July 4 - Happy Birthday America!

Spent the day in Washington, D.C. What a great way to celebrate the 4th! We've had an exciting couple of days. Most good, some not so good. The highlights:

1) Left Elkins, West Virginia on a misty morning. The first 40 miles were wet and slow through the winding mountains along U.S. 33.

2) Saw the Seneca Rocks, an odd outcropping of rock in the middle the West Virginia mountains.

3) Lost the back brakes on the motorcycle coming down the last mountain into Virginia. The last 15 miles were taken very slowly.

4) Waited an hour in Rawley Springs, Virginia for tow to Shenandoah Harley-Davidson, then another hour and some for the brakes to be fixed.

5) Arrived at Lester's uncle's place in Alexandria, Virginia.

6) Took the Metro into Washington, D.C. for sightseeing.

7) Enjoyed seeing the Library of Congress.

8) Enjoyed people watching.

9) Enjoyed free food!

There was a Smithsonian sponsored folk festival going on in Washington, D.C. along with a parade and people sitting around all day to see the fireworks tonight from either the mall or the capital lawn. The free food was from a Hare Krishna area set up on the mall. Can't turn down free food!

Washington, D.C. in a day does not allow for any indepth sightseeing. Will have to return someday!

A few pictures chosen from many:

A scenic West Virginia mountain view.
Rays of sun bursting through the clouds in Virginia.
A friendly squirrel in Washington, D.C.
An alien on the road outside the Smithsonian. Just one of the many oddities we saw today.
An uninspiring picture of a very inspiring place, the Library of Congress.
A view of the U.S. Capitol Building from The National Mall.
This may be the first ever unflattering picture of the Washington Monument.