Tuesday, June 28, 2011
135 miles
I got up at 7:30 am and was on the road by 9:12 am.
Gas was $3.389/gal in Chester, Virginia.
My first stop was the visitor center of the Richmond National Battlefield Park at Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia.
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| The visitor center for the National Park Service-maintained Civil War sites in the area is at the historic Tredegar Iron Works, a Confederate factory that produced cannon and armor plating for warships. Parking cost $3. Inside, there were historical exhibits, a film, and a friendly desk where I got maps and asked lots of questions. The rangers' recommendation to me was to go to Cold Harbor. | ||
Before leaving central Richmond, I wanted to see the Virginia State Capitol.
Using the excellent tear-off map of Richmond I got at the Tredegar Visitor Center and suggestions for parking,
I drove to near the capitol and parked near St. Paul's Episcopal Church (a block from the capitol).
 | The first sight while walking to the capitol's visitor entrance was the Washington Equestrian Monument, completed in 1858. | |
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| Here I am at the front of the Virginia State Capitol. It, of course, reminded me of the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. Maybe all state capitol buildings are similar? (No, I know Juneau's is different!) | ||
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| I
didn't want to go the hour-long guided tour, so I picked up the
self-guiding tour brochures and enjoyed walking around the building. Sights included the 18th century George Washington statue in the rotunda (left) and the dome (right). Being in this historic building was very fun, and it has recently been restored, so everything was shiny and pretty! | ||
I left the capitol at 10:45 am to head toward Cold Harbor, a Civil War battlefield.
| While it was very hot and very sunny, I decided to do the Cold Harbor walking trail. |  | |
 | The highlights of the Cold Harbor walking trail are the many preserved Civil War-era trenches (earthworks). It wasn't until Kennesaw Mountain that I even knew about Civil War earthworks, but here at Cold Harbor I got to see some of the best still around. WOW! |
I wish I had scheduled more time to see the other Richmond Civil War sites (Petersburg, Malvern Hill, Drewry's Bluff, and the string of forts south of Richmond).
My next stop was Fredericksburg National Battlefield.
| The visitor center was easy to find and had plenty of parking. |  | |
 | I arrived just in time to enjoy the 2:25 pm ranger-led tour. It was short (a little less than half an hour) but did a good job at placing the battle in context. Until this tour, I didn't know that portable bridges were used in the Civil War like in World War II! | |
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| The highlight of the battlefield near the visitor center is the Sunken Road's stone wall. A small portion of it is still original (at right). Another portion was reconstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (at left). This was such an evocative sight, both to imagine this as just a local road (even until just a few years ago) and to imagine the Confederate troops standing behind this wall and picking off thousands of Union soldiers. | ||
| After the walking tour, I walked to get a glimpse of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery
before checking out the visitor center exhibits (including one on Civil
War chaplains and another on relief efforts, both of which I had never
really thought about). Overall, though, it was just miserably hot. |  | |
I left Fredericksburg just before 4 pm. Again, if I go back, I will schedule a day or two to see the other Civil War battlefields in the area (The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Chancellorsville). The heat was miserable, and I didn't want to get caught in Washington, DC, rush hour, so I pressed on.
My parents came to Washington, DC, last year and had a wonderful stay at the Old Colony Inn in Alexandria, Virginia.
I planned to stay there, too, only they were full for one of the nights, so I had to find a last-minute back-up plan.
After scouring the reviews and my AAA TourBook, I reserved three nights at the Hawthorn Suites in Alexandria, Virginia.
I picked it because it was in Alexandria (for easier arrival and departure by car), had good reviews, is 100% non-smoking, was less than $200 a night (it averaged $119.10 + tax a night), had a free shuttle to the Washington Metro, and offered free parking, free wifi, free breakfast, and a free Manager's Reception [light dinner] for the nights I would be there.
 | My room was a king bed studio on the sixth floor. It had a large, comfortable bed, arm chair, nice desk, great view, wonderful TV with lots of cable channels. The hotel had two luggage carts to use to haul luggage up from the parking area. The lighting was excellent, but the air-conditioning was only OK, so I eventually brought my fan up from the car. Luckily, the one working elevator remained working until I got all of my stuff up to the room. After that, it stopped working. (Walking up and down six flights of stairs isn't all that fun.) | |
| I didn't expect the kitchenette
in my room: refrigerator, range, microwave, toaster, coffeemaker, sink,
and dishwasher. It was stocked with dishes, pans, silverware,
dish towels, and even dish soap. I only used the refrigerator, but it was great. The blue paper on the front of the refrigerator is the planned menu of the Manager's Reception for the month! |  | |
 | I assume that the Hawthorn Alexandria is an old, converted apartment house. That's what it looks like on the outside. The age of the place is most easily seen in the mirrored closets (both roomy, with lots of hangers and a shelf; one had a full iron and ironing board, which I used) and the bathroom. The provided soap was from Bath and Body Works and smelled really good. |
The dinner menu on my first night was fettucine alfredo, garlic bread, salad with shredded cheese and choice of dressing, and drinks. (I chose Sierra Mist.)
It reminded me of traditional Wednesday-night church dinner.
After dinner, I hopped in my car and drove a few minutes down the street to the Safeway grocery store (299 S Van Dorn, Alexandria)
to get some cookies, sweet potato chips, and Diet 7-Up. I also got a Frosty from Wendy's to eat as a dessert back in my room as I planned
my first day in Washington, DC, in thirty years.
| Back to Itinerary | On to Day 11 |