My favorite season is here! Fall has always appealed to me for so many reasons – sweaters, boots, crisp cool air, everything apple, Halloween, football (I’m not a huge fan, but I love how much my dad and husband love it), and of course the leaves!
Tag: Virginia
-
Tourist at Home: Air and Space Smackdown
My in-laws were in town this past weekend when we had the most gorgeous last-days-of-summer weather, so Chris and I decided we would all head out to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) together. None of us had been to the museum in several years and it’s a favorite, so it seemed like a good time to visit. (I mentioned to Chris that the last time I went I was a senior in high school to which he pointed out, “That was more than half your life ago!” Ack.) I was also curious to compare the museum to the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center closer to home, hence what I’m calling the Air and Space Smackdown.
In this corner, the classic National Air and Space Museum…
…vs. the newcomer, the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Two contenders go into the ring, and there can be only one winner. No, just kidding. Both museums belong to the extensive Smithsonian Institution, but they are separate entities in location so I’m pitting them against each other for fun. Here’s a quick run-down:
Price & Location
The National Air and Space Museum is in D.C. on the National Mall along with many other museums belonging to the Smithsonian complex. Entrance to the NASM is free, so we only paid for a Metro ride out to the heart of the city. Udvar-Hazy is situated along Rt. 28 in Chantilly, Virginia, fairly close to the Dulles International Airport. It’s about a 40-minute drive from D.C. to Chantilly or a 1.5 hour trip via combination of Metro and public bus. So if you’re only visiting D.C. for a short time and you’re staying in the city, Udvar-Hazy can be a bit tricky to access. Admission is also free, but there is a pricey $15 parking fee if you arrive by car before 4pm (parking is free after 4pm; the museum is open until 5:30pm). One extra bonus to the Udvar-Hazy Center though – the Donald D. Engen Observation Tower where you can take in a 360-degree view of the airport and the surrounding area. Other than that though, there is nothing next to Udvar-Hazy, so the location isn’t really conducive to other activities. Both locations have the same fees for optional activities such as the IMAX movies and flight simulators. So +1 for cost and location goes to the National Museum where you can easily visit for free and on foot if you’re already in the D.C. area perusing other museums.
Exhibits
The collection of artifacts across both locations includes over 60,000 pieces to document the history of aircrafts and spacecrafts, including airplanes, rockets, satellites, spacesuits, gliders, and balloons. Other artifacts such as documents and various media complete the collection. One of my favorite displays at the NASM location was a glass case in the World War II room that housed small objects like black-and-white photos, medals, hand-written letters, tiny song books, and other mementos in a scrapbook-like format. I’m trying to compare the exhibits in a fair and unbiased manner, but it’s hard when Udvar-Hazy has a space shuttle on display! When we visited a few years ago, Chris and I saw the Explorer, but it’s the Discovery that is currently on display in the James S. McDonnell Space Hangar. NASM does have the Hubble test telescope and the Skylab space station that you can go inside, but for me it just doesn’t get any better than getting up close and personal with a space shuttle. Plus there are just so many pieces at the Chantilly location (see the next section for details on square footage). I fact-checked this – there are more than 3x the number of aircraft on display at Udvar. +1 goes to Udvar-Hazy for exhibits.
Photography
Both locations utilize the same photography policy – commercial photography is not permitted without contacting the museum for permission, but photography for personal use is allowed and encouraged! Just leave the monopods and tripods at home. NASM does have more window light, but I personally enjoyed photographing inside the Udvar-Hazy Center because I felt like I had more elbow room to step back for wide shots and to get close for detail images. And I wasn’t just imagining the extra space – at 760,000 square feet, the Udvar-Hazy Center is almost five times the size of the NASM in D.C. which has 161,145 square feet of exhibition floor space. Wow! So +1 goes to Udvar-Hazy here.
And speaking of photography, here are a few photos from both locations starting with the National Air and Space Museum:
How about a spacesuit reflection selfie?! And that’s Mel and Marianne to the left. Mel was a pilot in the Air Force, so I think we definitely need to visit Udvar-Hazy next time for the sheer number of planes on display.
This is the “scrapbook” display in the World War II room that I enjoyed perusing.
And then here’s the Udvar-Hazy Center. Chris and I took these photos a few years ago, and we’ve visited the museum a couple of times since then for functions at work – the entire museum can be rented out for a special event. The entrance is quite impressive, as is the extensive layout and roomy floor space within the hangars. And of course, there’s also a space shuttle inside!
And the Winner is…
My own personal favorite is the Udvar-Hazy Center! I like the layout and the sheer size of the space. But if you are an avid air and space enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to visit both museum locations (especially if you’re a local). If you’re a casual fan and/or only in the D.C. area for a short period of time, I would stick to the National Air and Space Museum – they have plenty of displays and artifacts there to keep you busy and educated for hours. It truly is remarkable and awesome how much the human race has accomplished in the air and space arena over a short period of time.
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and reality of tomorrow. — Robert Goddard
-
Jump! Skydiving 2001
As requested, I’m posting a little clip of my skydiving video from my tandem jump at Skydive Orange!
To set the scene a bit, it was October 2001, just a month after 9/11. We had all been affected by that terrible tragedy in our own ways, and I was in the camp of people who suddenly realized how temporary life truly is. I made a silent vow not to miss out on anything my heart desires in this one short life we’re gifted. And at that time, not unlike today, the dream in my heart was that of adventure! I had been curious about skydiving for a while, and decided there was no time like the present. I signed up with a local company, Skydive Orange, paid my deposit and counted down the days excitedly without a drop of anxiety.
On the day of my jump, I arrived at Skydive Orange early to sign
my life awaywaivers and to watch a safety video. Inside the hangar, our names were written on a whiteboard indicating the assigned tandem partner with whom we’d jump. For the life of me I can’t remember my partner’s name, but what I do remember is that we were supposed to have a short on-the-ground lesson before we even boarded the plane. I watched the other tandem jumpers practicing proper jump positioning with their partners, but my guy was no where to be found and my jump time was quickly approaching. I wasn’t even harnessed up yet!About two minutes before my scheduled flight time, my tandem partner came running into the hangar yelling my name. I answered, “here!” and before I knew what was happening he quickly whisked me away to the field where the tiny airplane was waiting. He had just landed from the previous batch of jumps, so he had to hurry to make this next flight with me. He literally harnessed me up as we were walking to the plane, and that is the moment when I started to get just a little nervous. What if in his rush to make the flight time, he didn’t harness me correctly? He finished making adjustments while we were on the plane, tightening a strap here, checking a carabiner there, and gave me a quick overview of how to read the altimeter which he had just fastened to my wrist.
The ascent in the tiny plane seemed both short and long if that’s possible, but all too soon the huge side cargo door was opened and pairs of divers began to scoot towards the opening. Once I was at the door, the terror hit. What in the world was I doing?! And why didn’t I have the proper fear mechanisms in place to warn me in advance that this was a very bad idea?! It was too late though – my partner gave me the 3-2-1 count (or maybe it was 1-2-3?) and before I knew it, there was nothing but air between the ground and me. And I loved it. What a rush! The incredibly windy freefall lasted 60 seconds, but again, that minute felt altogether too short and also way too long. I don’t want to completely spoil the surprise, but that stomach-in-your-throat feeling you get from a deliciously big drop on a rollercoaster? Not the case here – you are so high up that the sensation is entirely different.
After the chute opened (thank you, dear God!) by way of my partner grabbing my hand to pull the ripcord together, we spent about 6-7 minutes in flight, gently sailing towards the bullseye target. I steered for part of the time, but mostly I just took in my surroundings – I can’t recommend Virginia in the fall enough as the absolute perfect backdrop for a skydiving experience.
Here I am getting ready to board the Cessna Otter with my tandem partner, and the image on the right is post-jump, all smiles! (And hey, check out my super light-wash jeans.)
The quality isn’t that great since the original is on a VHS tape (there was no digital video option way back in October 2001), and I’ve transferred that to a digital file and then compressed it for web, but you’ll still get the idea. There’s one jumper before me at the very beginning, and then I’m right after that. I can’t tell you what I was saying right as I’m standing in the doorframe because I don’t remember exactly, but I’m pretty sure I’m glad you can’t actually hear the words. 🙂 I wasn’t really scared up until that exact moment, and then for about 10 seconds I was terrified. Once I jumped, I was fine, and once the parachute opened, I was even better!
Susan’s tandem jump at Skydive Orange – October 2001 from Susan Marks on Vimeo.
-
Hiking Great Falls
In continuing to complete all of the hikes in our little trail guide, Chris and I checked off Great Falls yesterday. We had been there before, but only to look at the falls from the overlooks. Yesterday we did the whole length of the River Trail, which was just a bit over three miles. A few images from the point-and-shoot:
Obligatory photo in front of the falls. Hey, everyone else was doing it!
And an obligatory picture in the “hole” created during the Ice Age.
The first half of the trail didn’t feel like the kind of hiking I’ve grown to love. The trails are wide, well-worn, and easy (with lots of man-made elements like staircases), and there were tons of people everywhere. I couldn’t believe how many people were at the park when it was about 35 degrees with a wind chill of well below that! But once we reached the part of the trail that gains quite a bit of elevation over trickier terrain, the crowd completely thinned out. We only saw two other hikers doing that part of the trail. And I can see why – I thought that part of the River Trail was actually a little scary. There are plenty of spots where the trail climbs over huge boulders only one foot away from the cliff’s edge. My nerves are also a product of how clumsy I am. If I can fall down a flight of stairs with railing (and trust me, I can), surely I could take the 70 ft. plunge into the Potomac if I lost my footing. And speaking of losing my footing, I’ll end this post with a photo from Chris’s favorite part of the day where we had to cross the part of the path that was flooded.
He went first on the ice around the left egde, and it was all creaky sounding in one spot. I followed shortly after, and that creaky spot cracked. I managed to make it out before I got wet though! Okay, this is after I was squealing, yelling and slipping all over, and Chris had to pull me along. I can’t believe I didn’t fall all over the ice. He said he wished he had a video of me crossing the ice. I hate to disappoint you, blog readers, but there’s no video of it.
-
Beaver Activity at Prince William Forest Park
Okay, so I’ve only been twice now, three times if you count our first geocaching trip, but…I think I actually have a craving to go hiking now! And considering how completely non-outdoorsy I am, that’s a very strange new thing for me. Chris and I kicked off the New Year with a trip to Prince William Forest Park to do a 3-mile hike, but we haven’t been able to go since then (I was working on getting rid of some kind of cough for a little while). Prince William Forest Park on New Year’s Day was great – we only saw one other pair of hikers for the entire time we were there, and it was just really peaceful. Of course I brought my little point-and-shoot along to show you some visual goodies.
The hike was recommended in our guidebook, and one of the things the trail description mentioned was that this was a good place to see “beaver activity.” When we read that, we had absolutely no idea what to expect (beavers just chillin’ and hanging out? beaver parties or games?), but we got about half-way through the hike and saw this down by a stream – huge mature trees, with tons of little teeth-marks! Some of the trees were still being worked on (above), but some were completely knocked over by the power of these animals (below). I hadn’t ever seen anything like this before. It’s an easy hike, probably easy enough for smaller kids – it was certainly educational for us so I imagine it would be neat for the kiddos to see.
We’re hoping to be able to go hiking again soon, assuming the weather isn’t nutty. The plan is to try each of the trails in our guidebook, and I’m assuming that once the weather gets warmer and the bugs start coming out, I won’t want to go anymore (I know, I know…most people like to hike in nice weather).