Jambo Days 5-6: Greetings from Troop 1445! Sorry about the lack of posting. On Thursday we had our first taste of inclement weather, with a number of thunderstorms blowing through the area. Some tents took on some water, but by the afternoon we were mostly dried out. Some more rain and wind moved through in the evening as well, but nothing too serious. Our scouts were still out and about and enjoying the Jamboree.

Friday was mostly the same. We are really hitting our stride now. Several more merit badges have been earned, and numerous activities visited. Of course, there is the ever present patch trading. I've been trying to upload a video that tries to give you a feel for the patch trading process, but currently I can only do text. More to follow!

Jeff.

Jambo Day 4: Day 4 started early! At 4:30 a.m. to be precise! Today was the opening ceremony in the arena. The arena is a large open-air amphitheater with a massive stage in front. In order to move all 40,000 scouts into the arena, some have to begin much earlier than others, and it was subcamp 14's privilege to lead the Central Region into the arena. Troop 1445 was in line at 6:00 a.m. at the gate, breakfast picked up, eaten, cleaned up, and ready to go. We were the third troop in line. The opening show featured an F-16 flyover, an address by Defense Secretary Robert Gates (an Eagle Scout and Vigil Order of the Arrow). He was followed up by Miss America Carressa Cameron, the National Chief of the Order of the Arrow, and the Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America. The Army Golden Knights Parachute team and the Air Force Precision Drill Team also performed. All in all it was a spectacular opening, and seeing 40,000 scouts recite the Scout Oath and Law really made an impression.

Our Scouts are really getting into the activities that are available. Two have earned the Electricity merit badge, a few have been working on Metal Working (they brought home the center punches they had fabricated), and one scout has been working on Broadcasting and will be pulling a brief shift on the Jamboree radio station tomorrow. Those are just the ones I know about! We have also had scouts go swimming, shotgun shooting, "Mysterium Compass" the Order of the Arrow show, and many other activities. Each day brings news of a fun new activity that has been discovered, and they are at it right up until our 9:30 p.m. troop meeting. Lights out / bed check is 10:00, which ends the day.

At the end of each day, at 10:15, I have to turn in a report to headquarters stating that all the scouts in troop 1445 are present in our campsite. So far so good! We're always where we should be. The interesting thing is what happens when I walk back from reporting. All lights are out, all scouts in their tents. But there is a unique, low, background noise that is generated by the 4,000 scouts of our subcamp. It is the sound of pairs of scouts in their tents recounting the adventures they had during the day. The activities, the awesome deals they made patch trading- As I walk back I can hear it all and discern none of it specifically. Its a sound I'll miss when this is all over.

Jambo Day 2: Troop was up and at it at 6:00 this morning. Food picked up, water topped off, breakfast made / served / cleaned up and a flag ceremony all complete by 9:00 and we now have an empty camp. Just the way it should be! All the scouts are out and about in the program areas. The scouts who are waiting on their cash bracelets are all heading to the trading post to pick them up. By this afternoon everyone who ordered one should have it. It will be interesting to hear what activities have occupied them when they get back later this afternoon!

Jambo Day 1: We arrived in good order at 11:00, and were mostly set up by 3:00. The weather? 90 and breezy! Awesome! I wasn't aware that A.P. Hill was capable of such pleasant weather. By 3:00 we had our noon meal complete and the scouts were out exploring the Jamboree site. Patch trading consumed a lot of this first day, but they did have the chance to explore the program site a bit. Again, I'll have pictures tomorrow.

Day 8: Had an awesome day at the beach! We arrived shortly after noon, and stayed until 4:43. We had planned on staying until 5:00, but as if out of nowhere a serious storm front moved in. We had 13 minutes to clear the beach, which was quite crowded, and we did. By the time we boarded the bus the rain was just starting. The beach we went to was located in Delaware, near Rehoboth. I'll have pictures soon! Jambo starts tomorrow!

Day 7: We have now successfully completed one week on the road! Today saw us arriving at Union Station at 7:30 for breakfast. Other scout troops have finally started arriving. Thus far we have been one of about three troops wandering the area, but today that number was increased many times over. Scouts everywhere, all melding into each other's groups, each eager to find out where the other is from, and to trade patches. From Union Station we hiked to the International Spy Museum (sorry, no pictures were allowed), then back ot Union Station for lunch. Then it was off to the Smithsonian Museums. First stop was the Air and Space Museum. There was quite a line ot get in, owing to the security check, but the line moved quite quickly. The same would be true for the Natural History and American History. Our scouts were able to view the Write Brothers plane, Chuck Yeager's sound barrier breaking "Glamorous Glennis", V2 terror rockets, space capsules from Mercury, Gemini, and the Apollo 11 flights. At the Natural History Museum the draw was the Hope Diamond, dinosaurs, and Egyptian mummies. Finishing off at the American History museum we saw the american flag from Fort McHenry that inspired Francis Scott Key to write The Star Spangled Banner, the stovepipe hat President Lincoln wore to Ford's Theater, and many other pieces of our past. We ended our day with a trip to the Washington Monument, this time up close and personal, and finally a trip to Lafayette Park for a photo of our troop at the front of the White House.

Tomorrow we will hold worship, and relax at the beach in preparation for a long day of setting up camp at the 2010 National Jamboree!

Day 6: We had another remarkable day! We rolled into DC early enough (7:30) to beat every other tourist. We had the Jefferson Memorial, the Roosevelt Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial all to ourselves. After viewing these three icons of our history we took a tour of another, the White House itself. We arrived at 9:10 for our 9:30 tour as instructed, and were inside shortly thereafter. We cleared a total of three separate security checkpoints. The tour was self guided, and secret service staff were on hand to answer any questions we had. To stroll down the very halls where history has been made, where our Presidents and their families have lived their lives, was a rare honor indeed. Again, our thanks go out to Congressman Tim Walz and his staff for setting this up for us.

After our White House tour we took in the permanent exhibit of The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Our scouts didn't know what to expect, but no one left unmoved by the experience.

After the Holocaust Memorial we went on a monument blitz! We toured the World War II, Viet Nam, Korean War, and Lincoln Memorials.

Tomorrow its off to the International Spy Museum, and the Smithsonians.

Day 5: What a day! We started at 5:30 with wake up and breakfast, boarded the bus at 7:00. We headed into DC, meeting very little traffic we arrived at 7:30. Getting our bearings we hiked around the capitol buildings, got a picture on the steps of the Supreme Court building, then headed to Rep. Tim Walz's office to begin our Capitol tour. Rep. Walz's staff did an incredible job shepherding us through the Capitol, and explaining the things we were seeing. After the tour we used the House gallery passes they provided us with to sit in on a gaveled in session of the House of Representatives. As we were watching a vote being taken, a pretty special event unfolded, one that we could not have planned! Representative Gregg Harper of Mississippi saw us in the House gallery from the floor. He came up to where we were seated, began to talk to us as he pointed out interesting aspects of the House area. Then, he said "Would you boys like to join me on the House Floor?" He took our troop down to the floor of the House while it was in session. We should look at C-Span footage for today to see if any of our scouts are visible. Since they didn't have much time there, he then said "OK, lets go where very few people ever get to go". We followed Rep. Harper up several flights of stairs, past several signs that said "HOUSE MEMBERS OLNLY!", and he proceeded to take us out onto the Speakers Balcony. The Speaker's Balcony is high up on the capitol building, and offers a unique panoramic view of a lot of Washington DC. From this perch we could see all of the monuments leading up to Arlington and the Lee mansion in the distance. This was a special treat, one that is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and we are so grateful to Rep. Harper for providing it. His website is http://harper.house.gov/ if you would like to thank him. He also took us into the private House Chapel, where some of our scouts took the opportunity to kneel and pray.

After our Capitol tour was complete we ate lunch in Union Station, toured Arlington National Cemetery (where we witnessed the changing of the guard), saw the Marine Corps Memorial (Iwo Jima), and lastly toured the Pentagon's 911 Memorial. A very full day that will provide memories for a lifetime.

After

Day 4: Today we got up at 5:30 and had our traditional breakfast in the basement of the Gettysburg UMC. By 8:00 we were at the Gettysburg National Battlefield with our tour guide Woody learning about the historic battle that took place in the fields surrounding us. We then toured the National Cemetery. That so many soldiers fought and died only to be buried in an unmarked grave was quite a sobering thought for our scouts.

We departed Gettysburg and have arrived at the Lathrope Smith environmental Center outside of Gaithersburg Maryland. This will be our new home until we depart for the Jamboree next Monday. Tomorrow we will tour the Capitol Buildings complements of the office of Representative Tim Walz.

Day 3: We spent the night at Beaumont Scout Reservation near Rockport, Ohio. Beaumont is an awesome camp tucked into the Ohio woods. Our lodge was the kind of rustic that some folks spend a lot of time and money trying to emulate, and provided an excellent place for us to stay. The shower house was a welcome sight as well! Within 38 seconds of our arrival every electrical outlet had been found, noted, and had a cell phone or an I-Pod charging through it! Quite different from past Jamboree trips. We were served breakfast by the camp staff, and joined in with their Webelos for the camp's flag raising ceremony. Then it was on the road, headed to Gettysburg. We stopped in Evanston, PA, for lunch, and realized that we were within 20 miles of the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville.

The Memorial in place currently is only temporary. Very little is actually in place. There is still the original building where the media set up, and where the FBI ran their investigation from. This now houses a self guided tour consisting of educational placards. It is hard to describe the feelings evoked seeing the faces of the passengers and crew so close to where their plane went down. We were able to go to an overlook where we could see the actual crash site. There is a lot of excavation going on, which is part of the building of the permanent memorial, scheduled for completion on September 11, 2011. After a lecture on the site by a Ranger, we circled up and sang "America the Beautiful", and re-boarded the bus and resumed our journey to Gettysburg. We are currently camped out in the basement of Gettysburg United Methodist Church, prepared for a very full day of touring tomorrow.

Day 2: We departed from Chesterton UMC after a breakfast of bagels and fruit at the church. We traveled to Cleavland Ohio and visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Tomorrow its on the road to Gettysburg.

Day 1: Greetings from the road! Day one passed uneventfully, a long day of travel. We ended our day in Chesterton Indiana. We had pizza from Godfather's in a nice local park, and slept in the air conditioned basement of Chesterton United Methodist Church.