Third grade was a very formative time for me. I can remember my reading and geography books better than I can re-call my last trip to Washington. In my reading book - there was a continuing story of a family traveling around the USA pulling a "house trailer." The adventure seemed so remarkable that much of my own travels have been spent duplicating travels to places they visited.In 1977 - Lulu - Drew - my Dad - and I spent a month circling the USA. We were pulling a small travel trailer with a Chevy Chevette. We spent 30 nights in that trailer - the four of us. We navigated the Great Plains - climbed the Rocky Mountains - roasted over the Mohave Desert - and crossed the mighty Mississippi . My Dad got his wish to fished in the frigid Pacific waters - a couple years later he died.
One thing I forgot about was the zero mile maker. Just south of the White House is a granite market. All highway and train distances were calculated form this point. In all of my trips to Washington - I had forgotten to find this marker. Sunday morning - while looking for a bathroom - I stumbled on it. If you ever find it - there is a bathroom at the visitor center just east of the marker.
