Day 3

We knew it was a possibility… late night wiffle ball and bike rides increase the chances of the rare kiki sleep-in at least ten fold. I woke this morning to a very sweet, very smiley Ella. She was just sitting on the couch, apparently watching me sleep. Abby and Aidan slept almost a half hour later than Ella waking around 8:30. You must understand… my kids don’t sleep after 8! We were on a schedule. We needed to leave the park by 8 to make the 10 tour of Monticello in time to make it to Mt. Vernon by 2.

After scrambling to get breakfast prepared and a coffee poured, I decided to relax. If we don’t get it all done… we don’t get it all done. What a novel concept for a vacation! Instead of rushing off to make both historic homes today, we gambled… maybe we make it, maybe we don’t.

Finally, around 11, we arrived at Monticello. Brent was forced to employ his super skills when navigating the RV up the narrow and winding, heavily shaded “path” to the grounds. As I assured him that surely busses make this journey all day, I could see the disbelief build with every drop of sweat that accumulated on his brow. Just when I thought even The Highwayman could falter, we saw a clearing ahead and pulled into a spot. Having the tow car has been a blessing thus far, but we are learning some things about towing. None of the spots were pull-through. You can’t back up with a Toyota Sienna on a dolly behind you. Oh, well, we would worry about that later. In the meantime, we left the rig with the Sienna partially blocking the road, which other busses would have to clear. Good luck, guys.

We walked past the slave graveyard for the plantation on our way to the shuttle up the the main house. Aidan was beyond intrigued by the history of the place, and, yet, we had only just begun.

We arrived at the main house several minutes before our scheduled tour was to begin, so we took ourselves on a self-guided tour of the gardens. The views from the garden were absolutely fantastic. The hills around the property were lush and green, in spite of the tremendous heat and humidity. Thankfully, every few minutes, a slight breeze cooled the air momentarily. Abby and Ella raced around the garden pointing out the vegetables they recognized as squash, tomatoes, and cabbage, while Aidan read the signage and tried his best to get the attention of his sisters. When we found the enormous asparagus plants, the kikis shrieked with laughter, exclaiming, “Asparagus is my very favorite vegetable!” I am ashamed to note, however, that none of us would have recognized asparagus in this state without the garden stakes. Even Brent and I learned something today.

Our tour guide met us on the porch of the great home at 12:10. She introduced herself and Abby, Ella, and Aidan enthusiastically pushed their way to the front of the group. I won’t bore you with the details of this incredible home, except to say that I have never been so proud of my kids. They listened to the guide and asked intelligent questions and didn’t tire until the end of the 30 minute tour. They were really great.

After the tour, we headed back to the RV for the trip into DC. Unfortunately, the RV was too big for the scenic route, so we were forced to make a rather roundabout journey north by way of Richmond 60 miles to the South and East of our intended route. In the end, it was only an hour longer than the shortcut, and what is an hour when you have food, a bathroom, and endless Disney movies to choose from along the way?

After hitting the Beltway at exactly 5 p.m., I was nervous that Brent would be overwhelmed with the traffic. There is no room for error when your combined length is over 50 feet. Once again Brent lived up to his nickname. We made it to the north side of DC in time for s pre-sunset check-in at the Cherry Hill RV park. Easily locating our slip, we began unhooking the tow car just as the rain began to fall. It was then that we decided to take the kids into town for dinner instead of trying to grill in the rain.

We loaded the kids in the van and took off for Hank’s Oyster Bar in DuPont Circle, a mere 16 miles from the park. After navigating the RV, Brent was more than happy to drive the van which felt like a go-kart after 2 days in the RV. Although the streets in DC are all KINDS of CRAZY, we eventually found Avenue Q and 17th. We are so glad that we made the trek out tonight. The oysters were beyond compare as was the appetizer of fried shrimp and calamari that the kids devoured with a side of goldfish crackers. This place was an absolute perfect blend of grown-up meets kid fare. Along with the mac and cheese, Aidan ate a couple of white anchovy fillets. Who knew he would like anchovies?

On the way home, Ella sang us a song she composed about The Nessie and Abby called Uncle Jim to tell him about dinner. It was another great night on the road.

Side note: Ella also declared at dinner that she didn’t want to go to any more dead people’s houses. She wants to go to a house where people are ALIVE. Hilarious. Hopefully, tomorrow she will be satisfied by a trip out to my friend Sara’s house for dinner. There, she can play with real-live kids.