Gov't Guard at 6:00 a.m. knocks on our trailer door and asks us if we had permission to park there. Howard says no and said we’d leave shortly, which we did. We drive over bridge to little park alongside the Potomac River. Ate breakfast; left trailer there and drove to the ....
Lincoln Memorial
Was so impressive. Could look across reflection pool to
Washington Monument (tall spire),
then went on tourmobile around whole Capitol area ($1.00 adult; 50 cents child and can get on and off all day – great deal!). We drove to the Smithsonian Institute of Space and Navigation
Saw Gemini.
Mike got to operate a mockup of Control Panel of Gemini flight and was so excited. So much to see. All NBC and CBS cameras there as this was the day astronauts would walk on the moon and stations wanted to televise the lives of Americans and chose one location, this display!.
Kittyhawk there!
On tourmobile we passed all big government departments, small museum to the Capitol. Climbed many stairs. Heat and humidity impossible. Took tour...old, stuffy buildings. Many statues of important people from each state. Guide took us to House and Senate Chambers (smaller than I imagined), and talked about their duties, etc.
Left...back on tourmobile to National Museum of Art. Stuffy... and finally to the best – New Smithsonian Institute of History and Technology. Whole place so exciting...graphic displays...good explanations...wonderful photo exhibit of Appalachia and her people and their handicrafts on sale. Ate lunch in bright cafeteria and saw huge Calder sculpture in garden. Stayed three hours and boys all held up very well for so much walking.
We got back on tourmobile... (the driver warned us many times that the hard rain was coming, but we stayed on..). terrific thunderstorm begins and we all get wet on the bus since it had no windows! Had to run for cover and wait out the storm...which did not let up. Howard decided to run to our car and I was only worried that he’d slip, since it was just pouring. Drove over to us and the boys and I sprinted for the car and all got soaked! We’d left the windows slightly open and seats were really wet. Ugh! We looked like drenched puppies! Crept back to trailer and what a mess. We had left the windows open in the trailer and same situation. All changed and cleaned up. Left in rain storm ..as we were driving we hear on radio that astronauts had begun to walk on moon. Only sorry no TV around. Just plain hard to believe. Drove on New Jersey Turnpike to Moorestown and big shopping center where we bedded for the night.
7/20/69, Moorestown, New York Shopping Center Parking Lot.
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