Finding and Enjoying the Snake

From Portland, we traveled on east to Kennewick, Washington, then Clarkston at Hells Canyon Snake River.  On our way we drove through beautiful country.

A painted barn

A fence decorated with wheels

A blooming field of canola

And lots of grain elevators--at least that is what they are called in our part of the country.

And finally, the Snake River, which provides the border between Washington and Idaho, at least in this area.

We enjoyed this view out the front door side of our trailer.  In the river you can see a barge being pushed on the river.  The Snake begins in Wyoming and flows eventually into the Columbia River.

This dugout canoe was along the river's edge.

We could watch this riverboat.  If you look closely, you can see small boats between the shore and the large white boat.  We watched them speed by us then discovered they were getting ready to take riverboat passengers on a tour of Hells Canyon--a stretch of white water near Clarkston.

One day we drove into town and walked along a riverside trail.  We saw the riverboat coming in.

The hills across the river were brown.

This is a view of our trail.  It was very well maintained.

Here is a flock of Canada geese along the trail.

War Memorials

With this post I will be caught up on the blog with what we have done in the past 10 days of so.  It has been very busy and we also had 3 days with virtually no internet.  I am glad to be up to date now.

The last time we were in Washington, D.C., was 1988.  At that time we spent time at the Viet Nam Wall and John located the name of a classmate who had been killed in that war.  Since then monuments have been built honoring those killed in World War II and the Korean War.  This visit we explored both structures.

This is the entry to the World War II Memorial.

Brass reliefs like these line the curved walls as you enter the memorial, depicting scenes of military and civilians in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters.

The central fountain is surrounded by pillars naming the 56 US states, territories and District of Columbia that united in a common cause in the war.  Pavilions on both sides are inscribed with names of key battles of the war. 

Lots of people were looking at the monument and enjoying this part of the National Mall.

A number of statements are carved into the walls of the monument, referring to civilian women who took over jobs left by men going to fight,

those who sent their sons off to war and kept the American factories working,

and the soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom.

I hope that this statement is forever true of who and what our country is and represents to the world.

The Korean War Memorial has a totally different feel.

Lifesize statues of soldiers, dressed in rain gear, surround you as you come to the monument.  You feel like you are part of the battle or reconnaissance.

One side of the wall with the names of those who died has background images of the same soldiers and it is reflective, almost like a mirror.  This photo shoes how the modern monument visitors look like they are part of the group of soldiers.

Both of these monuments are moving and made us aware of how many people over the decades have given their lives to protect us and our country.

White House

You need a ticket to tour the White House and you get those by contacting your local Representative or Senator.  In 1973, when I came to visit John who was attending the F.B.I. National Academy, a training program for local police officers, I got a ticket and was able to go on a White House tour.  John had never been inside the presidential home but we weren't able to take a tour this trip because I forgot how to get a ticket.  I am sure many other people are in the same boat because now there is a White House Visitor Center with lots of very good information about this iconic building. 

There is this model of the White House and it's grounds.

This is Hiawatha's boat, a center piece. First Lady Julia Grant acquired this item at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition.

The center shows lots of pictures of presidential families really living in the White House and discusses the changes and improvements made over the years.

We have been to D.C. twice before and you were able to walk up to the iron fence that surrounds the White House.  It is a real shame that the threats of terrorism since 9/11 and resulted in these barricades keeping the public away from the building.   But it is so sad to see these barriers.

This is the view from the other side of the building.  At least you can see the White House and the grounds.

The crowd standing to get a look at the facility was impressive.

Over the weekend 394 names were added to the Fallen Police Officer Memorial and many police officers from the departments of the officers that had died in the line of duty were there.  These two motorcycle officers from the San Diego Police Department wanted to have a photo with the White House in the background.  They pulled into place then walked over to the people in the crowd shown above and asked them to take a picture with the officer's cell phone.  Cool!

Freedom of the Press

During my time in the School of Journalism  at the University of Colorado, where I got my degree in 1965, I gained a deep appreciation of the First Amendment to our constitution, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Ever since I heard in  2008 about the new museum in Washington, D. C., the Newseum, I have wanted to visit it.  So it was center of our intention the first day there.

The exhibits include front pages from the day's newspapers in all 50 states, the Pulitzer Prize photograph winners, the history of publications of the news over 5 centuries, the role news reporting played in our country's Independence, in the struggle of civil rights and in the fall of the Berlin Wall. 

A section of the Berlin Wall and one of the guard towers from the East German side are on exhibit.  The wall had kept citizens of East Germany from going to the West German side but it couldn't keep  radio, TV and newspaper stories of the better life and the freedom in the west from reaching people on the Communist side.

The sign below expresses the importance of a free press and the hope that journalists will maintain the standard of truth.

I hadn't realized that newspaper editors had been real celebrities during the 1890s.  There were even trading cards with their pictures, like we saw for sports heroes when I was growing upl

Of course, most of us in my generation are aware of the role the Washington Post and reporters Woodward and Bernstein played in the impeachment and resignation of President Richard Nixon.  I had two young children at that time.  I was glued to the TV for the Watergate hearings during those months.

I got a kick out of this poster from that era.

Nothing in the exhibits about attempts to stop the freedom of the press was of interest for a photograph but over the years individuals, courts and partisans have attempted to block that action.  So far, freedom has triumphed in this country, though in most parts of the world the concept is unknown.

This is an old printing press which would only print one side of one piece of paper with each operation.  The news sure spreads a lot faster in this age of the internet!

We both enjoyed the newseum and could have spent more time there.  In fact, the $20 ticket is good for two days.  But by the time we had toured the US Capitol and eaten lunch, we were getting tired and not willing to stay another few hours.  And we had other spots we wanted to visit on our second day in town, so I guess we will just have to come back another time.

US Capital

We checked into the Cherry Hill RV park in College Park, Maryland, and spent two days exploring Washington, DC.  The park is only 4 miles from a metro train station so we drove there and took the Green Line.

The train wasn't full but there were quite a few riders.  We boarded near the main entrance to the University of Maryland so there were a lot of college-age riders in addition to the tourists. It was too late in the morning for people who work in the District of be aboard.

The is the underground station where we waited for the train.

At both ends of the journey we used escalators like this to reach the street level.

We found another cell phone user to take our picture in front of the U.S. Capitol.

One group of visitors approaching the capitol were all dressed in American flag-inspired jackets.

This white star figure in located in the center of the floor of statuary hall in the capitol.  It is also the center of the congressionally designated District of Columbia.

John took this photo looking up to the dome of the capitol.

A painting featuring George Washington.

Our tour guide, here in the red jacket, was wonderful.  She was so knowledgeable and able to tell members of her group about the statues in the hall that are from their state.  Everyone in a tour group is given headphones.  The guide speaks into a mike on a radio frequency heard only by the people in the group.  It made it so easy to hear her and meant the building wasn't as noisy as when each guide was talking loud enough to be heard to the whole group while also hearing other guides.

These are the people carved into a band below the upper railing in the dome.

This statue represents three women who helped bring about women's suffrage, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

During the tour we passed the entrance to the offices of Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

These are just a few of the statues in Statuary Hall.

We had both been in the capitol before but I really enjoyed seeing where so many important decisions have been made over the past 200+ years in our great country. The concept that the Founding Fathers brought into being in this country has truly changed the world and we are so blessed to be able to live here.