Historical Studies Tour - Day 9 and Wrap-up

Our last day of the trip was a very long one, including about 7 hours on planes, and not all of that in the air.We had an early wakeup call, about 5:45. After the great hotel in Maryland, the one we were at in Gettysburg was a bit of a letdown, but at least we slept well.

Breakfast was at The Dobbin House, a house built in 1776 and used as a school of the classics for many years. At one point, it was a stop on the Underground Railroad. It's been restored and works as a museum as well as restaurant.

We went back to the Battlefield Museum and picked up a tour guide to take us around the battlefield. His name was Paul, and he did a great job of bringing it all to life. We saw some of the cannons placed about where they were in 1863 on the last day of the battle.

The observation tower, in sight of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farm, gives a great view of most of the area. Paul pointed out most of the monuments sponsored by the various states whose soldiers fought in the battle, as well as some of the statues of the various officers who were there. We stopped on Little Round Top for that view, where the 12th New York Regiment is memorialized in a small, castle-like tower. It's interesting how much

effort is going into preserving the battlefield area, including removing some trees that have grown up, and homes that have been built in the past 146 years.

Our time in Gettysburg was done, and we dropped off our tour guide and drove to Intercourse, PA (yes, the 8th graders got a lot of mileage out of that one!), in Lancaster County, known as Amish Country. Our lunch was at a great smorgasbord, and then we picked up our tour guide for the afternoon, an Amish Mennonite lady named Rachel Smucker. She was shunned from the Amish community when she and her husband were newly married, and now tells the story of the Amish people and their love for God and the land they're in.

As we drove to her family's farm, she pointed out various sights and points of interest, such as laundry hanging up high, to give milk trucks better access to the milking barns; the bicycle-like scooters used by young people; and a fantastic view from one hillside, where her grandfather would tell her, "As long as we keep our love for Jesus in our hearts, this land will always be ours."At her family's farm, where her sister now lives, we saw the meeting room that would be used for church services, weddings, funerals, etc.

Then we walked over to the barn, and got to watch eighth grade city kids react to how smelly cows can be. I don't think very many of them ever thought about where milk comes from before, much less hamburgers.

And that was our last stop on the trip. From there, we dropped off Rachel, and headed for Baltimore International Airport for our flight to Denver, then San Francisco. Despite a nearly hour-long wait on the tarmac in Baltimore, and a tight connection in Denver, the flights were smooth and easy. We picked up our bags, said good-bye to the teachers and other parents, the kids said a lot of "see-you-on-Monday," and we headed home. It was after midnight when we got home, which was after 3:00 Eastern time. We had been up for about 21 hours.

The trip was really great. We saw a lot of interesting things related to our country's history, and were challenged to think about how we, as Christians, can continue to hold up God's truth in a country that values Christian beliefs less and less every year. I, for one, don't think the U.S. is greater in God's eyes than any other country, or that we will lose our prominence in the world solely as a result of taking God off of our monuments. I do, however believe strongly that the founding fathers knew that faith, morality, reason, and intellectual honesty were (and still are) key elements of a working democracy. While they insisted on religious freedom for all, I don't think they could have conceived of any faith that did not embrace such things in ways similar to Christianity. They were not perfect people, nor are we, nor is our country perfect. I hope that the students on this trip at least got an idea that our country is worth fighting for, and our faith is one of the best ways we can fight for its continued strength.

Historical Studies Tour - Day 8

I was about to write something about a light schedule today, but it's mostly because we had a two-hour bus ride from D.C. to Gettysburg. But I get ahead of myself.

Our first tour stop today was the American History Museum of the Smithsonian. It was definitely worth seeing! Even though I would have loved more time there (like most of the other museums), I did get to see all the high points:

• The C-3PO costume that Anthony Daniels wore in some of the "Star Wars" movies
• A phaser prop from the original "Star Trek" series
• Fonzie's jacket from "Happy Days"
• The ruby slippers from "The Wizard of Oz"
• Best of all, KERMIT!!!
I wish they had Mister Rogers' sweater on display there, but I couldn't find it anywhere.

After our time there, we had lunch at Union Station, then took a quick walk across the street to the Post Office, where there is a Postal Museum in the basement. A lot of that display talks about not only the history of the postal system in the U.S., but the various modes of transportation that has been used over the years. There is a statue of Benjamin Franklin, the "father of the U.S. Postal Service."

After that, our time in D.C. was done. As we left town, we went through Embassy Row, and past the National Cathedral, and then got on the freeway to go to Gettysburg, PA.

Our first stop here was the Gettysburg National Park Museum. It has a great display about the causes of the Civil War, the lead-up to the Battle of Gettysburg, details about the battle, and information about the aftermath. Then there is a 20-minute film about it, which is very well-produced. Finally, in the upper floors is the Gettysburg Cyclorama, a huge 360-degree painting of the climactic battle. It is presented with a soundtrack and lighting on various parts of the canvas to highlight the stages of the battle -- it's very dramatic. (We couldn't take pictures in there, so I don't have anything to post.)

After that, it was hotel, dinner, and, for the adults, dessert at the Dairy Queen next door. Tomorrow morning, our wake-up call is at 5:30, and we'll be off to breakfast at a historical site, then on to the battlefield, and later on in the day, Amish country. Then we'll be off to the Baltimore Airport to fly home.

Historical Studies Tour - Day 7

Today was a much easier day, walking-wise. Only two foot tours, and no walking between sites!

Our first stop was The Pentagon -- suffice it to say I don't have pictures of that! We first viewed the 9/11 Memorial, just outside the site of the attack in 2001. It's a very beautiful area, with a cantilevered bench over a small moving pool for each victim, whether on the plane or in the building. I would love to visit it again in a few years, after the trees have had some time to mature.

Then we headed inside for the 45-minute basic tour of the building, where we saw some of the exhibits along the hallways, the inner courtyard, the memorial chapel and another exhibit honoring the 9/11 victims. We walked through some of the shopping areas, and heard about some of the remodelling that's been going on there since 2000. I'd have loved to see more, but I guess that's all you get on a "general public" tour, what with it being the headquarters for all of our military, and all!

We then went to the sites of the U.S. Air Force Memorial and the U.S. Marines Memorial. The USAF Memorial is much newer, having been dedicated in 2006. It's a beautiful structure, surrounded by stone monuments to the USAF and its predecessors, situated on a bluff overlooking the Pentagon and the Capitol Mall beyond that.

The USMC Memorial is commonly known as the Iwo Jima Memorial, because of the statue on top, but it references many of the key battles in which the Marine Corps have played a key role. The students had a bit of fun looking for the rumored "13'th hand" on the monument. Some were sure they saw it, others only saw 11. With six people depicted, I'm pretty sure both numbers are wrong!

We then drove back into D.C., and were going to see if we could get into the National Archives; on previous days, the lines were very long, and Mr. Pfister knew that we didn't have time to stand in one line just to get inside, and then another long line to get into the Rotunda, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution are on display. Fortunately, as we came up to it, there was virtually no line, so we quickly got off the bus, and started in. We had a very short wait, and it was great to be able to see the documents there, after having been in Boston and Philadelphia, and talking about the events of the Revolutionary War and the founding of the U.S. We also got to view a 1297 copy of England's Magna Carta on display there. Again, no photograpy was allowed, so I only got pictures outside of the building. You'll have to go to the National Archives website to see more of what's there.

Our dinner was at a Golden Corral buffet. I had never heard of these, but they're pretty terrific! One of the adults in the group mentioned that when a Golden Corral comes to town, it essentially puts any Hometown Buffet in a world of hurt. The quality of food is fantastic -- and they have Sweet Tea!!!

Our original plan was to go from there to a Baltimore Orioles baseball game. However, as we got to the restaurant, the front edge of a thunderstorm came in. We checked the weather, and it looked like the game would be at least delayed, maybe cancelled. So we decided to come back to the hotel, where the kids played in the pool, and we all relaxed for a while.

Tomorrow, we go into D.C. again for part of the day, then head to Gettysburg, our last destination for this trip.

Historical Studies Tour - Day 6

Okay, nevermind about yesterday being a long day. Today was a LOOOOOOOONG day. I'm told that we walked about 8 miles today. My feet think it was longer, and my ankles and knees agree.

Our morning (after breakfast and a bus ride) kicked off with a visit to the Washington Monument. If I have any criticism of it, it's that it's too slim on information about Mr. Washington himself. Other than that, it's pretty cool. We went up to the top and looked out all the windows at the city of Washington, D.C. I liked the panels that showed what each view looked like in the early

1900's, the mid-1900's and in 1999. Quite interesting to see the changes in the city. I could have spent a lot more time up there, but we could only keep the kids interested for so long!

On the way down, the windows in the elevator doors go from opaque to clear, so you can see many of the commemorative stones sent by each of the states. While the stones were neat, the windows changing was really cool too!

We then walked over to the World War II Memorial, just to the west on the Capitol Mall. Mr. Pfister pointed out the symbolic elements, such as the 4048 stars, the two wreaths on each state's pillars, and the like. It's a beautiful monument to see.

From there, we went to Union Station for lunch at the food court. The last time I was at Union Station, it had not yet been developed into a shopping center. I liked going into the Main Hall, to see the part of the building that really hasn't changed much. Mr. Pfister pointed out to me something that I had never known before: The statues of Roman soldiers overlooking the Main Hall were originally sculpted as partial nudes -- below the waist! They were given shields after their delivery, in order to give them some modesty!

From Union Station, we walked in the rain along First Street, and stopped as we went past the Supreme Court Building. It was interesting to be there just after the announcement of President Obama's nominee for the open seat on the Supreme Court. It gave Mr. Pfister a chance to mention some of the political dealings that go along with that.

Further south on First, we went into the Jefferson Building, housing part of the Library of Congress. I was excited to see that they have the Gutenberg Bible on display there! Pictures weren't allowed... but I didn't know that until after I had already done so!

OOPS! We looked at some of the statuary in the building, noting the symbolic meanings of the various characters depicted, and the quotes from various thinkers and leaders from U.S. History along some of the upper windows. We were able to go into the viewing gallery above the main reading room, as well -- but we couldn't take pictures there, either. This time, I knew I wasn't supposed to.

Then we went across First Street to start our tour of the U.S. Capitol Building. That was quite a production! They've got it down to a science, though, moving different groups through with amazing efficiency. The primary thing you see in the main tour is a LOT of statues. In the entrance area are not only the replica of the Liberty statue from the top of the dome, but several of the statues sent by the states to the Capitol. More of these statues are in the Crypt, which is beneath the Rotunda. Still more are in the Rotunda itself, including the newest one from California, of President Ronald Reagan. Then there is Statuary Hall, the original assembly hall of the House of Representatives, now used for formal functions. It is lined with many more statues, including one of Father Junipero Serra, the other statue from California.

After this part of the tour, we were able to go into the Visitor's Galleries of first the Senate and then the House of Representatives. While it was interesting to see each one, both were somewhat underwhelming. In the Senate, we just missed Senator John McCain talking about some legislation he is co-sponsoring, but he was still in the room, as was Senator Christopher J. Dodd. They were waiting for a Senator named Shelby to deliver his part of the presentation, and were then going to vote on it. We didn't have time to stay and see how that worked. Most of the time we were in there, we watched the four or five Senators in attendance chat amiably together, as McCain wandered around casually.

In the House chamber, they were on a recess, so the only ones in the room were about 20 congressional pages, talking amongst themselves. Mr. Pfister talked to us about some of the details and features of the room.

In neither hall were we allowed to bring cameras or phones. We went through security three different times: once to get into the building, another to go into the Senate, and a third time to go into the House. One wonders why they can't just clear you when you go into the building, and be done with it!

In all, we were inside the Capitol building for about two hours, enough to miss the worst of the rain that was falling.

The next stop on our tour was probably one of the most anticipated one for the kids. We went to Arlington National Cemetery, to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We saw the changing of the guard, and then four of our kids participated in a wreath-laying ceremony. It was very moving to see the precision and intensity of the guards in all of their duties, and to know that they work very hard on that detail, all to honor those who have lost their lives, but died unknown.

We also walked a bit more to see the monuments to those who died in the Challenger and Columbia Space Shuttle accidents, and then down to the JFK burial site, to see the "eternal flame," as well as the graves of JFK, Jackie Kennedy, their two children who died as infants, and then the graves of Robert and Ted Kennedy, as well.

The the rest of the evening was simply dinner at the Pentagon City Mall, and then back here to the hotel. It was a very busy, very long day, and my feet are tired.

And there just might be photographic evidence somewhere of me wearing a tie at Arlington Cemetery. I'll leave that for the reader to discover -- and determine if it's a clever Photoshop job or not.

Historical Studies Tour - Day 5

Hoo-boy, what a long day.

Our first stop this morning was to see the White House. We walked to the north side, and took pictures by the fence, and walked over to see the statue of Stonewall Jackson in Lafayette Square. We saw some of the guards on the roof of the White House, which some were calling snipers. The truth is, whatever snipers were in place are never going to be visible!

Next on the agenda was the FDR Memorial. It's one of the more artistic ones, all completely open-air, with four outdoor "rooms" depicting each of his four terms of office, and quotations from FDR on the walls. I think the most memorable part was entering the third "room," depicting his third term, which was largely concerned with the years of World War II. So far in the memorial, you have seen large granite stones making up the walls, smooth and even, with his words engraved on them. As you enter this room, there is a jumble of broken stones of the same type to your left, and to your right a large fountain pouring through more broken and disarrayed stones. His quote about having seen what war does to people is on one wall, and the words "I HATE WAR" are on the sides of two of the broken stones in the jumble. It's a very effective symbol.

We then went to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, which is one of the newer ones on the Capitol Mall. There are 19 stainless steel statues of American Soldiers in a triangular arrangement; the looks on their faces are tense. One side of the triangle is a finely-polished stone wall, which reflects these figures, giving you 38 soldiers -- the number referring to both the 38 months of the war and the 38th Parallel, which still divides North and South Korea from each other. Along the reflecting pool at the point of the triangle, the wall continues, and in it is etched the phrase, "Freedom is not free." It's a fitting tribute to those who served in the Korean War.

Then across the Capitol Mall to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial -- "The Wall." John and I had a special mission here. The son of a wonderful couple at our church died in Vietnam, and we wanted to find his name. With the help of a quick lookup on the Memorial's website, we got the location and found it rather quickly.

There were several gentlemen here and there along the Wall, looking slowly at all the names. One of them asked a question about how the names were organized, and he and I spoke for a moment. He had been drafted in the mid-60's, but never went to Vietnam. He had several friends' names on the wall, though.

I have to say that I was more affected by the monument than I expected. Perhaps it was knowing someone who lost their son in the war. Perhaps it was just being there, after having heard much about it over the years. It was very sobering.

After that came the most frustrating part of the day for me. We got back on our bus and went to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum -- and had less than an hour and a half there! AAAAAUGH! I love aviation and space history! There were two Apollo capsules, one Mercury capsule, and a Gemini capsule. There was the original Wright Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis, Spaceship One, Dick Rutan's Voyager, and a lunar lander constructed for the Apollo missions, but never used. There was a full-size Skylab mockup, and an exhibit of an engine from a Saturn V rocket. AND WE ONLY HAD 80 MINUTES!!!! I was tempted to just hide somewhere until the bus left, and just find a cab back to the hotel, but I figured that wasn't the most responsible thing to do!

Next came the most emotional part of the tour so far -- the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Words really fail me when I try to write something about this. The scale of the horrible events is staggering. The depictions are sometimes graphic, and the stories of peoples' lives so hard to hear. Just trying to get through all of the museum was hard, because of how much suffering is depicted. While some were saved from the concentration camps, and others escaped before being sent there, there are no happy endings for anyone even remotely involved. Truly, we need to be sure we never forget.

Somehow, after that, we managed to have dinner. Then, on to the Jefferson Memorial, followed by the Lincoln Memorial. Both were awesome to see, but I think I was really looking forward to the Lincoln Memorial more. We got there just after dark, and I think that's probably the best time to see it -- it's just beautiful!

We returned to the hotel after that, very tired, and ready to rest.

Tomorrow, among other things, we visit the U.S. Capitol Building, and attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Historical Studies Tour - Day 4

First thing this morning was loading the bus, then breakfast, and then onto the bus for a 2-and-a-half hour drive to Philadelphia. I've been pretty impressed with the good behavior of this group of kids. There is the occasional need to calm one or two of them down, but they're showing a lot of respect to the teachers and adults on the trip, so it's been good.

In Philadelphia, we disembarked in the Liberty Park area downtown.

Before I go on to my descriptions of our visits, I've got to say something about our guide, Mr. Gregg Pfister. I mentioned in Day 1's entry that he walks with a great deal of energy. That was being kind. The truth is that he is a sadistic, vicious little man who loves to torture his charges by pretending to walk when he is actually running at a sprinter's pace! He went easy on us the first three days, but has now turned up the heat, and insists that we walk at his "lively and brisk" pace -- I call it "running."

Okay, kidding aside, he has asked us to increase our pace, to get ready for all of the walking we'll need to do throughout Washington D.C. the next few days. I'm not one to mosey, but his pace almost makes me look like I'm standing still! I'm glad I brought my Z-Coil shoes!

(Now back to our regular entry, already in progress.)

Our first stop was a theater in the Information Center, where we saw a 30-minute docudrama called "Independence." It was produced in 1976 for the U.S. Bicentennial, about the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It had a great cast, including Eli Wallach, Ken Howard, William Atherton, and E.G. Marshall as the narrator.

After that, we walked across the park to tour Independence Hall, site of the Colonial Congress, later the Continental Congress, and then the U.S. Congress, and where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and signed. On the tour is the famous assembly hall where it all happened, the courtroom next door, and the original Congress Hall, with the House of Representatives chamber on the first floor, and the Senate chamber on the second.

The rangers on the tour were very informative and well-spoken, so it was very interesting to hear some of the details of the events. But it was exciting to be in that same room where Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and George Washington spent many hours over many years, shaping the government of our country.

Before actually going in for the tour, we went into a side building, where they have copies of the Declaration, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution on display. They're not the original documents, but they are early copies of them. They are protected behind heavy glass, climate-controlled, and dimly lit. They don't let you take pictures of them using a flash, because of how that might affect the documents. Very interesting!

After Independence Hall, we walked over to the Bourse Building, where we had lunch and did a little tourist shopping. The lady at the Chinese food place I got my General Tso's chicken warned me that it was VERY spicy. After having it, I resisted the urge to go over and call her a liar.

From there, we crossed back over to the Liberty Bell display. With all the kids there, it wasn't really possible to read all of the information in the five or so exhibit alcoves; I could have probably spent a good hour there, looking over all of it. The Liberty Bell itself is so iconic, it was a little surreal to be right there, looking at it! There's is a feeling of, "Yes, I've seen this in so many pictures, so it's not a big deal," and at the same time a feeling of, "HOLY COW! IT'S THE ACTUAL LIBERTY BELL, AND I'M STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT!!!"

We then walked several blocks to the site of Benjamin Franklin's house, now long-gone. The site has been rediscovered, though, and there is a skeleton of its structure, as well as that of the printing office he started, then passed on to his son-in-law. Under the frame are windows into the ground, where you can see parts of the original foundation of the house which he built there. Next to that area is a building into which you go, and walk down three long ramps into a museum about his life and work. As you go in, you see one of my favorite Franklin quotes on the wall:

Our next stop was Elfreth's Alley, a short street that dates back to colonial times, with several of the three-story, "Trinity" houses that are typical of the construction in Philadelphia. The street is narrow and cobblestoned, the houses are narrow, but in addition to being a historical landmark, most of the homes are still private residences. Can you imagine living in a landmark?

We then sprinted after Mr. Pfister back toward Liberty Park to meet the bus. On the way, we were able to see (in passing) Betsy Ross' house and Benjamin Franklin's grave, next to that of his wife, Deborah, and his daughter and son-in-law.

I wish we had better pictures, but we have lost the cord to charge up our camera, so the only thing we have to take pictures with is my phone and John's Flip video camera. It's a bit of a bummer, but we're making do with what we have.

After our walk around Philadelphia, we drove to Laurel, Maryland, to the hotel which we'll be staying in for the next four nights. The kids were all excited to find that there is an indoor pool just outside of our rooms. I was excited to find that we have Tempurpedic mattresses! Woo-hoo!

Tomorrow we start three full days of touring Washington, D.C. and its environs. I'm looking forward to it!

Historical Studies Tour - Day 3

Historical Studies Tour - Day 3

Today wasn't quite as action-packed, since we spent most of the morning on the bus. We woke up this morning to a mild thunderstorm outside, which was kind of interesting to see. Some of the kids haven't seen that many thunderstorms, so they were a little more intrigued by it. Once again, we had our breakfast at the bowling alley before getting on the road.

Our morning drive took us through five states: We started in Massachussets, went through Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York, and ended up in New Jersey. It rained for most of the drive, sometimes quite hard, but by the time we got into New York, it had cleared up, and it was sunny and beautiful (though quite windy) by the time we got to Liberty National Park. That's where the ferry terminal to Ellis Island and Liberty Island is, and I especially liked the building, which at one time was a major train station for lines going all over the area. There were 15 or so numbered railway platforms, with their old signs up, showing where the lines went to. No rails remain in place, and all of the rail beds are overgrown with brush and bushes, but it still looks like a great old 19th-century railroad hub.

The ferry took us first to Ellis Island, where the stories of millions of immigrants intersected. It's an impressive collection about the island's history, the kinds of things that went on there, and the changing immigration laws over the years. It would be nice to spend more time there, when I didn't have to shepherd kids through the place in a short amount of time.

Then we hopped back on the ferry and went to Liberty Island, and got to see the Statue of Liberty from close up. We didn't have time to go up into the Statue, unfortunately, but it was great to be there, right next to it. My image of the size of the Statue was a bit off, though. From movies, TV, and comic books, I had the impression that it was much taller than it is. It's still an impressive sight.

Back to the bus again, and to our hotel in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, where we had a pizza dinner, and were set free for the night. I took hall duty, making sure the kids behave themselves until lights out, when they're in their rooms for the night.

Tomorrow: Philadelphia, Liberty Hall, and the Liberty Bell, and whatever else we can find to do.

(Can't seem to upload pictures tonight. I'll edit the post when I can.)