The Civil War Tour, Day 1 -- April 27, 2010

Our adventure began at the United Presbyterian Church very early on Tuesday, April 21. Thirty-seven happy travelers (some a wee bit sleepy!) boarded our charter coach for the drive to Dayton, Ohio and our first destination.

Upon arrival at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, our guide stepped on the coach to tell us about the highlights of the site. We had a quick lunch and then took off to explore the three hangars that house the exhibits. From examples of the earliest attempts at flight to some of the more sophisticated fighter planes from WWII, we were able to see the progression of the development of flight. One section of the museum is devoted to comedian Bob Hope, who entertained generations of troops.

Several of our group members left the main museum to tour the hangar of presidential planes, including Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman (The Independence), Dwight Eisenhower (Columbine), and the first Air Force One (used for Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and George H.W. Bush). One building holds many types of experimental planes that were developed to test theories of flight. After two hours of exploration, we traveled to Columbus, Ohio for dinner at the Schmidt Haus in German Village. Everyone enjoyed the brick streets, the quaint old buildings, and a delicious German buffet before retiring for the night in Pickerington, Ohio.