Day 8 - Kill Devil Hills - Washington, DC

After a week of sunshine and mostly clear skies, rain finally caught up with us just a bit this morning.  It was quite light, but was growing from the south as we headed north from our hotel in Kill Devil Hills.  Franklin turned 9 years old today.  As a kid who loved to travel, I would have been over the moon with excitement to be traveling on my birthday.  Jason and Caroline wanted to make sure today was special so right before we went to bed last night, they hung crepe paper, a banner, and balloons so Franklin would see them when he woke up.  As timing would have it, we just happened to be driving right by the home base of Grave Digger, Franklin's favorite Monster Truck "character."  When we arrived, his smile was so big, it was infectious,  Jumping, hopping, cheering, and laughing was the order of the morning.  We visited the gift shop, Franklin rode in a Monster Truck, and we saw older version of Grave Digger on display.

We continued north into Virginia.  When we began to cross the James River between Norfolk and Hampton, we could see the Navy Yards and Base off to the right.  Franklin asked if we could spend some time in the city looking around.  And since it was his birthday, we agreed that making an unscheduled stop was in order!  Driving back into Norfolk, we decided we would take a tour of the Naval Station (Base).  Picture-taking was limited since this is an active installation.  21,000 civilians and 46,000 military personnel work at the base and it's annual payroll is $9.3 billion.  It's roughly 6,200 acres and houses 18 squadrons and 59 ships.  We saw some destroyers (including the USS Cole), cruisers, helicopters, jets, and 3 aircraft carriers:  Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S Truman, and Abraham Lincoln.  It was a great stop and I'm glad Franklin had the idea!

Our next stop was Yorktown, site of the British surrender to the American and French forces in 1781.  I really wanted to make sure Lena got to this site since she is so taken with Hamilton, the musical.  In the show, the Battle of Yorktown is depicted in the song "The World Turned Upside Down" and the lead up to it is portrayed in "Guns and Ships."  Because of this musical (and the accompanying CD), Lena (and many her age), now know about Lafayette and Rochambeau, Hamilton and Washington, and how the events leading to Cornwallis' surrender came about.  Many of you know that I majored in history in college and I've always loved reading about and visiting historic places.  I have to admit that my excitement about Yorktown has waned after today's visit.  The battlefield is one of immense importance, but it seems very neglected.  I love the National Park Service, but they really need to step up their game here.  Most of the signs are the exact ones that were here 30 years ago on my last visit and they have made no attempt to capture the "Hamilton momentum" that is sweeping the country.  They are missing a HUGE opportunity here.  Lena says she enjoyed it, and we did get to see the British redoubt that Hamilton, Lafayette, and their forces took (in the song they discuss removing their bullets from the guns so as not to have an accidental misfire give them away).  We also visited the house where the Articles of Capitulation were signed, heard a neat story about John Laurens' (Hamilton's friend) father, the Surrender Field where the British troops laid down their weapons, and the Victory Monument authorized 2 years after the battle, but not built until 1881.  After all that, I really wish the experience was even better, more interactive, and more interesting.  Okay, I'm off my soapbox!

After Yorktown, we stopped at a bakery in Mechanicsville, VA to get a cake for Franklin, grabbed a nice dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Fredricksburg, and sang happy birthday to Mr. F at our "luxury hotel" (Franklin's term) in Arlington (it's a nice Residence Inn).  Tomorrow we hit Washington, DC.  Sylvia is especially excited to see where Martin "Loofer" King gives his speeches.  I only hope the Lincoln Memorial (my favorite) lives up to her expectations!