Got Shivers Down My Spine...

Good Afternoon everybody!

We've made it to DC, probably the longest stretch so far, in fact I'm tired! LOL

This morning we visited the "Wright Brothers National Memorial" and that's exactly what sent shivers down my spine. It's been amazing for me to see the actual place where these visionary brothers pursued their dreams, and built their first flying machine. It's been amazing for several different reason, the first one being my passion for aircraft engineering and engines in general; having spent 5 years in the Air Force I sort of felt like home. The second reason is that I'm also somehow like those two brothers, visionary, passionate, able to pursue my dreams when the majority of the people I know only a few years ago called me a fool for leaving my job, my family, and all that was familiar to me, to follow my dream. I haven't made it yet, I'm still a work in progress, but my life has been enriched so much by the experiences I've made here in the United States, the people I met, and those that I still have to meet; I'm exceptionally thrilled at the idea that every day is a new day full of surprises, this is how I'm living my life at the present time.

But let's go back to the Wrights brothers, otherwise someone might start thinking this is "ll about me" (oh well, yes, it is! LOL). The memorial site has four parts you might want to visit. The first one is the actual visitor center with a permanent exhibition on the two brothers and several other people who contributed through the years to make history in aviation. The second one (which is the one that sent shivers down my spine! LOL) are the actual points marked by a large granite boulder where the brothers made their first flights. The third is the big monument on top of the hill built in the late 30's (a good walk to get up, great exercise!). The fourth is a pavilion, that architecturally looks like an onion (LOL) and that contains several other exhibition including some life size reproductions of the flying machines.

Left the Wright Brothers National Memorial, we proceeded on leaving the Outer Banks, off to DC. This time I succeeded in taking a picture of the border road sign welcoming us to Virginia, and here's the proof of it.

We then stopped for a quick bite to eat somewhere in Virginia, and then drove for another few hours into DC. On I95 we had several Tornado warnings, and at one point the rain was so bad we almost had to stop.

We made it into DC around 5.30PM, and went to dinner at Logan Restaurant on P Street. I had fried chicken (light and healthy) with gravy and smashed potatoes, while Hap had their house meat loaf (delicious).

So, here I am, right now, writing this "post of the day"! LOL

We're planning a lot of things for these two days in DC, because, although we had both been here before (Hap has lived here and still has a place close to Dupont Circle), we've never visited any of the museum.

On the list for tomorrow we have:

The Holocaust Museum;

National Air & Space Museum;

National Museum Of Natural History.

The day after:

National Air & Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly (Other % of the Smithsonian collection that didn't fit the museum in downtown DC);

Arlington National Cemetery.

Let's see what we end up doing.

We're planning on arriving at the Cape on June the 6th, but we really have no schedule, because that's the way this trip has been laid out, the 1st rule is that there are NO rules!

Good night,

Nico