Other memorials seen were the Vietnam Veterans Wall, World War II, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, which rises 555 feet, a white marble obelisk, and the Korean War Veterans Memorial. They drove through Georgetown, across the Potomac River and had lunch at the National Cathedral. The U. S. Marine Corps Memorial consists of the famous statue of the Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima at Mount Suribachi. The memorial was dedicated in 1954. It is the tallest brass statue in the world. The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History was enjoyed before heading to
The Washington Monument was built between 1848 and 1884 as a tribute to George Washington's military leadership. - Photo by Millie Erickson Holiday Inn in Sterling, Va., for evening dinner. They toured Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. It is situated on the west bank of the Potomac River, 15 miles south of Washington, D.C. It was erected about 1743. Their guide got free tickets for the group to the National Capitol. There were lots of people, mostly eighth-grade students from many states. The Capitol sits on 58.8 acres. Members of the group always looked for something representing Wisconsin. Lots of history there. You must see some day. Next stop was the Baltimore Inner Harbor, a historic seaport transformed into a world-class center, shopping, museum and more. The 1944 restored liberty ship S.S. John W. Brown was in port on Chesapeake Bay. Tuesday, May 22, they stopped at the Flight 93 Memorial in Somerset County, Pa. The plane was being hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001. At 10:03 a.m. it crashed upside down at 563 mph. All 33 passengers, seven crew members and four hijackers were killed. The memorial is still under construction. The last stop was in Fremont, Ohio, to see our 19th president, Rutherford B. Hayes’, residence and museum. The group arrived back in Siren late afternoon on Thursday, May 24. It was raining, so departing was done in a hurry. They had a great time and trip, walked miles, ate a lot of food and made new friends. The next Diamond Tour trip is to Niagara Falls and Toronto, Canada, Sept. 15–23. Call Shirley Bloom, 715-349-2514, for info.
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Sights on the tour included the statue of the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima, Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington; and the White House. - Photos by Millie Erickson