La Mirada~On the morning of July 24, we woke up happy from sleeping in nice soft beds.   After breakfast, we shipped out for Arlington. It was a solemn place with perfect rows of white headstones which reminded me how freedom isn't free and that it comes at a heavy price. While we were there, we visited the graves of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Ted Kennedy. 

We watched the very stylized changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider.  I have to give these guards some recognition because it was 100 degrees at the time.  Us Scouts were sweating like crazy while the guard, who were wearing wool uniforms, barely had a line of sweat as they performed their solemn duty. 

After Arlington, we moved to one of the most iconic buildings in our country: The Capital.  We were visiting the place where our country’s laws are made.  As we climbed the steps, I thought about the School House Rock song:  “I’m a bill, yes I am only a bill and I am sitting here on Capital Hill.”

Mr. Gardea was able to arrange a tour of the inside of the Capital through Congresswoman Grace Napolitano.  Thank you to both.

We had lunch at a huge mall built around the Union Station.  From there we moved on to the Smithsonian museums.  It quickly became one of my favorite spots.  We were only able to get into the Air and Space and the Natural History museums. The Air and Space of course was filled with all kinds of rockets, missiles, airplanes, and space stuff.  I especially enjoyed the exhibits on gravity and the early history of the airplanes.

We could have spent the whole day there but we only had about an hour before we had to exit the Air and Space Museum and hike over to the Natural History Museum. We saw all kinds of animals and cool looking plants.  It was very similar to the museum in Los Angeles but on a much grander scale.  None of the exhibits came alive like the movie but they did have a great gift shop. I bought some gifts for my brother and sister.

After dinner at the Fashion Center, we went to visit Mr. Lincoln. From his chair, he had a clear view of the famous reflecting pool and the Washington Monument.  His famous Gettysburg address was etched off to the side.   We walked a short distance to the Korean War Memorial which I thought was one of the cooler memorials because it displayed life-like soldier statues moving in formation.  Next we paid our respects to the Vietnam memorial. I was amazed when I saw the monument because it seemed to rise out of the ground.  So many names were on the wall...

When we finally pulled into the hotel, we immediately jumped right into the pool.  It was soooo hot. Naturally, there were kids from different troops in the pool. One of our older scouts rallied everyone together to play games. For fun, we all worked together to try to create a huge whirlpool. Scouts from anywhere working together can do anything if we put our minds to it.

On July 25, we went to the historic town of Williamsburg.  We purchased more souvenirs, met some more scouts, made friends, and traded patches.  It was very hot but it was almost forgotten when we entered the Busch Gardens amusement park. They had so many great roller coasters.  It was like they put together the best of Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm.  It was a much needed break from touring.

July 26.  For over a year and a half, the day we have all been waiting and preparing for has arrived.  Our arrival to the Jamboree is just a few hours away but first a quick stop at Jamestown before heading to Fort A.P.  With the end of our tour, it only seems like our adventure is over but our real adventure is going to start soon.  Jamboree here we come!!

Traffic to the site was heavy with buses and cars.  A car cut off one of the buses and the car was sent flying into a ditch.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.  We arrived and checked in.  We then set our sights on unloading our trailer with the LA contingent gear aboard.  It made it there in time for us as promised.  It was hot and as an added bonus the humidity was very high.  As we hauled our gear to our campsite, we passed thousands of scouts doing the same thing as us.  We are all getting ready for the adventure of our lives. 

After we set up camp and ate, I made a call to Mr. Aiello to report in on his radio show.  That was an experience in itself.  Afterwards, I returned to my tent exhausted.  Lights out.  Time to get ready for tomorrow’s events. 

8-2-6!  WE ARE THE BEST!

THE BEST IN THE WEST!