TEXAS RANGER: Deltaville, VA to Washington, DC August 1 -- August 11

Though we have been to many large and historic cities on our boat, we had not been to our nation's capital aboard Texas Ranger. We traveled from Deltaville into the Potomac River, and anchored in Canoe Neck Creek off of St. Clement's Bay on the Maryland shore. It was a beautiful, pastoral setting and a quiet stop. The next day we traveled upriver past Quantico to anchor across the river from Mt. Vernon. The following morning we traveled in the dinghy to the Mr. Vernon dock, and toured George Washington's estate. After returning to the boat, we continued on to Alexandria. This old historic town survived the Civil War without destruction because it was occupied the entire war by Union forces, and we enjoyed touring the pre-Revolutionary War streets and houses. Of course, the river past Alexandria is the approach/departure flight plan for Reagan National Airport, so jets went overhead almost constantly.

After a couple of days, we continued the short distance to Washington, DC, and docked at the Capital Yacht Club. Though there is ongoing major reconstruction of the DC waterfront, and temporary quarters of the club are perfectly fine, and the docks are brand new. The members and staff were all gracious hosts, and it was an excellent setting for a visit from our granddaughter and her aunt, our eldest daughter who lived and worked in DC for over five years before returning to Houston. She was the official "tour guide" to introduce the granddaughter to DC and its many monuments, memorials, museums, buildings, and other attractions. Of course, with a five-year-old, we couldn't see everything, but the scope of what we were able to see was impressive! In addition, she rode almost all forms of modern transportation during her stay, and learned about navigating airports, subways, and bus routes. I'm sure that some day when she returns with her parents and brother, she will view herself as the expert tour guide. We also had a great visit with Kay's cousin and family who live here. And not to have quiet airspace, government helicopters frequently fly (at very low altitude) right along the harbor channel where we are docked en route to their destination near the Ellipse. The northern flight path to Reagan is a bit farther off, but not beyond hearing!