We Made It

We pulled into Richmond, Va. at about 3:30 p.m. It felt like we were on that bus forever, but we're finally here, and we made it without any problems.

We'll get dinner then gather to talk about tomorrow's plan and then I can officially pass out. I'll have a story for Tuesday's paper, so keep watch.

7:57 a.m. Blacksburg, S.C.

It's day on of the bus journey and were taking a breakfast fuel break in Blacksburg, S.C., which is up Interstate 85 near Gaffney on the way to Charlotte, N.C.

I was a bit disoriented when I saw the Blacksburg sign, because I knew we weren't in Virginia yet. I think it was the fact that I was waking up on a bus that had R&B and Blues playing overhead since we got on the bus at 1 a.m.

I never did make it to sleep last night, so I'm feeling like dirt. My mom didn't go to sleep either so I'm sure she's feeling the same way. I think we'll both just pass out when we get to Richmond.

The cool thing that has happened so far, is that on a couple of the rest stops we've already met people on buses from Baton Rouge, La. and West Point, Miss.

The bus driver says we have about 300 miles to go. So , I'm sure there will be more to post at lunch time.

P.S. Shouts out to Amanda Soward for coming out at 1 a.m. to take a picture, and Cassandra Brown who sent m a text message saying it was snowing in Virginia at about the same time.

The Countdown Begins

By the time many of you read this, we will finally be on the bus to Washington, D.C., by way of Richmond, Va. first.

I'm writing this just a few hours before I lie down and try to get some sleep, but who can sleep?

Ever since I was a child, I always had a hard time sleeping before a big trip or event, always falling asleep just hours, it seemed, before I would have to be up and ready to go. I was too excited to sleep, thinking about all the people I would see and all the things we would do when we got there. I suspect it will be the same for this trip too.

Mom and I have gathered all of our things, and we've prepared for the worst. Waterproof boots, layers of clothing, toilet paper -- you name it, we've got it.

And if you've been following my adventure at all then you must know I'll have a digital camera for still photos, a small digital video recorder for our time on the National Mall, professional digital video recorder for the bus and my laptop. Whew.

When I first conceived this idea to follow a group of folks from Montgomery, it seemed that this day would never get here. After all the blogging, credential drama and preparation it's finally here. But it's still hard to wrap my mind around it all. I'm not sure it will feel real until we're at our destination, just a few people among the many.

It seems fitting that our "home base" will be a city that shares the distinction with Montgomery of having once been the capital of the Confederate States of America. I'm pretty sure that the people from that time -- black and white -- never envisioned a day like the one we're hoping to witness on Tuesday.

After spending what Google Maps says is nearly 10 hours on a bus, we'll arise early again Tuesday in hopes of getting on the Metro well before the sun gets up, to see how close we can really get -- just to make sure it's all still real. Whether a million back, or a few thousand back, we'll be there and that's what counts. That's what will make it all worth it.

Shoutouts!

I wanted to give a bit of a "shoutout" to other folks from Montgomery and surrounding areas who I consider fellow eyewitnesses to history.

The young people at Saint James High School: About 22 high school students boarded a bus Saturday evening bound for Washington, D.C. They don't have any special tickets and they're not marching in a parade. They're just going, like so many people who just want to be in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of the 44th president. Have a safe trip guys, and please send me your pictures. Also, look for a story from our education/military reporter Jenn Rowell on these students sometime next week.

Ann Vernon: Mrs. Vernon is an instructor at Trenholm Tech who is going to some of the higher end events. She sent me a text message from the BET Awards last night, and I think she will get to go to a ball that BET is sponsoring. In addition she will attend the Historically Black Colleges and Universities Ball and a ball for Harvard Alumni (she has a relative that went to Harvard with the President-elect.)

Catherine and Taylor Flowers: This mother daughter duo are also going to some of the higher-end even and left on a plane headed for D.C. this weekend I believe. They will be blogging for the paper and sending us their reports.

To all these folks, have a safe trip, lots of fun and we'll see you soon!
Cassandra and Kynesha Brown: Just sent me an e-mail message today informing me they were on their way to Washington, D.C. and were planning to be an eyewitness for this project.

Update

I just wanted to take some time, just a mere 14 hours before I'm to board a bus to Washington, D.C., to update all of you faithful who keep tabs on this blog.

I think my last update was some time Wednesday, and so much has happened since then.

First, a few of the riders of the bus are going international.
Mary Bolling Brumby, 70, and her sister Josephine Bolling McCall, 66, were both interviewed and photographed by a French journalist Christope Ayad for a online publication called Liberation. I also was interviewed for his story which will run online on Tuesday.

I also had the opportunity to interview him, and I will post my Q & A on Tuesday too.

Second, my mom made it here Saturday afternoon from our little adopted hometown of Hinesville, Ga. For the military folks, it's a little town near Fort Stewart. For the non-military, it's about 45 minutes from Savannah, Ga. She and I spent the day running around picking up last minute items so we wont be cold.

Third, I did get my credentials. They arrived by FedEx Friday morning. Doug Abrahms made it happen by picking them up from the convention center in D.C., when he went to get his and then personally making sure they were overnighted. I owe you one Doug!

Lastly, I hope all of you got to meet just a few of the folks who are on this trip through my story that ran today. If not check it out at www.montgomeryadvertiser.com.

Crisis Avoided

Ok folks, I had a mini-crisis early this week that sent me into a little bit of a panic.

If all of you can re-call I was dancing my happy "I'm Official" dance on Saturday, but I was singing a bit of the "I-might-not-be-able-to-get-my-credentials" blues on Monday and Tuesday.

It turns out that the good people at the PIC start passing out press credentials today and they will be giving out those credentials up until 8 p.m. Sunday.

Yes, folks SUNDAY. For those of you who have been following this blog, you know that the bus group I'm following isn't pulling out of the Capital City until Monday, and that was not going to work.

So Monday I'm e-mailing and searching for a contact number -- nothing. Note to Mr. President-elect Obama: I understand that you're going to be the social-networking president, but there are some things that require a human. And the day that I need to find out if I can have another reporter pick-up my credentials is one of them. I get no response on Monday.

On Tuesday, after e-mailing and finally finding a phone number to call, late that afternoon I get an e-mail. Guess what's in it? The same notice I received Saturday about getting the credentials, with a message saying that some people didn't get the e-mail at all.

While I feel bad for those poor journalists who didn't get the e-mail Saturday and were in a different kind of panic mode, that didn't help me at all. Plus, the person I called didn't even call me back.

Finally, today, I received notice that I could have Doug Abrahms, our Gannet News Service correspondent, pick my credentials up when he picks his up.

Whew...crisis avoided. Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to get them from Doug!

Get Your Runway Stride Ready

If you like designer duds, you can get your runway-stride on in inaugural fashions created by some of the top names in the industry.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced the Runway for Change Inaugural Collection, a series of high fashion handbags and T-shirts created by some of America's most renowned designers in celebration of the Inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden, according to a release.

The collection includes handbags designed by Diane Von Furstenberg and Tory Burch, T-shirts designed by Zac Posen, Narciso Rodriguez, Donna Karan, Beyonce, Derek Lam, Rachel Roy, Juicy Couture and Gerald Matthews, and a scarf designed by Alexander Wang. The entire collection can be viewed HERE.

The collection also will be available at the Presidential Inaugural Store located at 625 E Street NW in Washington, DC, or at the PIC Online Store.