Our last day in Washington, D.C. was a busy one. We were out the hotel door early in the morning for a train ride to Arlington. I wanted to see Arlington National Cemetery and Pig wanted us to see the Lincoln Memorial. After a rather long walk from the Metro stop, we stood staring at an impressively larger-than-life Abraham Lincoln.
When we said our good-byes to Honest Abe, we attempted the return journey in the hopes that we would be able to swing in to pay our respects at the cemetery. Unfortunately, after having to stop to visit the restroom and then hydrate the kidlets, we ran out of time. After seeing zillions of tour buses lined up to go in there, we figured we were probably better off not battling massive crowds. That's our story, and we're sticking with it.
The kidlets were absolutely fine with missing out on paying their respects. They instead filled their water break with watching a squirrel raid a trash can for French Fries. I'm glad I wasn't the one who paid for this trip, or I'd be annoyed that the kidlets would just as soon pass on taking in part of their history to watch a fat rodent stalking some old potato parts.
Anyway, we returned to the hotel in time to eat a quick snack and use the bathroom before loading up the car and checking out. We had a great time in Washington, D.C., but it was good to be heading home.
Now, since we were travelling with kidlets, I'm assuming you know exactly what happened about fifteen minutes later. "Mommy, I really have to go potty!"
Naturally, the kidlet who was in dire straits chose to tell us this when we were in an area with no visible rest areas. Pig, as he was grumbling about barely getting on the road, saw a sign for some visitor center I had never heard of before, and said he was taking that exit because visitor centers should, in theory, have a restroom.
We took the exit and travelled down a very lonely road for what I thought was a rather long time before we finally saw a sign telling us to turn shortly. As we pulled into the National Wildlife Visitor Center entrance, I was more than slightly leery of the sign stating it would be more than a mile until we got to the building. Nobody else was around, and the only sounds I could hear above the whimper of a little girl who had to pee was our car as it took the 25-mph trail that wound its way slowly through the woods.
I really started to get nervous. I'm a girl from the suburbs. Being the only vehicle on a secluded back road somewhere does not appeal to me at all. I informed my husband that if I heard any banjos, or any references to squealing like pigs, I was out of there. I never saw the movie Deliverance, but what little I knew of it was certainly in the forefront of my mind!
When we finally pulled into a parking lot, I was surprised to see a number of cars already there. The building itself sat silently nearby, and I could not honestly tell if it was even open. However, when Pig walked up and opened the door for us, we entered this well-maintained airy room that invited us to spread out and look at all of its treasures.
But first things first. Rooster needed to find a restroom. Truth be told, it was probably the cleanest one we encountered on our entire trip.
After taking care of business, we took a look around. There were a number of animals on display, including a polar bear. (I never knew just how big those suckers are up close and personal!) The kidlets loved the table displaying the pelts of different animals. That one had a sign on it inviting us to touch. (That's always a plus when kidlets are present!) Pig Jr. refused to touch those pelts, but he eagerly ran his fingers over the "okay to touch" beaver display nearby. (We even had to stop him from trying to dismantle the pile of sticks the beaver was supposedly assembling.) We took a quick glance down the hallways and into the other rooms, but ultimately did not have the time to fully explore since we really did have to get home before it was time for dinner.
I can honestly say that I hope we return to the National Wildlife Visitor Center in Laurel, Maryland. It was a gem of a find, with trails and tours, and all sorts of things to explore, and I should probably thank both Rooster and Pig for their contributions towards us finding it. Check it out if you plan on being near the D.C. area. Here's the link to their homepage for those who are interested: http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/vcdefault.html
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