Come fly with me...

I've been meaning to post these for a while: photos from a visit I took to the Udvar-Hazy Center, a branch of the Air and Space Museum out by Dulles Airport. I'd been to the Udvar-Hazy (isn't that an awesome name? fun to say, too!) once before a couple of years ago with some of the Roanoke crew (Jane, Shannon, Beth, Ian, and baby Caitlyn) and thought it was a blast. This time, my companions were my parents, my sister Erin, and her boyfriend, Eric. Fortunately, Erin's new home is right near Dulles, so it made for an easy, interesting, and affordable way to spend an afternoon. (You just pay to park--$15.)

A shot of just part of the ceiling of the museum to give you the idea of how much there is to see. Basically, it's a huge hanger with planes on the ground and suspended various heights.

My mom and Erin posed in front of an F-14 Tomcat. We Hanrahans are partial to the F-14 not just because of its Top Gun fame (remember when Tom Cruise was that hot and not scary?), but also because they were made by Grumman, a Long Island-based company. In fact, at the museum my dad reminded me of a canoe trip we took once with my fourth-grade class (my dad was a chaperone). As we paddled down the river, these F-14s roared by over our heads on a test mission. It was amazing--their speed, the volume, the overall coolness of the whole thing.

During my first visit to the museum, I was so thrilled to hear that there was an actual space shuttle there. Much to my disappointment, you can't get inside it, but it is still pretty darn cool. (Full disclosure: the Enterprise never actually made it to space, as you can read about if you follow the link above.)

The space wing also has all kinds of vehicles from the early days of space travel and computers/technology that made space travel possible. Check out this old UNIVAC. Seeing big old computers like this (which are downright tiny compared to the earliest computers) reminds me of just how far we've come (especially as I prepare this post on my laptop with a wireless internet connection).

Back in the front part of the museum, you'll see lots of early planes and gliders. Looking at something like this, I can't help but marvel at the guts it took to fly these sorts of things.

I also found myself repeatedly cracked up by "planes" like this. What really made me laugh is that a lot of these are have "experimental" written on them. That seems a bit unnecessary. When you are taking off on what is basically a lawnmower with a propeller, the label "experimental" is obvious.

Another highlight of the museum is the Enola Gay, although I must say that it's a highlight that is also sobering.

Close up of the plane.

Erin posing in front of a shiny silver plane. She looks so cute, right?

One last picture: Erin and Eric posed in front of this awesome yellow plane.

If you are looking for something to do in the DC area, try out the Udvar-Hazy. I haven't even mentioned all the other features: an observation deck where you can watch the planes leaving Dulles, an IMAX theater, flight simulators, and more.