East Coast Educational Tour
Though your East Coast Tour Edventure is now concluded, you can still click on the “Previous Entry” button above to view the daily posts and comments from the trip. 🙂
DAY SIX – VA/DC/Gettysburg – Tour 108303027
Return travel updates: posted on this page as we receive information: 10:05 pm Update: The motorcoach has just arrived curbside LAX, group is loading luggage and then they are headed toward home. Final destination: Student’s estimated arrival time is: 10:50pm – – – – – – Earlier today, Tour director Tim reported: “Fairly windy and cool today at Gettysburg, but spectacular viewing weather!” The Fort McHenry visit allowed the group to get up close and personal with a jumbo Star Spangled Banner “Old Glory.” Tour Director Tim Morner, end notes: “Great weather! We had a great tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield from Mike! He explained that the little trees were called “Infantries”. We learned a lot of “facts” as well. Pastor Elmore lead us in prayer at Fort McHenry prior to departing for the airport. God has truly blessed our nation and has blessed our trip as well. This has a been a trip that none of us will soon forget. We’re coming...
DAY FIVE – VA/DC/Gettysburg – Tour 108303027
Well I guess we couldn’t dodge East Coast weather forever … It’s RAIN! Not slowing our group down a bit, and since umbrellas took up room in the luggage – it sure is nice to use them. Students had a blast riding the DC Metro system: Front (L-R): Amber Collard, Ashley Dawson. Back (L-R): Brady Banuelos, Kishan Patel. Rain had stopped prior to our wreath laying. Tour Director Notes on Day 5: “The day full of fun & wonder (Smithsonian Museum of American History and Smithsonian Air & Space Museum) where we saw exhibits of American Presidents, Dorothy’s ruby slippers, Julia Childs’s kitchen; later seeing The Wright Flyer, The Spirit of St. Louis, & the Red Baron’s plane. (A rather “wet” walk from museum to museum, but an experience we won’t soon forget.) In the afternoon we experienced emotion and peace as strolled along the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery. (The rains stopped once we arrived at Arlington.). A group of students from Trinity Lutheran Christian School presented a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers followed by a bugler playing “Taps”. Our class was commended by a passerby for our excellent behavior and decorum. We were able to stop and see the gravesites of John, Robert, and Ted Kennedy before heading out of Washington DC along Embassy Row, passing the National Cathedral. A great dinner at Cozy’s in Maryland and a warm bed in Gettysburg. What a...
DAY FOUR – VA/DC/Gettysburg – Tour 108303027
From everything we know to date, the tour is running like clockwork, and the entire group is in good health. Although we haven’t had a direct word from tour director Tim Morner on outdoor conditions, the clear weather seems quite evident from the pictures. Wow, look at that blue sky above Mount Vernon! What a blessing. From the jackets that the students are wearing at the FDR Memorial, we are deducing the weather was cool, clear and crisp in the morning, perfect for touring. Later, at Mount Vernon, we see jackets off, and beautiful sky. This is precisely why our tour leader Esther Beebe likes to say that taking an East Coast student tour in the Fall is one of the best kept secrets in the industry. Note the picture of the group in the Capitol Rotunda. Here are the latest day four pictures: (Update: tour guide comments at bottom of page) Tim Morner: “Weather is great! We had a tour of Historic Alexandria, capped off with a stop at Christ Church (home church of both George Washington and Robert E. Lee). After a short wait, everyone was able to have a tour of George Washington’s home (Mount Vernon) followed by a leisurely stroll on the grounds which included Washington’s tomb and family farm. We had a tour of the US Capitol, were able to see the House of Representatives Gallery, followed by a group photo in front of the Capitol. At the National Archives we saw the Documents of Freedom – The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of...
DAY THREE – VA/DC/Gettysburg – Tour 108303027
These are the pictures that are streaming in from our stalwart travelers on the East Coast, and all is very...
DAY TWO – VA/DC/Gettysburg – Tour 108303027
Today the group started out by visiting Jamestown Settlement. This is part of what is known as the ‘Historic Triangle’ of Virginia. 1607 Jamestown was the first permanent English Settlement in colonial America. There are a lot of re-enactors here providing practical demonstrations, narratives, and fielding questions to really engage the students and help them grasp the realities of life in the new world. The girls (shown below) are clearly happy and back to full energy level as they prepare to go on a tour of the former estate of Thomas Jefferson (Monticello). It looks like a beautiful day, and we can only imagine how the red buds and dogwoods appear at the...