Traveling Across America Day 15: Science, God, and Disappointment

We ran out of time yesterday, so on our way out of town today we stopped by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Since we had to leave the dogs in the car we agreed to only spend an hour at the museum.

So, speed walking, and speed reading quickly became invaluable assets.

The evolution of man

One of my favorite parts of the museum was the “Human Origins” section on the first floor, which included tons of details about the evolution of man.

One of my dog’s closest and oldest relatives

If you read Hope In Every Raindrop then you’ll recall the fictional breed I created call Carolina Grays, which were based off my experience with Carolina Dogs.

Well in the Mammals exhibit I just happened to find a display of the Australian Dingo, which is the counterpart and believed to be related to the American Dingo (or the Carolina Dog).

The most disappointing sign I’ve ever read

After finishing out a few more exhibits at the Smithsonian we made our way to the Arlington National Cemetery.

Camera in hand I was ready to capture some amazing photos. But as we walked the hallowed grounds I couldn’t bring myself to take any pictures except a picture of the sign before entering.

The fact that we have to actually inform people (multiple times, as there were multiple signs) that they need to “conduct themselves with dignity and respect at all times” is well…disappointing.

Have there been so many instances of blatant disrespect at Arlington that they needed to create multiple signs to warn people?

Or are we just such cruddy people in general that signs are warranted without instance?

Either way, it’s just sad. And the worst part is we could probably use these signs in more places than just the Arlington Cemetery.

Unknown

We missed the changing of the guard (which you can see below if you’ve never seen it), but we were still able to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.

What struck me the most were the words written on the tomb: “Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”

Normally it wouldn’t have been that strange, except for the obvious juxtaposition to the Smithsonian where just a few miles away life is expressed in terms of science, but here only in terms of God.

I’m not inferring that it has to be one or the other, but the experience inside each of those worlds was and is drastically different.

Other posts in the Traveling America series:

• Day 0: I’m Traveling Across America (And One Day You Should Too!)
• Day 1: Discovering Snake River and Eating Chick-fil-a
• Day 2: Someone Turned Down the Shoshone Falls
• Day 3: Face to Face With a Grizzly Bear
• Day 4: Rediscovering the True Wild and the Old West
• Day 5: Bad Weather and Beautiful Colors
• Day 6: Every City Needs Waterfalls
• Days 7 and 8: The Windy City is…Really Windy
• Day 10: The Most Beautiful Scenery and the Most Disgusting Hotel
• Days 11 and 12: New York Countryside and Massachusetts Coast
• Day 13: New Haven and Old Friends
• Day 14: The Land of the Free and Chocolatey
• Day 15: Science, God, and Disappointment
• Days 16, 17, and 18: The Blue Ridge Parkway (Still Amazing)