The intersection of rich American history and ain't no hills here to kick up any wind.

It hit me yesterday when I was at Mount Vernon just how rich the Washington D.C. area is with American history. Luckily, I picked a 95 degree day to visit Washington's Estate. Ninety-five degrees and zero breeze! I have never seen so many sweaty people. I was laughing at hearing several children beg to visit the museum, because the museum was air conditioned. The begging was answered by their parents saying, "No. Visiting the museum is your reward for seeing all of the sites outside." This was followed by "we are here and we still have ALL of this to see." Those were some unhappy children. I would much rather listen to these kids than little Julia whom screamed the entire time right next to me when I toured the Washington mansion. When she wasn't crying, I had the pleasure of hearing her mom count steps, sing the alphabet, sing nursery rhymes, and speak of how tired the little one was and how many hours past nap time we were. Thanks lady, I really enjoyed the mansion!

I can say that I did remember visiting Mt. Vernon in middle school. Let me clarify that I remember the view of the river and the blacksmith building. I really didn't recall any of the details regarding George Washington. I know I was not super interested in history in school, but I am really starting to wonder what exactly I did in history class. I think I adopted the "learn it and dump it" technique. Needless to say, I learned a lot yesterday, but I was most amazed that Washington had the option of becoming a king and he chose to give the power back to the people; which is the America that we know today. I sure hope he got the notoriety he deserved because he seemed like a pretty awesome guy.

After visiting Mt. Vernon, I grilled dinner at home, and finished the evening out with a bike ride downtown viewing the monuments at nightfall. This was really cool. I was curious about the safety, but figured I was not the only one with this curiosity. Let me tell, the monuments were packed and there was even an overnight marathon going on. This city and it's activity! I just continue to be amazed. If you have not seen the monuments at nightfall, I highly recommend it. I didn't make it to all of them, as I plan to do another night time ride.