Day 7, July 30, 2023, Sunday. Ashland, VA (Richmond) (50 miles)
A short drive and we checked into Americamps RV Resort (50 amp FHU). A day of laundry, grocery shopping, reading and rest. The campground has a nice fitness room and we utilized the treadmills.
Day 8, July 31, 2023, Monday. Ashland, VA (Richmond)
A 20 minute drive into Richmond for a tour of the State Capitol. The Thomas Jefferson inspired classic Roman temple design was built in 1785-1788. A dome was added later which amazingly is visible from the inside only. Inside is a life size statue of Washington which is the only one he ever actually posed for. It is also the most accurate depiction of his face as the artist used a plaster of Paris mask on Washington himself to create it. Our tour guide, Mark, was very entertaining, with many animated quotes from historical figures like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. One of the best Capitol tours we have experienced. After lunch we had an enjoyable visit to the Virginia Museum of Fine Art. The art was varied and beautiful but its beauty was challenged by the beauty of the museum building itself. Of particular fascination was the Faberge Collection which included many items from the Russian Tsars, Alexander and Nicholas II, and the Art Deco and Art Nouveau collections. On the way back to the coach, we stopped at Buz & Ned’s Real BBQ and picked up a pound of brisket and a rack of baby back ribs. (We have had Buz & Ned’s on prior trips which was very good). This time, not so much, with fatty brisket, and ribs that were just ok.
Virginia State Capitol
Virginia Museum of Fine Art
Day 9, August 1, 2023, Tuesday. Ashland, VA (Richmond)
This morning we visited the Maymont Botanical Gardens. We had been there in 2011 but did not get a chance to tour the Maymont Mansion. Well, the mansion is only open Friday through Sunday for tours so no visit again! However, the gardens alone are worth the visit. In the afternoon we visited the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. Richmond is Poe’s (1809-1849) birthplace and the museum dates from 1906. Located in and around the Old Stone House, the oldest residential building that is still standing in Richmond. The Old Stone House and three other buildings surround a garden and a shrine to Poe. The museum tells of Poe’s life from childhood to his death and includes many original artifacts from Poe’s life. An enjoyable visit.
Maymont Botanical Gardens
Day 10, August 2, 2023, Wednesday. Reston, VA (104 miles)
We departed the Richmond area and checked into Lake Fairfax Park Campground (50 amp E only) in Reston. An afternoon visit to the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens was enjoyable. The gardens include a Korean Bell Garden and many other varied gardens. We saw many colorful birds along the way. However, it was a pleasure to get back to the visitors center and air conditioning as the temps were still on the warm side.
Meadowlark Botanical Gardens
Day 11, August 3, 2023, Thursday. Reston, VA
One of the reasons we selected this campground was its vicinity to The Great Falls Park (US NPS). We had been to the park in 2021 and desired to go again. This is where the Potomac River flows over a series of steep, jagged rocks and through a narrow gorge. We hiked the River Trail about 5 miles out and back. Some of the trail is fairly rocky and some areas require some rock climbing to get to the river/cliff edges. We had a cloudy day so the temps were actually almost bearable. In the afternoon we hiked the Lake Thoreau Trail loop about 2.2 miles. The lake is pretty but the hike is mostly through residential areas with occasional lake views.
The Great Falls Park
Day 12, August 4, 2023, Friday. Reston, VA
The Lake Fairfax Park Campground is a lovely, forested and quiet place so we decided to extend our stay for three more days. This required us to move the coach over a few spots which was not much of an inconvenience since this allowed us to use the dump station and fill up with water. We then drove to the Wiehle Reston Metro Rail parking garage and took the Metro to the Smithsonian stop. We visited three Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC. First was the National Museum of Natural History and we entered and had our bags searched. All Smithsonian Museum are free of charge and this museum was absolutely packed. So crowded, in fact, that it was not a very enjoyable visit. Especially disappointing was the dinosaur exhibit which indicated that the skeletons were casts. There was a sign claiming they were not fakes as the casts were made from original bones but I was not convinced. We did enjoy the mammals exhibit where we saw many that were not widely known. We walked through the Ocean hall but the blue whale seemed to be missing its face and was not really recognizable (at least from the angles we viewed it). We went to the second floor and hoped to see the Hope Diamond. Our second attempt was a success, as a break in the crowd allowed us to view and photograph the rock. We walked by the live butterfly pavilion (which does charge admission) which was so crowded that it reminded me of the Star Trek episode of the overly crowded planet where there was no space between the people. We passed on the butterflies and instead viewed the live insect display. All in all, a big disappointment! Lunch at Rice Bar was a create your own bowl and was ok. We then visited the Hirshhorn Museum of contemporary art. We entered and had our bags searched. Knowing that there was a gelato vendor at the Hirshhorn and wanting dessert after lunch, we asked where it was. It was just outside the exit. After our gelato, we re-entered the museum and our bags were searched again. (Let me just say that this particular contemporary art museum was not for me). When we finished looking at the art, we asked directions to the restrooms. They were located near the entrance but we were not allowed to go back there. We were told that we must exit and then enter again and our bags were searched a third time in this museum. What an efficient government run organization! Next we visited the National Museum of Asian Art. After our bags were searched, we placed them in a free locker so we did not have to carry them while viewing the museum. We had tried a locker at the History Museum but it cost a quarter and had signs indicating “no refunds.” After 2 unsuccessful attempts and a lost quarter we gave up. The Asian art was beautiful and very interesting. Unfortunately we ran out of time and did not get to see it all as it closed at 5:30. When we tried to go back to the entrance we were denied and told to exit at a different access point and walk around the building to the main entrance to get to our locker. Fortunately, the main entrance was not yet locked and we entered and after my fanny pack was searched, we retrieved my backpack from the locker. We took the Metro for the 45 minute ride back to our car. Total time from museum to coach was 90 minutes. A long and full day - I suspect I will sleep well tonight.
National Museum of Natural History
Hirshhorn Museum
National Museum of Asian Art
Day 13, August 5, 2023, Saturday. Reston, VA
A day after our trip to DC and a visit to three museums, we decided to take a rest day. We did visit the Reston Farmers Market and Harris Teeter in the morning but the afternoon was spent playing dulcimer and blogging. A little restless after dinner so we visited Sprouts, Trader Joe’s and Wholefoods, all nearby, and made purchases at each. Our cabinets and fridge are now full!
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