Travel Tip: When everyone suggests watching fireworks across the river, watch them across the river.

We started our 4^th of July at the National Museumof the American Indian.  If you don’t know DC well, getting to the museum took us past the parade set up and things at the National Mall. There were all kinds of different dancers and bands and floats! You know, parade stuff.

The museum was excellent! The building is brilliantly designed to mimic the structure of nature, so guests are advised to start at the top floor and explore their way down. None of the walls were flat; all had an organic curve to them. As the Smithsonian puts it: 

Photo from Smithsonian Institute

The building needed to be a living museum. The building is aligned to the cardinal directions and the center point of the Capitol dome, and filled with details, colors, and textures that reflect the Native universe. Native people believe that the earth remembers the experiences of past generations. By recalling the natural environment that existed prior to European contact, the museum’s landscape design embodies a theme that runs central to the NMAI—that of returning to a Native place.

As an introduction, the museum has put together this great video. It is kind of multi-dimensional. Part of it shows on a textile screen, part of it on a large rock, and part of it is on the ceiling. It was definitely worth watching! Short enough to keep attention, but long enough to be worth your while. And it’s a good reason to sit, which is welcome after climbing 4 flights of stairs. The top floor (where we spent most of our time) was split into two sections, “Our Universes” and “Our Peoples”. “Our Universes” was my personal favorite. The exhibits were divided by tribe and each exhibit explained a bit about the belief systems of that tribe. It was absolutely one of the most successfully arranged museums I’ve been in. “Our Peoples” was primarily made up of artifacts from different tribes, which was cool, but held less meaningful information.

My favorite part may or may not have been the food. The cafeteria features food from different tribes! How cool is that? I had some lentil soup (the sign said it was South American) and then cheese fry bread (I don’t remember its region, but it seemed to be pretty common to all of the areas). It. Was. Delicious.

From the Hirshhorn Museum website

After we ate, we walked down to the Hirshhorn Gallery. They had an entire exhibition of mixed media works called "Over, Under, Next"! The works were predominately modern, which I enjoyed. My favorite installation was one of different pages stuck to the wall with straight pins. There was also a tank with snails and cabbage, representative of the brain and its decay. My other favorite exhibition was the Barbara Kruger display.

We ended our sightseeing at the Hirshhorn to get back to the hostel for a barbeque! Because free food. And because barbeque. There was potato salad, watermelon, coleslaw, hot dogs, burgers, and more. We hung out with the other residents (several of whom were from different countries).  After dinner, we headed back into the city to get our spot for the fireworks!

Everyone had recommended a different spot for the best viewing. Across the river here or there, in this neighborhood or that. We settled on a (pretty crowded) spot on the National Mall, in front of the Washington monument. They only lasted about 20 minutes, but it was such a neat experience to be able to see the 4^th of July fireworks in the center of our National monuments. I (again) forgot my good camera in the hostel, but I was able to get some decent photos with my phone. Made for a great picture of the Washington Monument, but if I was to be in DC on the 4^th again, I would probably go ahead and go across the river. Where it might be a bit less crowded.

Travel Tip: Look up a map before you head out

Feedsack dress on display

I got up early today and made it in to the city early! I spent time wandering around the gardens at the Smithsonian and the Smithsonian Institute. Overpriced coffee in hand, I walked down to the American History Museum. I've wanted to go for years, so I had high expectations.

ERA charm bracelet

"When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler!"

AHM absolutely met those expectations. It was great. The exhibits were interesting and many of them were interactive. Each part was presented more as a story to be shared than a didactic lecture. My favorite parts were the pop culture artifacts, like Elphaba's original costume, the first Kermit puppet, and the First Lady's dresses.

Me, Colby, Alex, and Kristina

After hitting up the Smithsonian area, Kristina and I met some friends who are interning in D.C. for lunch at Union Station. They have a large food court, but we didn't really look around. Instead, we were hooked right off the escalator by a man giving free samples of sandwiches. They were really good! And free gelato came with every sandwich purchase. The portions were generous and the prices were fairly low.

We spent about 2 hours in Union Station, then Kristina decided to go back to the hostel. I wasn't really ready to go back to Takoma yet, so I looked around for something to do. Then I saw the Postal Museum. I almost didn't go--I was just going to hop on the Metro and find something else to do-but I decided to check it out.

Some parts were kind of dull. I'm not really a stamp enthusiast, so I just looked at the stamp gallery briefly before deciding to move on. Then I stumbled onto the cool half of the museum! Half of the museum has clearly been designed with younger visitors (think kids) in mind. There are interactive games and puzzles for kids of all age groups. Not only did I think these activities were cool, but the children seemed to be taking advantage of them as well! The best part? I bought Edgar Rice Burroughs stamps!

 We rejoined to close the night with the use of a Groupon at Addis Ababa, an Ethiopian restaurant. We used Google Maps, mobile, to locate the restaurant. Even though we should have been about half a mile away from the metro station, I still managed to get turned around. Definitely should have planned the route before we left the hotel!

Once we got to Addis Ababa, the food was delicious! The sauces were served on fresh injera, which was a whole new type of grain experience for me! The food was perfectly spiced, particularly the lentil sambusa. The downsides? It was pricey. Even with a Groupon, it was pricey. The service was really good sometimes but abominably slow at others. Again, we were served huge portions. We brought the leftovers back to the hostel for future munching!

The hostel is still classified under "interesting experience." We've met more people, which has been really cool. Never at a loss for something to do here, even when you're just trying to have a quiet night in your room. It's nice that it's so open here, though. It gives it a more homelike feel!

Travel Tip: Always bring an umbrella.

Hilltop Hostel

Really, I think the rain is following us.

We got to D.C. around 1 pm and it was pretty sunny and warm outside. A few hours later, it's raining on me as I go to park the car. This didn't really deter me. I was a woman on a mission. Unfortunately, I was a woman on a mission without an umbrella.

While we were waiting to check in to Hilltop Hostel, I walked down the street looking for some lunch options. There's a great looking Caribbean/American restaurant, but it only takes cash. I passed it up and went for Souper Girl. It blew my mind.

Dinner at Souper Girl

It's a soup cafe, which doesn't sound like much, but the soups are vegan, kosher, and made with locally sourced ingredients. I had the Quinoa and Greens soup with a whole wheat roll. It was about $6, and well, well worth it. Delicious, nutritious, fast, convenient and cheap, Souper Girl is a win. 

After I ate, we got settled in. Then, I went online and looked for vintage clothing shops nearby. I lucked out and found one just a few blocks away! It's called Polly Sue's and the website advertises vintage clothes at competitive prices. I don't know about you, but in my experience, those two things rarely coincide. Polly Sue's lives up to its advertising! I happened upon the shop right before closing time, so I didn't have time to try on the fantastic selection of dresses, but I did buy two pair of earrings (reasonably priced at $6.50 a pair). And I plan to go back soon!

I grabbed a gyro to go from Olive Lounge, which I enjoyed. I felt like it was a bit overpriced, but I'm probably just operating on my small town budget.

The highlight of dinner was Key Lime Pie gelato from the Dolei Gelati Cafe. It had just the right amount of sour to kick like lime and bits of graham cracker to really evoke a sense of pie. Good gelato is good gelato and most places have similar prices. Dolei did have some unique flavors and a location that I just can't beat.

MLK Jr Memorial

After all of that adventuring, it was almost 8 pm. All of the museums were closed and most shops and attractions were closed for the night as well. I hadn't planned on spending much time at the National Mall, but since it was late and nothing else was open, I went ahead. The Mall was beautiful at night. The MLK Jr. Memorial is new since my last trip, so I spent some extra time there. It's a beautiful memorial that makes great use of quotes from MLK Jr. throughout, which adds a personal touch.

Washington Monument

Staying in a hostel has been an interesting experience. The neighborhood is very safe, with a large helping of holistic values (think yoga classes on every corner), but it's always something to get used to when you're sharing a room with three strangers. Kristina and I have met some interesting people, though, so that's been a nice side of it! There is a great atmosphere of respect for privacy and property in the hostel, as much as there can be. Unfortunately, Hilltop doesn't have a/c. And it's DC in July. It gets a bit warm to say the least.

Travel Tip: Watch for bears.

At Shenandoah National Park, there are pictures of bears and warnings about bears and information about how to keep your food away from bears. These bits of information are everywhere.

Somehow, I still didn’t expect to actually see a black bear. Kristina and I were on the Ancient Volcano Ranger led hike (which I highly recommend!), when right near the trail is a juvenile black bear! Everyone on the hike stopped and watched the bear.

Not my picture, but this one was cuter.

The bear was just chilling and doing bear stuff when he decided we were too close to his territory and started to charge us! Luckily Superhero/Park Ranger Bob was there. He did the professional, park ranger thing, and stepped forward, clapped really loudly, and yelled at the bear.

The bear turned around and walked away. He did not run away, or even go very far. This bear had some attitude. He just turned around and moved to a distance he deemed safe. And stared at us until we left.

All of the deer got this close

Shenandoah is absolutely beautiful though. The hiking trails were great! There were several to choose from—short hikes, long hikes, ranger led, or self-directed. And the campgrounds were really nice. There were hot showers and washing machines (quarter operated) at the front of the park and bathrooms and water faucets spread throughout the campgrounds.

We managed to camp next to the coolest people, too. A family from Berlin was camping right across from us. They needed a bottle opener. Kristina happened to have one on her pocket knife. They were incredibly thankful, so they invited us over to roast marshmallows! We had the greatest time. They had never visited Arkansas, so they were curious about our culture. We had never been to Germany, so we were curious about theirs.

We also met a hiker named Muddy Paws! She saw my bumper stickers (if you don’t know, they’re pretty liberal) and thought we seemed like we’d be cool. She works for the Department of Energy. She likes to hike 15+ miles a day because it’s less stressful than her job. There’s a whole hiker subculture built on trust-they’ll share campsites with people they just met and only know by their trail names. It was interesting for sure.

Shameless hiking selfies.

I guess that’s something cool about camping. You can meet bears and cool people in the same day.

Travel Tip: Always bring aluminum foil.

We thought we were sooo smart and prepared, bringing my granpa’s old camping stove.

We would’ve been smarter and more prepared if we had stopped to figure out if it worked, first.

As is, we were in the woods, trying to get this stove to start around lunch time. We were hungry and got tired of fooling with it, so we just went up to the Big Meadows Wayside to get lunch. I ordered a veggie burger and a side salad. It was excellent! Much better than fighting with a stove or trying to start a fire.

Unfortunately, dinner time rolled around and we still didn’t have a working stove. Kristina started building a fire and I started thinking of back up plans.

I struggled to remember the various non-stove recipes I’d seen on Pinterest (there was no cell service, so there was no quick Google-ing). I finally recalled a tutorial on cooking in foil packets that I’d seen (it was this one). 

Luckily, right before we left, I had thrown aluminum foil in the car. I grabbed that and then went through the cooler and found salsa, black beans, and smoked sausage. We cut up a bit of onion and threw it in foil, then tossed it on the fire. When we (carefully) pulled it off the fire, we sprinkled some cheese on top. Honestly? It wasn’t bad.  It was definitely better than going hungry or buying more expensive food from the wayside.

Thank God for Pinterest.

Travel Tips: Leave early, pack healthy snacks, and bring allllll of the audio books.

I’m not sure I have the proper temperament for road trips. I have a tendency to be impatient and a bit anxious. Particularly when faced with unpredictable traffic. The first leg of our trip took us from Conway, AR to Nashville, TN. According to my lovely navigation device, this is a 5 ½ hour drive. I planned accordingly. We left Conway around 4, which was perfect.

But of course, road trip law dictates that nothing can be perfect. Around middle-of-nowhere between Little Rock and Memphis, we ran into some absolutely hellacious roadwork. The parked on the road for an hour and a half variety. I finally wised up and took the next exit onto Highway 70. Thank the lord for the highways.

I don’t know about you, but on trips with annoyingly long delays, I kind of just want to eat junk food the entire time. Luckily, thanks to some foresight and well stocked healthy snacks, like bananas and granola bars, clean eating is still going as planned. Friday night, we stayed with my cousin Mike, who sent us on our way with lunch for the road and snackage on Saturday.

Audiobooks made that extra-long day of driving bearable though. I’m nowhere near talkative enough to fill 7+ hours of driving. We listened to A Study in Emerald by Neil Gaiman and Louis C.K.’s routines, Hilarious and Chewed Up. For the Saturday trip, I turned on Princess of Mars. I love music, and have a road trip playlist all prepped, but the stories absolutely helped pass the time.

Even with all of the traffic and delays though, it’s been a really nice drive. Arkansas and Tennessee are beautiful states. Once we crossed into Tennessee, there were rest stops located about every 60 miles along the interstate. It’s also been nice and sunny! Unfortunately, the weather predicts rain for the next couple of days. Guess we’ll see how that goes!!

Travel Writing

I haven't used this blog since I was about 16 (I've been blogging over at Help Ever, Hurt Never), but I plan to use it for my travel writing experiment this summer.

I'm a professional writing major. UCA has offered a travel writing seminar in the past, but hasn't listed it for the upcoming year. I've taken matters into my own hands and applied for a Travel Abroad Grant from the Norbert O. Schedler Honors College. Kristina and I will be traveling for about three weeks, stopping in five different places. We'll be camping some times and staying in hostels others. 

Two young women traveling the East coast alone for a month out of the summer? I imagine we'll have some stories. Even better, I'm a bit prissy about my sleeping arrangements and haven't been camping since I was about 10 and in Girl Scouts. And did I mention I'm really in to clean eating?

While researching our destinations for the trip, I realized it's kind of hard to find relatively easy, clean eating recipes that can be done over a campfire. Even harder? Planning yoga that I can do in a hostel.

My goal for this blog is that I'll show other students that great trips can be pulled off for relatively low cost if you put a little work into it! The hostels? They're about $30 a night, per person, if you hunt out the low cost establishment. How clean/comfortable are they? I'll let you know!