Sunday, June 14th
Most of us were up by 7:00 a.m. We dined on cereal and juice before
beginning our trek on Skyline Drive at 1:00 a.m. The day was beautiful
and the drive offered lots of fabulous views and great pictures. We stopped
at many of the overlooks for glimpses of the meandering Shenandoah Valley.
Deer were abundant along the road as well as in our campground. We stopped
at one overlook spot and took a four mile round-trip hike to Mary's Rock,
a mountain peak at 3504 feet. It certainly gave us a taste for the strenuous
trails available in the park. We had a picnic lunch at one of the park's
pleasant picnic areas. We continued the drive south to milepost 67 before
turning around and making our way back to Matthew's Arm. After a quick
supper of hot dogs, baked beans, and chips, we attended an inter-denominational
church service in the park. We returned to our site for a few rip-roaring
rounds of Uno and then walked back to the amphitheater for an informational
program on poisonous snakes. At the conclusion of the program, we went
back to camp to gain another night's rest.
Monday, June 15th
We were up in good time, had breakfast, and broke camp, moving on to
Charlottesville and the home of Thomas Jefferson, Monticello. We arrived
there at about 11:30 a.m. We took the shuttle bus to the house and toured
the house and grounds in the 93 degree sweltering temperatures. We ate
lunch there at a nice shaded picnic area before loading up to head for
Virginia Beach. We arrived at Virginia Beach, found Seashore State Park
and began setting up camp by about 6:30 p.m. After filling our tanks with
chili, we walked to the beach, just behind our campsite. The guys enjoyed
the sand and the water, being very cautious of the sand crabs and jellyfish.
The older guys were disappointed that there wasn't a better display of
female swimwear, but they combed the beached anyway in an effort to maybe
find the unexpected. We came back to camp and thoroughly enjoyed the luxury
of showers, clean hair, and clean bodies. with that, we settled in for
a peaceful night among the unusual twisting trees and pine needles.
Tuesday, June 16th
We were out of the sack at 7:30 a.m. We dined on cereal and milk and
then spent the morning at the beach. The highlight of the trip was burying
Kevin in the sand up to his head. It was so tempting to walk away and leave
him there! We all enjoyed the water and sand. The guys took a final search
for girls, and then we took one more final advantage of the showers before
lunch. We packed the van again and left the park about 1:00 p.m., going
to Jamestown. We spent about 3 1/2 hours touring Jamestown. The Scouts
especially enjoyed the glass house. We also took a walking tour of the
village site and a driving tour of the island. Leaving Jamestown, we backtracked
some to get to Langley AFB. There we met Captain Karmelin, their Scout
liaison, who showed us our quarters for the next two nights. He also showed
us other facilities we could use such as the dining hall, showers!, bowling
alley, and swimming pool. We then went to a park on base to cook up a late
supper of Hamburger Helper. Just as it was getting dark, we returned to
our sleeping quarters, the youth center, to unload the van. Next, we all
went over to the billets for nice clean, warm showers. Soon we were back
at our temporary lodging facilities, bedding down on exercise mats and
in the comfort of air conditioning.
Wednesday, June 17th
Due to our temporary stay among the military, we were up bright and
early at 6:00 a.m. We dressed and cleared out our gear prior to going to
the base dining hall for breakfast. Here, we thoroughly enjoyed and marveled
at piling our plates with anything we wanted. All nine of us ate for $8.90.
The food was good and we left stuffed. We went into Williamsburg and spent
a very hot day walking and touring the colonial town. It was very hot and
we enjoyed a stop now and then for cold cider. As lunchtime closed in and
we were nearing the end of our tour, the Scouts voted to finish our sightseeing
before returning to the van for a meal. We completed seeing the sights
of Colonial Williamsburg, walked back to the van, got gas, and proceeded
back to Langley AFB. We got back in time for supper, so we feasted at the
base dining hall. We all really enjoyed the meals there. For $15.45, we
were all stuffed to the gills. Most of us even topped our meal off with
an ice cream sundae. We then returned to the youth center for a couple
of hours of pool, fussball, and video games. We finished off the day with
refreshing showers before bedding down for the night.
Thursday, June 18th
This day also began early, rising at 6:00 a.m. It was necessary for
us to be up and out when the center opened at 7:00 a.m. We headed for our
last trip through the base chow line. again, we overloaded ourselves for
a mere $11.90. We then left Langley, this time for good, and went to Yorktown
to view the famous battlefield. We took the auto tour of both the field
and the town as well as observing exhibits displayed in the visitor's center.
We particularly enjoyed those places where actors took us back in time
to the 19th century. We then left this area, heading north to our destination
for the night, Brandywine, Maryland. After making a quick stop at a grocery
for a few items, we began looking for a picnic area. We had some difficulty
finding a place and thus got sidetracked. We ended up having lunch on the
Potomac River at Westmoreland State Park, a little bit off the beaten track.
However, this lead us by another interesting site, George Washington's
birthplace. We spent an unexpected hour taking this in. Then again, we
went north crossing the Virginia/Maryland border and headed for Cedarville
State Forest, just outside of Brandywine, Maryland. We entered the park
at 6:50 p.m. and set up camp. Next, all of us went into town to do our
laundry except Mark and Kevin. They stayed back at camp and did a superb
job of consolidating the food and preparing spaghetti for all of us. The
rest of us returned to camp about 9:45 p.m. We ate a late supper, took
quick showers, and hit the sack in preparation for another early morning.
Friday, June 19th
Today was our earliest morning! We got up a little before 6:00 a.m.
so we could eat breakfast, drive into Washington, and get to the White
House for an 8:30 a.m. tour. After arriving at the president's home, we
waited for about 20 minutes before entering the metal detectors. We were
taken on an hour tour of selected rooms of the mansion. We especially enjoyed
talking with our guide, a member of the United States Secret Service. He
informed us among other things that the Reagan's have 72 servants and workers
in the White House and that the secret service arrests 132 people a year
during public tours. The arrests are usually because of vandalism or terrorism.
Leaving the White House, we stopped to feed the van's parking meter, and
then walked by the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial and Vietnam
Memorial. The heat was more than enough for us so we stopped for cold drinks
before walking to the Ellipse. At the Ellipse we watched as some Iranian
students led a protest against Kohemeini. We then walked to the Dept. of
the Interior, viewed the museum, and then ate in the cafeteria there. From
there we fed the meter, visited the Boy Scout Memorial and went to the
FBI Building for our tour. We again traipsed through the metal detectors,
each Scout having to remove his skill award ladened belt, and waited about
a half an hour before beginning the tour. We enjoyed this tour which ended
with an interesting firearms demonstration. Realizing that the van's parking
meter expired at 4:00 p.m., John and Terry left ahead of the rest of the
group to move the van. It was 4:05 p.m. when they left the FBI Building,
and knowing the meter had run out, John ran the last quarter mile. luckily'
John arrived at the van just as the metermaid was opening her book for
our vehicle. John slyly jumped in the van and pulled away, not waiting
to see her response. After regrouping, we drove to the Jefferson Memorial,
got more cold drinks, and walked up to the Jefferson's statue. Lastly,
we drove to the Washington Monument and took the elevator to the top of
the 555 ft. structure to see the sights of our capital city. From there
we left D.C., stopped for groceries and gas, and returned to camp. we ate
a hearty meal of hamburgers and fries before turning in fairly early.
Saturday, June 20th
This morning we enjoyed the luxury of sleeping in. We let everybody
get up and shower on their own schedule. We then fixed a big breakfast
of sausage and eggs before heading into D.C. for another hot and humid
day of sightseeing. We drove in to the city and found a good free parking
space near the Washington Monument at about 12:00 p.m. We all started together
at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. At 3:00 p.m., everybody
left the museum and proceeded on their own, planning to rejoin at the van
at 9:00 p.m. It started to threaten rain so John and Terry went back to
the van early. A little before 9:00 p.m. Kevin and Steve arrived at the
van soaking wet, informing John that everyone was at the Air and Space
Museum and would like picked up. So, in a few minutes we were again rejoined
and headed for the Jefferson Memorial to begin our night viewing and photography
of the monuments. We spent two hours wandering the dark streets of D.C.
to get vistas of the spectacular sights. We headed back to camp, stopping
at a 7-11 for milk and ice. When we reached camp, most of the Scouts went
straight to bed, opting for no meal.
Sunday, June 21st
We let the guys sleep in again and had a relaxing breakfast before
leaving camp at noon for another day of sightseeing. We first headed for
Arlington Cemetery where we spent about two hours viewing the more famous
parts of the grounds. The last 30 minutes of our stay met us with a heavy
downpour of rain. Needless to say, we were all drenched clear through.
We got back to the van and, of course, it slacked off to nothing and then
stopped completely. From there we went to the Iwo Jima Memorial and then
into D.C. to the U.S. Archives. By this time, things were closing up so
we headed back towards camp, stopping at McDonald's for supper. We proceeded
on to Cedarville State Forest, our temporary home. We spent a couple of
hours around camp with some of us calling home before showering and turning
in for the night.
Monday, June 22nd
We arose early today so as to get a good start for our last full day
in the city. We left camp at 7:45 a.m. and headed straight for the capitol.
Our first stop was Senator Glenn's office to get passes to go in the senate
and house chambers and in hopes of seeing Mr. Glenn. He was out of the
office, so we got our passes and went on to the capitol for our tour. It
was a brief tour, omitting the rotunda since they were cleaning and painting
in the dome. We saw both chambers, although neither parts of Congress were
in session. From there we went to Ford's Theater and the house where Lincoln
died. We then found a nice park to stop at for our PB&J sandwiches.
After eating, we parked the van and most of the guys went to the Bureau
of Printing & Engraving. Then we went to the Jefferson and Lincoln
Memorials to get the guys D.C. T-shirts. After making the big purchase,
John found a shady spot to park on the Ellipse and gave the guys three
hours to roam the city. At 6:00 p.m. they were to return to the van. Everyone
was back on time except for the "motley three", Kevin, Jeff, and Steve.
John drove around the town some and then back to the Ellipse. By 6:50 p.m.
we were all united and on our way to camp. We made a pit stop for ice and
milk and then headed for Cedarville State Forest to fix supper and turn
in. Everything in camp is damp due to rain showers we have received over
the last three afternoons.
Tuesday, June 23rd
We were up in good time today, packing up our wet belongings to move
on down the pike. We enjoyed a breakfast of French toast and bacon before
leaving the park at 8:20 a.m. We headed for our last glimpse of D.C. and
to see the TV and movie exhibit at the Smithsonian. This exhibit was to
reopen today after they had added the superman memorabilia. We got to D.C.,
found a good parking space, and were there when the doors opened only to
be disappointed by the fact that the exhibit would not he reopened until
tomorrow. So we loaded up and left Washington behind us, heading for our
next destination, Patapsco State Park, outside of Baltimore. An hour and
a half later, we arrived at the park. Since we couldn't find a ranger,
we decided to set up camp in a site of our own choosing. It certainly helped
to be able to set things up in the warm sunshine and dry things out a bit.
After setting up, we sat down for a lunch of hot dogs, chips, fruit, and
pudding. About that time, the ranger walked up and informed us that we
couldn't stay in that area of the park because of dangerous trees. He said
that we'd have to tear down and move to an area about 20 minutes away by
car. So, with some thinking and deliberating, we decided to head on for
Ft. McHenry and camp further on up the highway. We tore down our now dry
tents and went on to the fort. Once at the fort, we took the tour, saw
the movie, and listened to a ranger's talk. We then drove on and settled
for the night at a very nice, clean Delaware State Park Lum's Pond. We
set up camp and had ravioli for dinner before taking a late night cruise
into town to do laundry.
Wednesday, June 24th
We were glad now we had driven the extra miles yesterday since we used
that time this morning to catch up on some sleep. We woke up and were anxious
for showers. However, the restrooms were locked up. John and Terry drove
to the main entrance of the park to find out what was going on. It turns
out that their transformer got struck by lightning and they had lost all
their power. So, we went on with breakfast and the guys unanimously voted
to wait around until noon, hoping that the transformer would be repaired
by then and the showers would be opened. Noon came and went with no unlocking
of the restrooms. The guys enjoyed the morning though, working up a sweat
playing Frisbee pickle. At 12:45 p.m., John said we'd have to use the cold
water faucet to clean up so we could get going. So, we all took a chilly
sponge bath before sitting down to lunch. And then, just as Murphy's Law
would have it, they unlocked the restrooms. We mumbled through lunch and
then drove on into Philadelphia. We got to the city about 3:34 p.m., but
by the time we found the visitor's center and oriented ourselves, we only
had about an hour and a half to see things. We toured Independence Hall
and then walked over to see the Liberty Bell. The pavilion was closed,
but we could see the bell through the window. We walked through the historic
area a little more before heading back to camp. We made a brief stop for
milk and ice and then went to camp to feast on soup and grilled cheese.
After supper, we all made a beeline for the now open showers. After cleaning
up, we ate some smores and were off to bed.
Thursday, June 25th
We got up in good time, ate, packed up, and went into Philadelphia
to see a few more things. After arriving in Philadelphia, we made a stop
at Franklin Court and The Benjamin Franklin underground museum. We then
went to the Liberty Bell Pavillion for a closer look than we had had yesterday.
Lastly, we took the self-guided tour of the Philadelphia Mint where we
saw the making of coins. Upon leaving Philadelphia, we headed for Valley
Forge. We took the auto tour as well as saw a movie and picnicked on the
grounds. It was clearly evident that all of us had been on many tours,
walked over other battlefields, and seen several movies. We were certainly
tiring of the less than casual sights. By 5:00 p.m., we left Valley Forge
and headed on for our camping spot near Gettysburg. While many of us slept,
John drove us into Caledonia State Park in Fayettesville, Pa. It was a
very nice clean park with a pool. Unfortunately, we got in too late to
use the pool and the vote was to leave early in the morning and not stay
for swimming. So, we set up camp, ate supper, some of us showered and went
to bed.
Thursday, June 26th
With everyone anxious to get home, we were up, had breakfast, packed
and loaded to go at 7:00 a.m. We headed into Gettysburg and were there
when the visitor's center opened at 8:00 a.m. We looked around at the civil
war relics, got a map, and left to begin the two hour auto tour of the
battlefield. We stopped at various points on the drive to explore and take
pictures. We eventually finished the tour in the rain at Gettysburg cemetery.
Jeff Hopper pointed out that our last big downpour occurred when we visited
Arlington Cemetery. We then went to the visitor's center to view a movie,
the cyclorama painting, and the electric map presentation. After seeing
these, we hit the road and made our last stop for groceries and probably
next to last for gas. John inquired at an ice cream shop to see if we could
use their outside tables for lunch. The reply was good so we fixed our
last meal on propane - hot dogs and soup. We topped the meal with delicious
ice cream. We were then on the trek home. After a few miles north to the
interstate, we were heading west! Traveling went well as everyone was anxious
to reach the home territory. We crossed the West Virginia/Ohio border at
7:45 p.m. and then began looking for a Pizza Hut to chow down. We soon
found one, near Cambridge and demolished three large pizzas and four pitchers
of pop before returning to the road home. We were close to our supposed
stop for the night but with everyone refueled, we decided to travel a little
farther. We reached the east side of Columbus in what seemed a short time
and John took a vote. It was unanimous! Everyone agreed to drive on home
tonight and then return to John and Terry's house tomorrow morning to unload
and clean up the van. The trip went well. Most of the guys slept. We arrived
in Englewood at 1:00 a.m. We delivered everyone to their homes and we all
enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep in our own beds.
Saturday, June 27th
The gang reunited at 10:00 a.m. at John and Terry's house to finish
unloading and cleaning out the van. Everyone worked hard and then ate a
continental breakfast of doughnuts, milk, and juice. Work was completed
and everybody headed home by 12:30 p.m. John and Terry then returned the
van to Steve Tatone after putting a total of 2839.5 miles on the new vehicle.
Special thanks to Scoutmaster John Combs for writting this.
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