Vacay in DC!

Right this very moment I am eating leftover seasame chicken and watching RuPaul Drag Race while listening to doggies bark inside one of the most beautiful classy older homes I have ever been in about 3000mi from from home.  I am here in NOVA staying with Friends for a weekend of DC fun. I signed up for the MLK GORUCK event months ago. I really wanted that bandanas patch. So I bought tickets for DC and here I am. I originally signed up for the challenge but my ankle is still sonny from the half marathon on Nov. So I changed it to a light event. And then karma hit. An old work injury from spring 2013 came bad with a vengeance. Ho-Lee-shit! It hurt so bad. Took my breath away. Could barely walk. I really just wanted cry and take massive painkillers. I hardly slept the night before. My leg hurt so bad.  FML. Great. Just. Great. The flights were awful. I was so torn. I REALLY want to participate in the event. But I also knew  a potential workman comp injury would not go over well if I did do it. Not to mention, the pain was simply mind blowing.

I arrived on Thursday at DCA. My friend picked me up. We hung out. Dinner. Played with dogs. Fri I did the tourist thing and took the metro into DC and wandered around the Mall and Smithsonians. I spent a few hours in the Natural History Museum. My mind blown by how well the exhibits are presented. The Hall of Mammals and Gem stones/earth geology exhibits were my favorites. I also wandered around the human evolutionary history and Ocean Hall. Such a cool museum. I was in awe when reading about minerals, geologic processes, atomic structures and astronomy. All things that Alexander has been showing and telling me about since we met. I was so excited I knew what I was reading about!

I wanted to go to the folger Shakespeare museum, but I had a date with Enterprise Exotic Rental at Dulles in a few hours. So I grabbed coffee at L`Enfant Plaza then took the (brand new!) Silver line to its end at Wiehle St. Then caught a bus to Dulles. The another bus to Enterprise. I got top notch service. Manager handled my account. They let me look at the Porsche 911 but ultimately I kept my original choice: 2016 Corvette Stingray *giggle*.

O. M. G. I LOVE that car. So. Very. Much! The sound of the engine when you turn it on (push button). Hmmmm. It purrs. It makes the whole car shake as it idled. So pretty. I feel like a bandanas while driving it. Lots of head turns. There is a window roof but it is tinted in a way that it looks like solid metal from the outside. Needless to say, since GORUCK was not in my future, the car is the highlight of my vacation.

I shadowed the beginning of the Challenge. It was cold and pouring rain. They started at Lincoln Memorial. I drove along Ohio Dr and followed them. Went to Jefferson Memorial. It was so utterly peaceful. Late at night. Cold and rainy. Not a single tourist was out. I was there on my own. Sharing those moment with the monuments by myself. It felt...deep. spiritual? Special? I don't think I can out it into words. But I felt at home inside me. I drove around the Capitol. Then on back to Arlington.

My room at my friend`s house is so neat. I sleep in a four poster bed!  I've never been on one before! My friend and his husband decorate their home so beautifully. And it smells so good, too. I am genuinely envious of their home. Very classically done. Good on them.  When I pulled up in the Verge and parked it out front, I sent him a pic. Now he has everyone thinking it's his. :-)

I picked up coffee and donuts on my way to Endex of the Challenge. I saw Korean, WWII and MLK memorials while following them. I set the goodies out on the Verge and all the dirty rucker s surrounded it with the American flag alongside it. Best photo op. The NOW volunteer coordinator talked to us. He is  former military, an injured vet: leg blown off by suicide bomb killing many in his unit. He was pretty excited to meet and talk to GORUCK participants. I felt a swell of pride for us at that moment.

I then drove to the Capitol. I managed to fit the flag inside the Vette. I parked at visitors parking. As I walked away, a Capitol Police Officer on a bike rode up and looked around and in the Vette. He marveled to his coworker in a marked van that there was an American flag inside. I used this as an opportunity to talk to them about GORUCK. ONE already knew about it. We talked about working law enforcement. It was great. We bonded via patriotic pride and the stupidity of the masses. It was cold. So I snapped some pics and returned to the car.  The other officer in the van chatted to me some. I ran to Arlington. Grabbed food. Returned flag. Then watched Welcome Party of the Light (also at Lincoln Memorial). The crowds of tourists flocked to watch them. I answered lots of questions by them about GORUCK. ONE of the participants broke his foot. So I waited with him till his ride came. Then I walked along Tidal Basin and back to the car. I drove around downtown some then back home. My friend, his husband and I went to the DC Tattoo Convention in Crystal City. I love people watching. Especially that sort of subculture. Some of the art was amazing. Most of it was not quite my style but I appreciate the time and effort put into their art.

Today was brunch with the sis and bro in law. Then to the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum...in the snow. Yes. Snow. Effing snow. Corvette tires are not for snow. It does have a dial where you can choose driving conditions. So I set it for snow. And didn't mash the skinny pedal...much.  I took my friends for a drive (separately since it is a two seater and no back area). Found out that I can go 90mph and not even realise it. Mini Cooper tried racing me. Pfffffft. Not a chance. I hit 100mph today. I love the roar of the engine.

I got the car for another day. Drove back into DC. Toured via Vette. Took pics of the White House, monuments, Arlington/Lee House. Tomorrow I go home. Thinking of going on the Belfast so I can really let it rip. Want to go to Quantico to see USMC Museum but I hear it is closed. :-( I'll be sad to see it go back. I find that I actually miss Idaho. I miss home. The traffic here sucks. The drivers suck. They are impatient and in a rush. There are so many people here. I miss the mountains. Fewer cars there. People here wait. And wait and wait. In line. For food. In traffic. For the metro. Busy bees going to and fro. There is a whole amazing world out there. Outside the confines of the Beltway. Out west. Yeah. I miss my home. Friends. Cuddles.