Blogs
January 17th, 2009 - 7:38 P.M.
January 18th, 2009 - 2:03 A.M.
January 18th, 2009 - 8:54 P.M.
January 20th, 2009 - 12:21 A.M.
January 21st, 2009 - 7:01 P.M.
January 22nd, 2009 - 1:20 AM
January 22nd, 2009 - 5:40 P.M.

January 17, 2008 7:38 P.M.

Hello friends! I’m Blake Roach, and I am a sophomore Political Science major at Sam Houston State University. I like God, politics and country music. I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend the inauguration of the next U.S. President. I’m also happy to be a blogger for KBTX. I know this is a great way for us to share our experiences with others and for us to always remember the things we will learn and see on this trip. By the time we get back to Texas, we’ll have brought back a few more Texans with us; George Bush, Laura Bush and even their dog Barney. I can honestly say after riding in the van for 9 hours and going through 2 states, maybe staying up till 4 A.M. the night before packing wasn’t the best idea, but it sure was worth it.

Our first stop was the capitol building in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We were able to go inside of the state capitol building to view the Louisiana House and Senate Chambers and also see the spot where Huey Long was assassinated. Huey Long was a Governor and a Senator in the 1930’s before being assassinated in the capitol building. A bullet hole from the assassination is still visible in a pillar. I was intrigued by the architectural style of the capitol building and the ability to casually walk around and view the chambers. Unfortunately the tower was closed for the day, so we couldn’t go up and view the city of Baton Rouge or look down upon the mighty Mississippi. Outside the capitol was a grand memorial garden that included a statue of Huey Long and his gravesite.

Even though we’ve been on the road for a great part of the day, we covered a lot of tracks. We’re now passing through Mississippi and before long we will be in Alabama. As we pulled into Louisiana, I caught myself shuffling through my iPod to the song “I Can’t See Texas from Here” by George Strait. After that, I listened to the song “Louisiana Saturday Night” by Alabama, and as we are now in Mississippi, I am listening to “Roll on Mississippi” and “Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town,” both by Charley Pride. By the time we get to Alabama, I’ll have “Midnight in Montgomery” by Alan Jackson ready to play and of course a few songs by the group Alabama waiting in the wings. I guessed I never realized how many songs I had about cities and states. With around 5 more hours of driving time, it looks like another 4 A.M night.

January 18, 2009 2:03 A.M.

It’s getting late but we have covered a lot of ground in a handful of hours while still seeing a whole lot. We’ve been through three states, seen two state capitol buildings, and have enjoyed the wonderful tour. Montgomery is a well-structured capital city with a firm place in American history. We were able to stand in the spot that Jefferson Davis stood when he was inaugurated on the steps of the Capitol building. It was a surreal moment to stand in the same place as a man who would not only have prevented me, an African American, from holding elected office, but also one who favored the perpetuation of slavery. It is a wonderful reflection of the progress we have made in America.

After we left the Montgomery capitol grounds we stopped by the Civil Rights Memorial. A guard was standing in the cold and rain, protecting the memorial. We were able to take pictures in front of a fountain bearing a quote by Martin Luther King Jr.. To the side was an oval marble with important dates from the Civil Rights struggles etched in.

Sunday, January, 18 8:54 P.M
Charlotte, NC.

Well, this morning in an Atlanta hotel room, I was awakened by the “courtesy wake-up call” from Holiday Inn. Let me tell you, there is nothing courteous about a fire-alarm sounding machine scaring the daylights out of you when you’ve only had three hours of sleep. As the day progressed the sleep slowly wore off when we ate brunch at The South City Kitchen. It was awesome. I the Maryland traditional crab cake with grits, topped off with a Mediterranean dipping sauce. I am now considering riding my thumb to Atlanta every other weekend to eat this exceptional dish.

After the South City Kitchen, we drove to the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where Martin Luther King, Jr. served as pastor. Next to Ebenezer is a memorial museum honoring Dr. King and other influential civil right leaders. Outside the memorial museum is a reflecting pool that hosts the graves of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, who died in 2006.

We then traveled to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. This is the third presidential library I have visited. We were able to better understand the agenda President Carter wanted to pursue while in office. The museum had vivid descriptions of the challenges President Carter faced and the difficult times of his presidency. I think it showed that, although a president is called to execute the duties of the laws of the land, he does not have any tracking device to avoid situations such as terrorist attacks, hostage situations or energy crises.

Although the exhibits inside were interesting, they may have been surpassed by the Japanese Gardens surrounding the museum. We took tons of pictures. We had to climb over a creek to get the best picture and unfortunately another student, Chris, stepped on a “rock” that ended up being a pile of leaves. He lent a good part of his leg to the bottom of the creek and was left with a wet shoe, sock, and pant leg.

After the library, we visited the Georgia State Capitol Building, our third in less than a day. At this point, it’s hard to assess these capitol buildings with a fresh eye. This one was notable, however, for its gold dome.

After taking photos at the capitol, we hit the highway singing Willie Nelson’s classic tune “On the Road Again.” We passed through South Carolina without stopping and ate dinner in North Carolina. The restaurant was Jaipurs, which specialized in Indian cuisine. My favorite dish was the curry lamb. It was seared in brown gravy with onions.

We are now en route to Richmond, Virginia for the night. We have around four more hours to drive. My hope is that the next hotel restricts their fire alarms to fires. Whatever happened to the enthusiastic voice of a front desk worker to wake you up? Is that only in Texas?

This is Blake Roach signing off till next time.

January 20th 2009 - 12:21 A.M.
Hotel in Richmond, VA

Waiting in forty-five degree weather for an hour and a half at Mt. Vernon is such a great feeling! It gives you a quality point of view of how it must have been for George Washington. I can imagine he was pretty cold during the Revolutionary War. We were able to view the house that was occupied by George Washington and his family before he took office, after he took office, and the room where he said his dying words: “Tis’ Well.” Mount Vernon also had a wonderful display of memorabilia belonging to the Washington family. I was able to look at the most famous pair of dentures in the world: George Washington’s classic dentures. They most certainly looked like they were over 200 years old.

After Mount Vernon, we ate in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia outside of Washington D.C. Tonight, we tried out Thai food. As a steak and potatoes man, I was a little reluctant, but it’s not often you get to be on a vacation during a school term with wonderful college friends. Reflecting on that, I ordered the only thing I could pronounce: Cashew Chicken.

The former President of the Political Science Junior Fellows, Ademide Adedokun, joined us for dinner. She now works on Capitol Hill and she’ll be joining us for the inauguration.

I have extreme gratitude for all the people who allowed me the opportunity to attend this event. A lot of people overcame discrimination, paving the way for Barak Obama to win a presidential election. More personally, I want to thank my family members. Unbeknownst to me, they saved up money in the months leading to the inauguration so that I could take a trip I did not even know I was taking. There will be an estimated two million people at the inauguration, but perhaps I am the only person who feels as though I’m in the midst of a week-long trip to the moon.

My dad is also excited for me, more so than I can fathom. He is excited about the historic significance of this event and that I am attending. My grandfather, a mill worker from Marshall, TX, never had an opportunity such as this one. But I will be wearing his topcoat over my suit at the inauguration. It’s great to have a piece of my family’s history at this history-making event.

When I next blog, America will have a forty-fourth president.

Wednesday, Jan. 21 2009. 7:01 P.M.
Staunton, VA

The last time I wrote to you, we had a completely different POTUS (President of the United States). Other changes have occurred this week, too. I for example, have now missed two days of school and will miss tomorrow. I’ve also seen four “presidential homes:” Mt. Vernon (George Washington), Ashlawn-Highland (James Monroe), Monticello (Thomas Jefferson) and, of course, the White House. The White House was recently vacant, but it was filled yesterday at noon by a fellow named Barack Obama.

The trip to the inauguration was hands down the craziest, most crowded, coldest, most colorful event I have ever been a part of. We did not get to sleep the night before the inauguration. The night before the inauguration we arrived at the hotel around 1 A.M. and immediately started packing and getting things together for the heavily anticipated trip to Inauguration 09’. As we left the hotel at 4:30 in the morning, I could feel the happiness in the air. I knew we were getting closer when traffic towards D.C. started to get congested at 6 A.M.

I was pretty tired while waiting in line for Metro tickets. I was tired as more and more people crammed into the train car. When we disembarked from the Metro, my legs tiredly propelled me toward our goal: to see the 2009 Presidential Inauguration. But I never imagined that the streets would be as crowded as they were. It was surreal to see thousands of people crowding the city street and more people joining the parade at each intersection. But our tired fascination gave way to frustration and alarm when we began to receive contradictory directions to our ticket gate.

We dragged on, criss-crossing the streets, sometimes backtracking when we received new and different directions. As the inaugural kick-off grew nearer, we began to run to our destination. We were separated from our Professor and another student, but we pushed on. We finally were in sight of our ticket gate when we were stopped and told that no one else would be permitted in.
Disappointed, but gratified to be part of history nonetheless, we found a place to watch the proceedings…little dots far, far away, but one of those dots has already played a large role in history.


Thursday, Jan. 22. 2009 1:20 AM

As our first trip of the year winds down, we continued to see new sites. Today we went to Monticello, the Jeffersonian home that is featured on the back of the nickel. We also went to Ashlawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe.

I am grateful for being able to go on this trip across numerous states and into rich historical territory. I have also eaten foods I would have never eaten, such as clams, escargot, and lamb. This has been a great trip, and it has given me a sense of urgency to try harder, apply myself more, and continue to strive for life’s rewards.

Jan. 22. 5:40 P.M.
Alabama

“I’m coming back to you my dear old Texas; I’m coming back to where I belong.” – Willie Nelson

Day five of our cross-country trip has been a long one.  We’ll cover four states.  We spent the “night” in Tennessee but we were able to sleep for only about three hours.  I can’t say I am looking forward to waking up early, going to class, and unpacking the massive amounts of items I am bringing back to Huntsville.  But I am looking forward to being back among friends and my college “family.”  Coming back to Texas really brings home the sense of completion, a sense of coming together with my fellow travelers.

We all have different beliefs, but as Jesse Jackson, Jr said: “Although we came to America in different ships, we are all in the same boat now.”  We have to stand together.  I say this with the thoughts of the people I met on this trip.  For instance, today we ate lunch at a place called “Q&S Soul Food BBQ” in Birmingham, Alabama.  Inside were many wonderful people who represented the progress of the United States.  One woman who worked there told me about how it was in Birmingham when she was young.  She described being in the Alabama segregated school system.  There were restrictions on what she could do, what resources she could have, and even where she could go.  I don’t face those restrictions, so I know that progress has been made, although more can be done.  I know some people aren’t happy about the election results, but I am.  Anytime a person can make younger folks think about something positive, to answer the call for public service, to view a role model as someone wearing a suit instead of a jersey, we are on the right track.
After pigging out on pork chops, candied yams, and collard greens, we went to the Vulcan statue.  The Vulcan represents the Roman God of steel, the forger of tools for the Olympus Gods.  Because Birmingham’s industrial base rests on steel, they have one of the tallest statues in the United States devoted to Vulcan.  It was first presented at the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis (the fair that is the basis of the Judy Garland film “Meet Me in St. Louis”).   The Vulcan is the heaviest statue in America.
January, 22nd: 9:23 P.M.

We just left Jackson, Mississippi where we toured the state capitol building. The Mississippi Capitol Building is the most elaborate capitol building I’ve seen thus far. They have Greek art work outlining the top of the building and various statues on the ground as well. Jackson was our last major stop on our tour across the southeastern United States.
Jan. 22nd:  11:11 P.M.

To sum up the trip, I can think of three things that made it quite special. The first would naturally be our goal on this trip: The Inauguration. Although we didn’t get to our seats in time to see the inauguration from as close as I would have liked, I was happy to be in the mall area with my 1,999,999 best friends.  We all wanted to be close to the action, but I was happy just being able to view the US Capitol Building, the White House, and the rest of the wonderful sites in DC.

The second interesting aspect of the trip is the food we ate.  I was able to introduce my taste buds to clams, calamari, escargot, Thai food, and Indian food.  I won’t eat all of them again, but I am glad I tried them.

The third special thing about the trip was the historical sites we went to.  We visited four state capitol buildings, toured nine states, five presidential homes—and MLK’s grave site and Jimmy Carter’s presidential library!

The five of us who went on this trip were part of history, and I know we did things we can tell our families about one day.  If my children ask whether I’ve ever seen a president, I can say “Yes,” and brag that I saw the first African American President inaugurated.  I’ll be able to tell them who I went with, and I hope my kids know who I am talking about when I say: Professor Yawn, Megan Bryant, Justin Veillon, and Chris Rahlwes.

Thank you for reading my blog entries.  I look forward to attending the next big event so I can blog—and miss a few classes.  It’s good for the soul, I’m sure.  I think that’s scientifically proven somewhere.