Kitty Hawk, North Carolina - Oct. 26, 2019

What a fun day!
Visiting Kitty Hawk North Carolina where the historical flights happened is such an enhancement to all the viewing that we have done in Dayton, Henry Ford Museum, Smithsonian, and visiting the Glenn Curtis Museum.  What a trip!

We started with the Monument to a Century of Flight in the town of Kitty Hawk.  At the entrance is a granite marker with the poem written by James G. Magee Jr., a 19 year old whose words have inspired pilots for years.  The poem is one of Lou’s favorites.

"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air...

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark or even eagle flew --

And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."

The monument has 14 wing shaped stainless steel pylons with highlights 

from 1903 to 2000.

This one caught our eye  because we had seen the Link Trainer Simulator

in the Glenn Curtiss Museum.

Also, the first flight attendant was in 1930

Does anyone know when Aunt Alice was a flight attendant?

The last and tallest column.

The Wright Brothers National Memorial

North Carolina

 I loved seeing this because we had been at the house in Dayton.

I am so glad that we had seen all the museums in our trip.  

It has been a terrific background to seeing 'the real deal'.

We had also been to their bicycle shop in Dayton.

 A terrific view of the life sized model with the 

Monument on the Kill Devil Hill in the background.

With the strong winds and the steep slope of this hill, the Wright Brothers were able to test and develop their gliders, which had to be hand carried back to the top of the hill through deep sand thousands of times.  This  90 ft sand dune has been stabilized by planting grass to keep the high winds from blowing it away 

( and to give us a nice walking path!)

With their thousands of short glider flights, they were able to develop their flying skills when they were ready for powered flights.

The large stone marks where the first flight took off on Dec. 17, 1903.  

The stone markers chart the four flights paths.

1st. one is 120 feet, took 12 seconds.

2nd one is 175 feet, took 12 seconds.

3rd on is 200 feet, took 15 seconds.

4th one is 852 feet, took 59 seconds.

Notice the rail next to the large stone.  

They had to build a 60 ft. rail with a wheeled cradle to launch the airplane.

The picture below shows the original bicycle hub used as a roller on the rail.

I was so glad we did not have to walk through the deep sand!

Life-size bronze and stainless steel sculpture recreates the historic 1903 flight

Washington DC, Day 4 - Oct.24, 2019

Today was the last day to tour and we chose a Segway tour.

The weather was pleasant and didn't have to walk to all the highlights.

The Renwick Gallery (Smithsonian) 

is next to the set of buildings that house all foreign dignitaries, 

and across from the offices that White House staff use.

Protesters have a 'permanent' place to protest across from the White House.

Supreme Court ruled that they could do this as long as they didn't cause 

trouble and if someone was ALWAYS there.

They take shifts to man the booth and have been there for 38 years!

'Segwaying' up Capitol Hill

to 'the best view in the city'

around the National Mall

Smithsonian Castle - built in 1855

now used for information for visitors to the mall.

Washington National Cathedral

Construction started in 1907, finished in 1990

(since it is privately funded, the money kept running out-

WWI, depression, WWII, Korean conflict, Viet Nam, etc)

 Gorgeous Gothic construction

(view toward the sanctuary)

stained glass windows are so beautiful

State funerals for 4 American presidents have been held here,  

and President Woodrow Wilson in buried here.

view toward the Rose Window

 Sanctuary

They were setting up for a special event

such beautiful lighting!

I just can't resist another shot of this gorgeous window!

The touring of DC has been full of wonderful sights

but ending each day rather exhausted!

So, the final train ride back to base camp  I felt like 

we could see the "Light at the end of the tunnel"

We leave for Kitty Hawk tomorrow!

Washington DC - Day 3 - Oct. 23, 2019

The White House Tour

Incredible furnishings and a chance to see a small portion of the house of the nations leaders.

 The East Garden 

there was a soccer goal at the left of the picture

There were many interesting historical photos of events throughout history

This original painting has hung in the White House since 1800.

Dolley Madison saved it when the British burned the White House in 1814.

 The Green Room

The Red Room

The Blue Room

They ate dinner in the Blue Room just 2 nights ago.

(so, they actually use these rooms!)

I guess you could call it a 'Living Museum'

 What a view!

And--the helicopter lands here on the lawn!

The State Dining Room

can seat up to 130 people for dinner.

The concert grand piano

donated by Steinway in 1938

our 'departure' view

Now we are finding our way along the Mall

for our Capitol tour.

We took a train to get from the Senator's offices to the Capitol building

This was the original train.

This in the basement, in the Visitor's Center.

It is directly under the rotunda (and we never got to see that part)

since the tour was shortened due to Elijah Cummings lying in State.

The star emblem at the bottom marks the tomb where 

George Washington was to be buried, but he wished to be buried at Mount Vernon.

This bronze door was commissioned in 1904, completed in 1910,

but it was too large to use as designed.  

Since the taxpayer dollars paid for it, it had to be on display.

Here it is.

"The door that goes nowhere"

😉

"Jello time" with Senator Mike Lee

I didn't know that Jello was the Utah State Snack!