As we left for Washington, D.C., Cole noted the ease of visiting D.C. on a Saturday. Before, any trip either of us had made to the capital took months of planning and a lot of time. Now we can just hope in the car, grab lunch and visit any one of the 17 Smithsonian museums or a presidential monument. No big deal.

So that is exactly what we did.

Our first stop as trying to find a parking spot. I was driving at this point, so adventures were to be had. Finally, I found meter I could actually park at along the street. The two-hour limit dampened the occasion, but it sufficed. We didn't have much time anyway, so we dropped in all our quarters, dimes and nickels, and scattered a few on the ground in the process. Regardless, we trekked off the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Inside the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft awaited us. Me, I am not what you would call a history buff. So I followed along after Cole as he listed off more information than the little plaque next to the model or actual aircraft showed. Here are a few of the things we saw:

The Apollo II Command Module Columbia sits on the first floor, showing burn marks from reentry. As I wandered the museum, I enjoyed the pieces that were real. Not replicas of something still floating out in space or disintegrated. This was definitely one of my favorites for that reason.

A fake Wright brother soars on the first plane replica.

Cole tells me these are for fighting and cost a lot.

After that quick but informative stop, we headed to the Smithsonian Natural Museum of Natural History. This museum called to me a lot more. I mean really, I am a geography major. When we walked in, an Easter Island staute greeted us at the doorway. We just read about them a few issues ago in National Geographic, so we were pretty excited right from the start.

A large elephant stood in the middle of the dome surrounded by exhibits from butterflies to mummies.

Rawr.

Cole was pretty scared of his new friend.

I was a little less afraid.

Our visit quickly ended, and we were shooed out the door into what looked like a rainy mess coming our way. Luckily, the rain stayed away until our drive home. That meant we got to walk around and see the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial from a far, and the White House.

Last time I saw them I was on the verge of being homeless. But that is a different story for a different time. I rather enjoyed them on this visit.

As the sun set on the capitol, it gave off a nice orange glow if you can see it peeking between our heads.

So, I have new glasses if you didn't already notice.

He has some pretty good balancing skills. And if you look really close, there is an airplane in his shot.

We'll have to do this again, D.C.