Final Day in DC! Fords, Museums, Mt. Vernon & Ghosts!

Our final day of the 2017 East Coast Trip started at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. Ford's Theater is the site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Lincoln came to the theater on April 14, 1865 to watch the play, "Our American Cousin." While watching the play he was shot by the actor John Wilkes Booth. After being shot, Lincoln was taken across the street to the Peterson House. He lived through the night only to die the next morning. 

 Lincoln was sitting in the box behind the kids. Booth shot him, the jumped over the side for his escape.

This is the Peterson House where they took Lincoln. He eventually passes away in the back room

All of these books are written about Abraham Lincoln. The books are four stories tall!

 We then walked just down the street to the Smithsonian Natural History museum. Dinosaurs, animals, and diamonds are here.

The Hope Diamond

Yuck

After the Natural History it was time to drive our to Mt. Vernon, Virginia. Mt. Vernon was the home to the first President, George Washington. He lived on a giant plantation that we had the opportunity to walk all over.

The Washington's

 Backside of George's house

Amazing views of the Potomac

 This little area is called the ha-ha wall. It was used instead of fences to keep animals where they were supposed to be. That way you had an uninterrupted view.  

 George and Martha Washington are buried in those graves!

Graffiti from Civil War soldiers at Washington's Tomb.

We then got to see the end of a wreath laying ceremony. This took place at the Slave Memorial. 

 On the Potomac Shore

 Front of the Main House

 George Washington's actual fake teeth!

It's been another hot day here and after doing all the walking at Mt. Vernon, it was time to rehydrate. We weren't going to be the school that has people fainting due to dehydration.

Our final dinner was like our first! At Pizzeria Uno. It is a good pizza and nobody complained. Along with pizza they give salad and two types of pasta to go with your meal. 

We then headed to our final event of the trip. The Ghost Tour. Before we could do our ghost tour we had to say goodbye to our phenomenal tour guide, Kathy. Kathy did such an amazing job with the kids and the kids really latched on to her. Her knowledge and hands on approach with everything made it so easy for the kids to know what they were doing and where they were. So thank you so much Kathy for the amazing few days in DC!

 Here also is a picture with Kathy and our bus driver, Jamal. Jamal is the best bus driver in the DC area. He's a man that does not need GPS. He knows where he's going and he knows how to get there faster than the others. Thank you so much Jamal for the terrific service!

 The Ghost Tour was a blast. We heard four different stories about ghosts, cats, and stories in a graveyard.

 Some nervous faces!

A ghost has been seen by this entrance sign numerous times.....

 The best part of the Ghost Tour was the final story that took place in a church graveyard. It was a story involving ghosts but what made it was the thunder and lightning in the background. It added a different level of intensity that was awesome. 

Before we dropped Kathy off she was quizzing the kids on the different things she had gone over with them the last few days. They did a good job of remembering! They were told to just yell out their answers. 

 

And that's a wrap! The 2017 East Coast Trip has come to its touring conclusion. We still have a day of travel to get back home to Molokai but I think we can handle. We leave our hotel here in DC at 4:30 AM, 10:30 PM Hawaii time. We are due to land on Molokai at 6:57 PM. That being 21 1/2 hours of travel to get home. I'm thinking we'll use that time on the plane to catch up on some much needed sleep!

Some fun facts according to my phone. 

Miles Walked: 59.6 for a 7.45 average miles walked per day

Steps Taken: 159,344 for an average of 19,918 steps per day

Floors Climbed: 143 for an average of 17.87 per day. 

Squirrel Chasers: I have no doubt you took more steps as you were running around Boston Public Garden trying find them!

I can't thank you parents, family members, and friends that all helped get these kids here on this trip. It was an amazing one and one we did things we'd never done before. The kids did an amazing job of being on the go at a moments notice. Were super respectful. Didn't need reminders to say thank you or your welcome. Held open doors for people, smiled, laughed, danced hula for our guides. Just an amazing group of kids and an awesome group of parents that came along as well. 

So thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting your children and sending them on this trip. Can't wait to see you on Molokai in just a little bit!!!!!

Hot Washington

We started off on another adventure today. Our first visit was to Arlington Cemetery. Arlington is always a bit of a hike but we did fine. It was a hot one today getting into the mid 90's. Glad we went in the morning. It was still warm but not like it was later in the day. We brought along a few cases of water and insisted everybody bring water with them and refill it throughout the morning. It was a good thing we did as we saw a few people passed out from the heat. Not from our group but others. 

 Our first stop was to JFK's gravesite. He is buried next to his wife, Jaqueline, and a few young children that didn't live long. There is an eternal flame at his grave and it never goes out.

 Robert E. Lee house that overlooks the Kennedy grave sight. 

 JFK's brother, Robert Kennedy. 

 This is the grave of Pierre L'Enfant. He was the planner of Washington, D.C. He is buried up next the the Robert E. Lee house. 

A riderless horse as we were walking by.

The rose garden where the cemetery started and canon fire for the President of Turkey.

A neat thing happened on our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The President of Turkey was there right before us so we were held in a waiting pattern for him to cross. Here are the videos of him coming down and getting in his car.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This is guarded by a soldier 24 hours a day. Doesn't matter what the weather is like, there will be a soldier out there.

 At the bottom of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

 Famous boxer, Joe Lewis

We had the unique experience to witness a soldiers burial. The casket was brought in by a horse carriage, there was the military music, and then a 21 gun salute. We stood a bit away but watched with respect. We stood and watched. It was very somber. It ended with the military playing Danny Boy. Very powerful to watch something like that in person.

I am super proud of these kids. With all the craziness of the morning at Arlington, they did amazing. Everybody was super respectful, and presented themselves quite well. Great job kids!

After Arlington we went to lunch at the Pentagon City Mall. It was a zoo. We are the only school on a field trip to Washington. The place was packed. But after awhile we all had lunch and treats. It was then time to head to the Holocaust Museum. We went to two displays there. One about how neighbors slowly stopped supporting each other and turned on each other for no other reason accept Hitler told them too. Friends even turning on friends.

We then got to see a display about what it was like for a little boy to go through the Holocaust. From playing with friends, to not going outside, to getting captured and losing his family. It was a powerful story. It starts at a boys house in 1930's Germany, a normal kids room. The next room showed what happens when they get captured and are crammed in ghettos. The next rooms showed what it looked like when they'd get shipped off to the Concentration Camps. Nice work at the museum.

After the Holocaust Museum it was time to head on over to the Air and Space Museum. First thing there was flying in the flight simulators. Then many went to see WWII planes and try their best at landing a plane on an Aircraft Carrier. Only one was able to land it, Makana.


We also got to see the Wright Brother's first plane. Not only was it their first plane, but the world's real first plane! It looks nothing like the planes we fly in today. More like a glider.

Makana landed the plane on the aircraft carrier!

 First plane to ever fly!

After the Air and Space Museum it was off to dinner. We had to go to Mexico to fetch our dinner. It was nice spread of make your own burritos with either chicken or beef. They also had lots of condiments.

After dinner it was time to start our evening memorials. We started off by going to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. After having seen the one in New York this one is a more individual memorial. Each person has a bench. It is arranged by date of your birthday and if you were in the Pentagon or coming in on the plane. If you are looking at their name and looking up towards the sky, that person was in the plane. If you see their name and then you look up and see the Pentagon, they were in the Pentagon when the plane struck.

Our tour guide Kathy has been doing such a great job with us keeping us engaged and interested. She gave us cards with a picture of a victim from the attack on the Pentagon. Your job was to find their bench.

Everybody did a great job at the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Everybody found their person, some found multiple. Many even sat at the bench to reflect on what happened at this location not long ago.

 Bench for the youngest victim of September 11th. Notice how you see sky behind her bench? Her and her family, a sister, mom and dad, were all on this flight. 

Now it was time for the World War II Memorial. There is a star display on the side of the memorial. The stars represent the amount of soldiers that were killed in WWII. But.....each Star represents 400 people died from WWII.

Keith was the first one to get the mental math correct of 4,000 multiply 400. The stars represent the roughly 400,000 American that were killed in World War II. Great math, Keith!

 Looking up at the Washington Monument. 

 Group photos at theWashington Monument

Iwo Jima Memorial

Right before it was time to leave the students in fifth grade were asked to do their May Day hula for our guide and bus driver. So they did! The immersion 5th graders joined in and fit right in as well. Great job 5th grade! It's a little hard to hear and sometimes see but here it is. Sixth graders said they're going to do their's tomorrow. Kathy, our tour guide, and Jamal, our bus driver loved it. They are looking forwards to the 6th graders tomorrow!

And that is what we did on Wednesday. At least I think it is Wednesday.........................

Kids have been awesome this trip. Very respectful in places that deserve the ultimate respect. They are a fun loving group. Everybody is really getting along well with each other and man are we learning a lot. Thank you all again for sending your child on this trip. It truly is a once in a lifetime experience. They've learned so much. Thank you!!!