More Than Just a Trip
Anchor’s Spring Break Trip to Washington D.C.
Mar 19 - Written by Grace Michael
Spring break trip started the way most great adventures do, with the lingering desire to call it off and stay in bed all weekend.
Still, the car was packed, snacks were thrown into bags (the most important part of any road trip), and there was no turning back. Our road trip to Washington, DC, had officially begun. The plan was simple: drive to Pittsburgh on the first day, spend the night there, continue to DC for two nights, and then stop in Ohio on the way back before finally heading home.
The first night, we met the church in Pittsburgh. It was the largest group of people in a relatively small space I have seen. All over, you can hear introductions - names, random information that we will most likely forget. It was overwhelming, but a comfortable overwhelming - like meeting distant family for the first time, strangers, but somehow familiar.
The next day, we drove to DC. The first stretch of the drive was quiet, the kind of quiet that comes when everyone is still waking up, and the sun is barely starting to rise. Slowly, though, the car filled with conversation, music, and games. As we drove closer, traffic grew heavier and the buildings taller. Everywhere we looked, there were monuments, museums, and people from all over the world walking through the streets.
One of the most unforgettable moments was visiting the Lincoln Memorial. Climbing the long stone steps felt strangely symbolic, like walking into a piece of history. When we reached the top, the massive statue of Abraham Lincoln sat quietly in the center of the room, carved from white marble and somehow both powerful and peaceful at the same time. Standing there and looking up at it made the moment feel almost surreal.
The museums were another experience entirely. Inside the Smithsonian museums, it felt like every hallway opened into something new—old airplanes hanging from the ceiling, artifacts from American history, and exhibits that made you stop and stare for longer than you expected. Time seemed to disappear inside those buildings, and before we realized it, hours had passed.
By the time we left DC after two nights, our feet were sore from walking, but we were leaving with memories that would stay with us long after the trip was over. On the drive back, we stopped for a night in Ohio, which felt calmer after the constant movement of the city. We met the very welcoming people from the church in Ohio. Amid all the conversations, I was intrigued by their desire to live their lives working to bring the gospel to college students like us.
Looking back, it was funny to remember how the trip had started—with the temptation to stay in and cancel the whole thing. If I had listened to that feeling, I would have missed the quiet power of the Lincoln Memorial, the National History Museum, the monuments glowing in the evening light, and the simple joy of being on the road together, with good friends and good conversations.
