A few years ago there was a huge debate over whether or not there were mountain lions in this area. I will have to say that I am convinced there are. Although I have not seen a big cat myself, I know a few people who have. I know others who have seen tracks. Last fall Jon Wisthoff and I were looking for a place to camp. We found a good spot straight across the coulee from our house near this tree. The one side is all clawed up. I do not know what else could have made these claw marks but a mountain lion. A few days later Ruth and I walked across the coulee and I took this picture. I know that mountain lions are more afraid of me than I should be of them. However, I notice that I tend to look over my shoulder more these days when I am hiking in the coulee.
There is so much to see in the museums on both sides of the National Mall I cannot possibly mention everything. I will list that which stands out. Mueum of Natural History: a huge stuffed elephant that dominates the rotunda, dozens of dinosaur skeletons, the Hope diamond, gemstones galore, and Egyptian mummies. Museum of American History: the section on civil rights from 1863 to 1963, the stories of Medal of Honor winners, the section on America at War, the section on Thomas Edison. Air and Space Museum: the Wright brother's plane, all the Apollo space stuff about how we went to the moon, the section on telescopes, the section on aircraft carriers, the section on taking photographs from the air. This last sectio n covered everything from the first pictures taken from the air in baloons and from cameras strapped to the bellies of birds to pictures taken from modern satellites. Of all the museums...
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