Day Seven: Colorado Springs

Our last day, last performance, the end of tour ... how sad!! This has been a new experience for me, for every company organizes their tours differently, and I'd have to say there were some things I was not use to on this tour. Most of the evenings, the dancers chose who they would room with, we watched movies constantly on the bus, we did only one day of sight-seeing, and we reported to the venues later then I'm use to.

Today was the only day we went sight-seeing. I don't know if that's because Colorado has nothing to see, or it wasn't organized for sight-seeing. We went to visit the Air Force Academy and it was amazing... and quite funny. Everyone had some small fact to add of the strictness of the institution. Apparently, because BYU beat AFA, the cadets were not allowed to leave campus. If the team wins, they get the weekend to finally leave campus - for apparently that is normally not allowed. I don't know if what the dancers said was true, but it was entertaining to listen to the different things listed. There is little room for individuality on that campus, I don't know if I could last there. Their rooms aren't even allowed to have decorations ... and no civilian items are allowed for the first semester there! Anyways, it was amazing because we went to the chapel and had a tour of the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Buddhist chapel. BEAUTIFUL!!! When people think of the AFA, they see the triangular building, architectural design, but how many people know that is a chapel!?!? I surely didn't know! Inside, there is stain glass everywhere. If I had remembered my camera cable, I'd post pictures. I'll do that tomorrow night! In the Catholic chapel, there is sculptures made from the same marble quarry that Michaelangelo used and there was wooden crosses marking those sculptures that were carved from wood from the Mount of Olives. In the Jewish chapel, there was a stone floor that was brought from the Holy Land and a Torah on display that had survived the Holocaust. The Protestant chapel is the most amazing because it is the main room with the greatest effect of the stain glass and an amazing metal cross that was given the name "Souring Souls Cross." What an amazing experience. I could go on and on of the things there. But the best thing is to go there yourself. Who know the Air Force Academy would have such a work of art. Oh, another thing ... right outside the Catholic chapel there is a project done where a group of students over twenty years ago took a picture of the shroud of Christ and put hours into constructing a mold of what the body must have looked liked that the shroud was laid on. It shows detail of the face and the mold of the body. Truly quite impressive.

We did see the recruits go to lunch and watched them walk in their straight lines and the patterns they follow. Then we heard a bugle call that must have been lunch. This trip was the only thing I took pictures of while on tour ...

So ... the performance went well and we are excited to head home. We were able to move the departure time in the morning to 7am because everyone wants to get home earlier for needed school work and such. I'm looking forward to sleep ... lots and lots of well needed sleep. Speaking of ... it's time for me to sleep for it's not going to be very restful on the bus. Good night!