Day 35 & 36 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Day 35 was Wednesday June 10th. It was a morning trip to the Dulles Air & Space Smithsonian by cars and a free afternoon for the caravanners. It was only 38 miles to get there, but because of DC traffic, it took us close to 90 minutes! I could not live here!

The "Dulles Air and Space Museum" is officially known as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. It is the companion facility to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in downtown DC. It is located right next to Washington Dulles International Airport in Chantilly, Virginia.

We got everyone into the museum and validated their parking, then we released them to explore on their own. Charlie and I first took the elevator to the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower. It features a 360-degree observation deck where we could have watched commercial planes land at Dulles Airport while listening to live air traffic control audio. We did not see any planes. We have never been to the tower before. 

The museum is massive twin hangars that house thousands of historic aircraft and spacecraft that are too large for the downtown location of the National Air and Space Museum. The Boeing Aviation Hangar houses iconic aircraft including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, an Air France Concorde, and the WWII B-29 Superfortress Enola Gay.

The McDonnell Space Hangar is home to the "real" Space Shuttle Discovery alongside actual satellites, rockets, and space capsules.

The Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar is a glassed-in mezzanine that allows you to watch museum specialists actively preserve and restore historic aircraft. Last time we were here there was an F-4 from the Marine Corps Aviation Wing that Charlie was assigned to. We could not find that aircraft today. When we talked to a docent, he informed us that it was in the restoration hangar and they were converting it into a Navy aircraft. Charlie said that is disheartening... No Marine wants to be a Navy man!

Caravanners had the afternoon to do what they wanted. We stopped at Mama Lucia's in College Park for a late lunch or early supper, depending on your preference. 

When we got home, we were treated to a beautiful rainbow!

We did not make it an "official" event, nor did we make an announcement on the radios, but if you "sit out and they will come!"

On day 36, it was Thursday June 11th and we had our last bus tour. Our first stop was the People’s House. 

Before I talk about our first stop, I must mention our driver today, Thomas. He was the best driver we have had. He took us on a Two Lane Adventure to get to downtown DC. He never once got on the highway and he got us there in about 45-minutes! I am not sure, I would take our RV down some of the roads he took the bus down! 

While we were waiting to enter the museum, the VP's motorcade passed by our location. We were inside, so not the best pictures!

The People's House is a cutting-edge, 33,000-square-foot White House Experience. It offers a highly interactive, behind-the-scenes look at the executive mansion. It is just one block away from the real White House at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, but the road is blocked, so there is no visiting the front of the real White House. 

The first thing you see is a large-scale White House Model. It is a massive 1:5 scale model of the White House. One side uses cinematic projection mapping to trace its architectural history from 1790 to today. 

After you watch the "film" from the front of the White House, you go further into the display and on the other side of the White House you use digital tablets to peek inside 19 cutaway rooms.

The windows of the building are painted with the famous Cherry Blossoms of DC.

The "interactive Room" is part of the immersive theater exhibit inside the museum. It is a high-tech gallery that uses 360-degree digital projections to seamlessly transform a single room into five of the most famous spaces on the White House State Floor, including the Blue Room, Red Room, Green Room, East Room, and State Dining Room. 

The room includes touch-activated "magic." Unlike the real White House where visitors cannot touch historical items, you can walk directly up to the projected walls. By touching a specific piece of artwork, French Empire furniture, or chandelier, you trigger pop-up information. Activating elements in the room reveals hidden history, such as how President Martin Van Buren officially started the "Blue Room" color tradition in 1837, or how First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy helped track down and restore original 1817 Bellangé chairs to the space.

Also on the first floor of the museum is a full-scale Oval Office replica. 

 

You are allowed to sit on the sofas or chairs. 

 

You can even sit behind a replica of the famous Resolute Desk for a memorable photo opportunity, which all of our caravanners and staff did!

 

You can head up in the elevator or take the stairs to the second floor. Here you will find the Cabinet Room experience, where you can participate in a virtual situation room where you can step into history. Take on the role of a presidential advisor and weigh in on historic crises like the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Great Depression.

One of my favorite parts of the second floor is the People’s Voices Gallery. Here you can learn about the dedicated staff who keep the executive mansion running. It is an interactive feature that profiles housekeepers, chefs, gardeners, Military personnel and security personnel.

You can immerse yourself in a simulated State Dinner to experience the sights and sounds of executive diplomacy, or walk through a scenic representation of the iconic Rose Garden.

Sit in the replica theatre to the one in the White House and see how much Presidential Trivia you know! you answer using interactive buzzers.

The final area on the second floor is totally interactive, it's called Stories in Objects. Even the simplest objects can tell a remarkable story. The objects represented in this gallery provide glimpses into the wide-ranging history of the White House. 

You can interact with these objects to uncover the overlooked and extraordinary stories from White House history. Walk up to an object that intrigues you and touch it to discover its story. 

We got back on the bus and headed to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. It is a sprawling, 7-acre presidential monument. It was dedicated by President Clinton in 1997. It uses a unique layout of red South Dakota granite walls, waterfalls, and bronze sculptures to chronicle the 12 pivotal years of FDR's presidency. The entire outdoor park is designed as a timeline split into four distinct "outdoor rooms," with each room representing one of Roosevelt's terms in office through the Great Depression and World War II.

We walk chronologically through his presidency, beginning with his early campaign and the economic struggles of the Great Depression, transitioning into the chaos and resolve of World War II.

There are ample lifelike bronze sculptures scattered across the rooms. Including FDR alongside his beloved dog Fala. 

Citizens waiting in a Depression-era breadline and a man intently listening to one of Roosevelt’s famous radio "fireside chats".

In room four, you can see Eleanor Roosevelt, this is the first time a First Lady has been permanently honored in a presidential memorial. It commemorates her legacy and her later work with the United Nations.

I asked our tour guide, Maria, about all the water in the memorial. There are seven unique fountains and cascading pools flowing throughout the site. Maria said they represent changing rhythm to symbolize the peace or chaos of the era. 

There are twenty-two historic quotes—including "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"—are carved into the stone walls at eye level. I could have taken pictures of every one of the quotes. This is one of my favorite memorials in DC.

Maria arranged for us to enjoy our box lunches at the Kennedy Center. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is located along the Potomac River. The Kennedy Center serves as the US's national cultural center and its official "living memorial" to President Kennedy.

As of today, the "Donald J. Trump" name has not been removed from the facade of the building. The court ruling solidifies the venue's pure focus back on its original congressional designation as a living memorial to the 35th president.

We enjoyed our lunch on the second floor veranda, near the "Arts and Ideals" exhibit. This immersive exhibit uses the latest in digital technology to explore how the arts infused and informed the Kennedy presidency. Being able to see this exhibit was a bonus to us. There was an interactive "painting" exhibit there too. Naturally, most of the women in the group had to try it!

Maria even got us a tour of the Kennedy Center Opera House. It is an opulent, 2,350-seat theater. Specifically designed for grand opera, ballet, and major Broadway musicals. It features a distinctive red-and-gold aesthetic, a massive stage curtain from Japan, and a starburst crystal chandelier gifted by Austria. It is widely celebrated for hosting the annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala.

We could not go in, but we did see the outside of the Presidential box. The box is traditionally used by the sitting President, First Lady, and special VIP guests, most notably during the annual star-studded Kennedy Center Honors. 

 

Initially opened under President Richard Nixon in 1971, the box has hosted decades of world leaders. When not in use by the Executive Branch, the seats are managed by a trustee committee and occasionally designated for other high-profile government officials or guests.

The building's massive Grand Foyer features a famous 3,000-pound bronze bust of JFK sculpted by Robert Berks. Which is best viewed from the Box level of the Opera House.

We exited through the Hall of Nations entrance. Wow, the height of this hall is amazing!

We got back on the bus and headed to the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It is located steps from the White House, but we still can't see it! This museum is the nation's premier museum dedicated to contemporary American craft and decorative arts. It is celebrated for its immersive, thought-provoking installations that push the boundaries of traditional materials like glass, ceramic, fiber, wood, and metal. Designed in 1859 by acclaimed architect James Renwick Jr. (who also designed St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and the Smithsonian Castle), the building is a National Historic Landmark. It was the first building in the United States designed expressly to be an art museum and was originally nicknamed the "American Louvre" due to its elegant Second Empire architectural style.

The current display is "State Fairs: Growing American Craft." This major exhibition highlights artists' contributions to the US state fair tradition. A culmination of five years of on-the-ground and behind-the-scenes research, this exhibition is dedicated to artists’ contributions to the great US tradition of state fairs with more than 240 artworks on view, dating from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The exhibition includes exceptional examples of American craft, highlighting personal stories and regional and cultural traditions.

It features iconic spectacles like a life-size butter cow by sculptor Sarah Pratt.

A display featuring a pyramid of more than 700 glass jars of preserved fruits and vegetables by canning superstar Rod Zeitler. 

Each gallery in this exhibition considers personal stories of craft found in different areas of the fairgrounds, from the art exhibits and heritage villages to the parades, dairy barns, and rodeos. 

Ribbon-winning artworks and engaging craft demonstrations illuminate the lives of the artists—their families, memories, honors, and struggles. It offers a perspective on the social power of fairgrounds across the United States and dispels stereotypes about rural communities. Artists and 4-H clubs from 43 states and tribal nations are represented, with all 50 states represented in a photo gallery.

Maria does tours in English and Italian. She has been telling us about the National Gallery of Art. We have time to spare, so she is taking us there to see one specific painting. The National Gallery of Art is the preeminent national art museum of the US. Located right on the National Mall along Constitution Avenue NW, it houses an incredible world-class collection of over 141,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, and sculptures spanning from the Middle Ages to the present day. 

The National Gallery of Art is the only museum in the Americas to house a permanent, public painting by Leonardo da Vinci, the Ginevra de' Benci. This is the painting that Maria wanted us to see.

Tonight we had a surprise for the Yankee RV - The Patriot Tour - 250th Anniversary of America tour. 

Our friend from Florida, Justin Mason, lives in DC now and he has a band, CrossRoads Band. So, we had them come to the campground and entertain us. 

Yankee RV Tours is the "private party" on their schedule! Funny story, one of our caravanners knows Justin and we had to keep her in the dark! She kept asking us if we were going to see him while we were here! 

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!