We made a quick trip to Washington for a long weekend last week for our daughter to visit George Washington University for grad school and to see a few of the historic sites. There was just over a foot of snow here when we left,
but that amount quickly dwindled and the landscape was brown and barren with just flashes of snow here and there on the way. A few flakes were drifting down as we approached Washington, but nothing to speak of according to upper New York State standards.
Washington Memorial
Unfortunately, Washingtonians apparently thought a ‘snowmageddon’ was approaching because the salt trucks were out in force, spewing megatons of salt over every inch of the highways. In fact, when we awoke the next day, there were piles of salt all over the roads up to three inches deep in places, and thick clouds of salt dust were kicked up over everything and everybody as traffic passed by.
Landscaping note: Snow, by itself, is good for the garden – it adds moisture and, if deep enough, can protect plants from drying winter winds. In fact, both snow and rain can deposit a small amount of nitrogen, sort of a ‘poor man’s fertilizer.’ But adding salt to the equation means damage to plants and the environment, with both direct and indirect effects, and short and long term effects. More information can be found here.
After traipsing around GW, the Metro zipped us to the National Mall and we visited the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History for a lecture, “Fossil Forensics: Investigating How Early Humans Died,” a topic of great interest to a future anthropologist.
At the Smithsonian - National Museum of Natural History
What a fabulous place that was! A return visit the next day to see more of it and a very few of the other historic sights only served to whet the appetite to see more.
After going through a security check, we were greeted by this impressively huge elephant in the foyer.
A few more of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of creatures we saw there.
And, in the Gems and Minerals section, the gorgeous Hope Diamond was being displayed in a temporary modern setting – 45.52 carats and blue!
Hope Diamond
We also visited the National Archives and saw the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.
Across the street was the Navy Memorial honoring the men and women of the United States Navy, past, present and future. My Dad was a Navy man so I was glad to see this. The floor of the plaza depicts a map of the world with granite seas, and is surrounded by tall masts with signal flags, fountain pools and waterfalls (which had been drained for the winter) and The Lone Sailor statue.
Navy Memorial Plaza
Although our time in Washington was limited, we caught glimpses of the Capitol building, the Jefferson Memorial, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, and most of the sights near and around the National Mall.
U.S. Capitol Building
Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin
There is so much to see in Washington and we didn’t even scratch the surface. And no, we didn’t make it to the US Botanic Gardens, the National Arboretum, or the National Zoo – almost a sacrilege for a gardener! The way home passed over the Potomac River chunky with ice, heading towards the Blue Ridge Mountains (note the white salt on the shoulders of the road),
Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance
then paralleled the wide and mighty Susquehanna River, before coming down into Williamsport PA at a magical time of day.
Coming down into Williamsport PA
We were finally greeted by the Alleghenies before night descended and knew we were in home territory with not much longer to go.
Approaching the Alleghenies
Whew! We were exhausted when we finally arrived home. We had traveled far, and had seen and done a lot in just a few days. A whirlwind tour of Washington!
