This is being written a few weeks later. Once I got home, it was much easier to get side tracked and distracted.
I had my last day planned out to the minute. I checked out of the hotel around 10 AM and headed to the Postal Museum that I had missed out on the previous day. I figured it would be easy to park on a Sunday morning and I was right. There was almost no one there. I explored around for about an hour. I really enjoyed the section about how the mail gets processed and delivered through the years. That is something that has always interested me (and bored almost everyone else). It was very small compared to the other museums I had been too, so I moved on to my next stop.
Lou had suggested I visit Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington, VA. So, I headed in that direction. It was still early, so it was almost empty when I walked in, yet for some reason, I was sat next to one of the only other tables there. Awkward. Luckily, the wait staff was nice enough. I had a great milk shake and a burger covered in jalapenos. It was great, although maybe not the best choice of meals before a long day of driving.
My next stop was a place where I expected to see no other tourists. Gravelly Point Park is a small area next to Regan National Airport. You can see the end of the runway across a small area of water. It was pretty awesome to be that close to planes taking off. I took the opportunity to relax and try to get some good pictures.
My final stop before heading home was Port City Brewing in Alexandria, VA. It was larger than I expected for a two year old brewery. They have a nice tasting room with two small bars and a stage. I tried a few beers, and took the tour. The tour guide who was a teacher and only a part timer at the brewery did a great job of engaging the crowd and was funny. That is what I want out of a brewery tour. The process and equipment is similar everywhere so I go for the personality. The brewery was exceptionally clean, and you could tell they spent a lot of money to redo the space to support a growing operation. The beer was ok, a little above average. I did enjoy their Monumental IPA.
Now it was time to head home. A simple drive north. It should have been easy. If I learned one thing this trip, when you don’t expect traffic, expect traffic. The trips home took about five hours, but I was grateful to be home.
It was a great trip and I plan to travel alone again. I think you can enjoy certain parts of the trip a lot more at your own pace and would recommend it to people who enjoy spending time alone.