My roommates and I woke up this morning at 6:30 and immediately looked in our Youth Tour Passport to review our day’s itinerary. Another incredible day in Washington, D.C… I still can’t believe we are actually here. Thank you Cuivre River Electric Cooperative for this opportunity. This is truly a trip of a lifetime!

 

We eat breakfast with Youth Tour delegates from Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, South Carolina and Texas. Everybody was talking about their experiences in D.C. “You have to go to here… You definitely have to visit… Did you see that… This place is amazing!” Just some of the delegate’s comments. It was cool to hear about what the other students were leaning about in their school systems back home.

 

After breakfast we boarded our bus (Even bus rules!)… Counted off… 2, 4, 6, 8… Then hit the road. First stop for the day… The Newseum. The world’s most interactive museum. For me this was the high point of my trip to Washington! We spent two hours here. The building is absolutely gorgeous. Each of the 6 floors have numerous historical artifacts, unique exhibits, and a collection of today’s front pages from both the United States and the world’s leading newspapers. That was really cool. It’s amazing how we are portrayed around the world.

 

 

 

 

My favorite part of the Newseum was the Pulitzer Prize exhibit on Level 1. They showed every single photo that won the Pulitzer since the award was first created (in the 40s, I think). Don't forget to check out the two or three hidden booths that are kind of around the corner in the photo section. There, you can select photos on a monitor and hear and see the stories behind them. I liked the Newseum because there was something new around every corner. Like the Newseum TV Studio, Journalist’s Memorial, and the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall exhibit was fascinating. An actual section of the Berlin Wall and watchtower is on display. The video of Tom Brokaw reporting directly from Berlin was crazy! A must see!

 

 

The 9/11 Gallery. The 9/11 Gallery contains the mangled communications tower that was on top of the World Trade Center. I can still remember where I was when this tragic event happened. The gallery also includes a tribute to photojournalist William Biggart.

 

Mr. Biggart died covering the attacks, and some of his personal belongings and final photographs from that day are on display. Also featured are front pages from around the globe about the attacks and first-person accounts from reporters and photographers who covered the story.

 

You can also watch the documentary "Running Toward Danger" on the September 11th terrorist attacks. This movie, about 11 minutes in length, was filmed and photographed by a journalists who died during the collapse of the World Trade Centers. Several journalists give first-person accounts of what they saw and experienced on 9/11. It's hard to sit there and watch as the film rolls knowing that the individuals capturing this tragic event were going to die in the end.

 

 

 

Level 6. A must for every visitor to Washington, D.C. Take the glass elevator to Level 6. How many Youth Tour delegates can squeeze into an elevator? Don’t ask! Pennsylvania Terrace, overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue, offers an incredible view of the U.S. Capitol Building.

 

I (Oliver) can’t wait to visit Capitol Hill tomorrow and meet Representative Todd Akin and Senators Roy Blunt Claire McCaskill. This should be very interesting and exciting at the same time. I think Jazmin is also in my group.

 

 

 

Next on the itinerary… Ford’s Theater. The famous site where President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Boothe. A park ranger gave a riveting narrative of the events surrounding Lincoln’s murder. It's still hard to believe what happened here 146 years ago.

 

We walked across the street to the Petersen House and visited the room where President Lincoln died on April 15, 1865. It was hard for me (Oliver) to stand there and think about what took place in this room, and how it made history and changed the course of our nation.

 

 

12:30 Noon. Lunch time! Time to eat like a rock star, or maybe a tired Youth Tour delegate from Defiance, Missouri. The Hard Rock Cafe in Washington, D.C. Wow! I (Christian) still can’t believe I’m standing here in our nation’s capitol Washington, D.C. This place is truly amazing! The Hard Rock has two floors of seating surrounded by guitars, drums, clothing, pictures and other band memorabilia displayed. Not to mention speakers and televisions everywhere with music videos being played. They even have a Presidential Seal mounted on one wall over the stairs!

 

 

Too cool! Lonnie was right when he said this placed rocked. Mike went all out for this lunch. The food was great! Once again… Thank you for an awesome lunch Cuivre River Electric! A lot of the delegates enjoyed walking around the Hard Rock Cafe and having their pictures taken with the memorabilia. Half of the Youth Tour delegates purchased t-shirts or pins in the Rock Shop. It was a blast. Most of the delegates are enjoying the down time and air conditioning. Man are my feet hating me right now. HA Ha... I will have to visit Hard Rock Cafe in St. Louis and have another Hickory-Smoked Pulled-Pork Sandwich. It rocks!

 

 

The Smithsonian American Art Museum is the home to one of the largest collections of American art in the world. Masterpieces from more than 7,000 master artists are on display here. Artists like John Singleton Copley, Gilbert Stuart, Winslow Homer, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and Georgia O'Keeffe to name a few. These paintings were absolutely beautiful!

 

Thomas Benton Hart's Achelous and Hercules mural was a featured work. Thomas who you might ask? Hart painted several murals in the Missouri State Capitol. The painting highlights a mythical harvest scene from the old Midwest featuring a raging bull. Did you know that Achelous is the Greek god who ruled the rivers? Now we both know.

 

We even had a scavenger hunt to see who could locate the most artist works on our list. It was a lot of fun and really made you look at things in the particular works of art.

 

After that we loaded up the bus and visited the National World War II Memorial. The memorial recently opened in 2004, and is located between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. It's a shame the Reflecting Pool has been drained for repairs. A certain Youth Tour delegate wanted to recreate the Reflecting Pool scene from Forrest Gump. Maybe next time Jazmin!

 

The National World War II Memorial honors the brave men and women who fought for our freedom and the 400,000 who died fighting for our nation. There are 56 granite pillars surrounding the fountain, each one represents a state or territory that fought during the war. We found the Missouri pillar and had our picture taken to remember our fallen Missourians. Thank you for serving your country. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten!

 

 

Next up, the Washington Monument. Wow! The Washington Monument is tall. Really tall! I learned it stands 555 feet tall and is the tallest structure in Washington, D.C. It is also the world’s tallest obelisk. A what? It is made up of marble, granite and sandstone.

 

The memorial was started in 1848 and completed in 1884. Over 126 years old! Wow! For me, such a monument symbolizes the endurance of our country and founding fathers. It also symbolizes that through every past crisis, financial struggle, and the unified times we kept striving towards the top.

 

 

We loaded up the buses at 5:00 pm. Counted off. All delegates present and accounted for. Mr. D stepped on the gas and we traveled across the bridge for a baseball game between the Washington Nationals and the St. Louis Cardinals. That’s right baby! The St. Louis Cardinals!

 

Wow. Did Mike Marsch get this right or what? Just in case I forget in a couple of hours… Thank you Mike and Cuivre River Electric for the trip of a lifetime, and a Cardinal baseball game in Washington, D.C. Ok… We had a great time!

 

National Park is no Busch Stadium, but it is a beautiful stadium on the river. Funny how all of the new baseball stadiums are being built to resemble the stadiums from the 1920' and 1930's. Go figure…

 

The Cardinals opened the game with a two run homerun by Albert Pujols in the first inning! Then Lance Berkman hit a homerun in the fourth inning to make it 3-1. The Cardinals scored 3 more runs in the fifth inning to make it 6-1. Cardinal pitcher Jamie Garcia was in control and left the game in the sixth inning with the score 6-2.

 

Oh well, at least the delegates enjoyed the typical ballpark food. Hot dogs, pretzels, nachos, cotton candy, ice cream, crab cakes… Crab cakes? I forgot we’re in Washington, D.C.! How cool is that. Washington, D.C.!  Thanks again Cuivre River Electric!

 

They flashed our group’s name, Missouri Youth Tour, on the Jumbotron after the third inning. That was really cool. A few of the Missouri Youth Tour delegates created their own games. Can you say hot dog eating contest! A lot of fun after a long day. The game was fun until the Cardinals relief pitcher, Miguel Batista, got rocked in the seventh inning for five runs! Five runs really? This has happened all year to the Cardinals. Final score… Washington Nationals 8 and St. Louis Cardinals 6. Not good! Everyone had a great time cheering on the Cardinals even though they lost.

 

 

10:45 p.m. We loaded up the buses once again and drove around the Washington, D.C. to see the monuments lit up at night. It was beautiful! Everybody was still talking about the National-Cardinal baseball game. Back to the hotel for some much needed rest. Some of us ordered a pizza while others played cards in the lobby. I was definitely ready for bed after a memorable day. 11:30 pm Bed check. Lights out. Good night John Boy! Tomorrow I’m going to need some energy during our day on the Hill.