Stop 3: Washington, DC

Alright, let me just start with a disclaimer: I did not love DC. I realize this will make me very unpopular with most readers and some of you may even judge me and assume I am shallow and un-American. So I will go ahead and apologize to those of you before you go any further and assure you that I am a) not shallow, b) quite proud of my country, and c) still really, really glad we went.


If Outer Banks was simplicity and bliss, DC was heat and exhaustion. Those of you who know me know that I do not shy away from 90 degree heat, but walking looooooong blocks in a crowded city with a 6-year-old hanging onto my hand was a little trying at times. Both boys did pretty well and said they both enjoyed the city a lot, but any parent knows walking around the National Mall in June with small children can make any adult long for a beach vacation.

We stayed in Pohick Bay Regional Park in Virginia, although we did not really do anything in the campground. It served as homebase to come back at the end of each day, shower, eat, and sleep.

We drove the car to the nearest train station and took the Metro to the National Zoo, since that was Aidan Kai's one request. We were all super impressed with the zoo...the animals were super accessible, and we lucked out with great views of the pandas.

From there we took the metro back into the National Mall area. This was the kids' first train rides, so that was definitely part of the fun.

We only had enough time for a bite to eat and the Washington Monument before we had to head back to avoid a rainstorm and a 6-year-old-nearing-a-breakdown-from-physical-exhaustion.




Walking up to the monument was really impressive, but for me, personally, the White House was by far my favorite sight. They closed the street in front of it when we got there (they would not tell us why, but we did google that Prince was performing there that day), so we were able to get perfectly unobstructed shots.

We spent day 2 seeing the rest of the monuments and visiting the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of Natural History.

When I jokingly asked Aidan Kai if he thought Lincoln would get up

and start talking to us like he did in the movie "Night at the Museum 2", he assured me that

"No, Mommy, that only happens at night."

The boys standing where Martin Luther King Jr gave his "I Have A Dream" speech.

Vietnam Veteran's Memorial

Amelia Earheart's plane at Air and Space Museum

This pilot is way cuter than Amelia, don't you think?

Surely, I'm not the only one who has been to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
and kept half-expecting to see Ben Stiller turn the corner...?

My biggest complaint about the city? Amazingly enough, I never found a DC decal for my collection (although I admit I already ordered one online to stick on once we get home). But we did add another state to our US Map on the back of the RV. Now on to the adventure: New York City!

Washington DC, check!

Stop 2: Rodanthe, Outer Banks, NC

"Mommy, I've never felt this way. I've never been this happy."
"That's bliss, Ben. That feeling is called bliss."
"Blissful," he stated. He smiled, and got back on his bike.

That was on our third night in Outer Banks, NC. My 9-year-old made that comment, out of nowhere.
I knew exactly how he felt.

The last few days have been magical. Simple and magical. We did not do much: we mostly hung out at the Cape Hatteras KOA Campground where we played in the pool and on the beach, but there is no doubt that we all felt blissful.

We were in the town of Rodanthe on Cape Hatteras, which is one of the thin barrier islands that make up the Outer Banks. Rodanthe is towards the southern end, and in order to get there you either have to drive all the way from the northern end down or take two ferries from the southern end (which is what we did). What this means is that if you are spending time vacationing in this area, you had to put in some effort to get there. And what that means is that you have a lot of empty beaches, interesting people, and an overall feeling of being truly "away".

A pit stop on the side of the road in the town of Ocracoke,
the first southern island of OBX
and the location of the first ferry's stop. 

The first ferry: a two hour ride to Ocracoke, OBX

No, that big fancy motor home is not us.

That's us!

Waiting in line on Ocracoke
for the second ferry ride into Hatteras Island.

My view for my morning coffee (and evening nightcap). 

The view of our camp site from the beach boardwalk.

The feeling of being away from the rest of the world wasn't the only thing that contributed to our feelings of bliss. We played all day long: jumping, swimming, surfing, skim boarding, boogie boarding, biking...  We would put our bathing suits on first thing in the morning, and we were still running around with sand on our feet well after sunset.

Breakfast in our bathing suits...

...and dinner at a super cool local place (still) in our bathing suits.

Sandy feet
Happy hearts!

Bouncing pillow: one of the boys' favorite campground amenities!

Another favorite activity: crab-hunting at night.

 My little (and big) surfer dudes:

I got some board time in too, although I wouldn't call mine surfing...it was more like paddling against crazy-ass hard winds and then floating back to where I started.

One of our favorite experiences was going to Jockey Ridge State Park, the tallest natural sand dunes in the eastern United States. The pictures just don't do it justice. It is awe-inspiring.

See my teeny tiny family up there?

                                                                                                                     

We got some shopping time in, too. The boys all bought major souvenirs. The little boys got themselves a real-deal, fiber glass surfboard:

The big boy got himself a trainer kite for his latest hobby, kiteboarding:

I, on the other hand, got myself what has now become affectionately known as "Hat": 

One of my favorite days was the one when we woke up to watch the sun rise over the beach behind the campground...

...and then watched it set over the sound across the street.

For sure Ben put it perfectly when he declared his feelings that night. 

Outer Banks was bliss.

Now on to the next adventure: Washington, DC.

OBX sticker, check!