Annapolis, MD and the DC Zoo

The first weekend in June, Rachel and I went with our friends Keith and Meg Edwards (and daughters Kate, Abby and Olivia) to Annapolis, MD for the "One Fit Mama" 10K race. While not meeting the criteria of "Mama", Rachel was able to enter the race and run with Meg's team.

We left Saturday morning and drove to the National Zoo in Washington DC. We spent the afternoon walking the girls around to look at the animals in the zoo. After a while, Kate and Abby got tired of walking. Since Keith only has one set of shoulders, I got to take Abby for a ride on mine. At 3 1/2, the girls' memories amaze me, as they were able to tell me all about all of the animals we saw. If I read one of the signs to Abby, she was able to recite all of the facts back to me 20 minutes later.


The D.C. zoo has a really nice panda exhibit. It beats the great panda exhibits in any zoos I have been to previously (including the San Diego Zoo). It was a clean, spacious and natural habitat, and the panda moved around quite a bit while we were there, which is good because they are typically fairly lethargic.


As I mentioned, Keith took Kate on his shoulders. One of the highlights of the trip for me was shortly after arriving at the zoo, Kate pointed out the zebras to Keith. When Keith walked over to the railing with her, she enthusiastically asks, "Daddy, is he pooping?" I got a good chuckle out of that one.


Exhausted, we left the zoo about 3:00 PM and drove back up to Annapolis to check into our hotel. After cleaning up, we headed into downtown Annapolis. If you have not been, I strongly encourage you go. It is a beautiful small town, perfect for a romantic getaway, or to go to watch your wife run a 10K.

We met the "One Fit Mama" team for dinner at a seafood house (the food was very good), and then Rachel and I walked around the town afterwards. Annapolis is home to the Naval Academy, and backs up to the Chesapeke Bay. Yachts dock all along the restaurant area, and the scene is quite vibrant. The town itself is historic and has some beautiful older buildings and churches.


Sunday morning, Rachel and Meg got up early and headed over to the race. After he got the girls dressed and ready, Keith and I drove over to the Navy football field, parked, and caught a bus to the finish line. It downpoured at the beginning of the race, so Keith and I managed to get the three girls, stroller and umbrellas onto the bus. This is a picture of Rachel (back left) coming towards the finish line. I am happy to report that she passed both of the girls pictured in front of her here.

After the race, we caught the bus back to the Navy football field for the awards ceremony and refreshments. Meg's college roommate, Mel, actually won the Half Marathon (she was FLYING - she beat the top male finisher by 2 minutes). This is a picture of Meg and Rachel after finishing the 10K (5.2 miles)

Being an avid college football fan, it was fun for me to walk around Navy's stadium.


This is a picture taken outside of the stadium before the race. It also shows the poor running conditions for the race start.



I got a good shot of the retired Blue Angel F-18 Hornet parked outside of the stadium. Every school in the SEC (except for maybe Kentucky, Vandy and Mississippi St.) should have some sort of war machine on display to strike fear in opposing fans. I think an M1 Abrams tank or an F-22 Raptor strike jet would look great outside of Gate 21 at Neyland Stadium.


After the Awards Ceremony, us and the Edwards showered and checked out of the hotel. We headed up to Mike and Sarah Viscardi's for lunch (Mike is a childhood friend of Keith who lives in the area). We met Mike and Sarah last year, when they were in Philadelphia for a visit. On our way, we stopped at the World War II Memorial, which overlooks the bay toward the Naval Academy. If you enlarge the picture, you will see the Academy in the background.

Rachel and I at the World War II Memorial.



This is a shot I took of the Naval Academy from the bridge near the race finish.


Kate, Olivia and Abby at the World War II Memorial.



A great shot of the entire Edwards clan (Kate, Olivia, Keith, Meg and Abby).

A special thanks to the Edwards for allowing us to tag along with their family on a great trip!!! We look forward to our next trip together - The Outer Banks during the last week of August.