Gone Camping
Day 19
Feb. 7, 2009
"He's a bit of a restless soul. His idea of a crazy day is to take a long walk ... in solitude and isolation."
—Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, on President Obama's leaving the White House to spend the weekend at Camp David for the first time
It takes only about two weeks into his Administration for the President to start feeling cooped up in the White House. He and the First Family depart for their first overnight stay at the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains for some R&R before a week of travel to promote the stimulus.
After his weekend of rest, the President plans to swing through Elkhart, Ind., and Fort Myers, Fla., to talk economics before heading to Springfield, Ill., to mark Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday and return to his hometown of Chicago for a Valentine's Day celebration with his wife.