Mr. D goes to Washington

 I (Casey) finally got the opportunity to lead a group of students to Washington DC this year. It has been a couple years coming, but it turned out to be a great time. The trip went from June 7 to June 10. There were 13 students and 4 adults that went. We did not permanently lose anyone, which I thought was a great success. 

Tuesday, June 7

The day began at 3:00 am when Marianne graciously dropped me off at the school to be picked up by a bus that was to take us to the airport. It was nice to not have to drive to Boise that early to catch a plane. The Hunsaker crew met us in Boise, but the rest of the group hopped on the bus and tried to fall asleep again.

We were able to make our way through the ticket counter and security with minimal issues and got on the plane for our flight at just after 8:00. There were a couple students that had never flown before, but everyone did great. We had an hour layover in Dallas-Fort Worth before continuing on to Washington. We were supposed to grab a bite to eat then, but an hour goes pretty quick on in the airport. I was able to pay for some bagel sandwiches for lunch (reimbursed through WorldStrides) before hurrying back on a plane for our second flight. 

As soon as we landed in DC, we were met by a WorldStrides rep who directed us to a bus that we would become very familiar with. We headed into DC to the World War II Memorial where we were able to spend a few moments to check out the area and see other sites in the distance (Washington Monument and others). It was a little rainy and quite humid, something I hadn't really felt since my mission days. 

After seeing the monument, we got back on our bus with the two other groups (one from Texas, another from Wisconsin) that we would spend the next few days with to go to dinner. We ate at a place called Pizzeria Uno at Union Station. Union Station is a huge train station that is still used to catch trains. We used it eat. After waiting for near an hour to get into the pizza place, we got seated and fed. I am not sure if they were expecting us or not, but they did not have much prepared for us. There were little salads to share and eventually little pizzas, but not many felt they got enough to eat. It was potentially the most disappointing part of the trip. They did have a pretty good brownie though. 

After finally getting out of Union Station, it was late, so we headed to our hotel. We thought our hotel was next to the airport that we came in on that was right next to DC, so we were surprised to head 45 minutes away to a hotel that was next to the other airport in the area. The hotel was quite nice, but we were hoping it was a little closer to our destination. I had a room right next to our boys' rooms while Kristin Keller roomed next to the girls, so we split chaperone responsibilities. I had to check in with them prior to curfew to make sure all was well, then said good night. Night chaperones then took over to make sure nothing happened during the night. That was pretty sweet. 

Wednesday, June 8

Breakfast the next morning was at 7 am. The kids all did a good job being ready to eat and leave the hotel by 7:45. 

Our first stop this day was the White House.

 After a few pictures, we then headed to what ended up be the highlight of some of the kids' trip, the gift shops. 

At the Vietnam Memorial, one of the student's found a relative's name and made a rubbing of the name. 

Next, we got to spend some time at the Lincoln Memorial. Definitely one of the highlights for me! It was here that we almost lost one of our students. It only happened a couple times, but it was definitely a little worrying. 

Finally, this stop brought us to the Korean War Memorial. 

A short bus ride took us to the Holocaust Museum. There were a couple places that I would have loved to spend more time in, and the Holocaust Museum was one of them. I did not take any pictures inside, but it was an emotional journey through one of the darkest times in the history of humanity. You go through different floors that sent you on a journey through time, how everything began and progressed through the whole Holocaust period. We had an hour to experience it, but it was not near enough. I had to rush through much of it to make it out in time. 

Lunch was at the Reagan International Trade Center Food Court. We had vouchers that allowed us to pick a place at the food court and get a meal there. We did this in a few locations on the trip. After lunch we hopped on the bus and went to Arlington. 

It was hot at Arlington National Cemetery, and we had some walking ahead of us, but there were only a couple complaints. Arlington is a place that demands respect with its order and massiveness. It was cool to see the rows upon rows or headstones placed with military precision. We got to see the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was an incredibly ritualistic and amazing experience. We then visited the Eternal Flame at the grave of John F. Kennedy. 

Our next stop took us to a trio of memorials. We started at the Jefferson Memorial. His large statue is said to be keeping watch over the White House and the presidents. 

We then walked through the FDR Memorial. It was neat to see how things changed throughout the time FDR was in office. It was quite the tumultuous time. 

We finished at the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial. It is representative of the change he was trying to make. It is monumental and unfinished. 

We also got to drive by the Iwo Jima Memorial.

Dinner was at Qdoba. Apparently, they overbooked themselves with student tour groups, so we had a wait a bit in the rain, before we got in. Luckily, we didn't get too wet. Once there was seating available, everyone got through quickly and had a nice meal. Qdoba was actually right around the corner from Ford's Theater where Lincoln was shot, so we walked there after eating. There, we found another gift shop that actually opened their store to let our kids in. They loved it! We then headed to the hotel.

Thursday, June 9

Breakfast was at 6 am this morning because we had an early appointment at Mount Vernon. After helping a student (same one that was lost) find a lost phone, we went on a quick tour or George Washington's mansion. We then had time to explore the grounds of Mount Vernon. We go to see his grave as well as what it was like to live during the mid-1700s. 

Lunch was at the Mt. Vernon food court where I had to find lost students again. They weren't really lost, but they got a lecture about letting people know where they were and to stay with a buddy. 

We then took a bus ride out to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. This was a pretty neat place where we saw the Discovery Space Shuttle, the Enola Gay (the plane that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima) and many other neat planes through history. Most of the students also got to do flight simulations. Everyone had a great time and there was a gift shop, so that was even better. 

We then dropped off one group at the airport before heading to dinner ourselves. We ate at Shake Shack at Union Station. 

After dinner we visited the Kennedy Center. Earlier, one of our students asked me if we were going to an art museum. I told her no. But we did find some art here, so she was happy. There is a balcony at the top of the Kennedy Center that goes all the way around the building. The sun was going down, so we were able to see an amazing sunset as well as views of much of DC. 

On our way to the hotel, we got to see the Washington Monument lit up. 

Friday, June 10

Our last day was just as full or amazingness as the other days. While the other group was at the Spy Museum (our kids started complaining they didn't get to go) we began at the Capitol building. It is such an incredible looking building, and it is HUGE! 

We quickly walked to the US Supreme Court Building and the Library of Congress (Thomas Jefferson Building). We did not go in either, but it was pretty cool to see them. 

We then went to the Botanical Gardens. Some of the students were not sure they wanted to go here, but I thought it was pretty cool. We only spent a few minutes here, but we got to experience different climates and their plants, like a rain forest and a desert, right next to each other.

As this was our last day, there were some requests to go to certain locations not necessarily on the itinerary. I wanted to see the Washington Monument up close, and we were able to. We did not go inside, but it was pretty neat to see one of the tallest structures in the country up close. It is such an iconic location. I am glad we got to see it. 

Kristin requested visiting the African American Museum, and our guide was able to get us tickets there too. This was another place I could have spent more time at, but we were limited on time. Each adult was in charge of a group of students as we went through this museum. My group of boys was interested in the sports section and the gift shop. I made them go through the other sections, but we went through it fairly quickly. There were some pretty cool things there, and the kids got to go to the gift shop, so everyone was happy. 

Lunch was at another food court, and we then separated from the other group again for the last time. They caught a train to see some other sites and we went to the Smithsonian Museum of National History and Natural History. We had 2 hours to see them both, but again, not near enough time. These were probably my favorite locations, and I could have easily spent twice the amount of time there. I got to see ancient artifacts and some other pretty sweet things at the National History Museum, and then some ancient hominids, animals, rocks, and other natural things at the other museum. I was rushing through most of it, but it was still awesome.

After we got kicked out (closing time), we took a quick trip to the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. This was another request we made that we almost didn't see. I am glad we did. 

We then made our way to the airport to head home. Our first stretch was uneventful, but our flight got delayed in Minneapolis. After waiting more than an hour, we finally got on our last plane. In Boise, we found our bus again and headed home. We arrived back in Kimberly at about 3:00 am on Saturday. Everyone was quickly picked up and we all went home to get some much-needed rest. 

I am so glad I got to go on this trip. I am hoping I get another opportunity. I am even more grateful the students that went with us got to go. I hope it is something they will always remember.