Voyager Tour Day 3: Now face West...

Greetings!

Today was definitely as restful and peaceful as yesterday was exciting and busy. With our last church service in the morning, we turned our faces west on our journey towards home.

We packed up our bags and departed from the Best Western Hotel that had been our temporary home for the past two nights. After getting so comfortable in a single spot, the boys learned a few extra lessons in how to properly pack and depart from a hotel.

The Mass for St. James Catholic Church was held in a different church building this morning and the boys got to present themselves once again before a new set of faces in the large congregation. They sang extremely well, and despite their small size, their voices gradually filled the entire chamber. Our host was extremely generous, and treated the boys to a large brunch in the basement of the church after the service. A wide variety of coffee cakes, pastries, fruit, and other breakfast items were displayed before them, in addition to some very fancy strawberry and chocolate crepes! After having said their thank you's and goodbye's, the boys once again boarded the bus. Now facing west, we began our drive back towards Minnesota.

Thankfully, we were ahead of schedule throughout the day so the boys got to relax and enjoy themselves for the leisurely bus ride. After code "green" was declared, an array of journals, game boys, and books emerged as they all entertained themselves for the long drive. Pulling out a few decks of playing cards, Aaron set up a large game "golf" and other card games on the bus. Utilizing folders, journals, and notebooks many of the boys recreated a makeshift, individualized card table upon their laps.

We took our time at the different rest stops along the way. At the information center on the border of Wisconsin and Illinois was a large memorial at which PJ explained to the boys the great distinction of the Congressional Medal of Honor. The boys sat spellbound as he related a few heroic stories of men who had earned this high honor. We also took time at these rest stops to continue to whittle down our count-off time. Through much concentration and practice, the boys finally got the time down to 4.0 seconds. With a few more tries, I am certain that they will be able to break four seconds before they arrive home tomorrow.

Once we arrived at our Best Western hotel, the boys were given some free time within their rooms. We ate dinner in a small restaurant that was attached to the hotel. Having the small restaurant largely to ourselves, we took our time and got to brush up on our table manners. The boys were extremely well behaved and I received several complements form guests and hotel staff alike. After the meal, we took advantage of an outdoor swimming pool to go swimming once again. With the temperature being in the 90s today, this was a very refreshing experience.

Once changed and back in their hotel rooms, the boys were given one last chance to do some souvenir shopping at a small shop/gas station that was attached to the hotel. Finally, right before bedtime, PJ gathered all the boys together in one hotel room and recapped the entire tour experience. The boys shared favorite memories and lessons learned as they munched on some sample Wisconsin cheese. With one last moral story, we sent them off to prepare for bed and pack for tomorrow. After checking all their rooms, I am assured that everything is packed up and ready to leave for tomorrow morning. They are really becoming quite the little professional travelers in their experience. The first half of our return journey is now complete, and we all greatly look forward to our Homecoming Concert tomorrow afternoon!

See you tomorrow!
Adam 

Voyager Tour Day Two: Up, Up, and...still here.

Hello everyone back home!

Wow, what a fun packed day! Looking back upon it from our hotel room, it is remarkable how much was accomplished within a single twelve hours.

This morning we got the boys up early and enjoyed the continental breakfast at our Best Western hotel. As always, the waffle maker was an instant favorite. With breakfast complete, we all loaded up the bus and headed into the great city of Chicago.

First up in windy city was the great Willis Tower. As we entered the primary exhibits for the Skydeck, vast amounts of fun facts and trivia popped out at us from dozens of different signs and animated images. (Did you know that 43,000 miles of telephone cable run throughout the building?) The assent to the top was relatively short considering the distance traveled. The boys were mesmerized by a little TV screen mounted over the elevator door that compared the Willis tower to other skyscrapers in the world. The views were fantastic, as it was possible to see four states from the commanding height. Easily the most popular attraction on the 103rd floor of the Willis tower was the "The Ledge": a 4 foot, composite glass platform that jutted out of the building. Although a little intimidated at first, the boys quickly abandoned all fear of heights and had some fun posing for a few silly pictures. Finally, after a quick stop at the gift shop, we descended the tower and boarded the bus again.



 Just a few miles away was our next major attraction: the Field Museum. This extensive museum was of colossal proportions and easily dwarfed our small Minnesota Science Museum. Running a little behind schedule, we immediately launched into our first major exhibit which described the epic accomplishments of Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire. With the first exhibit done, the boys walked onto the main floor of the museum and were promptly confronted by the towering figure of Sue: the largest, most complete T-Rex ever found. This dinosaur was soon brought to life for the boys as they watched a 3D movie which depicted the recreated exploits of the extinct giant. This short video was an immediate success and was frequently cited as the coolest experience at the museum by the boys. We hit two more exhibits before checking out. First, we stood in the shadow of several large mammals in "Extreme Mammals." Seconldy, the choir was shrunk to the size of a penny to experience the tiny critters that populate the underground soil in "Underground Adventures." Walking through the underground tunnels and viewing enlarged bugs and grubs, this site also proved to be a very memorable experience. We stopped for lunch at a McDonalds in the basement of the museum, and made sure to stop by the gift shop on the way out. As we waited for PJ to pick us up with the bus, we managed to squeeze in one last group photo in front of the museum. :)

With a full day of sight seeing under our belt, we stopped by our hotel for a quick breather before the boys' performance at Mass in St. James Catholic church. Considering their long day in Chicago, the boys held up remarkably well. They had a sizable congregation before which to perform. Arriving back at the hotel, the boys had a few minutes to relax before embarking on one of the simplest yet most anticipated events of the entire day: swimming. We had a pizza/pool party in the hotel during which we ordered pizza to enjoy during a break from swimming. After eating a full share from a variety of pizzas and bread sticks, the boys got to return to the pool for one final showdown of Choirboys vs. Prefects. Between the pizza and the swimming, the boys had a blast! I just know that PJ and I might be a little bit sore in the morning. :)

After our pizza/pool party, the boys headed back up to their rooms to shower and get ready for bed. At first glance, it appears that most of the packing for tomorrow's journey is almost done.

With sight seeing, performing at a Mass, and swimming, the day passed by rapidly; the boys have definitely earned a long night's rest. As I was checking their rooms tonight, the conversation was filled with all the fun events of the day as many of the boys scrambled to show me their new souvenirs.

Until tomorrow!
Adam

Voyager Tour Day One: Are we there yet?

Hey!  Welcome to the 2012 Voyager Choir Tour!

First things first:  the boys are all safe and sound here at the hotel, getting ready for an exciting day of sight-seeing in tomorrow.  Now that you can relax a little, here is how the day went.

This morning went very smooth as the boys boarded the bus and made their way towards Chicago.  Usually, there is at least one teary-eyed traveler, but it was very nice to see nothing but smiles and dry eyes the entire day!

The morning drive took us through the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities and onto Wisconsin.  Adam filled their little heads with trivia about Wisconsin as we crossed the border.  Be sure to ask your sons about some of the strange laws Aaron shared with them from our neighbor to the East.

Lunch was at a rest stop where we ate our bag lunches.  It was here that we tried our first "count-off" with the whole group.  Five seconds flat is the time to beat - I bet we manage to get it down to 3.5 by the end of the trip. 

After lunch, we put the boys down for a rest period.  They probably could've gone without since they really didn't have a lot to do other than play with their handheld games and chat all morning, but we thought it would be better to be safe than sorry.  The rest period actually went pretty well, with a number of the boys getting plenty of rest.

When rest period was over, we stopped for bathroom break #3 and tried to get a movie going for the boys, only to find out the DVD player wasn't functioning properly.  I am going to take a look at it tomorrow and see if we can't get it fixed.  I can't imagine us getting home without some proper introduction to Dudley Dooright. 

We made it to Chicagoland for our dinner reservations at  the California Pizza Kitchen.  Our host here at St James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights were gracious enough to pick-up the tab for the boys.  It was a great meal for the boys!


We loaded-up the bus and went the short 10 minutes to our Best Western accommodations in Des Plains.  The boys should be finishing-up their journals right now and taking showers.  (Key word:  "should")  We'll see in a few minutes if that is happening or not.  :-)


All in all, it was a terrific day!  The boys did wonderful and are very pumped for the sights and smells of downtown Chicago in the morning!


Until later...


P.J.