Leaving the boys behind in Bessie, I caught the bus/train from our campsite for a day exploring Washington D.C. on my own.
The Mall, arguably home to America's most precious monuments (and the museums we've been visiting), is a bit of a hike in its entirety and not one I think the boys would have enjoyed.
So off I strolled down Pennsylvania Avenue to stop in at the White House and give my best to the Obamas.
Next I visited the Albert Einstein memorial and loved his quote there inscribed:
"Joy and amazement at the beauty and grandeur of this world of which man can just form a faint notion."
The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial was decorated with so many other tokens, photos and memories brought from home that it was a reminder the effects of that war are still being keenly felt in homes across America (and elsewhere).
Being just over 50 years to the day since his famous speech, I felt inspired standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial where Martin Luther King Jr had shared his dream with the world.
The grandeur of Abe Lincoln's statue and the gravity of the inscriptions on either side - his second inaugural address and the gettysburg address - leave you feeling fairly insignificant.
Gazing down the reflecting pool to the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument which is under repair, I felt quite jealous of Americans and the general majesty and awe their capital inspires.
I also felt pretty hungry.
So off down the Mall I trotted and thankfully came across an entire street full of food trucks.
With a greek gyro under my belt, I took to the Museum of American History (yes, another completely free Smithsonian institution) and joined an hour-long "highlights tour".
After meeting the original Kermit the Frog, eyeing off Dorothy's ruby red slippers, admiring and criticising the First Lady's choices in inaugural dresses and dinner settings, checking out some of George Washington's personal items, touching part of the Berlin Wall, gazing upon the first copy ever made of the Declaration of Independence and gazing upon the first ever flag to bear the 'stars and stripes' - amongst other things - I decided I simply had to bring the whole family back.
And so I did...
We revisited the museum together and this time concentrated on the halls "America on the Move" and "On the Water" which explained everything from interstate highway development to on-ship fish processing.
The boys' reactions to exhibits in other halls were amusing.
Indy was not impressed by the grand-daddy of today's Apple iPad but was very happy to have seen Harry Potter's Hogwarts uniform and to have stood at a Presidential podium to give a pretend press conference.
Afterwards, some Hill Country barbecue brisket with all the fixings was just the ticket to fill our hungry tummies.
Nath had sought it out when he'd spent his own day exploring the capital and had wanted to share the experience with us.
We've stayed for six nights in Washington D.C. - that's the longest we've stayed anywhere. It's an indication of how much we've loved it here!
