Heritage Tour - China/Vassalboro

Day 1 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We left the Alfond Youth Center Saturday morning at 6:00 am and headed south. Our first stop was in Kennebunk and we were right on schedule. The further south we went the warmer it became and we didn't see a lot of snow until we got into Mass. We spent a lot of time on the bus and as you can tell, a lot of people were tired so I had a chance to get some pretty good pictures. We also spent a lot of time in the rest areas but we were on schedule all day until we went across the George Washington bridge and it put us behind about 15 minutes. The snow banks started to get higher and higher and by the time we arrived at the Hotel the roads were rough and narrow. I guess we need to show the people down here how to shovel and plow snow. By 9:00 pm we were all checked into our rooms and by 9:30 pm everyone was in their room for the night. They are a great bunch of kids and they all seemed to enjoy the day. Tomorrow we will be in DC to do Ford's Theater and some of the Smithsonians before we head to Hanover, Maryland and Medieval times. Hope everyone back home had as good a day as we did.

Day 2 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

What a great day in DC. The weather was warm and windy and it was tough going on some of the streets in Washington as the people in DC do not know how to plow or shovel snow. We started out at Ford's Theater where we did the Museum first, followed by the Ranger talk, and last, the Peterson House. After we left the Peterson House, each group had a map and they started out exploring DC. Some of the High lights included the Museum of Natural Science, the National Archives Museum, the Sculpture Gardens, the Air & Space Museum, the Native American Indian Museum, and the Botantic Gardens. We met on the steps of the Capital to have a group picture taken and then we boarded the bus to go to Medieval Times. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the show very much. The food was terrific and the kids seemed to enjoy eating with their fingers. We had a pizza party when we got back to the Hotel and everyone was in their room at 9:30 pm to get ready for tomorrow. We do Arlington in the am, the Museum of American History and the Holocaust in the afternoon, supper at the Old Post Office Pavilion, and we visit the Memorials in the evening before we head to Gettysburg. Hope everyone had a great day back in Maine.

Day 3 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We woke up in Virginia this morning to start our day and it was cold and clear. We went to Arlington to the National Cemetery only to find it closed. The roads seemed to be plowed but we were not allowed to go in. We did get a chance to see "The Changing of the Guard". We switched to plan B and we started our day at the Marine Memorial and then we went to the WW II memorial, then Lincoln, Viet Nam, and Korean Memorial. We ended our morning at the White House and after lunch we did the Museum of American History followed by the Holocaust. We had supper at the Old Post Office Pavilian and then we headed to Gettysburg. We arrived at the Hotel around 8:00 pm and by 9:30 pm most everyone was in their room for the night. On Tuesday, we do the National Military Park followed by the Civil War Museum and then we go to the Amish Country. Hope everyone in Maine had a great day.

Day 4 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We started out in Gettysburg in the AM and it was cool and sunny. We didn't know what to expect because Gettysburg had as much snow that DC did. The main roads were plowed better than the side roads and the parking areas were not plowed very well at all. Some of the roads at the National Military Park were closed and we couldn't go on some of the roads so instead of riding in the bus, a lot of us took a short walk thru the snow to get to Little Round Top. It was a different experience for me as I thought that I had done it all in Gettysburg but today was the best. We saw the memorials as our guide Jim Clouse did another outstanding job of telling us what happened during that 3 day battle. We visited the Civil War Museum and did a little shopping and had lunch before we headed to the Amish Country. Again we had a guide come on our bus and she was also excellent. Some of the roads were not plowed very well and the Amish were out in full force with their horse and buggy's. We visited the Cannery and ended up buying a lot of canned and bottled goodies to eat. We had an excellent meal at the Leola family Restaurant that consisted of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, applesauce, rolls, drink, and pudding for desert. We got to the Hotel at around 8:00 pm and some of the kids had a chance to swim before they headed to bed. Tomorrow we will be in Philly for a full day of sightseeing before we start to head home and New York City. Hope everyone had a great a day as we had.

Day 5 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We left the Hotel this morning and headed into Philly with the hopes of seeing Rocky and the steps that he ran up while training for his movies. We went by the building but did not stop as it still was snow covered and hard to get to. We landed in Philly and the first thing that we did was go to the mint to see how they made the coins that we use in our every day lives. After the mint, we all headed for Independance Hall to get first hand information on how our Country was started and how our government was formed to get us where we are today. We had lunch at The Bourse and then the groups fanned out in Philly to see the sights. Some of the groups went on a buggy ride (I had a chance to drive the horse and buggy) and we all saw the Liberty Bell, an Art Museum, Ben Franklin's Underground Museum, an original Post Office, the Betsey Ross House, The Quaker Meeting House, and Ben Franklin's grave site. Weather wise it was a nice day and the roads were plowed better than DC or Gettysburg. We had supper at the Home Town Buffet and everyone ate to much. Tomorrow we are going to the Big Apple to do the Statue of Liberty, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Time Square, and a pizza party. Hope everyone back home in Maine had as good a day as we did.

Day 6 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We had a busy day in New York. We started out at Battery Park and went on the Ferry to Liberty Island where we had a chance to climb up to the base of the Statue. We had lunch at Liberty Island and then we headed to Ellis Island to finish that part of our morning. We boarded the bus and went to the Lower East Side to do the Tenement Museum and our walk thru Chinatown and Little Italy. Then we went to Times Square and everyone had a chance to walk around and enjoy the sites and the bright lights. We returned to the Hotel at 8:30 pm where we had our pizza party and by 9:30 pm everyone was in their rooms to get ready for bed. On Friday we will do The Today Show (With no one there) and then we will continue our tour on 5th Avenue. Hope everyone back in Maine had a great day and we will see you on Friday evening.

Day 7 (Click HERE to view pictures!)

We started our morning a little later today as the Today Show was covering the Olympics in Canada. We arrived in the Big Apple and we walked thru Rockerfellow Center and went to the NBC Experience Store and St. Patricks Catheral before the group went on their own to explore 5th Avenue. At 11:30 am we met behind the FAO Swartz Toy Store to meet the bus by 11:45 am to head to Bfristol, Conn. where we had a reservation at the China Buffet. After a late lunch we boarded the bus to head to Kennebunk for our last stop before we arrived in Waterville. We didn't make it all the way to Kennebunk as we had to make a bathroom stop that cost us 30 minutes. After a short stop in Kennebunk we started the last leg of our trip and we arrived home at around 9:30 pm. The parents were there to greet their kids and everyone was happy to be home.

A special thanks to all of the Yellow Jackets for their hard work with their group and to the Red Coats for their attitude and behavior. It was a great trip but it is always nice to get home to family and friends.