Day twenty nine - Monday, Oct. 1

We took a chance today and got back into the car. We had to if we wanted to see our next sight. We were off to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, about 30 miles away.

I programed the Streetpilot GPS and we were off. We got pretty close when we ran into freeway construction. The off ramp we needed was closed and we ended up well off course. After wandering around for a half an hour and a gas stop, we finally got back on track.

On the way, we stopped for lunch at Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries. This place was suggested by Phyllis who ate at a Five Guys when she was back here earlier this year. We each ordered a cheese burger and shared an order of Cajun fries. The burgers turned out to be double burgers and the regular fries were a small grocery bag of fries. Both were too much for either of us to finish but both were very good. There was a list of things you could put on your burger including the usual stuff like lettuce and mustard. However, there were other options such as fried onions, mushrooms, BBQ sauce and others. We ended up taking over half the fries home and had them with dinner.

Once we arrived at Mount Vernon, we paid our $13.00 each and started our self-guided walking tour. We walked the grounds, seeing the slave quarters, ice house and other outbuildings. In the main house we moved from room to room where guides gave short talks to describe the room and answer questions. The highlight of the house tour was seeing the bedroom where George Washington lived and died.

The guide explained that George Washington got sick one winter and died within 36 hours. Later, in the museum, I read that experts feel he died after contracting epiglottitis. Something that would be easily treated today.

Next we visited the two burial sites of George and Martha Washington. They were first entombed in the family tomb overlooking the Potomac River. Thirty-eight years later their bodies were moved to a new tomb as directed in Washington's will.

Lastly, we spent over an hour in the Museum on the grounds of Mount Vernon. This was a fascinating trip into the past with movies, displays and artifacts from the life of George Washington.

Despite the freeway construction, the trip home was uneventful and quick. We got home too late for Scrabble since we had to have dinner and watch "Dancing with the Stars."

Pictures show Ann posing with the Washington family in the visitor's center at Mount Vernon. The second picture shows the main house at Mount Vernon.