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We headed to the parade on Constitution Avenue and surprisingly it wasn't as thick with people as we thought so we got a good view of the parade. We stayed for an hour and a half and with no end in sight we decided to leave. It was great but there's only so many marching bands you can watch which is pretty much what the parade had become.
That night, we headed to the Iwo Jima monument to watch the fireworks in DC from Virginia. I had done a bit of research and we wanted to avoid the crowds a bit and this apparently did that and also gave you a fantastic view. Well, one of those were true but the crowds were just as bad. People were sitting on streets, on top of subway vents, anywhere they could find and the line up into the area where the Iwo Jima monument is was so long we gave it a miss and sat on top of a traffic island instead. Everyone going into the area was subject to bag searches and helicopters were flying very low all night. There was a lot of security!
Mechelle
Day 20 was 4th July and we definitely did a lot of 'when in Rome' that day so I'll do a separate post on that.
The other days we spent in DC were pretty much sightseeing and trying to survive the heat. We used public transport but the National Mall where a lot of the monuments are is so big that you have to do a LOT of walking to see it all. Sadly, I think the heat kept us from seeing as much as we'd have liked.
As well as that, because of the 4th July festivities, a lot of places were roped off so we couldn't get too close to them anyway. The Mall was being set up for the concerts and other activities so it was full of marquees. The reflecting pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial had been completely removed and was being rebuilt. I don't want to sound negative, the monuments are more than impressive but I guess our decision to be there for the 4th July meant we had to miss out on other things.
Its probably fair to say that DC wasn't our favourite place. In hindsight we could have stayed there one day less and added that on to Vegas.
Mechelle
Our first impression of DC was that it was hot. OMG, its so hot!
Before we dropped off the car, we stopped in at Arlington National Cemetery. Its pretty much how I expected it to be but it was a lot bigger than I thought. I guess I'm only going by photos I've seen and they're always of a perfect line of white headstones against a green grass backdrop. Although the grass wasn't that perfect green, there are rows upon rows upon rows of headstones. Quite sad really when you realise what it represents (well to me). I guess it also represents the sacrifice that these soldiers have made for their country.
I'm not big on history although with the amount of History Channel that gets watched at home, I guess I should be! I didn't realise that past presidents are buried here as well. I guess the big 'tourist' draw is the Kennedy grave sites.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was quite a sobering experience. There is a soldier who guards the tomb and makes 21 steps towards one end, follows a routine with his gun then turns around, makes 21 steps to the other end and does it all again. I'm not sure how long he stays there for before there is a changing of the guard but his focus and precision are amazing. There is a cemetery employee who ensures that anyone watching the ceremony is respectful and that means that no one is allowed to talk. I actually shed a tear watching this, it was quite a powerful experience.
By the time we got to the hotel, with the heat and all of the driving in the past few days, that was pretty much all we managed today.
Mechelle
After we left Shirley's we headed to DC via the quickest route possible, though we did stop in Amish country on the way.
Other than that though, it was pretty much highway, cars, hotel rooms and not much else.
Mechelle
It was a sad first couple of days with Shirley. Grandma Colby passed away a couple of days before we got there and Grandpa Colby is quite ill also.
On Sunday we attended Grandma's visitation which I guess is like our viewing but instead of the funeral being straight afterwards, it was a period of time where you could go to the funeral home, say your goodbyes to Grandma, view all of the photo boards that were created and pass on your condolences to the family. The funeral wasn't until the next day.
Shirley had decided that she wasn't going to attend her Mom's funeral but instead would visit with Grandpa at the time the funeral was on so that he had company. Grandpa was in the hospital and unable to attend. Glen and I decided that we also wouldn't go to the funeral so we attended the visitation with Shirley on Sunday.
Unfortunately it ended up being the only chance we got to catch up with some people but it was understandable given the circumstances.
On Monday, Glen and I went to Cedar Springs so that I could catch up with a couple of friends from school - Rose and Deb. Deb has hosted four exchange students in the past 2 years so it was interesting to hear her stories about that. And Rose looks exactly the same as she did 25 years ago! I also got to meet Rose's daughter Cheyenne.
On the way back we decided to go to Avis and get a new car. The first one had a warning light and although we decided it was just telling us that a service was due soon, the car had started to run a bit roughly. We're so glad we did. We ended up with a Chevrolet Malibu - sun roof, compass, seat warmers, electronic everything, leather seats - very, very nice car.
On Tuesday Glen and I headed up to the Sault Ste. Marie and Mackinac Island with Krista and her sons Gavan and Luka as well as Melissa and her two boys Colby and Atticus. Shirley decided to stay home in case something happened to Grandpa while we were away.
I remember finding the Sault Ste. Marie locks really interesting when I was 16 but no one could understand why we were going because it was so boring so I was slightly concerned that we would make the trek up there and Glen would be less than impressed. But, we were lucky enough to have a ship pass through the locks while we were there. I'd guess it was about 2 degrees with and icy wind so it wasn't very pleasant. It was a quick trip.
We almost got ourselves another new car on the trip up there. Glen pressed the unlock button and we opened the doors of the car and almost got in before we both said 'is this our car'...ah no, it wasn't. Oops! Who leaves their car unlocked!?!?! We hightailed it to the right car and took off hoping no one had seen us though Glen is sure a lady walked in and got into that car just as we were leaving in ours.
We headed back to St. Ignace where we stayed the night before heading to Mackinac Island the next day. Its about a 20 minute boat ride across to the island and we had really good weather for the whole time we were there. The island has some history and they have continued to ban cars on the island so the only way around is foot or horse and buggy. The houses have been preserved also so its quite a pretty place.
We also managed a night out at Lake Michigan with Shirley to see the sunset. Both Glen and I struggled to accept that its not salt water I think because its just so big and the beaches are all sandy and there are waves and, and...
It was hard to say goodbye to Shirley after really only a couple of days with her because of all that was going on but we'll cherish what time we did have. I fell in love with one of the kids that Shirley cares for but in a true case of unrequited love, he took to Glen more than he did me!!
Mechelle
