Field Trip

Growing up around here I took umpteen field trips to Washington, DC. By the time I reached my forties the prospect of a trip down the pike to visit the monuments and museums had pretty much lost its allure, so when Mama Wordbones suggested that we head down to see the cherry blossoms yesterday I was initially less than enthusiastic.

Then she suggested we take our bikes.

In all these years I have never taken my bike to DC. I suppose it just never occurred to me but I gotta tell ya, it’s the way to go.

We parked the car at 17th and L (for free on a Sunday) and rode down around the White House to the Tidal Basin. While the cherry trees were quite spectacular, the highlight for me was two memorials I hadn’t seen before.

Though it was dedicated in 1997, this was the first time I had visited the FDR Memorial. The 7.5 acre memorial is one of the largest in the nation but it feels more like an intimate park. The quotations etched in the red South Dakota granite seem very poignant today.

The other first was the World War II Memorial which anchors the opposite end of the reflecting pool from the Lincoln Memorial. Though it was only completed in 2004, it looks as though it was always meant to be there.

Sometimes I guess you can still be surprised by what you find in your own backyard!