east coast, so far

we're getting ready to spend our fourth night on the eastern fourth of the united states. :) okay, we've done a lot and seen a lot since we left on saturday morning, and i really haven't felt like posting anything on here. in fact, i'm making myself type now because i still don't feel like it. but blogging is like smoking or crack or country music...it sucks you in and you can't get away from it.

(just in case anyone has no idea what is going on here, justin and i are accompanying my dad on a week-long research trip to pennsylvania and washington d.c.)

so we drove almost a thousand miles on saturday, leaving home about 7.30 and getting to pittsburgh, PA late that evening. we didn't really see or do anything cool the first day, we just drove forever. monday we drove a few hours to gettysburg (pictures follow), which i've been to a couple of times before, but it was a lot better now that i am older and can understand it better. we stayed that evening in carlisle, at the army war college where dad had an appointment with someone the next morning. our room there was super nice (pictures follow). then we drove to fort meade, MD, where our reservations were for the next night. on the way, we drove through a lot of amish country and stopped at a few village stores. which brings us to today. our hotel is south of d.c. but it's about a 30 minute metro ride to the downtown area. so today, after we traveled from fort meade and checked into our hotel, dad went his own way to do whatever it is he does. justin and i plan to visit plenty of famous attractions in d.c. and this afternoon we got a good start by visiting the air and space museum, the national archives, the national sculpture garden, and the old post office & tower.

i know this is a really dry post, but we have had a lot of fun. so here are some pictures of our trip so far.

in front of Pickett's Charge memorial.

a bit of the amish countryside

at the gettysburg museum

firing the cannon

my bed in our super awesome room at the army war college

hey look everyone, we're in washington d.c.!

the moon rock had an effect on justin.

missiles at the air & space museum

pretending to be samson in front of the national archives

hello? at the national archive entrance.

the columns in front of the national archives.

pondering the unfathomable mystery of this highly creative and artistic "sculpture."

this one was kind of cool...

the illegal picture (i accidentally used a flash in the national archives).

the national archives, from the sculpture gardens


i doubt i'll post for a few days, but tomorrow we plan to see the washington monument, jefferson & lincoln memorials, and arlington national cemetery. we're staying here for three nights.

oh, and i also got a new wallet.