Top 10 of 2013: Lincoln
Number 2: I can see Lincoln
Washington, District of Columbia
328 Favorite Points
Having adopted West Virginia as my home state, President Lincoln is a president dear to my heart. And indeed, this isn’t even the only geocache I’ve done involving the 16th President of the United States of America. The first was a flashmob at the “Lincoln Walks at Midnight” statue found on the West Virginia State Capitol grounds (which, if you’re ever in Charleston, merit at least an hour or two of your time).
But here we are, about a 5 hour drive from Charleston, the capital of the only state born out of Civil War, looking toward the Lincoln Memorial from another impressive memorial, the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial. On the day of our visit, a group of Korean War Veterans were also visiting, flown in on an Honor Flight. Their expressions ranged from elation to sadness, often cut by the voices of park rangers yelling at folks to stay off the grass.
Lincoln presides over the National Mall grandly, despite the rat race below. His way at life and his unfortunately way of death, coupled with the most prime real estate on the Mall, mean his monument is rarely less than jam packed during daylight hours when the temperatures aren’t bone chillingly cold. I heard on more than one occasion when I lived in DC that if you wanted peace you ought to visit the Jefferson or FDR memorials instead, unless you waited for the right time of day.
DC has a bit of a reputation for being a rough town. There are certainly some parts of DC that earn this reputation. But high crime is not bad in the areas frequented by tourists. Great efforts have been taken to ensure the security of guests to the National Mall at all times of day. So while some may react in shock, the best time to visit Lincoln is at sunrise or sunset. He’s less busy at these times, and watching the changes in the light adds such depth to the experience. It’s a pleasure to sit with him at these times.
So this wasn’t a WVTim cache, so we’ll settle that mystery now. But if the top cache is a WVTim cache, which one was the top find of 2013?