This morning, I looked out my window and the weather in Washington, D.C., was gorgeous! It’s a good thing too because today’s visits required some walking.
At 8:30 a.m., we departed from the hotel to visit Arlington National Cemetery. First, we stopped at the gravesite of the John Fitzgerald Kennedy. We stood and watched the eternal flame flicker in the breeze over the gravesite of our 35th President. The flame has burned brightly for 48 years since that tragic day in Dallas. His wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy is laid to rest next to him. I stood there and looked at their black headstones and wondered what the world would have been like if they were alive today. I have never visited a cemetery before today, and I will never forget this experience.
Quick… How many Presidents are buried in Arlington National Cemetery? Well, I (Oliver) just told you about JFK. Give up? Two. William Howard Taft, our 27th President, was the first president to be buried here in 1930. He was also the only person to have served as the President of the United States and the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Now that is impressive!
Did you know that more than 100 burial services are performed each week at the Arlington National Cemetery? We then took a tram to our next destination. Along the way, we saw seemingly endless rows of white headstones. I also learned that there are more than 300,000 people buried in Arlington, making it the second largest national cemetery in the United States.
When the tram stopped we got off to see the Tomb of the Unknowns. Fortunately, we were just in time to see the famed “changing of the guard,” which happens at the top and bottom of every hour, 365 days a year. It was incredible to watch in silence as the Tomb Guard sentinel paced back and forth, taking precision in every movement. The ceremony reminded me (Christian) of the honor and respect due to the troops who guard our freedom every day.
After leaving Arlington, we visited the Mall — no, not the type with stores and a food court — but the main strip of grass and monuments that runs west of the Capitol. As we got off the bus Mike handed each delegate a museum map, $15.00 for lunch and told us to be back at 4:30 p.m. We then took several hours to explore the different Smithsonian museums that line each side of the Mall.
I saw the original ruby red slippers from "The Wizard of Oz" in the Museum of American History. One of my mother's favorite movies! I know one thing... I am definitely not in Missouri anymore! Washington, D.C. is fantastic!
A painting by Andy Warhol in the American Art Museum and Charles Lindberg’s “Spirit of St. Louis” plane in the Air and Space Museum. There was so much to see and do at those museums that we just couldn’t squeeze everything into several hours. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to go back later this week.
Finally, we left the Mall and ate dinner before traveling to the shore of the Potomac River. There, we boarded the Spirit of Washington. This is not your typical river boat! The Spirit of Washington is three-story yacht made for a cruising along the Potomac River. It was great! The yacht pulled anchor and headed north past the Lincoln Memorial, John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center and Georgetown University. Captain Merrill Stubing… Ha Ha! Lonnie was right. He looked like the guy from the Love Boat reruns on TV Land. Turned the Spirit of Washington around and headed south past Fort McNair, Reagan National Airport, Alexandria, Fort Washington and Mount Vernon. The sunset was beautiful!
We danced, talked and laughed for four hours while the sunset over Washington, D.C. Getting the opportunity to see the sunset over our nation’s capitol was an experience I (Dana) will never forget. I (Christian) watched the sunset over the top of the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument just off to the right. It was fantastic. Everyone should get to see a sunset like this. I just wish I had brought my fishing pole. LOL… Just kidding Lonnie!
The chaperones are really cool. I (Oliver) talked with Mike Marsch about his experiences on Youth Tour. Did you know this is his 19th Youth Tour? Can you believe Mike has not lost a delegate to date. Wow! That's good to know. He had some great stories about Lonnie and his time here as a chaperone...
The dancing was off the hook. Dana, Emily, Jazmin and Jill were representing Cuivre River on the dance floor. There were about 500 Youth Tour delegates on board, and half of them were on the dance floors. That's right! Dance floors. Three levels of dancing. Each one had it's own theme. Country music. Way to slow for me. Headed to the upper level where DJ Washington was spinning some dance tunes. Everyone was having the time of their life. This is the trip of a lifetime!
Jazmin showed the girls from Georgia, Tennessee and Texas why she is heading to nationals next week with her dancing. So you think you can dance? Mike, our fearless leader, and several chaperones even got out on the dance floor and showed us a few moves. Old school style!
When the boat arrived back at the shore around 10:30, we boarded the bus and went back to our hotel rooms. My roommates and I ordered a pizza and talked for an hour before going to bed. I really can’t believe the weekend’s already over!
