Heritage Tour - Messalonskee Jr. High

Day 1 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We left the Alfond Youth Center around 6:00am heading for Chantilly,VA and it was snowing. The bus was fairly quiet for about an hour until the kids cracked open their candy stash and asked for a movie. When we hit Portland the snow turned over to rain. We were doing good with time until we hit a traffic jam in Massachusetts where a tractor trailer truck had caught fire in the north bound lane. This made everyone in the south bound lane slow down so they could see what was going on as they drove by. At the next few rest stops we did our best to make up the time we had lost. Once we got into Connecticut we had partly cloudy weather and the sun was shining. We finally arrived at the hotel by 8:30pm. Some kids decided to go for a swim in the pool while other were just too tired. Everyone was in their rooms by 9:30pm so they can rest up for the busy day tomorrow. We will be going to Ford's Theater in the early morning. Then going through some of the museums before having dinner at Medieval Times. All in all the kids were great and I look forward to another day!

Day 2 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We had an early morning start so we could arrive at Ford's Theater a little before 9:00am. At Ford's Theater we visited in the museum before heading up stairs to hear the ranger talk. After the ranger talk most people went into the Peterson House across the street. Some groups didn't want to wait in line where some would wait close to an hour so they got a head start on the museums. Most groups went to the National Archives, Air & Space, and American Indian Museums. Where we plan to visit the Museum of Natural History tomorrow some groups wanted to use their time for other things but where its so big others wanted to be able to see as much of it as possible. We met at the Capital Building for a few group pictures before heading off to Medieval Times for dinner. On our way to dinner one of the buses took a wrong turn and it took them a little longer to arrive at Medieval Times but they arrived with ten minutes to spare. The show was great and everyone seemed to enjoy routing for the red/yellow knight (he was ours) even though he didn't win and eating with their hands. When we arrived back at the hotel we had a pizza party and some kids decided to take a dip in the pool. Because of the early morning everyone was in their rooms by 9:30pm. For tomorrows agenda we visit Arlington National Cemetery and the Museum of Natural History. The afternoon will start with the Holocaust Museum and later all the Memorials. All the kids are having a blast and are well behaved. I hope it continues into tomorrow!

Day 3 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

Vaughn had said before the trip that it was going to rain on Monday because for the past few years it had. Well guess what Vaughn, we had a bright sunny day. Today was our earliest morning yet, 5:00am wake up call. We had to be at Arlington National Cemetery early enough for the group who was placing a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While waiting to see the ceremony we witnessed the changing of the guards. During the inspection process of the replacement guard we think he might have had a uniform problems because he was sent back out before taking over the post. Once the guards changed we saw the wreath ceremony and the kids did a great job. Soon after that we walked around to the different sites at Arlington like the Space Shuttle Memorials, the Arlington House. While we were at the Kennedy Graves we saw one of the Kennedy's with her dog. After Arlington we walked around the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of American History. To start our afternoon off we went to the Holocaust Museum. Some of the kids really enjoyed it and learned a lot. We ate dinner at the Old Post Office Pavilion and just like trips before the kids started to bargain at the electronic store for some good deals on cameras and IPod accessories. After dinner the bus picked us up for a quick stop at the White House for some pictures. For the last leg of the day we walked to the World War II, Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam Memorials. After a long day of walking our feet hurt and we were all ready for bed when we arrived in Gettysburg at our hotel. Hope everyone back home is having great weather as well!

Day 4 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

Today was a very eventful day. We started our morning at Gettysburg National Military Park where we had a guide jump on each bus and show us the land. The blue bus got some brownie points because they were actually telling their tour guide information about the war before he could get to telling them. After the tours each bus saw a quick interactive viewing of the Civil War. We ate our lunches on the way to the Gettysburg Cemetery where we could see approximately where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address. From the cemetery we picked up our tour guides for our tour around Amish Country. This would be were the red bus won their brownie points. They asked some really great questions and got the tour guide off topic a few times but in a good way. As soon as the tour was over it was time for dinner. We ate Leola Family Restaurant and they fed us fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, bread and dessert. All of it was delicious. We then took our full bellies to the hotel for a little social time and everyone was in their rooms by 9:30pm. Tomorrow will be a great day as we will be touring Philadelphia unfortunately on foot. We got spoiled with the bus tours today.

Day 5 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We began our day with our usual early morning wake-up call. Left the hotel by 8:00am so we would have time for the Mint and the Liberty Bell before our reservation at Independence Park. The weather was great until a little after lunch and then we had a short rain shower. We kept the buses split so that it wouldn't take forever to get through security at both the Mint and Liberty Bell. Because both groups finished within a half hour at their location they were able to see both sites before our reservation. The tour guide for Independence Hall gave a great presentation and the kids seemed to have learned a little something extra on top of what they were taught in school. After our tour we broke up into a few groups to tour the different sites. There were a couple groups who were on a mission to find the best Philly Cheese Steak so they hopped from different restaurants. There seems to be a toss up between Geno's and Jim's Steak. Other groups jumped around from Carpenter's Hall, Betsy Ross House, Franklin's Grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the American Revolution. There were some groups who took a guided tour in a horse and buggy. While one group was walking around a crew from the Ellen DeGeneres Show to ask them some questions for the show. If you are interested to see if they choose someone from our tour to be on the show tune in tomorrow (April 22) afternoon. After site seeing we gathered everyone up and headed for dinner at the Home Town Buffet. The meal was awesome. When we got to the hotel we had a social and most kids went to the hotel. Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day because we head to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and a bunch of other cool places that you will have to just wait to read about. I do want to say that the Red Bus isn't the only ones who are sleeping, I am just having a problem getting the pictures off the kids cameras from the Blue Bus.

Day 6 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

Today's adventures began at the Statue of Liberty. We caught the ferry at 9:00am and spent about an hour looking around and taking pictures. Some groups were able to climb up the base of the statue to look around. Departure time was about 10:15am for Ellis Island. Once off the ferry we took a group picture in front of the Ellis Island sign and then I handed out the scavenger hunt for the kids. After walking around for a few minutes some people started noticing heavy crowds near the VIP elevator. Turns out Ellis Island was having a Heritage Awards ceremony and Brian Williams and Bruce Springsteen happen to be there so they got distracted from their scavenger hunt. After being in awe over the celebrities it was time to head back to Battery Park. There the kids just hung out watching street performances and some of them had caricature done. Before we knew it it was time to head to the Lower East Side of New York. While one bus was in the tenement buildings the other walked around Chinatown and Little Italy. Some of the groups walking around went to Ferrara because Vaughn says they have the best cannolis. Because of traffic we were only able to spend an hour in Time Square but it was enough for the kids to get a feel for the atmosphere. We did have a hard time loading the bus because they were unable to turn down the street they told us to be on so picture 71 of us in red and yellow jackets running and I mean running around the streets of New York trying to catch the buses. That seemed to be the highlight of the kid?s day. When we arrived at the hotel we had pizza delivered for a small social and then the kids made posters for the Today Show tomorrow. So be looking for us!

Day 7 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

For our last day we had an early wake up call so we could have a better chance of getting on the Today Show. When we arrived there was already a crowd of people but some of us managed to weasel our ways to the front were we could get a better look at Al, Ann and Matt. There were even a couple kids who were handed a script of the show to keep. At about 9:00am some of us started to wonder off to mark out the stores we would be shopping at once they opened at 10:00. where we only had about an hour and half before we had to board the bus to come home so this was important. We met at FAO Swarts before boarding the buses and some kids got to play on the floor piano. The buses picked us up at 11:30 for our trek home. Within a couple hours of being on the bus there were some people who wanted to catch a snooze before lunch. After lunch we decided to skip our stop in Auburn, MA and head straight for Kennebunk, ME which was a good thing because when we loaded the bus to head up to Waterville one bus wouldn't start. So while the running bus continued its way to Waterville, the other bus had to wait for a replacement bus to show up. Other then all the small hiccups along the way the trip went very well and I was pleased with the maturity of all the kids !