Robbinsdale, United States

Time to hit the road. See everyone Friday night at 6:00 to pack the van and 7:30 Saturday morning to get going. Washington DC bound!
All packed up.

All of our stuff fits. Uh oh, are we really supposed to fit the girls in here too?
Ok they all fit! We're ready to go.
DC here we come.
Even though it was a long day, the girls all did great on theLes mer
Day 2 begins

Thanks girl scouts for great accommodations. And cheap too. We stayed in a cabin at a girl scout camp in Indiana through Girl Scouts of Northern Indiana - Michiana. Bunks, bathrooms, full kitchen,Les mer
Allegheny Mountains

Beautiful scenery driving through PA. But the girls could not hold their breaths until the end of the tunnel.
Dinner Day 2

Had another great meal! Called &Pizza. Best pizza I've had in a long time and the girls all agreed. Always see interesting things along the way.
We're almost there. Just stopped for a few moreLes mer
Museum of Natural History Gems & Mineral

Our first stop on our first day in DC. Many interesting exhibits including the hope diamond.
Bones and Dinosaurs

Part of the Museum of Natural History, one of the Smithsonian Museums.
Mummies and other things.

Still part of the Museum of Natural History.
United States Capitol Building

Outside the Capitol Building. Building is beautiful and just awe inspiring. But have to admit, this was our first inclination of just how much walking there would be in DC. We thought we were doingLes mer
Inside the Capitol Building

Beautiful building. The statue at the top is called the Statue of Freedom. Lots of history about the building of the Capitol, the statues located inside and the paintings & murals.
Library of Congress

Not much time to spend here but it is a beautiful building and we really wanted to see it. There was a tunnel going from the Capitol building to the Library of Congress which meant we did not have toLes mer
Riding the subway.

The girls loved it! Christina - not so much (motion sickness). The girls called it subway surfing. We never got on the wrong train - success! Great way to get around, just wish they had stops/stationsLes mer
Ford's Theatre & Peterson House

Ford's Theatre was where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th, 1865. Beautiful theatre. Not sure how the other girls felt, but I can say that Natalie was a bit disappointed to findLes mer
Chinatown

We finally made it to Chinatown, after many rounds of "how much longer do we have to walk" "are you sure you know where we are going?" "I'm not walking 10 more blocks!" I finally gave up the map toLes mer
Playing in the Waves

The girls had a blast playing in the waves. They were pretty big waves, but really a strong undertow so they were easily knocked off of their feet. The lifeguards were on vigilant duty.
Heading to the Beach

Oh, the excitement! A couple of the girls have never been to the ocean before. But we also took time out of our drive to enjoy a sweet morning snack along the way.
At the Beach

It was a beautiful day at the beach. There were clouds that kept the sun from beating down on us so that helped with the heat. Everyone had fun playing in the sand and we had a picnic lunch at theLes mer
More beach pics

And of course there were the life guards. Can you say Baywatch?
On the Boardwalk

We only walked a very short portion of the 3 mile boardwalk, but it was a beautiful evening and the boardwalk was very nice. Lots of shops to get souvenirs, great place to people watch and we had aLes mer
Washington Monument

We actually were at the Washington Monument a couple of different times. But seeing it with the sunset behind it was just breathtaking.
More Washington Monument

Guess who photo bombed my picture?
Holocaust Museum

Very interesting, moving and VERY emotional! I believe the girls all got a lot out of this experience. While we did not plan on spending 3 hours here and we ended up not being able to make it to theLes mer
Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum

Didn't spend too much time here but we all had fun doing a ride simulator or a few of us did a virtual reality walk in space. Pretty cool stuff.
World War II Memorial

This was a very neat and peaceful/relaxing place to be. And after a long day of walking and being hot, taking our shoes off and sticking our feet in the water was a little bit of heaven. I would haveLes mer
Reflecting pool

The reflecting pool sits between the Washington Monument and the WWII Memorial on one end and the Lincoln Monument on the other end. Finally figured out why they call it the reflecting pool. :) HardLes mer