Troop 412 Visits Washington, DC

On Wednesday, August 4, Troop 412 travelled to Pohick Regional Campground in northern Virginia to set up base camp. Our camp was in a beautiful wooded area. Each morning and evening we rode the Metro into and out of Washington. The boys enjoyed the Metro rides, and the Troop became quite proficient at getting on and off as a group.

Are there bears in Virginia? Does anyone know where Mr. Bare got off the train?

Our first trip into the city was in the afternoon of the first day of our arrival. We visited the old Post Office, where we ate supper and took in the view from its tower. After supper we headed to Oval Park, outside the White House.

Hup, toop, threep, fourp... We had a pleasant surprise when we encountered General Washington's elite guard. No wonder we defeated the British!

Troop 412 posed for a brief picture with the standard bearer and an infantryman, who was kind enough to show the scouts the complete procedure for loading and firing his musket. Ordinary Colonial Army troops could fire three rounds a minute, but Washinton's corps could fire four rounds a minute. Good training pays off!
Did he set the safety on that musket?

After breakfast and a ride into town on the Metro, we met with Congressman Ethridge on the Capitol steps. He talked with the scouts for about 30 minutes, and then an aide took us on a tour of the Capitol. We witnessed an major vote taking place on the House floor. The dome's tilting!

Craig forgot his library card. One of the most beautiful buildings that we visited was the Library of Congress. It was also nice to find a place to sit once we had finished our tour.

Who's that sleeping? Quick! Where's the manual?
One of the boys' favorite places was the Air and Space Museum, where we saw the movie about flight and some boys took flying lessons. We also had a fun encounter with a Boy Scout troop from Japan.
Can you say the Scout Oath is Japanese?

Where is the Capitol? Mostly we walked, sometimes we rested, and occasionally we caught the tour bus. The Troop 412 bus is better.

Troop 412