So, those of you who have been paying attention (I guess pretty much none of you then), will have realised that I have been working a day behind pretty much the whole time I have been here. Its been tough gig!
So as we approach the time to board the plane home from Washington to London, this is an attempt to catch up - by virtue of the simple strategy of combining two days into one! (Sorry it might be a bit longer than usual). There are also a few more pics on the gallery page.
So yesterday, Jo and I said our fond goodbyes to Helen - with much hugging and a few damp eyes. Its taken us too long to make this trip, but it has been a blast! To think that we have been friends for almost 40 years is humbling. That we still have the desire to spend such time together is life affirming!
We drove the 3 hours on largely quiet roads due east to the coast, through the occasional thunderstorm that fully tested the windscreen wipers, to reach the Outer Banks, a long spit of land off the east coast chosen by the Wright brothers for their glider testing and ultimately first powered and controlled flight because of the strong consistent winds and the lack of prying eyes.
And the rest they say is history - or is it?…
Me being me, thought I would research (briefly I admit), the competing claims of other would be first flyers.
I quote first from the Smithsonian: “Many Brazilians credit Alberto Santos-Dumont, who made the first public flight in Europe three years after the Wrights flew at Kitty Hawk, simply because his aircraft sported wheels, while the Wrights took off from a monorail track. Some New Zealanders argue that Richard Pearse made a powered flight as early as the spring of 1903, months before the Wrights’ first flight on December 17, even though Pearse himself remarked that he had not begun his experiments until 1904, and then only after being inspired by news accounts of the Wright brothers.”
It also seems likely that even if Pearse did fly it would not have met the criterion of being “controlled”.
There is also a claim by Gustave Whitehead, a German immigrant who settled in Connecticut, who it is said flew 7 miles over Long Island. However research in to this claim seems to have debunked it, at least one so called eye-witness having been paid. Anyone interested in the full Smithsonian verdict? It can be found at:
So, as far as the world knows and recognises, the first documented flight did actually take place on 17 December 1903. And we were there!
And the memorial to their immense achievement, is a magical place in which it is just about possible to imagine the dedication they had to their goal. And just walking the 852 feet (of course its measured in feet, at least its not fathoms or something), one can marvel at the their perseverance in getting a powered machine in to the air and keeping it there while being piloted by one of the brothers - it was Wilbur’s turn, when it came to the fourth and final attempt of the day.
So that was most of yesterday taken care of - finished with some excellent fresh shrimp and cold beer, we had an early night in an attempt to start the readjustment to UK time - it won’t work!
And so today we complete our round trip back to Washington. But not before a stop in Williamsburg, the old colonial capital of Virginia, and restored to its former “glory” to provide a historical insight to the times. Or as I prefer to say - a glorified theme park. To be fair, it seemed such a zoo (took us ten minutes to find a parking space!) that we didn’t even go in. We decided that 40 bucks to wander around a historical village and see people dressed in costumes of the time was just not worth it, when in many parts of the world (notably at home) we can do it for free. Naively we had expected a visitor centre on the edge of a possibly prettily restored small town. What we seemed to get was Disney does Colonial.
We decided to give it a miss and instead head straight to Washington with enough time to get in and out and pay a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. The contrast couldn’t be more obvious - a place of remembrance, reflection and thoughtful beauty. Although I have to admit to being rather saddened by the young high school group passing the grave of Robert Kennedy without giving it a glance - who brought these people here with so little preparation that they didn’t even recognise one of their own great orators and politicians. We could do with some people of his stature today!
So, finally, those of you who have been surprised at my lack of ranting, I’ve essentially managed two in one day. Just to finish the trip on a high!
With little fuss we drove out of Washington in the early evening and as I type I am sitting in the Turkish Airlines Lounge at Dulles International waiting for the flight back to London. It has been a fabulous trip, apparently only a week long!
I raise a glass to love and enduring friendship.
Till next time, sayonara!