The DC, NCIS, Vienna, Mount Vernon and Manassas Gang

So, it's not all wind, water, bikes and snowboards. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Sometimes the gang likes to get outside with the rest of America and catch up with a little history in person, carved in stone, in the dirt, and on the battlefield. This includes Koda, who will not be left in a kennel for such jaunts. (Maybe next time, but not this time.) And with no functioning A/C in the bottom half of the house, one-a-day dog-sitting visits were out of the question.

Marg did her research, spoke with Park Rangers, and pre-screened hotels, and we decided to put pet-friendly places to the test.

With El Robbo in DC for a conference, it was a perfect opportunity for M, G, and Kodog — yes that's right Kodog, who is fast becoming the most historically well-traveled mutt on the East Coast — to visit a few places of interest.

LOOK MA NO GPS
Destination Arlington Cemetery.

A modest test of my nav skills, sans GPS, sans detailed map, going by memory and hotel-supplied chartage. Well, we got there, coming from relatively unfamiliar Vienna, Va., through Fairfax and Falls Church with no problem. Aiming for the National Cemetery via Route 50, we ran into Fort Myer as more or less expected, detoured around until we found a side street to park in (N. Meade St.). We unloaded into blistering (93-95 F) heat and headed for the the Iwo Jima monument, the Netherlands Carillion, and the Arlington side entrance.



Across the road and down a steepish incline lies the Marine Corps Iwo Jima Monument. It is as majestic as imagined. Having a few ex-Marine buddies, this is a special place. Charlie, Al, Dennis, Hank...

We'd hoped to visit the grave of Capt. Yuri Tarlavsky, USA, in Arlington — a hero, and a relative of a friend — but it was not to be, as our point of entry was too far for the combined heat, the pooch, and the missed timing of my BP medication, which was getting somewhat critical in the heat.

DC WATERFRONT AND MALL
Then onward for a drive around trip of DC, with a few stops along the way.

We're huge NCIS fans, so a drive past the Washington Navy Yard was a must-do, even if we know Abbie, Gibbs, De Nozo, McGee, and Co. are not really in da house!


The history mutt is shown here at the Jefferson Monument accompanying Marg and Gordo. Sadly, however, this is the limit for pooches, whose paws are not permitted past this point.

For me, personally, the stop at the George Mason memorial was the most enlightening moment. I hadn't realized this person was a pioneering thinker in concepts of liberty, and that the world's free democracies, and free men owed him such a debt of gratitude.

George Mason, Defender of Liberty

By Richard E. Miller, April 16, 2009 courtesy of www.hmdb.org

GEORGE MASON — THE INSCRIPTIONS

“This was George Mason, a man of the first order of wisdom among those who acted on the theater of the revolution, of expansive mind, profound judgement, cogent argument ...”
--Thomas Jefferson, 1821.

“Regarding slavery, that slow poison which is daily contaminating the minds & morals of our people: every gentleman here is born a petty tyrant, practiced in the acts of despotism & cruelty. We become callous to the dictates of humanity and all the finer feelings of soul, taught to regard a part of our own species in the most abject and contemptible degree below us. We lose that idea of the dignity of man which the hand of nature had implanted in us for great & useful purposes. ...” --George Mason, July, 1773.

“I recommend it to my sons ... never to let the motives of private interest or ambition to induce them to betray, nor the terrors of poverty and disgrace or the fear of danger or of death to deter them from asserting the liberty of their country and endeavoring to transmit to their posterity those sacred rights to which themselves were born.” --George Mason, March, 1773.

HOUND OF HISTORY (historischehund)
Not to be deterred however, the Hound of History set out to prove, in the name of all Dogs of War before him, that black dogs can indeed handle 95+F degree heat on a Virginia Civil War battlefield if given enough cool water to drink at regular intervals and every opportunity for shade and rest is taken.
Kodog "vogueing" it up with Gen. Stonewall Jackson "See, I am just like his horse, only smaller."

Getting there was easily half the fun, as we succeeded in missing a poorly marked turn and having to creatively wing it with a seat of the pants countryside detour.

That turned out to be through "Historic Clifton" which is a highly recommended a detour as we can possibly, well, recommend.

Classic old Virginia, virtually unscathed. I imagine this is not exactly common in the near metro DC area, unless you are willing to venture off the beaten track.

As for the hour on the battlefield, and the heat of the pounding afternoon sun, I wasn't so sure about myself, but was fine. It was later that the car's A/C was tested to the limit as the temp approached 100. I didn't discover the air recycle button fast enough, I'm afraid, and we were on the ragged edge of being microwaved in the broiling Dodge.

Manassas, Va. (near Bull Run)

The Manassas Gang
El Robbo is a history buff and a Civil War scholar, so he was in his element, and Gordo knows a thing or two, he just doesn't let on. M is representing with the NY Rangers hat (Lundqvist model), and also comes from a line of Civil War historian(s) on the paternal side.

In the evening, the pooch tested out ingenuity. Although the Sheraton Premiere is dog-friendly, there is no such thing as a dog-friendly restaurant that we know of, anywhere nearby.

Dinner was a bit of a conundrum. With room service horrifically expensive and somewhat gastronomically pedestrian for the price (Kodog had no complaints about the size of the Tuna steak, though, which I shared with him), we brought in from a variety of name-brand casual dining (NBCD) haunts.

This was the dinnertime view, from our room -- Virginia at night... a sweet sight.



The following day on a massive detour prior to the drive home the Monument Mutt discovered that Mount Vernon just may be the most pet-friendly National Park imaginable.

The staff were fabulous and helped us in our efforts to keep Kodog well suplied with cooling fluids and, between that and the judicious use of shade, trees, and rest stops, we enjoyed a fantastic visit.

Mount Vernon's original entrance
By Roger Dean Meyer, February 4, 2007 courtesy of
www.hmdb.org

Kodog was petted and pampered at every turn. His highlight, however, was GW's livestock. The sheep brought out his inner Collie, and his sheepdog instincts awoke from the midday torpor. Tail up for the first time in an hour or two, nose pointed, "Let me herd them!" Not a chance, old friend. Short leash for now. Sheep not for Koda, moving on ...

No phil photos, I goofed and left the camera behind. It was that mind-blastingly hot.

Well, we'll just have to go back when they have GW's own recipe whiskey in stock. For now, it's the America's finest whiskeys blended together in a tiny bottle, at least until George distills a fresh batch of his own.