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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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Ryan:
On our first day, we got up at about 4:00 and a friend came over at approximately 5:00, and he took us to the airport in his van. Then we jumped on the plane (we actually had plenty of time), and left for Cincinnati, Ohio. We got there and went to our next plane, waited awhile, and took off. When we got to Washington, D.C., we went to the hotel, but our room wasn’t ready yet, so we left our luggage at the front desk and went sightseeing.
The first thing that we did was figure out the metro system. This was not as easy as it sounds, because you must figure out the fare to where you are going, decide which train is going to get you there, and then wait for that train to get to the station. We’ve got it figured out now.
Then we decided that we were going to see Arlington National Cemetery. We were able to see almost all of the big graves, like Ulysses S. Grant, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and all three unknown soldiers. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was the most interesting thing that I saw. The guard takes twenty-one measured steps in front of the tomb, turns 90 degrees (1/4 turn) and clicks his metal-plated heels together. These twenty-one steps are tribute to the 21 gun salute, which is the highest possible honor in the armed forces. Then he pauses for twenty-one seconds for the same reason. Then the guard turned another 90 degrees, clicked his heels, and paused for another twenty-one second interval. Once this is complete, he began walking the other direction and repeated the whole process. The changing of the guard was the most formal ceremony that I have ever seen. I couldn’t help but wish that I had brought my scout uniform so that I could salute as well. My favorite part of the whole ceremony was the first part where the sergeant introduced himself and said, “Please show respect by remaining silent and standing.”
Amanda:
Wednesday we went to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. We got to see how they make money and other things. It was neat and there were large sheets of uncut bills. To be an engraver you must apprentice for ten years. They had some very beautiful scenes of engravings of Washington. We got to see some men make engravings on paper. We saw how they made money at the bureau. It was amazing as there were a lot of machines and not very many people. Each day the bureau produces $600 million.
Afterwards we went to the American History part of the Smithsonian. They had interesting things there like Hands on Science, part of a house that had five families that lived in it. The house was built in 1760 in Massachusetts. We saw many other videos that showed how a microchip is made. We also saw a video of the first chess match between an IBM computer and some man.
Katie, Ryan and I got to do a real hands on science experiment. My experiment was checking water to see if it was fit to drink.
Love,
Amanda
Katie:
I have a new slogan SDAR - Sit Down and Rest. Ryan thinks it means Snacks, Drinks and Restrooms. On Wednesday, we went to the top of the Washington Monument where we could see for 25 miles. We could see the Whitehouse which was really cool. We could see other important buildings like the Lincoln Memorial. We also ate in a three story McDonalds's
On Thursday, we saw the Capitol Building. A lady named Ashley Perry from Tulsa was our tour guide. We saw some famous statues and we saw the Oklahoma statue. Also, we went into a special room and a congress committee I think was having a meeting. Afterwards we went back to the airport and got a rental car and drove to Aunt Nancy's house. I enjoyed seeing her cats and playing a lot with them.
Love,
Katie.
Addendum: After visition Arlingtion, we also saw the Lincoln Memorial. A nice museum is off to one side and is easy to miss if you are not paying attention.
previous travel blog entry
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