Tales of our Travels... Day One.

So, we left Santa Maria, at 4:30pm on Saturday, April 7th. We got on a tour bus (we were bus ONE of the two.. we were on the FUN bus!) and headed to LAX. We got about 30 minutes from home when the bus driver pulled to the side of the road and we waited for bus 2 to catch up, because it was "acting funny". We sat there for about 10 minutes and then turned around and headed back to find bus 2. So now we have been gone for an hour and are still only 20 miles from home! Quite a start.

We got to LAX and went through the first of many security screenings on our trip. Then got on our plane at 10:50pm and flew to Baltimore.

We arrived in Baltimore at 6:30 am. They let us change clothes and freshen up in the airport. After picking up our bags and making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be (the joy of traveling with 75 people... keeping track of you buddy group!), we got on the buses and headed to breakfast. Bus ONE had the best driver, Fred. He was really fun all week, and I can't tell you how many times I thought to myself, "there is NO WAY, this bus will go there!" and yet Fred managed to get it there!

We had breakfast before heading to our first tour. Old Annapolis.

Our tour guide, dressed in colonial garb, took us to the Capitol building (once the capitol of the united states) and showed us where George Washington resigned his military commission to return home after the war.
The guide was well versed on architecture, able to tell us "georgian" designs and such. But if you asked him what that blooming tree was, his reply was always "I'm not sure."
Then we walked down to the Naval Acadamy. Being Easter sunday, we couldn't go into the beautiful chapel (which has the tomb of John Paul Jones under it) because they were having services.
We did however get to walk past it and learn all about the Naval Academy (including the fact that ALL of the students live under one roof... they only have one HUGE dorm)
The midshipmen were getting ready to host an Easter egg hunt, so they were out in the lawns throwing colored eggs around...
You don't see THIS everyday at the Naval Academy!!!!
After a stop at the gift shop, we boarded the bus to lunch at Fudruckers. Then we got back on the bus and drove to Williamsburg, Virginia. It took about 3 hours. We got to the Williamsburg area around 6 pm and had dinner. Then checked into the hotel and went to bed! This was a LONG day!