Washington DC and Seneca Rocks

Washington D.C. was a mixed bag of cherry blossoms and crowds, museums and security checks. The days I remember from my eighth grade class trip of running up the Capitol steps into the rotunda have long passed. It never occurred to me that since 9/11, the place would be locked up so tight with security. It definitely changed the whole feel of the place.

Of course, it was just as beautiful as I remembered it. The monuments and changing of the guard moved me as much now as they ever did. Once again, Anna had to be patient as Jackson explored every corner of the Smithsonian. She definitely found things that interested her, but even I got tired watching Jackson move slowly from floor to floor, exhibit to exhibit.

After two days, we were ready to move again. Making our way toward Seneca Rocks, WV, I realized we’d be wildly swinging from one end of the spectrum to the other. The absolute quiet of Applacia was quite a contrast from the cities of New York and DC. We timed our visit perfectly and had two days of 80 degrees and sun.

Seneca Rocks consists of a single rock formation that sits above a tiny town. The 10^th Mountain Division used it as a training site during WWII and tried to blow it up. Fortunately for climbers, they did not succeed.

Seneca Rock -  the U shape in the middle is called the Gunsight.

It is amazing to see and impressive to sit upon. The thinness of the rock did not do much to calm the kids’ nerves and the first day, we definitely pushed them beyond their comfort zone. Chalk it up to one of our parental missteps. So the second day, we spent on a top rope and were able to see a lot more smiles, a lot more fist thrusts after successfully reaching the top.

     First day - Anna's excited to get going

               Getting to the Gunsight

                Hot and happy to be down

                 Alex setting up the toprope

               Anna on the toprope

                     Jackson on the toprope

When the rain came on the third day, we decided to head toward Richmond to see family and take in some more history. Anna puked only once driving out of the mountains, so all in all it was a success.