On November 3, a group of 38 students (who were mostly excited, but a little bit nervous) and ten adults made the journey from Payson, UT to our nation’s capital, Washington D.C.
Thankfully, the bus ride and flight were fairly uneventful; nobody was arrested by TSA and nobody forgot or lost their luggage (at least, not that we know of).
The next four days in the District were full of walking, sightseeing, and souvenir buying . We also tried to eat and sleep occasionally, but only occasionally. Some of the highlights of the sightseeing were: Mount Vernon (G.W. 's home), the monuments and memorials (especially Abe’s Monument), Arlington National Cemetery, and the Smithsonians.
After wandering around the District for a couple of days, we boarded a bus and headed for Philadelphia. The drive was a little bit long, but it was definitely worth it. Philly was a pretty exciting adventure for a bunch of teenagers from small town Utah. Reading Terminal was pretty cool and we also got to see Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were created.
All in all, it was a pretty great trip. Nobody got lost or captured and we all returned home safely with a bit more appreciation for our nation’s history (hopefully).