Day 10 Summary

Sadness loomed as we entered into our last full day of touring historical sites. Fortunately, we had another birthday to celebrate, brightening everyone's day. Laura is an amazing young lady and we were very lucky to spend this special day with her!!

The troops got on the bus early to do some decoration and surprised Laura with a rousing round of "Happy Birthday" as she hopped aboard:

 

Off to a great start now, we left our digs near the airport and headed off for the day visiting the following locations:

• Valley Forge - Valley Forge in Pennsylvania was the site of the military camp of the American Continental Army over the winter of 1777–1778 during the Revolutionary War. It is approximately 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Starvation, disease, malnutrition, and exposure killed nearly 2,500 American soldiers by the end of February 1778.
• Independence National Historical Park - Independence National Historical Park is a United States National Park in Philadelphia that preserves several sites associated with the American Revolution and the nation's founding history. Administered by the National Park Service, the 55-acre park comprises much of the Philadelphia's most-visited historic district. The park has been nicknamed "America's most historic square mile" because of its abundance of historic landmark. The centerpiece of the park is Independence Hall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted in the late 18th century. Independence Hall was the principal meetinghouse of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787. Across the street from Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, an iconic symbol of American independence, is displayed in the Liberty Bell Center.
• Philly Cheesesteaks! - A cheesesteak, also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese, or locally, simply a steak is a sandwich made from thinly-sliced pieces of steak and melted cheese in a long roll. A popular regional fast food, it has its roots in Philadelphia
• Rocky Steps - The 72 stone steps before the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have become known as the "Rocky Steps" as a result of their appearance in the triple-Oscar-winning film Rocky and four of its sequels, Rocky II, III, V and Rocky Balboa, in which the eponymous character runs up the steps to the song "Gonna Fly Now". Tourists often mimic Rocky's famous climb, a metaphor for an underdog or an everyman rising to a challenge. A bronze statue of Rocky was briefly situated at the top of the steps for the filming of Rocky III. This statue, now located at the bottom right of the steps (also visited by the students - see pictures below), is a popular photo opportunity for visitors.
• Pizza Party - Pizza is a type of bread and tomato dish, often served with cheese. Pizza first made its appearance in the United States with the arrival of Italian immigrants in the late 19th century and was very popular among large Italian populations in New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Saint Louis. In the late 19th century, pizza was introduced by peddlers who walked up and down the streets with a metal washtub of pizzas on their heads, selling their pizzas at two cents a slice. It was not long until small cafes and groceries began offering pizzas to their Italian American communities.

Per usual, the map of the day's adventures:

Laura's Birthday
The students were up early getting the bus appropriately decorated for Laura's birthday. They are getting pretty good at this after two previous birthdays.

Decorating the bus before Laura hops on

Here we are singing to the birthday girl. Not exactly MoTab - starting to drag a little at this point of the tour - but its the thought that counts, right?

Valley Forge
Our first stop took us to Valley Forge where General George Washington suffered with his men through the harsh winter of 1777-1778 and galvanize his role as their leader during Revolutionary War. The American "Continental" Army suffered great physical hardships at Valley Forge, but it emerged from the ordeal as a trained force for the first time capable of defeating the British Army in a European-style battle. This was largely due to the arrival of "Baron" von Steuben, a Prussian officer who trained the Continental Army to simplified Prussian standards, which actually were superior to those of the British Army. The Continental Army that emerged from Valley Forge actually defeated the British at Monmouth Court House. After that defeat, the British never again challenged the Continental Army in a major battle north of Virginia. It could be argued that the U.S. Army was born at Valley Forge.

Entering into the visitor center at Valley Forge

Mulling around the Visitor Center after watching a very informative film. Without an elaborate gift shop, the students weren't quite sure what to do with themselves and ended up walking around in a circle until the bus arrived to take us out into the park

Visiting recreations of the huts the soldiers would have stayed in during the encampment. It was amazing that they were able to build these in such harsh conditions given the resources they had for construction

Learning about the camp from General George Washington himself. The years have been kind to him!

More learning from General George. Interesting, but sad, fact - historians estimate that over the winter, about 2,500 men died from disease and exposure of the roughly 10,000 - 12,000 who were there.

Touring one of the cabins.

He really does look a bit like Washington...if you squint a little

Inside one of the cabins

Not present during the winter of 1777 - 1778: skilled worker dude with gas powered chainsaw and footlong club from Subway for lunch

Mary, Lily and Emily pose with worker dude driving his horseless bulldozer - also not present during '77-'78 winter.

Boyce ladies posing with the General

Rudmans with General GW

Learning about a Field Bake Oven that would have been used by the army for baked goods

Blooms of a Dogwood tree in the park

Approaching the National Memorial Arch at Valley Forge, dedicated "to the officers and private soldiers of the Continental Army December 19, 1777 June 19, 1778"

Kate at the arch pondering what she had just learned

Under the arch

Learning about the great men whose names are inscribed on the arch

Group under the arch - how's that for a creative caption?

After visiting the arch we made our way down to George Washington's actual headquarters at the Isaac Potts home

Our last Valley Forge stop, General Washington's HQ during the stay at Valley Forge, the Isaac Potts home. General Washington's wife Martha would also spend time here. We toured the home and then made our way back to the bus.

Cheesesteaks
Ahhhhhhh, Philly Cheesesteaks, a staple delicacy of the 'city of brotherly love' and precursor to cardiovascular problems of all sorts. We did partake of this gastronomical delight, cheeze whiz and all, at the famous Sonny's Steaks on our way to visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

It didn't take long for our group of bright students to master this menu and before we knew it, they were waist deep in cheeze whiz and grilled shaved rib eye.

The birthday girl was all smiles as she retrieved her 'steak' from the counter. The sudden bolus of cholesterol made the photographer's hands a little shaky yielding a slightly out of focus picture of the fun.

Mmmmmm, good eatin'!!

Doesn't Colson look like he's about to burst or...worse?

More satisfied customers. Said Lars: "Best. Meal. Of. The. Trip.!!"

Gathering outside Sonny's to walk a short way to Independence Park. Mr Wirthlin was trying to explain to a local why a couple dozen uniformed students were wandering through South Philly.

We bid you farewell, beloved Sonny's. You've gotten as much blog time as some of the most historically significant sights of our nation's past, which is completely appropriate. May the thousands upon thousands of calories you imparted so willingly to each of us be used for good and may Lipitor do its job and allow us one more visit to your welcoming door.

Independence National Historical Park (Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall)
After paying homage to 'the steak' we made our way to see the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

You never know who or what you'll run into in Philly. Ben Franklin on the left; giant inflatable rat on the right.

Students looking upon the Liberty Bell

Group shot with THE bell

Crossing the street to Independence Hall

A view of the bell tower of Independence Hall. I could swear I saw Ben Gates digging into the wall on the left (there's a bone for you National Treasure fans out there)

James, Spence, Lars approaching the entrance to Independence Hall

Outside Independence Hall - At least Lily smiled when I said 'say cheese!'. I think my camera and I have worn out our welcome with this lot.

Now I got a few more smiles. Thanks, ladies and Gabe. Cameron, great smile but I'm over here...

One of our last group shots of the trip and outside one of the most notable historical sights in the world, Independence Hall.

A little bit closer outside Independence Hall

Waiting outside Independence Hall for our tour to begin, the Sams were engaging Mrs. Horne and Mrs. Lund in a deep discussion about some of the finer points of the Constitution. Oh, wait...nope, it's the cheesesteaks. They are reflecting on the cheesesteaks we had for lunch.

Savannah and Lucy hanging out outside Independene Hall waiting for the tour to begin. At least it was shady.

Colson fully recovered from lunch and ready to 'get his history on'

Bond, James Bond

Don't know who these people are but they make a lovely couple. Clearly, we've been waiting a while for the tour to begin

A lovely day in the park

A couple of lads sunning themselves outside Independence Hall. The tour must be starting soon.

"Yahoo, the tour is beginning" is what Mrs. Horne is shouting here.

Walking and in one case prancing along the grounds at Independence Hall during the tour of the building

The Assembly Room in Independence Hall. Independence Hall is, by every estimate, the birthplace of the United States. It was within its walls that the Declaration of Independence was adopted. It was here that the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted and signed. This room oozes with history. It gives one chills to be inside.

Mrs. Lund shared some thoughts about the history of this hall

The students prepare to recite the Preamble to the United States Constitution

 Video of the students reciting the Preamble to the United States Constitution:

Rocky Stairs
Remember those Cheesesteak calories mentioned earlier, here's where they began to be shed in earnest. The famous steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Fine Art that Rocky Balboa ascended with great alacrity in the eponymous movies were the site of a recreation of sorts by our lot.

Our own superstars at the top of the stairs. They really were very fast up the climb.

Some went back down for another run up to the top.

Another shot of the champs. Were these guys even born when Rocky was a thing?

At the base of the stairs stands the famous Rocky statue. The ladies posed for a shot or tow.

I asked a number of the students to name some of their favorite experiences of the tour:

Pizza Party
After another long and exciting day, we retired to our hotel and enjoyed pizza, another round of 'Happy Birthday' for Laura and a few games before getting to bed early to try to get a couple of hours of sleep before a 3:30am wake-up call. I'll conclude the blog with a few thoughts in the next and last entry.