Gettysburg, PA (USA)

I read about a re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg (sponsored by the Blue Gray Alliance, celebrating the 150th Anniversary) this weekend, so I got up early and headed north. I used I-495, I-270 and US-15 to get to Pennsylvania and arrived at the farm where the event would be held (about two miles south of the National Battlefield Park) at around 0900. It was no trouble to find free parking, but the place was extremely regimented (no walking or parking along roads, etc.). In hindsight, I wonder whether I should have paid the $10 to park before I got there - then I could have walked to a better view point... I got on a school bus and it took me to the area where there were vendors and a few people dressed in period clothing. I skipped that and went down the hill through a maze of tightly controlled pathways until I got to the entrance to the viewing area. The price was good ($10) and there were lots of places to stand to see the first re-enactment of the day - a cavalry battle. We were very close to the action and few people were there yet, so it was a great experience. The group was about an hour ahead of schedule, so I was hopeful that this would continue (severe weather seemed imminent). However, there was a 2.5 hour gap in the action. It got progressively hotter and I began to wonder how the thousands of re-enactors in their blue and gray uniforms could possibly stand the conditions (that is one of the great things about being at an event like this). I took a break and used a restroom (back in the vendor area). By the time I got back to a good viewing spot, it was clear that I would not benefit from my early arrival - folks crowded closer and closer (in every available gap) until it was standing room only. I felt bad for the older people who had arrived with their chairs and placed them close to the edge of the battlefield, only to have a younger person (carrying an iPad) crowd into the gap and obscure the view. By the time the re-enactment of Pickett's Charge began, I found myself lucky to be able to see anything at all. They did more than half an hour of artillery barrage, which was close to our position (amazing smoke rings!). After that, thousands of gray coated soldiers began their march across the field - probably more than half a mile of flat ground (barred by a fence). The rebel yells, continuing cannon fire and waving battle flags made for an amazing spectacle (I thought I even heard the closest group to us shouting something like "Long Live the Great State of Mississippi!"). As they crested the small hill in the middle of the field, they had to find a way around the fence - and then they formed lines below the Union position (a stone wall on a hill). By that point, the sound of gunfire was like the sound popcorn makes in the microwave, punctuated by louder explosions and occasional shouts. The wave up the hill of charging soldiers was amazing to watch - but we were pretty far from this action (that was disappointing). Since I couldn't see anything, I walked back to get on the bus - on the way back to my car, I got a better view of the battle, which had turned into a retreat by then. Drove out before the rest of the crowd made it really difficult. All in all, I am glad I went to the event. On the way home, I used the same route (I actually saw a chicken on the side of the road!). I stopped near Frederick to see the Monocacy National Battlefield. It was south of the city and was a little difficult to find (close to I-270 but no exits nearby). I had never heard of the battle before but it was amazing to learn that a huge army of Confederates were on their way to attack undefended Washington and were delayed by a tiny force of Union soldiers at Monocacy - just long enough to allow Grant to send forces to defend the Capital. It was well worth the stop - if only just to learn more about the importance of the Civil War in the formation of our country. Headed home after that, just as rain began to fall...

Washington, DC (USA)

I had a problem with one of my Metro Cards (newly registered on the WMATA website) and figured out that I needed to go to the station to correct it. Unfortunately, it appeared that I couldn't get the problem resolved with the gate agent without using the card to go through the turnstyle - when I did that, it effectively discharged the entire remaining amount... [Note - on July 1, when I went to Metro Center (and made several calls to WMATA), I learned something new about the Metro: in order to charge a card with money that has been electronically added, you need to check your balance at two different places on the line (you don't actually have to use the fare gate). That would have been nice to know...]. At that point, I figured I might as well take the opportunity to ride into the city. My fare was enough to get to King Street, where I got off the train and considered stopping at Theisman's for a drink. But the weather was too nice, so I got back on the train (with my other card) and rode the Blue Line up to Arlington. The sun had just set by the time I got to the surface - lights were already visible on the Lincoln Memorial, so I walked across the bridge and spent some time on that end of the mall - it was a pleasant evening to walk near the Vietnam Memorial (I found the National Academy of Sciences, something I hadn't noticed - big statue of Einstein there...). I made it without much difficulty over to the World War II Memorial, which was nicely lit, and spent some time enjoying the cool breeze and good views of Washington at night. One frustration, though, was the amazing number of fences that blocked access to different areas of the Mall... Walked towards the Washington Monument, now completely covered with scaffolding (still impressive) and took several pictures. Made my way back to L'Enfant Plaza - tired but feeling some endorphins... Had to wait a while for a train and they were single-tracking, meaning I had to change sides of the platform at the last minute. Made my way back to my car and headed home. What a nice evening!

Shirlington, VA (USA)

It was another beautiful day, so Mollie and I decided to check out the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (a bike trail we had seen almost two months ago on our way back from West Virginia). We departed the house around 1400 and made our way to Shirlington (a neighborhood in Arlington), using guidance we got from a good website. The trail is connected to many other local trails (sign posts indicated we could ride it back to the Reagan National Airport via local trails in Arlington and Alexandria). We began at the beginning and rode close to three miles along South Four Mile Run Drive. Soon after we passed the Columbia Pike, the trail changed from suburban to more rural - tall trees lined the trail. A small trail paralleled our course, so we took a short trip down into a canyon to get close to it. The water was cool and there was more shade there. After that, we turned around and headed back to our car. We had a good time and made plans to come back for the next leg of the trail. The day reminded me of several trips with Erin and Brenna on the Silver Comet Trail in Georgia (see 2004 and 2005)... After we stowed the bikes, Mollie and I played tennis at a nearby public court. We did some errands on the way home and arrived in time for dinner.

Arlington, VA (USA)

Ian and Sabrina came by my office around 1045 and asked if I wanted to try one of their favorite burger places in Crystal City: the Good Stuff Eatery. Of course I said yes! Luckily, Ian had driven into the city, so the ride was pretty easy - back across the Potomac on I-395 and onto US-1 (south). We had some trouble parking, but eventually were able to find a place. We walked for a bit on Crystal Drive and found the restaurant. It wasn't busy, but I could see how it might be during the lunch rush. They had all kinds of special burgers, fries, frozen custard (and drinks) to choose from - I went with the special, called the "Lunch Bag" (burger with works and a ton of fries). We had fun getting six kinds of dips for our fries (mustard, mango mayo, ketchup, horseradish, etc.) before heading back to the office to eat (a better than average) lunch.

Somers Point, NJ (USA)

[got up early, had breakfast and then departed for home (0800) - used the Eastern Shore again - rainy all the way - got some cheap gas before leaving New Jersey and then gradually made my way back to the DC area - traffic not too bad, but it was worse than it usually is on Thursdays... - arrived home before noon - took care of work related issues for the rest of the afternoon]

Egg Harbor TWP, NJ (USA)

[a short day for our regular meeting, but I stayed late to assist our new customer with some issues that we haven't had time to resolve before - very productive afternoon - tried to meet up with a friend from my company, but it didn't work out - headed to the hotel around 1700 - had dinner at the hotel (leftover pizza from Tony Baloney's!) - took care of work emails for most of the evening while watching TV - packed up for my early departure in the morning]

Atlantic City, NJ (USA)

[very busy day at work but had Tony Baloney's! - stayed afterwards to watch Bill, Kevin and Kait play volleyball - headed towards the hotel but then heard from Sharon that she wanted to meet up for dinner - we all got back together (Sabrina too) at Charlie's (1900), where we enjoyed margaritas, beer and great chicken wings (all while watching the Blackhawks and Bruins play) - after we had finished dinner, Bill indicated he wanted to go out to the casinos again - I volunteered to drive and we made our way over to the Borgata this time (2130) - the only problem with that place is that the table minimum is $10 (vice $5 at Tropicana) - as a result, no one won any money and we quickly ran out of momentum - I played a couple of penny slot games but didn't win anything - defeated, we departed for the hotel - drive was pretty easy (very few lights on Main Street / Shore Drive) - bed late]

Somers Point, NJ (USA)

[pretty busy schedule at work - lunch at their cafeteria - made it home by 1730 today (despite heavy summer traffic) - checked out the hospitality room and ran into some interesting folks connected to commercial space transportation - spent about an hour with them (one of them knew one of my old flight surgeons) - Sabrina, Bill and I had dinner at the nearby Anchorage Tavern, a place we had visited before - had a great meal and some cheap (but good) beer - watched some sports on TV before calling it a night - didn't even go to bed late...]

Atlantic City, NJ (USA)

[woke up earlier than usual so I could finish up an interview for a new position at work - rode into the city on the Metro (as usual), got the process completed and then high-tailed it back to my car (already packed) so I could get on the road to New Jersey for our monthly meetings for work - got on I-95 by 1000 - used US-50 to the Bay Bridge and then US-301, US-40 and DE-1 to get to I-95/I-295 - crossed the Delaware River and got on US-40 - made great time (several short cuts) despite the nasty weather (rainy!) - also made several work phone calls (love my Jabra Drive hands free device!) - met up with Sabrina and Kait in our usual room and wrapped up two teleconferences before 1630 - drove down to the hotel in Somers Point and checked in - met up with Sabrina for "dinner" in the lobby (meatloaf) but she wanted something better - ate more food at the Crab Trap - she wasn't bored yet and wanted to go up to the Boardwalk - we used Shore Drive (2000) to get into Atlantic City and parked in the garage for the Tropicana - met Bill at the craps tables, where we had some fun for a few more hours - all the while, we were watching a marathon baseball game between the Red Sox and Rays - I didn't lose any money (for once) and was ready to go around 2300 - but Bill reminded me that Happy Hour begins at Ri Ra (Irish Pub) at that time, so I went with him and Sabrina so they could get a $5 burger and take advantage of the drink specials - baseball game was still going strong - I was getting tired, so I took my leave and headed back to the hotel - went to bed very late...]

Washington, DC (USA)

[worked a full day and was invited to join a Happy Hour group at the Cantina Marina on the SW DC Waterfront - unfortunately, got detained by my boss until nearly 1745 - decided to try to meet up with everyone anyway - weather was great - walked down to 4th Street to cross I-395 and then backtracked to 6th Street - neighborhoods were interesting (I had never walked this way) - finally arrived at the bar (1805) and caught everyone leaving - oh well - walked back with a small group to the L'Enfant Metro Station - not a bad walk for exercise (not too hot, either)]