We got off to a slow start on day two, mostly due to the whole "arriving late and not getting the room we booked" thing. We got in the car after checking out and.... drove. On our way along the highway, we passed the NSA - very hush hush, as you might know - and the National Cryptologic Museum. I took the photo of that stone wall since it was quite nice - apparently Maryland feels very strongly that the highways should be beautiful. They do a good job. We also passed the ramp for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. Several places I would have loved to have stopped at, but.... miles to go before the end of the day and all that.

We drove through DC, which was nice - you know, 'cause it's DC and all. There was a tunnel under a river - no idea which one, but maybe the Potomac River? The Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial lined up nicely at one point, but I didn't realize until it was too late to get the camera out - so I had to make due with individual photos. We also passed The Pentagon, but it doesn't photograph well from street level. A friend of Jen's parked there when she got lost while moving into the area - apparently, a bunch of uniformed men were nice enough to help her unpack while still in the parking lot (i.e. they didn't take chances about her "being lost"). Nice. We also cruised past the United States Air Force Memorial - didn't know that was there, but it's kinda cool.

Completely by accident - well, we wanted coffee - we stopped in Quantico, VA. Getting off the highway, we saw an entrance to Marine Corps Base Quantico. There's a replica of the USMC War Memorial outside the base. Just around the corner? The National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center. The building itself is built to evoke the image of the flag raising of Iwo Jima - something that they did masterfully. I especially liked the quote by Sergeant Major Daniel Daly: "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?". The museum itself was very moving, and with the exception of the one or two pictures I actually took, I didn't feel right taking photos. During the trip through the museum, we took a immersive tour of battle of Iwo Jima, called, I think, "Uncommon Valor." It was very humbling and... well, it just makes you appreciate things a little more. The gentleman who gave the presentation about the actual battle of Iwo Jima was a gentleman who served in, I want to say, the 24th Regiment of the 4th Marine Division. He wanted us to know this, because he wanted to make sure that we understood that while he was on Iwo Jima, he didn't arrive until after the heaviest of fighting had already occurred. It was wonderful that he was willing to share his experiences with us, and I only wish that I had gotten his name.

In case you weren't aware, I'm a huge fan of Sonic Drive Inn. When we left in the morning, I did some quick math to figure out where we might be at lunch time and where, if any, a Sonic might be. Guess what? Right off the highway, baby! A quick stop for lunch gave us the strength to get on with the rest of the trip. Along the way, we had seen some billboards for "South of the Border" - and weren't sure what to make of it. I texted a friend who's been there, and she said "Yes it's nice. If you like serial killer headquarters." We decided to just keep driving and not take chances - although I have to say that based on the billboards, they do offer quite a few services and attractions. Maybe some other time when I have less of a schedule to meet.

The hotel for the night was much better - two queen beds, and the hotel was either brand new or recently re-done. Either way, a much MUCH better experience - and I'm sure the fact that we arrived much earlier in the evening (about 7:30) made things easier.