Sunday started with the 915 service at Thomas Road Baptist Church at Liberty University. My hotel was directly across the road, so I just walked over and checked out the welcome and reception area before the service. It was insane!
The reception area ran the length of the building, was about 50feet wide, and had four seating areas, a book store, 3 information desks, and a full coffee shop!
Once inside the chapel, it was exactly as amazing as it seems. You could easily put on a Broadway or Las Vegas style show- the sound and lighting and video boards and screens- WOW.
It was something else. Pastors Jonathan Falwell (son of Jerry Falwell) and Matt Wilmington (son of Harold Wilmington) led the service- which flew by.
After the service I went back to the hotel, packed, checked out, and quickly took in the beautiful new buildings on campus, as well as the stadiums. What a blast, and what a gorgeous campus. I could have stayed there another week.
So I climbed back into the Saab and hit the highway for the next leg of my trip.
(We've now eclipsed 1300km)
I hit the highway just in time to run smack into an EPIC storm! It was raining so hard that people were just pulling over on the shoulders of the road. It was really ugly for a while.
The rain stopped about an hour later, and the rest of the drive was uneventful, even boring.....UNTIL I HIT QUANTICO!
At Quantico, VA- site of the US Marines' largest training base- it felt like my car was shot out of a cannon! Every car instantly hit 150km OR MORE! It was crazy! We hurtled toward Washington at break-neck speeds, weaving and slicing our ways along the Potomac. Then...I was there.
I checked into my swanky downtown hotel- The L'Enfant Plaza- changed, grabbed my camera, GPS watch, and a raincoat- and dashed out the door to try to hit the sights before dark.
I went straight from my hotel to the National Mall. My plan was to work my way West along the mall from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, then back along the Potomac - hitting all the sights along the way.
As soon as I turned the corner from my hotel, I could see a problem. The Washington Monument, a white marble obelisk, was covered with a blue scaffolding.
When I got up to it, there was a sign that said "WASHINGTON MONUMENT CLOSED DUE TO EARTHQAUKE REPAIRS". Fair enough.
I continue to the WWII Memorial. It's a huge circular white marble pool/fountain with wreaths and monuments to all 50 states as well as to both the Atlantic and Pacific Campaigns. I was excited to see it. Except....NO WATER. The lack of a pool or fountains gave it the appearance of a roller rink.
All in all, it was very impressive, and I really want to come back to see it when it's active.
From there I walked West along Constitution Gardens Pond....
And arrived at the Vietnam Memorial. It was extremely moving and poignant. You don't realize on TV or in pictures how small the names are or how long the walls are...of course this is because there are so many names. One of te Rangers said 58,000. It was a rough monument to take in- a lot of very emotional people, and a number of flags and wreaths being left.
A short turn to the South West brought me to the North side of the Reflecting Pool, and the far right side of the steps leading up to the Lincoln Memorial. Again, only by being there in person will you ever grasp the sheer size of the building and it's surroundings. The stairs are tiered and get steeper and steeper as they go.
It's not an easy climb, but once you get there, it's totally worth it. The view is unbelievable.
Within the building, there are three rooms, one with the Gettsburg Address inscribed, one with Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address inscribed, and of course, one with the statue.
To the South East is the Korean War Memorial. To be honest, it's incredibly eerie. It's a series of sculptures of Korean-era soldiers patrolling a field, along with a black marble wall with the faces of soldiers watermarked into it, and a marble fountain. This was also quite crowded, and very somber.
About a quarter mile to the East stood the DC WWI memorial. Alone. Deserted. And beautiful.
I crossed the street and walked along the Tidal Basin, and worked my way along the water all the way around to the Jefferson Memorial. It was better than I ever could have imagined. By far my favorite landmark of the day.
I walked back to my hotel, and at one point looked down the street between the trees on a traffic island. WHOA! That's the Capitol!
When I did get back, I flopped into my room. My soaking wet clothes told me I didn't need to have worn a jacket. My GPS told me I had walked over 13km. I was tired and exhausted and needed a shower.
Red Sox and Yankees are on TV, and I'm writing this. Tomorrow I plan to take in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, then head for Philadelphia. I guess I'll talk to you then!
Tonight, I want to pray on PROVERBS 18:15
"The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge."
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