Summer of 76: The Trip, Part One: A Long Drive
In the autumn of 2008, Miriam and I traveled by airplane to Washington, D.C. It was my first time there, and I loved almost everything about the trip: the monuments, the memorials, the museums, the fancy hotel, and the amazing day trip to Mount Vernon. But, though we spent several days in the District, we didn’t see everything wanted to, and since we had such a wonderful time it was certain that we would return.
The last weekend of May this year marked our fifth wedding anniversary, and with no scholastic obligations weighing me down, and with the car in good working order, we set out on a long road trip that would take us across much of the southeast United States, with the nation’s capital as our main attraction, and many other places of interest along the way.
Day One
We pulled out of the driveway before dawn on Thursday, May 27. After stopping for some last-minute items, we got underway in earnest, and were making our way north out of Gainesville when the sun was coming up. Perhaps because I have driven the route so many times, and perhaps because of the unremitting bleakness of the towns along the way (Waldo, Starke, Lawtey), Highway 301 south of Interstate 10 struck me as about the least visually rewarding stretch of road on our entire trip. Only Interstate 95 through South Carolina rivaled it for sheer blight.
We had already reached Georgia by 7:30AM. In fact, I missed getting a free map at the state welcome center because it was not yet open. We crossed the Savannah River and were in South Carolina barely an hour later. We drove on for another hour and twenty minutes before stopping for breakfast. Interstate 95 spans an enormous distance across South Carolina, and the drive through that state seems to go on forever, with almost nothing beautiful to look at. Miriam drove that leg of the trip, and we got to North Carolina around 12:30PM. That time I got my free map. I had never been further north on I-95 than the junction at I-40, but, truth be told, there isn’t much to look at: the fake lighthouse in Kenly houses a Wendy’s. We were in Virginia just before three o’clock, and as we speeded toward our destination, I became excited by the highway signs: we had traveled a long way!
Richmond was our destination that first day. We arrived at our hotel around 4:30PM, checked in, and almost immediately headed back out. We had to choose between two activities in the city that night: enjoying food and entertainment at the botanical garden, or visiting the Edgar Allen Poe Museum. I am glad we chose the latter, because the Poe Museum in Richmond is a little gem. Housed in the city’s oldest building (sadly, none of Poe’s former residences in Richmond still stand), the museum holds a surprising number of authentic items, including objects once owned by the writer, as well as autograph manuscripts, and extremely rare editions of his works. Spread among a few modest old brick buildings, the museum even houses the staircase from Poe’s childhood home, fully reassembled. Stepping outside into a lovely courtyard, we sat and listened to a singer while enjoying a snack. The weather was perfect, though Richmonders repeatedly apologized to us for what they considered uncommonly hot temperatures. Miriam bought a souvenir in the gift shop, and we said goodbye to the friendly staff, having experienced a splendid little place that cost nothing that night. Plus, we parked directly in front of the front door!
A large model of nineteenth century Richmond at the Poe Museum drew my attention to the great state house that lies in the middle of that city. It wasn’t far away, at all, and when we arrived we found it was unbelievably easy to park our car. We climbed the steps at the southwest corner of the capitol grounds and found the place completely deserted. It was still quite light outside, but nobody was around, so we decided to go exploring. We walked right up to the great columns on the south portico of the building, and peeked in the enormous windows. I don’t recall trying to open the door, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if we could have just strolled right in. The view of the city from that high place was delightful. We walked around to the east side of the grounds and found the old governor’s mansion. Several presidents of the United States have lived there. It sits so close to the state house that I envied the office holder’s one-minute commute. The mansion itself is handsome but not ostentatious. It has a low wall in front that one could easily jump over. Looking to the west across the north face of the capitol we saw the tall statue of Washington upon a horse. It was beginning to get dark, but we continued to explore the grounds. Great trees hovered over statues of famous Virginians; attractive benches surrounded lovely fountains; and gorgeous roses mocked me.
We wrung the last bit of daylight from the sky before leaving that place. We went looking for a place to eat, but driving up and down the city streets yielded few obvious choices. We were just looking in the wrong place. According to our friends and Richmond natives, Kat and Harris, the area around the capitol clears out at night, while the nightlife moves to the west end. There, along a very busy Main Street, we found the Star-lite. It was intimate enough, though I was somewhat sad when they switched the television above the bar from the Nationals game to basketball. I apparently had a milkshake for dinner. On the way back to our hotel we drove down long avenues of elegant nineteenth century homes. The entire city, it seems, was rebuilt in the 1870s, a hundred years before I was born.
Filed under: Dana Heritage Project, Geography, Musings, Transportation, Travel on August 17th, 2010 | No Comments »
