The BIG American History Road Trip April 2022 - Day 4 - Zip lining, Premium Outlets & DC Memorials

[smithlane]

Day 4 - Sunday 10th April

I woke to the alarm at 7am today after a fairly good night sleep. As much as I love this Inn I’m looking forward to not hearing the freight trains going by at night!

We got ourselves ready and at 8 I popped over the road to get myself a cinnamon bun and hot chocolate from the bakery.
Mum was staying here while we were zip lining so was going to get herself some breakfast once we had gone.

I went to go and get the car and bring it outside the room to load all the cases in as Mum was going to check us out of the room at 11.
Once done Hope and I made our way to River Riders Adventure Centre, we went to the wrong address first of all but soon found where we needed to go.
We checked in and paid the $171 fee for us both, as we were early went to sit in the car for 20 minutes before heading upstairs.

At 9.40 we went up to meet our guides and who we would be zipping with. There was a husband & wife and a family with their 10 year old son, both from Virginia so they hadn’t travelled far.

There would be 4 guides coming out with us as 2 of them were training and would be completing their course today. Johnny and Alex were the main 2 with Brooke and Carson the trainees.

We had to watch a safety video which took us through everything we needed to know about zip lining.
It looks totally terrifying and I’m not going to lie I almost bailed at that moment!
Once done we went outside to be fitted into our harnesses, the guides come round and make sure you’re doing it correctly and tighten up all the straps. We then got given helmets and directed to the van for the short drive to the course.

Holy crap the ropes are high . Stunning location by the Potomac River though.

Our first zip was just a tiny one to ease us in gently!
I was sweating profusely, I can’t tell you how nervous I was! Hope said I should go before her so that I didn’t bottle it . She’s such a thrill junkie these things don’t phase her in the slightest!

I did it 🙌

That initial leap is by far the worst bit but then it’s ok once you feel the ropes hold your weight!

Now for the first proper zip
This was long and high! Johnny told us to ball up which makes you more aerodynamic to get you across.
I had to close my eyes before I jumped, the trick is to not look

We now had to cross a rope bridge that was quite long and very wobbly. You’re obviously harnessed on but it is really tough going trying to balance while the whole thing is swinging, especially as it starts to elevate towards the end!

We had to climb a series of ladders to get us even higher then did another 2 zips before crossing a net bridge. This looks easier than it was as my safety clips kept getting stuck in the netting so I had to keep unhooking myself!

We were now really high and the zips really long!
I made it though and Hope did it like a pro

The second to last one I almost bottled it as it was a sheer drop below rather than a gradual bank of trees. It took a couple of false starts before I just took a leap of faith and jumped

Everyone was so lovely, the guides and the others zipping with us. In between zips when you’re waiting for everyone we all chatted, I love hearing about where people are from and they were all interested about life in the U.K.
If I was the first to zip they’d all chat to Hope making her feel comfortable, she’s so shy so would never start any conversations.

The last zip of the day is meant to be one that goes over the river but as the Potomac is 10 feet higher than normal we couldn’t do it as we would end up getting wet! They have a secondary zip that goes over the car park below. This is quite unnerving though!

Once we were all over it was the final descent onto solid ground and actually the one I was most scared about. You had to abseil down the tower!
I watched everyone else go first trying to muster up the courage but I had to get over my fear fast as there was no other way down

I did it and it was actually no where near as scary as I was thinking it would be!
Sounds silly but I was so darn proud of myself, I honestly never thought I would get through it with my fear of heights. Being with Hope helped massively and everyone was so kind, never rushed you and let you jump in your own time. The guides made you feel safe and secure at all times which is the main thing.

It was now gone 1pm so we’d been at it for 3 hours! We were all frozen to the bone and couldn’t wait to get back in the van to get us back to base. We were lucky that it didn’t rain but there was a huge chill in the air being up so high.

Once back we got out of our harnesses and thanked the guides profusely.
I had taken some photos of the family as I noticed they hadn’t brought their phone so thought they’d want some of their sons first zip lining experience. I got the mums email address and promised I’d send them over once I got WiFi.

We went downstairs to the shop where I bought a t-shirt to prove I had done it! Also got Hope some shorts.

Back in the car we drove the 5 minute journey to the town to pick mum up. She was waiting outside the Inn for us.

I now plugged in the Leesburg Premium Outlets into my phone. It said it was a 40 minute drive.
We drove out of West Virginia and into the most stunning countryside of Virginia. We passed through the prettiest towns, especially one called Hillsboro. We saw loads of signs for vineyards so I’m assuming this is a big area for wine making.

We made it to the outlets with no trouble and stopped at a Subway for lunch as we were all starving by now.
I got a rotisserie chicken and ham sub with a bag of crisps and it hit the spot nicely!

Now into the outlets. We didn’t have masses of time as the zip-lining had taken longer than expected and we still had to drive into DC but we managed to get ourselves a few bargains.

In Under Armour I bought 4 gym tops that were buy one get 80% off a second, a bag reduced to $13.50, some socks with 30% off and a pair of leggings for $20
$95.12 altogether

Mum got a few gym bits too but wasn’t interested in anything else so we pointed her in the direction of the Food Court and told her we wouldn’t be long.
We now did a Supermarket Sweep style haul of a few other shops.
Into Ugg for more slippers, these were 30% off so $56, then to Tommy Hilfiger I found a nice zip up hoody and sweater. There was 30% off the whole store plus when you sign up you get a further 10% off so these two came to $60.09

Last shop was Nike where I bought another pair of leggings, a sports bra and a 3/4 zip training top for $69 altogether

It was now gone 4.30pm so needed to get a wriggle on as we had to check in to the hotel and freshen up before the Memorials by Moonlight tour I had booked for 7.30pm. DC was about a 50 minute drive from here.

The drive was surprisingly straight forward, we did go through two tolls, one of which was change only which we didn’t have enough of so had to drive straight through so god knows how much that will be!

The traffic in DC wasn’t too horrendous, nothing like London anyway!
Thankfully didn’t get into a fender bender. Must be those Missouri plates…..!
We found the hotel with no bother and pulled up outside.
The parking is $50 a night which I did know in advance and is thankfully valet service so we just needed to unload and give the guy our keys. Nice and easy, well it should be for that price!

We checked in and got given key cards for room 806. Found it with no issue, it was a standard double with 2 Queen beds.
I said I’d share with Hope whilst here so mum could have a bed for herself.

Hope was starting to feel rough again, to be honest so was I. I think the zip lining hadn’t done our chests any good!
I told her to stay in the room to get some rest and just mum and I would go. Mum was really looking forward to this so I couldn’t cancel it however tempting it was to crawl into bed right now.

We had a quick freshen up then started the walk down to the Washington Welcome Centre which is where the Trolley Tour starts from.

It took about 30 minutes which wasn’t too bad. It was nice to see some of the city. We stopped at a Wawa to get a drink and chocolate bar to keep us going until dinner later.

It was quite chaotic when we arrived with multiple tours going out at once. We joined the end of a very long queue and just waited our turn. We got our tickets scanned then a lady pulled us out of the queue with a few others and got us on a slightly earlier bus.

Our guide was a great guy called Mike who had been doing these tours for 12 years now, this was actually his second job he loved doing them that much!

Once the bus was full we got on our way. We went past the National Archives then the museums on the Mall, National Gallery of Art, Natural History, Museum of American History and Museum of African American History.

From here we got our first glimpse of the National Monument.
This is the tallest structure in Washington.

We also drove past the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. We couldn’t see it clearly but there is a bronze statue of him housed inside the grand building, he is said to be looking toward the White House. He was the third president of the USA but actually the first to live in The White House for the duration of his presidency. Washington died just after it was completed and Adams only spent some of his time there.

We now had our first stop of the night, to see two memorials, Theodore Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King.
Mike told us we had 30 minutes to explore before needing to get back on the bus. We started with TDR. He actually has 4 memorials, one for each term of his presidency. He was the only President of the United States to be elected 4 times, this was because it was before the 22nd Commandment restricting to only two terms.
The quotes from Roosevelt were very moving and inspirational.

We now walked round to Martin Luther King. This memorial is gigantic and visually stunning! Again his quotes are very moving.

The views from here over the Tidal Basin were beautiful

Back on the bus and around The White House, past the Christmas tree and down Constitution Avenue.

Interestingly Constitution Avenue was once a canal that would bring in goods to the city from the Potomac River. There is still the lock keepers house

We parked up at the end of the Mall to get off the bus to see three Memorials, the main one being Abraham Lincoln who sits at the top end of the Reflecting Pool looking towards the Monument.

This is by far my favourite, it’s a magnificent building with amazing views! Halfway up is the spot where MLK made his ‘I have a dream’ speech.

From here we went over to the Korean War Memorial then over to the opposite side to the Vietnam War Memorial. They are so poignantly done.

We couldn’t see the Vietnam one so easily as it was dark but there are also two statues, one to remember the women who served in the war and the second of three returning soldiers looking out towards Arlington at where their fallen soldiers are laid to rest.
Very sobering.

Back on the bus and towards our last stop of the night, the World War Two Memorial which is just in front of the Monument. We had 15 minutes here.

This is Washingtons newest memorial and has towers at each end one representing the Pacific and the other Atlantic. In between are columns with each State and oversees Territory of the USA.

This wall has over 4000 stars representing one for each American that died in the war, both on the Pacific coast after Pearl Harbour and in Europe.

It was now gone 9.30 so we’d been on the road for over 2 hours!
Mike drove us back to the Welcome Centre via the Capitol Building as we hadn’t a chance to go by it earlier due to street closures.
This is quite an impressive building. On the left is where the Senate sit and on the right is the House of Representatives.
The lawn in front is where the Presidential Inauguration takes place.

We now drove back to the Welcome Centre and offloaded. We were absolutely frozen to the bone as the fabric windows are rolled up the entire time so you can obviously see out and it was a very chilly night!
It was nearly 10pm so instead of walking back I ordered us a Lyft which came within 2 minutes to take us back.
Once in the lobby I then ordered a pizza on Uber Eats to be delivered to the hotel. This took about 20-30 minutes and I went down to pick it up from the delivery driver.
We were all ravenous so ate our full of cheese and ham pizza with garlic and cheese sticks. Delish!
It was straight to bed after an exhausting but fantastic day

[Jesslydevie1]

Just catching up with your trip . You are packing so much in and I am envious of your stamina 😂

[anji]

What a truly memorable day you've had! The ziplining looks terrifying to me and I think I'd have bottled it! The Washington tour is most definitely on my list and you've got some amazing photos - especially the reflection in the pool and the soldiers. Great day!

[Sparksy72]

What a sensational day! You are so brave doing that zip lining, how great that Hope got to chat and interact with the other people too. Love the shopping bargains, especially in such a short time frame. You night tour was amazing, it must have been a ‘pinch me’ moment to be there and see the incredible history and familiar monuments and soak it all in. I am impressed by your stamina, it must be all that time at the gym! Xx

[ClaireNJ]

Well done on the zip wire braver than me 😳🙊
Love your UA stash especially the bag and 80% off the 2nd sounds amazing 💰💰
DC photos are really lovely and very sad too
❤️

[CrispyA]

That’s a really full day! I like the idea of zip lining but I think I’d find it really scary to do when I got to jump off the platform. Washington memorials look beautiful at night

[Goldia]

No, nope, not even slightly interested in doing a zip line! Alicia, you are so brave! There is absolutely no chance of me ever doing that. I can't even climb up the ladder into our loft!

The tour of the memorials in DC was fab. They are so moving aren't they? Seeing your photos makes me want to go back. I hope you loved DC.

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Jesslydevie1

Just catching up with your trip . You are packing so much in and I am envious of your stamina 😂

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Haha my stamina on holidays always takes me by surprise but I do suffer when I get home . Thank you for reading

Originally Posted by anji

What a truly memorable day you've had! The ziplining looks terrifying to me and I think I'd have bottled it! The Washington tour is most definitely on my list and you've got some amazing photos - especially the reflection in the pool and the soldiers. Great day!

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Its certainly a day I'll never forget Anji! I would 100% recommend the Moonlight Memorial tour, its so informative and seeing them lit up at night just gives such different perspective

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

What a sensational day! You are so brave doing that zip lining, how great that Hope got to chat and interact with the other people too. Love the shopping bargains, especially in such a short time frame. You night tour was amazing, it must have been a ‘pinch me’ moment to be there and see the incredible history and familiar monuments and soak it all in. I am impressed by your stamina, it must be all that time at the gym! Xx

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It really was Michelle! Hope felt so much at ease when the others started chatting to her, she really is so shy but actually once you make her comfortable she really lights up
I wish we had longer in the Outlets but I was really pleased with what we what got especially as the bargains are much harder to find now!
It definitely was a pinch me moment, you see all the famous DC sites on film, TV and news so often it felt so surreal to be seeing them in real life.
Haha not sure about that, I felt pretty wrecked after

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by ClaireNJ

Well done on the zip wire braver than me 😳🙊
Love your UA stash especially the bag and 80% off the 2nd sounds amazing 💰💰
DC photos are really lovely and very sad too
❤️

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Thanks Claire, I really surprised myself that I did it!
The bargains were great in Under Armour, it will certainly keep me going until I get back in the Summer. I love UA stuff, so much cheaper than Nike which is usually overpriced1

Originally Posted by CrispyA

That’s a really full day! I like the idea of zip lining but I think I’d find it really scary to do when I got to jump off the platform. Washington memorials look beautiful at night

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I'll be honest that the stepping off of the platform is by far the worst part but it really is only a nano second before you feel the weight of your body being supported. I had my eyes shut every time I had to make the jump but after a couple of zips I started to relax and dare I say it, enjoy myself
I think the memorials look so much more magnificent at night!

Originally Posted by Goldia

No, nope, not even slightly interested in doing a zip line! Alicia, you are so brave! There is absolutely no chance of me ever doing that. I can't even climb up the ladder into our loft!

The tour of the memorials in DC was fab. They are so moving aren't they? Seeing your photos makes me want to go back. I hope you loved DC.

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Haha are you sure I can't convince you Abby
To be fair I was exactly the same as you and I still can't believe I actually went through with it!
I really hope I get to go back as I felt we only scratched the surface of the city. Definitely want to do the various tours that we missed out on

[OB1LukeLucas]

I am worn out reading about your day, definitely action packed! I wouldn’t be able to do anything after the zip wire experience I would just be all jelly legged, you were very brave to do the whole thing but like you said once you start you can’t really stop, I hate stepping off the platform it is the worst bit The photos from your night tour are great, it’s a shame Hope missed doing it, it definitely was worth the effort of going but not the being freezing part! A well deserved pizza picnic in your room to finish the day