The Baseball Trip 2019

Day 9, Sunday, July 21

After breakfast, we traveled south a few miles from the Baltimore area to Washington, D.C.

Random observation from Randy: That was a nice motel,,,,,sort of.

The temperature rose to 104 degrees by the time we hit DC, looking for the Library of Congress. Hey! Guess what? The Library of Congress is closed on Sundays. No History of Baseball Exhibit. The two main stops for this trip are a wash. Perfect.

Nonetheless, we also wanted to visit the FDR Memorial, and we accomplished that task:

 If his wheelchair looks pretty narrow, it's because he had it custom built to fit in the White House dumbwaiter.

The Great Depression Era and Roosevelt's words: "I see one-third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clad, ill-nourished." "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

On the other side of the Potomac I spotted the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial:

After DC we again went south into Woodbridge, Virginia to see the Potomac Nationals play the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. The Nationals are a Class A team belonging to - you guessed it- the Washington Nationals. The Woodpeckers are part of the Houston Astros minor league system.

Because we took our time in DC, and because traffic in that part of the world is horrible, we did not arrive at the stadium until the sixth inning. Thankfully, the temperature had dropped all the way to 101 degrees. We did not stay long. We left after the sixth. Couldn't take it. There is no grandstand overhang and no concourse, so there was absolutely no shelter from the sun. But, pictures? Yes:

You can meet Uncle Slam at the front gate. That's not a typo.

 Left and center field.

 Right field and bullpen area.

 Press box area behind home plate.

From third base line.

So, yeah, we stayed about 25 minutes, in a pool of our own sweat,

Afterwards we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline Drive through the Appalachian Mountains. It's quite scenic and peaceful, except when you have to pull over when the typhoons hit:

Favorite town names: Pentagon City, VA
                                      Occoquan,  VA
                                      Steele's Tavern, VA

Favorite signs: Bohoc Bay
                          Back Lick Road
                          Ox Road

Things we cannot hang around for: Old Fiddlers Convention, Galax, VA

Counting items: 0

Next: Bluefield, VA