If you want to read about our first road trip to Asheville, North Carolina, click here.
If you want to read about our second road trip, to Green Lake, Wisconsin, click here.
David has wanted to take a road trip to Washington DC for a few years. As usual, I thought he was crazy. Absolutely nuts. Well, then we started homeschooling, and I realized a trip to the Capitol of our nation would not only be fun, but quite educational. I happen to LOVE history as well. So I said, "Okay...let's do it."
The timing couldn't have been more ridiculous. David had to take his 2nd CPA exam on Sunday, May 31. We decided to leave Saturday, June 6, and be back on Sunday, June 14 so David would only take one week off of work. But before that, I had to finish up work at RCA, Joshua had to finish up his freshman year at Klein Collins, and I had to do 4 online modules (plus assessments) for a summer master tutor program. YIKES! It was really down to the wire. And don't forget the packing. I've gotten pretty good about pulling things together, but clothes for 7 people for just 5 days is over 140 articles of clothing...not including shoes, swim suits, and pajamas. Oh man!
We also didn't plan very much in advance, mainly because David was studying every minute for his CPA exam. In hindsight, don't do what we did. We didn't get a private tour of the Capitol like we'd hoped, and got evening tickets to the Chattanooga Aquarium instead of day time tickets. Still, everything worked out fine...which you'll see later on in this post.
First of all, when you're packing for 7 people, pack ONLY what you really need. I packed clothes for 5 days, one set of clothes for Mass, (which due to traveling, we didn't actually get to go...yes...we need to got to Reconciliation). one pair of sandals for each person, and one pair of pajamas. We did laundry in the middle of the week, which saved me from having to pack more.
When you're packing this much, there's bound to be a mishap. Pack on extra shirt for everyone, just in case. And if you have a little one, pack 1-3 extra pairs of bottoms and underwear in case of accidents (that goes without saying, right?). Theresa was a trooper, and didn't have any accidents at all, thank the Lord. I took a shirt, shorts, underwear and socks, rolled them up into a bundle, and put them all together in a large duffel bag.
I also color coordinated our outfits for 4 days (red shirts, blue shirts, green shirts, and navy shirts). You don't have to do this, but I always feel better knowing my kids are all in the same color, and I can find them very quickly in a crowd. It's also a good safety measure. Heaven forbid you lose a child, but you can immediately tell a security guard, police officer, etc. what they were wearing, since you were all wearing the same color. We also got lots of compliments from other families who saw us all together and said, "I wish we had done that...what a great idea!).
All right, we were finally ready. We loaded up everything the night before (except the bags the kids took in the van to keep them busy and the cooler), including the luggage shell on top, snacks, pillows, everything.
DAY 1-2
We got up and were on the road by 4:00 AM that first day. We had to get to Chattanooga, Tennessee by dinnertime, so we had a good, 12 hour drive ahead of us. Of course, we had to stop 2 times in the morning and afternoon for bathroom breaks, but we made it, spent the night in a hotel, and got up around 6:30 the next day and were on the road again by 8:00 AM. To save time, we had Lunchables at noon in the van. The goal was to get to Cockeysville, Maryland so we could stay with David's aunt and uncle, Mary Ellen and David. They were gracious enough to let us crash at their house for 4 nights, and feed us too--no small feat for our family of seven! We sent them a card and flowers once we got home to thank them for their very comfortable accommodations. :-)
One benefit of staying with family is it's far less expensive than staying a hotel in the DC area. Hotels rooms are pricey there, and with our family of seven, we're really at the point where we need 2 rooms, especially if we'll be in one place for more than one night. The downside...the traffic was just nuts. It took us 1.5 to 2 hours to drive into the city and back again to Cockeysville every day. So...you will really have to decide what's best for your family. In our case, we saved more money staying outside of the city. If you have very little ones, I don't recommend this. They probably don't want to sit in the car for that long after a day of sightseeing.
DAY 3
We drove into Baltimore and went to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the oldest cathedral in the United States. The docent was very nice. The next tour didn't officially start until 11:00 AM, and we walked in just before 10:00, but he gave us one anyways! For most of the tour, we were the only ones there. We even got to see the sacristy where the vestments and kneeler Saint Pope John Paul II wore on his last visit to the United States. This is a very beautiful place not to be missed.
If you ever visit this Basilica, make sure you ask the docent if you can view the 4, first class relics in the sacristy. Yes...FOUR, and all Doctors of the Church; St. Jerome, St. Gregory Nazianzen, Pope Saint Gregory the Great, and St. Athanasius. I will probably never see 4, first class relics all together again in my lifetime (unless we visit this church again).
We googled places for lunch and ended up getting pizza to eat in a nearby park so the kids could eat and then run around for a bit.
Then we went to the B&O Railroad Museum. This was a GREAT place to see trains and the history of the railroad company. Remember the "B&O Railroad" card from Monopoly? Yep...same one! On display there is the largest steam engine ever built. It's quite massive (can't even get it all in one shot, as you can see).
DAY 4
We drove into the city and visited the International Spy Museum in the morning and 2 Smithsonian museums in the afternoon, the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History.
A little aside here. David forgot to turn off the lights on the van after we'd parked in a underground garage. So we got back to the van after the Spy Museum...and nothing. Sigh. Luckily, a lovely couple came by and gave us a jump. Make sure you pack jumper cables people...you never know when you're going to need them!
We spend a good 4 hours total at the two Smithsonians. There's a cafe in the Natural History Museum that was reasonably priced, so we had lunch there. I still packed lots of snacks to hold everyone during the morning and afternoon. There's so much to see, we honestly blew through a few exhibits and just tried to hit what would be the most educational/interesting for the kids.
After those those museums the kids were tired, so we head out of the city, and on a whim decided to walk around Federal Hill Park and stop at Fort McHenry for a bit. The flag that was still flying and seen by Francis Scott Key (author of "The Star Spangled Banner") is on display at the Smithsonian (American History). As a history buff, it was honestly a little emotional to learn more about the battle there and see the flag itself. After a long day, we head back to Cockeysville and went out for Chinese food...the best I've had in years. I tried (unsuccessfully) to fight Uncle David for the check, but he beat me to it. They really were so nice to feed us!
DAY 5
We tried to get up earlier today to beat the traffic in to Washington DC, but it was still an hour and 40 minute drive. Our first stop was the Basillica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. David and I had been here 15 years ago when Joshua was just 3 months old and in town for his sister's wedding. It's so beautiful...I literally had tears in my eyes when I first walked in. Even Rebecca let out an audible gasp when she saw the inside. I saw 2 new Marian shrines in the crypt, and the very last one was scheduled to open in August. After that, there will be no new shrines, since they are out of room in the crypt.
While it's too early to say if my little Theresa has a religious vocation, she can spot a picture, statue or holy card of St. Therese of Lisieux from 10 miles off. She wanted to say a prayer here, and dang if my mother's heart didn't shed a few tears.
We even got pictures with Pope Francis! (Okay, not really, but it was fun).
There's a cafeteria by the gift shop that was cheap (at least by DC standards), so we had lunch. I was still eating while the kids and David were browsing the gift shop. Sigh...gifts shops are magnets for kids, aren't they? (We did let the kids bring a certain amount of money, but once it was gone, that was it, and they wouldn't get anymore).
We headed over to the Cannon Office Building after lunch. We'd tried to schedule a private tour of the Capitol with Rep. Kevin Brady's office, but since we didn't plan far enough in advance, we weren't able to. However, a VERY nice intern, Kellsey, emailed me back and told me to meet her at the office, and they would help us with security and gallery passes. By now, we realized parking was really tricky, so David dropped me off with the kids while he looked for a cheap place to leave the van. I was able to find Mr. Brady's office easily after getting through security into the office building.
A note about security. It's tight y'all. VERY TIGHT. There are uniformed police everywhere around the Capitol and office buildings. They search every purse and backpack, and screen your phone, keys, everything. You also cannot take any food or drinks, not even bottles of water. So just be aware. You will also walk through metal detectors. If you go into the galleries of the Senate or House of Representatives, you cannot take ANYTHING at all; no keys, cameras, cell phones, etc. They have a room where very nice staffers will take your personal items and put them in cubbies for you to leave behind and then pick up when you're finished.
Once inside Mr. Brady's office, what's the first thing my kids do? Grab the full-sized packs of Skittles and other candy on the receptionist's desk. Ahem...not my finest hour as a mother. Sheesh! I did mange to get them to introduce themselves, and they did behave nicely while we chatted with the staff and 2 interns, Kellsey and Paul (I am sorry I didn't take pics with them, because they were SO nice). We took other pictures inside Mr. Brady's office and outside in the hall. Kellsey and Paul not only said we could, they highly encouraged it. I did post them on Mr. Brady's Facebook page later, and they replied...so that was fun.:-)
David made it just in time for the pics, then we headed downstairs and under the building to the tunnels. There are underground tunnels under the Capitol, which was nice for escaping the heat outside. Kellsey and Paul expedited us through security (metal detectors, screening, etc). and then we went back upstairs to get tickets for the Capitol public tours. It can take an hour or more to get through security and then get tickets, but the interns were able to go to a separate line just for staffers and get tickets for us. All total, it took maybe 15 minutes...which is fantastic, especially with a family of 7. (Tickets regardless of how you get them are free, by the way).
Once we got tickets, Kellsey and Paul also gave us gallery passes (which you can only get through your rep or senator's office) and said their goodbyes. I really was grateful for their help, and you can bet we wrote them a nice thank you card once we got home.
The public tour turned out to be really fun. We had a large group of young adults on a conference there, but still, it wasn't bad to be in a large group. Everyone got a set of headphones. This way, we could hear everything the docent said, but without her having to raise her voice or yell. There's tour guides everyone leading other groups, so I thought it was a clever idea. Our docent had been doing tours for 35 years, so she knew lots of tidbits and historical facts that I would have never known about. Even the kids enjoyed the tour...since they all got headsets too, even Theresa. I honestly don't think a private tour could have been any better.
The dome is currently undergoing a massive renovation, hence the safety "donut" curtain overhead.
Cutest tourist ever! And yes, we got a few "Gig 'ems" from fellow Aggies...gotta love it!
Once the tour was over, the kids found another gift shop (of course!) and bought a few souvenirs. We decided to get over to the House of Representatives with our gallery passes before it got too late.
We had to go through more level of security, leave all our belongings behind, and walk through a maze of hallways and corridors before we finally got into the gallery. There's security with earpieces sitting in the gallery too.
Once inside, it is very quiet except for those speaking on the floor, because the gallery rules are quite strict (no talking, outbursts, etc). There were Representatives from California, Minnesota, Texas, and Oklahoma debating H.R.2393, Country of Original Labeling Amendments Act of 2015. It was fascinating for me to watch, and I could have stayed longer, but after about 30 minutes, the kids were tired (and hungry) so we left, walked around the Capitol building for a few pics, and then headed back to Baltimore for dinner. This was probably my favorite day out of our vacation.
First of all, we had to find the van, My sweet husband had parked it about 1/2 a mile away, but it turned into a 40 minute walk in the heat. He couldn't figure out how to walk around a bridge to get to it, so we walked around in a circle at one point. The kids almost lost it by the time we finally got to the van, but cold Gatorade and snacks saved the day. I highly recommend going to DC before the summer heat!
David and Mary Ellen had grilled chicken, salad and fruit waiting for us.They also had a fun basement and a hill behind the house for the kids to play on every night. They went to bed exhausted, let me tell you!
DAY 6
We got into the city around 9:15 (not bad!), found a place to park on the east end of the National Mall, and started walking. Our plan was to hit as many memorials as we could before the sun fried us.
Folks, don't forget the sunscreen. There's little shade along the National Mall. I forgot to put it in the backpack, and I was afraid we'd get sunburned, especially little Theresa. Luckily, most of us only got pink instead of bright red, and thankfully David remembered his hat. I won't make that mistake again!
First up, the Lincoln Memorial. It's pretty imposing, but I think it's my favorite. The Gettysburg Address is on the walls to the right and left left of Lincoln. And yes, I ran up all the steps. I'm so glad I've been working out. Not even the kids wanted to race me!
Next up, The Vietnam Wall. I've seen a traveling replica of the wall before, but not the original. Very somber, and quiet. A group was in front of us, laying a wreath along one section of the wall.
After that, we walked up the rise to the Washington Monument. It's taller than I expected. There were quite a few people braving the sun that day.
We walked around The White House and took a few more pictures.
By then the kids were beat. The sun was just too hot that day for them. We knew we had to walk a bit farther for a special lunch date, so we decided to reserve some energy and headed to a place called Cosi's a few blocks away.
So who did we meet up for lunch? Kristine...Gabriel's godmother, who is working and going to school for her PhD just a short walk from the restaurant! It was so great to see her again, especially since we'd just seen her in May for Gabriel's First Holy Communion.
The kids talked endlessly to Kristine, who was so sweet and patient with them and learned all about her workplace and PhD program. She will still be in school for another 2 years. We're hoping she moves to Texas when she's finally done!
After lunch and hugs, Kristine headed back to work, and we were ready for our next adventure. Recalling the LONG walk to the van from the previous day, David decided to rent a bike to take him back to the van. Well, that didn't work out because he would have to buy the membership in person instead of from the kiosk by the bikes. So...he figured out he could call a Uber cab to take him from our lunch spot, get to the van, and then drive by and pick us up. It only cost us $8...which saved us a another long, hot, 20-25 minute walk.
Normally, we would have just walked back to the van, no matter what. But we had plans later in the day that involved more walking outside in the sun and heat, and we didn't want the kids to be too tired from the morning activities. So the $8 we spent on the cab fare was worth it. If you travel to DC with very young kids, parking is really tough, and you can't find space anywhere close to most of the buildings in the Capitol. You night consider using a cab service like Uber to pick up one parent who can then get the car and go back for everyone else. Even though our kids are older now (15, 13, 10, 8, and 4), they all said, "Thank you Daddy for picking us up!" David was definitely the hero for the day!
Once we got the van, our next stop was Mount Vernon, about one hour outside of DC. Everyone told us this was a place worth stopping for. And it was. The estate is more expansive that I thought. We started out with a tour of the grounds and the mansion itself. Not too many pictures here because the don't allow cameras during this particular tour.
Then we went to Lady Washington's room, which was actually in a separate building. A older woman all dressed up in colonial attire played Martha Washington, She never broke character, and let all the little boys and girls sit up front and take pictures. She even taught a group of older students on a field trip how to bow and curtsy. It was quite entertaining...AND air conditioned!
DAY 7
We spend all of this day driving back to Chattanooga TN. So not much to tell here. We spend a couple of hours driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway (and sniffing peppermint oil so I wouldn't get car sick!). After a few hours, we had to get off it and get back to the main interstate (I-80). It took us 2 hours of backtracking north by northwest to get there. I was navigating, and it seemed to take forever, even though we drove through some very pretty countryside and farms.
At one point we had gone from a 2 lane highway, to a single lane road, (and bridge!), and then a REALLY small road. I said, "Hey, at least we're not on a gravel road!" And...then the asphalt charged to gravel! Um...yeah...I was getting a little anxious about my navigation skills. But guess what...I was taking us the right direction, and we did come out to I-80! Phew!
I did get some pretty pics along the way, and one of all the kids at one of the scenic stops.
We had wanted to stay at the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a historical hotel that we stayed at back in 2008, but since we hadn't planned in advance (let that be a lesson to the rest of you!), the hotel was completely booked and we couldn't get a room there. Oh well. Maybe next time! We ended up at a Quality Inn, which was just fine, but had no pool (kicking ourselves AGAIN for not planning better in advance!).
DAY 8
As I'd mentioned before, we had been to Chattanooga before, and hadn't hit a couple of attractions. So this time, we went on the Incline Railway, and the kids liked it a lot. It wasn't too taxing to ride a rail car all the way up and back down. It was hot, but not unbearably so...but I still wouldn't do this in the middle of the summer, since the cars are not air conditioned.
My kids are also trying to take selfies...they don't have smartphone (or any cell phones for that matter!), so these pics are really hilarious. :-)
After lunch at McDonald's (blech!), we hit a public pool that had good reviews and a nice splash pad. The kids had a really good time here, and had slightly sun burnt shoulders to prove it the next day (except Theresa who got 2 applications of sunscreen since I was with her the whole time). I left the camera in the van, so no pictures here.
We got out of the pool and headed back into town. After a quick, light dinner at Chili's we walked over to the Tennessee Aquarium. Ya'll...this a GREAT place, another "not to be missed." The kids remembered it from first road trip...it's that awesome. After we hit "buy" on the website the night before, we realized we wouldn't be able to go to Mass (cue the Catholic guilt here), and ahem...we'd missed Mass the Sunday before since we were driving from Chattanooga to Baltimore). So um, yeah...don't be like us. We're ALL going to Reconciliation!
The Tennessee Aquarium is divided into two huge buildings, "Ocean Journey" and "River Journey." We had to stop at one of the tanks in the first building so the kids could touch some stingrays in a low tanks, specifically designed for kids. I remember when the kids all did this the first time!
After going through the rest of the exhibit, and taking lots of pictures, the SAME ones we took the first time, we headed over to the next building. Theresa LOVED seeing all the different fish, starfish, seahorses, etc. I'm pretty sure the penguins were her favorite. The tanks go from floor to ceiling in some places, they're so big, and FULL of all kinds of species of fish. It took us about 2.5 hours to see it all.
We trooped back to the hotel and hit the sack. It was a long day, but probably my second favorite day of our vacation.
DAY 9
We got up at 4:00 AM again and hit the road. I was a little sad for our trip to end, but I was also ready to get home. We got breakfast in Alabama at a Krispy Kreme. The kids had never been to one (they're aren't any in Houston), and I hadn't been to one since I moved from Georgia 24 years ago. The kids are always wary of trying a new donut place (which for the life of me I can't understand!). But LOL..after the first bite, they were converts. Their donuts are SO good. I had a lemon creme cake and an apple filled donut. Yum...sweet memories! Even Christina said, "Mom, they have to open up a Krispy Kreme in Houston!" They actually are coming to Houston, but they probably won't be one near us for a while. Until then, we can dream!
The plan was to drive hard so we could stop in New Orleans for lunch. I got a tip from a fellow foodie about a good place to eat, and we had the best meal at Mandina's. The kids (as usual) didn't venture from their chicken fingers and french fries, but Rebecca had a salad, David had the seafood platter, and I had an oyster po' boy. DELISH!
We had plenty of food left over, and packed it up because we were only 5 hours from home. We got back on I-10. It was raining pretty hard, but we were making good time.
Suddenly, we hit a something on the road (it must have been a shallow puddle of water), and to my horror, we started hydroplaning. I knew it would be difficult for David to regain control, and sure enough, he lost traction, we crossed all lanes of the highway, and ended up in the ditch. The kids were pretty scared, but since the ditch was soft and muddy, we didn't come to a hard stop. After a few deep breaths, my Eagle Scout husband took off his socks and shoes, and got out. We were sitting in a good 6 inches of water. I prayed we wouldn't get flooded out before we could call a tow truck.
God's angels were surely watching over us. I was thankful we hadn't fishtailed and hit another car, we didn't roll over (we had a fully loaded luggage shell on top of the van, so that would have been REALLY bad), and the airbags didn't go off when we landed in the ditch. It happened so fast, I didn't even have time to pray, but thank God we were fine.
David had me call our insurance hotline for a tow. Before they even could get to our location, two guys with a truck came down the feeder road and asked us if we wanted a tow. We said, "YES!" I was anxious to get behind the wheel, (David stayed out in the ditch to direct me), but I was able to back up and get up on the feeder road thanks to their careful pulling with a rope line. Once we were out of the ditch, I got out to take a closer look at my poor van. There was a lot of grass and mud under the front passenger tire. My lower bumper was cracked (the lowest panel...not the bumper itself), my fog light was busted out, and the liner and mudflaps were torn out, but the tire itself was fine.
We got back in and prayed the van was drive-able. After all, a tow from Louisiana to home (about 3 hours) would have cost us dearly, not to mention the price of fixing the van itself. Everything seemed fine, so we called our insurance back, canceled the tow, and drove carefully home. Oh my, was I THANKFUL to pull into our driveway. It was late when we finally made it (around 7:30 PM), but praise God we were home. We were too tired to do little more than bathe and put kids to bed, although I put away just a few things and started working through the mountain of laundry. Even though I'd done 2 loads at David and Mary Ellen's house, we still have plenty of dirty duds. Want to see what laundry looks like after 5 days for a family of 7?
And...there was still one load in the dryer. The kids were troopers though, and helped me get it all sorted, washed, dried, and put away.
So, you wanna do a road trip with your family? Pack lightly, (but don't forget clean underwear for everyone-- I was short one for Joshua!), make sure you have LOTS of snacks, take a extra set of batteries for the camera, jumper cables, plenty of patience, and be prepared! Oh...and having an Eagle Scout for a husband sure doesn't hurt!
Hope you had as much fun reading about our trip as we had going on it! Don't be afraid of a big road trip. Even with 5 kids, you will enjoy seeing them light up and experience things they've never done before. You will make memories of the best kind...I promise!
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