Pics - Saturday

Jacob waits in Boston for the flight.

Jacob waits in Boston for the flight.

We're off!  View from the air looking down along the MA coastline.

We passed over New York City along the way.  You can make out Manhattan if you look carefully toward the center of the image.  The black outline of skyscrapers can be seen as a backdrop to the Hudson River.

Landing at Dallas-Fort Worth.  The heat was pretty intense, but luckily we didn't have to deal with it.

The background was too bright, but Dallas-Fort Worth was pretty clear in the background through the window.

The plane getting ready to take off.

Leaving Dallas-Fort Worth on the way to Kansas City.

Jacob got this interesting shot of the plane approaching Kansas City with a shadow of the plane visible in the center of the field.

The picture can't possibly do it justice - great smells & flavors.

Getting ready to finish off some BBQ beef tips.

Our work here is done!

Arrival at KC on Saturday

The 2012 SkillsUSA national events are off and running.  Jacob and I left Maine on Friday and stayed overnight in Newton, MA.  This gave us a chance to leave in a rested and leisurely way on Saturday.  After breakfast, we headed to Logan International to start off to Kansas City.  The departure was mostly smooth except that the security guards were less than impressed with the contents of Jacob's networking toolkit and thought that wasn't the sort of thing that should be going onto the plane!  Luckily we were able to stuff it into my suitcase and get it checked. 
The actual trip felt long, especially from Boston to Dallas-Fort Worth.  The last leg of the trip from DFW to KC was only about an hour and seemed to go by easier.  When we arrived at KC, we got the car and made a quick exit to get to the hotel.  It was great - except that I left one bag at the vehicle pickup desk!  Luckily the woman who processed the order called my cellphone and we were able to turn around and pick up the hapless luggage.
We made it back down to the hotel and checked in.  Jacob's room keys didn't work, so that was another minor hangup that held us up from going out to eat.  After that was straightened out, we wasted no time getting on the road and over the Gates BBQ for some supper.  In a fitting end to the day, we devoured absurd amounts of food and returned to the hotel contented with the trip.
As I write this, we are finishing up for the day.  Jacob may already be asleep and I'm getting the pictures ready to post.  Stay tuned for more from the events on Sunday.  Things are starting up quickly this year because of the accelerated schedule.

Pics - Saturday

Many more pictures to come!  I've returned and will be adding more pictures Monday and Tuesday, the 26th and 27th.  There are many pictures from Wednesday-II & Thursday that will show contest events and our trips around the city.  - Jon Morrison

Saturday was off to a fast start when I woke up and realized that I misread the flight schedule.  I had planned to leave the airport at 10:30, forgetting that this was the departure time MONDAY!  We were supposed to take off at 8:15, which made for a fast paced morning.  Luckily JonF is fast getting ready and we were able to make it to the airport without any major problems.  The rest of the day was filled with anticipation about getting home to family and friends and looking back on the week's highlights.  I think we both were content that it was an awesome week, but that it is also good to get home.

Getting ready to leave Kansas City.

JonF waiting for the plane to take off.

Descending into Boston.  It was a bit gloomy to return to the cool, cloudy weather in the northeast.

Finishing a lunch break at a food court in Logan International while we waited for the flight to Augusta.

Our little plane getting prepared for take off.  Isn't it cute?  It almost looks like it could fly.

Taking off from Boston for the final leg of the trip.  It was another great year of the SkillsUSA NSLC.

Pics - Friday

Friday was the real play day of the week since all of the required participation events were finished, except for the closing ceremonies.  We were able to wander around the city quite bit and see different things.  We started out doing a grand tour of the Crown Center area for shopping and sightseeing, a walk through the Broadway St. area and returning to Bartle Hall to get back to the hotel.

We took the car and drove around the city to look for places to do some errand shopping and to see if we could unearth any interesting stuff. The drive took us first to Route 24 and the eastern side of the city where we stopped at Arrowhead Stadium to get pictures.  Then we were able to stop back at the hotel for a break and then took off again to check out the northern side of the city.

We drove up Route 169 and into Briarcliff.  This got us to some areas where we could shop and then we returned down the Oak Trafficway.  We drove along Route 210 into the eastern side of the city to stop at the Ameristar Casino & plaza.  After this, it was time to go out for dinner before the closing ceremonies.  We made a stop at the Golden Ox where we had a long wait for our meal, but were rewarded with some excellent steaks.

Returning to the hotel, we got ready for the closing ceremonies and took the bus over to Kemper Arena.  The intensity was pretty high but also the anticipation and anxiety of waiting for medalists to be announced.  The ceremonies were conducted well, but it was disappointing to see a lot of people leaving before the end of the awards.  Hopefully people will be more respectful in the future conferences.

After the ceremonies, the students came back to the hotel for a state sponsored BBQ and a chance to pass out participation certificates.  We didn't get back to our rooms until 11:00 and then had to pack for the morning.  It turned out to be a good thing we did, since the flight was leaving earlier than I realized!

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

The first class view of Kansas City from the Hyatt Regency 38th floor in Crown Center.

Time to do some shopping at the Crown Center.

Taking a moment to put away our loot outside The Best of Kansas City.

View of the Hyatt Regency hotel from the Elevator on the Westin hotel.

Walking in The Link as it crosses over Pershing St.

The great view of the downtown area from The Link as it passes over Main St.

Yum... This was seen in the science novelty store in Union Station.

The ceilings and walls are amazing in Union Station.  The intricate artwork is immaculately restored.

One of the window arches at Union Station.

Another main hallway in Union Station.  It was partly blocked off as people prepared an exhibit.

More of the amazing style of Union Station.

Motorcycle themed exhibits were shown at Union Station when we visited.  This one was at the main entrance.

Another one of the motorcycles on display outside Union Station.

Carvings commemorating the veterans of World War I at the monument next to Union Station.

A very nice view of Union Station in the foreground and KC skyline in the back.  Bartle Hall is the building left of center in the downtown area with four towers lining the top.

The World War I monument below Crown Center.

A closer view of the Union Station from the World War I monument site.

Looking toward the Westin Hotel from the WWI monument site.

The WWI monument and museum entrance.  The engravings in the walkway are quite impressive - and numerous.

A closer view of the WWI monument engravings.

Looking south from the WWI monument.  This area appears to be renovated and expanded since our last trip.  It has been worth it because the area looks quite nice.

JonF and I returned to Union Station to head up Main St.

Railroad overpass on Main St.  Silly shadows of JonF and JonM against the gravel in the stockyard below.  I don't know why, but I always find this location and viewpoint entertaining.

Don't know what this flower is called but it looked like it was growing wild and it looks nice, I think.

The Hobo Home!  We returned to the site of the world famous Hobo Home at the underpass at I-35 and 20th St. Looks like he may not have done any home improvements since our visit last year.

WHAT'S BEHIND THAT DOOR????  We saw this strange door in the underpass wall near the Hobo Home.  We can only guess what is on the other side - it is locked.

A reflecting mirror looking type of view from the concrete jungle at the I-35 underpass near the Hobo Home.  It means nothing, but it sure looks cool in a picture.

The Casino at Ameristar.  No, we didn't go in - but it was quite a sight to see.

More of the Casinos at Ameristar.

Eating dinner at the Golden Ox.  The wait was tiring, but they made good with a really good steak dinner.

Arriving at the closing ceremonies in Kemper Arena.

Our arrival at Kemper Arena, along with other "redcoats".

The horde of "redcoats" floods into Kemper Arena on Friday afternoon.

The SkillsUSA closing ceremonies stage.

The ME SkillsUSA banner makes the rounds.  It was hard to get a clear shot for some reason - getting it from the back is as close as I could get.

JonF and I await the results - for quite a while as it turned out!