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