Another busy day in the US Capital!

Tuesday, June 18th, 2019

We had our last breakfast at Crystal City Pub Grill. From there we headed to the National Cathedral. This building is magnificent and the second largest cathedral in the United States. After the National Cathedral, we enjoyed sack lunches on the bus.

We took a tour of Ford’s Theater, where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Right across the street from Ford’s Theater is Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. Everyone really seemed to enjoy this stop with lots of opportunity for fun photos.

The Arlington National Cemetery was our next stop. Shelly says this is her favorite stop on the entire trip. It is such an honor to be able to pay tribute to all of our service members that have made sacrifices to ensure our nation’s safety. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is guarded 24/7, 365 days a year. We were able to watch the changing of the guards twice. Additionally, Ellie, Sabrina, Jacob, and Jack had the honor of laying a wreath at the tomb. They conducted themselves very professionally and represented Iowa Youth Tour very well.

Dinner was had at the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl. Part of our meal was bottomless chili cheese fries and a milkshake. Ben’s Chili Bowl is a historical restaurant that has had many visits from prominent figures such as Barack Obama, Jimmy Fallon, and Bruno Mars. We took a group photo in front of the diner with the late owner's wife.

Unfortunately, it started to rain and the planned sunset parade was canceled. However, the rain didn’t stop us and we headed from dinner to the Pentagon to view the 9/11 memorial. Shelly, the great planner, had ponchos for everyone.

We called it a day and went back to the hotel. Due to the planned rain overnight, Senator Grassley had to cancel his 3 mile run with the students tomorrow morning. It is very unfortunate, but everyone will have the chance to meet with their congressional representatives tomorrow on Capitol Hill. We are coming to the end of our trip with one full day left in Washington D.C. These young adults have conducted themselves well and represented all their cooperatives respectively.

Clayton Merritt,

Youth Tour Intern