A day to remember.....

We have arrived safely back at our motel.....tired....and very proud to have participated in an incredible event.  The crowd was amazing.....very large......very friendly.......very behaved.

We left the motel this morning at 6:45 and headed to the train station. Fortunately we were boarding the train at the end of the line, as we completely filled the train.....we could not take on any more riders at any of the other stations on the way into town.

We arrived at the National Mall at 8:30, and it was filling up quickly.  We were already too late to get a view of the stage, but we chose a strategic location with a good view of the Jumbotron and in front of one of the many speaker towers.  As the time got closer to the show, the crowd kept filling in tighter and tighter.  By Noon when the program officially began, the crowd was so packed that it was generally too crowded to sit.

Jon Stewart's speech at the end of the program was very good.......it was thoughtful, thought provoking, funny, tasteful and inspirational.  Several people said they wished he would run for office....I hope he never does because no one can take his place as a great satirist, pundit and educator.

Suffice it to say, the ride home on the Metro was brutal,  Trying to get 200,000 people out of a small area via the Metro fills lots of cars for a long time.  We are tired, our feet hurt, but it was a wonderful day.  We are so glad we decided to do it.

Closer to Sanity.....

We spent the day in Leesburg....playing Santa Claus at the outlet mall.  We got quite a bit of Christmas shopping finished today.  Traffic in northern Virginia is horrible......glad we are depending on the Metro for transportation tomorrow.

We have made contact with a couple friends that are attending, and will try to meet up with them at the event.  We are heading to the train station early, to make sure we get a parking spot, then heading to the National Mall for the festivities.  There are now 2 buses at our hotel, and all of the hotels around here appear to be full with several buses at all of them.

Arrived in Chantilly, VA

We had a beautiful drive here from Plainfield.....made good time on a clear day.  We are staying in Chantilly, VA, and plan to use the Metro to get downtown for the events.  No plans yet for tomorrow....probably shopping and sights in no particular order.

When we returned to the motel from dinner this evening, we ran into a foursome (one wearing a Colts t-shirt) from Indianapolis.  Comforting to know we are not the only crazies.  Latest estimate we heard was 230,000 attending the Rally on Saturday.  We promised Ginny that we would not chain ourselves to any monuments !!

Back on the road....

I apologize......I haven't kept my promise to continue to post.  After Europe, a few weeks to catch our breath......a 7 day moto-trip to Vintage Motorcycle Days at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham....and now off to the "Woodstock" of the 60 year olds........"Rally to Restore Sanity", hosted by Jon Stewart in Washington DC.  We leave Thursday.  I hope it is like Woodstock, but since I expect a lot of 60 year old folks, I hope they leave their clothes on !!