Gary-Summer: March 28, 2023

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

March 28, 2023 - Washington DC

Title: March 28, 2023 - Washington DC

Hike Info : Description : Background : Extra Photo's : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type:Tourist

Walk 7.7 miles

Description:

I slept well last night-I usually do. But this morning I was wondering how late I slept--only until 7:15. There are no timed places we are going to today, so it is a day which we will move a bit slower. Sherri got up a bit later-she says it felt good to sleep in.

Today may be the highlight of our DC trip. Even though there have been enough highlights already. We will be walking around the Tidal Basin area with the hope of catching the cherry trees in pretty near full bloom. According to the Facebook page by the National Mall, they are slightly past full bloom and shedding a few of their petals now. Should be a good walk. Here is our schedule for the day:

Tidal Basin and Jefferson Memorial

Because we plan on also staying a bit late and seeing some of the Washington DC lights at night, we take off later and just spend a relaxing time in the morning. We take off around 1pm and travel the Red Line to Metro Center, then catch the Silver Line to the Smithsonian Station. When we emerge, we realize we should be taking this route anytime we are at the west end of the Mall. We are learning.

Japanese Friendship Urn

When we emerge from the station, the Washington Monument is there right before us. It is a bit startling to see it first thing, looming over us. We start our 15 minute walk to the Tidal Basin area. It is not as crowded as it was Sunday when we were in this area. I suspect the reason being is that it is a Tuesday and we are slightly past peak bloom. Still the trees we see are wonderful.

Cherry Blossoms and Jefferson Memorial

We hit the top of the Tidal Basin and loop counter-clockwise. The first thing we hit is the Japanese Lantern. It was a gift from the Japanese, about the same time the cherry trees were brought over-except it did not make it to the US until the 1950’s. Also this is the area where the first cherry trees were planted. An NPS volunteer, Patty P, met us and talked with us about the area and gave us a map.

We then go over the Kutz Bridge. Kutz was a general who guided the construction of many of the bridges in DC. The city decided one needed to be named after him. After crossing the bridge, we came across an NPS information tent. I got a few stamps for my NPS Passport book. Then we go on our now clockwise tour of the Basin. The walkway is crowded with all of us excited tourists, enjoying the trees. We stop often to enjoy the trees and the view of the Jefferson Memorial.

Hains Point

Cuban Friendship Urn

Soon we came to cross the Outlet Bridge. This allows water from the Tidal Basin to flow into the Washington Channel and then back into the Potomac River. Here we make a decision: do we go on the longer loop around Hains Point or just loop the Tidal Basin? The day is only slightly cool and the skies are pleasant, so we do the longer trek.

Our route takes us into the East Potomac Park, along the Washington Channel. There is a sidewalk next to the Channel. But it is being pretty badly broken up, so large sections are blocked off. From some of the signs, there is talk about how the sea level is rising, causing tides to back up, going over the edge of the seawalls. This is the cause of the sidewalk breaking up. We see evidence of this later on when there is driftwood ten feet up on the grass beyond the sidewalk. So we do a combination of walking on the sidewalk, walking on the grass and walking on the road.

About half way down the Channel, we stop for lunch. Our normal of peanut butter and Nutella, with chips. It is pleasant just sitting on a bench facing the Channel. Sherri asks about the buildings across the way. One of them is the National War College. There is also the Inter-American Defense College, but these are not what Sherri is asking about. There is a row of houses across from us. According to Google, that is exactly what they are-a row of houses.

Walking, particularly when you are not looking for something such as a building or a monument, gives the mind a chance to ponder questions. I asked three of Sherri. They are Percy Walker type of questions

George Mason Memorial
Does someone telling you about a place change your perception when you experience that place?
Is it better to experience a place spontaneously or with the expectations of other people’s perspectives?
If you do not have preconceived notions about a place, will you enjoy it less if you are not told about it? If so, would you want to increase your enjoyment by being told about a place?

Jefferson

And so with that, we reach the far point of the loop, Hains Point. We stand here for a few minutes and then start back on the Potomac side of the loop. More of the same, fishermen trying to get a few extra calories to their diet, children playing and many people like us admiring the cherry blossoms. But one thing is starting to press on us: where are the bathrooms? The first one is closed, but towards the end of the loop, we come across an open one: Relief!

As we come to the end of the Hains Point Loop, I look for what has been called the most obscure monument: the Cuban American Friendship Urn. Unfortunately, it must be pretty well hidden, or at least behind a construction fence as I do not see it. At least until I consult a map and track it down.

That just means we continue on to the next memorial. That is the one for George Mason. I think this formally marks the end of our loop. But what is interesting is that this memorial leads one to think that many of the great ideas which Thomas Jefferson had may have had their germ with Mason. Something for me to look up.

And speaking of Jefferson, his Memorial is next up as we restart on the Tidal Basin Loop. Jefferson’s Memorial may be the most graceful of the big three. It may be because this memorial is circular which reflects the circularness of the Tidal Basin, or how it seems to look out across the western part of Washington. In both the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, there is an element of isolation, where the men are alone in a large expanse. Some of this is to emphasize their greatness, but some of it is to show they are alone in their achievements. Something to remember.

As we circle around the Tidal Basin, we go over the Inlet Bridge-the pair of the Outlet Bridge we went over earlier. We miss the Japanese Pagoda, but are faced with the large open air monument to FDR . This memorial is broken into four parts, one for each term he served. Like usual, we come in from the backside. Each term shows something of significance. I do not know if it is because the waterfalls are not working or something else, I did not feel the inspiration like I have at other monuments.

Unfinished statue for his unfinished work

The sun is going down and the chill is in the air, but there are a couple more areas we want to travel to. As we continue our trek around the Basin, we see that there is some sort of preparation for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Booths are set up and NPS personnel are nearby to make sure all is right with the world.

Our next stop is the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial. This is on the Basin, very close to the Japanese Lantern where we started our walk. Maybe it is because we lived through his time, but there is a certain amount of awe as we enter the area. We go in between two huge white stones. King’s statue is facing away from us-I think that is intentional. But as we circle around it, the sun catches his face giving the white stone more texture than just a plain white plaster should. Surrounding King is an array of his quotes. Many we have read in his book of sermons, Strength to Love. Some are new.. All are powerful and cause us to be silent in front of them.

We walk across Independence Ave NW and enter the Korean War Veterans Memorial.The first thing we see is the names of Americans etched in stone, by service rank and name. Like the Vietnam Memorial, it is powerful to see all the names of those who died. There is a wreath. We find out later, this is placed at the Memorial every few days in gratitude by the South Korean Embassy.

The names circle the monument. But the most pungent part of the memorial is outside of the circle. There is a wall with mostly faces. Some full bodies are shown with some equipment. The idea is the wall shows real people doing their jobs in the military. Beside the wall are 19 soldiers on patrol. The soldiers represent the different branches and races who fought in the war. It is eerie seeing these people at eye level.

As we avoid another group of students, we stumble on a talk being given by an NPS ranger. He is quite dynamic in his presentation and goes over the symbolism involved in this memorial. Such as the 19 soldiers were to be 38 for the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea. They could not get enough land to accomplish this, but when you see the patrol’s reflection on the wall, there are 38 of them.

After his talk, he wants to talk with us for some more. We talked for about half an hour. Just about misc things. He is the same age as us. By the time we go our separate ways, it is dark and the area is lit up with the lights on the monuments. The Korean Memorial takes on a different look at night, particularly the wall becomes vibrant with the people looking out.

By the time we descend into the Metro Smithsonian Station, it is 9pm. We get off at NoMa. Before getting to our room, we stop and pick up a few groceries. So we get back around 10pm. Pretty tired and ready for bed, I close my eyes someplace after 11.

Background

Note: NPS has three easy loops in the area which we manage to do most of all three loops. All of the loops have descriptions about what you are seeing at certain points of the loops.

Extra Photo's