KY3 News anchor Ethan Forhetz and Chief videographer Jim Van Dillen are in Washington, D.C. to cover the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama on Tuesday. They're sending back video reports that will be on the air and online. They're also writing about their experiences here.

Jim and I made our final trip to the Capitol and the White House
today. Tourists, it seemed, were taking a break and sleeping in. It
was pretty quiet. The largest crowd we saw was at the White House,
where a non-stop stream of people came by to take a look and take
pictures.

Cleaning crews were out in force all over the National Mall. They have
a big mess to clean up. I don't know how long it will take to get rid
of all the trash but it was a small army at work.

I'm writing this from Reagan National Airport, which is bustling with
tourists heading home. We're seeing a lot of young people and school
groups sitting around waiting for flights.

The line to get through security wasn't bad, only 30 minutes or so. Jim and I joked in line that there will never be another line we consider "long.". After yesterday, anything less than two hours will be a cakewalk and, for Jim, even two hours will be nothing if he's not carrying a 40-pound camera the whole time.

As we were on the Metro today, we spotted a couple of guys still in
tuxedos and looking quite disheveled.. They clearly had had a
long night, which made for a rough morning. To make it worse, one of
the poor guys missed his stop. I think he was wishing for a decision-making "do over" (for a couple of his decisions).

Okay, almost time to board. Thanks for reading! I hope you've enjoyed
some of the "behind the scenes" stuff; we've enjoyed bringing it to
you and covering history for KY3 News.

See you in Springfield.

Ethan

Up and at 'em not quite as early this morning. It was nice to sleep in a little bit. We are on our way back down to the Capitol and the White House one last time for a story that will air tonight on KY3 News at 5. Compared to yesterday, I'm sure Jim and I will feel like we're the only ones walking near the Capitol building!

What a day! It was an incredible experience to witness such a historic event with so many others. It reinforces what a wonderful country we are privileged to live in. The peaceful transfer of power is not something to be taken lightly or to be taken for granted. It's neat to see such a large number of people turn out for it. It was also nice to see the great attitude everyone had. In situations that were less than ideal, the vast majority of the crowd took it as it came and were flexible, even jovial most of the day. That's not something that's easy to remain after 8 hours or so of standing in various lines.

It took 40 minutes just to get out of the Metro (subway/train) station early Tuesday.

Jim and I knew this day would be markedly different from the previous day right out of the gate. On Monday, we moved around fairly easily and we successfully met up with all the people from the Ozarks who we had planned to meet with. That would not happen on Tuesday.

It was 5 a.m. or so when we pulled into the Metro station farthest from D.C., the end of the line, or start of the line in our case. There was already a long line of cars to get into the parking garage just to board the Metro. We sat in that line for 45 minutes. That set the tone for the day. By my guess, we spent 75 percent of our 11 hours at the Mall standing in line. We stood shoulder to shoulder and took baby steps to get back to the Metro afterward. It took us 2.5 hours just to get on a Metro.

Here's the view of the ceremony down the National Mall from a spot near the Washington Monument.

This was, by far, the largest crowd I've ever been in. And when you're in the middle of it, it seems that much larger. I have to hand it to the people who ventured to the National Mall because it wasn't easy. The entire day we were shoulder to shoulder or at least elbow to elbow with strangers, which we all knew would be the case beforehand, and people still came.. by the hundreds of thousands and, perhaps, by the millions.

It was interesting to Jim and me that no one ever really knew where we were going. We did just what our mothers warned us about, we followed the crowd. It worked out okay for us this time, we always eventually ended up somewhere, it just took us a while! 

This is the crowd just behind us and below the Washington Monument.

What are the odds? Maybe 2 million to one. Somehow, as Jim and I had run up against another Capitol Police roadblock, we ran into a godsend. I looked to my left and noticed a young man with a press credential on. That sounded familiar. Could it be? No, surely not in a crowd this size: I wouldn't just, almost "run into him."

So, I asked him, "Where are you from?" He said, "Springfield, Missouri." I said, "Chase?" He said "Ethan?" Sure enough, I had bumped into Chase Snider, a student from Kickapoo High School who happens to be the only student to be issued a media credential. It was great to see him! I talked with him about covering the big event.

To see Chase in my Tuesday 10 p.m. report, click here.

It was a beautiful day in DC. The sun was radiant, but it was cold. Sometimes very cold. I've heard the temperature was in the low 30s but it felt colder than that. I think it was the length of time spent out in it and that blasted wind. It cut right through us especially up in the head area! The good news was that we were huddled so closely together that it kept the wind from hitting the lower half our our bodies.

We got a better view of the inauguration on giant video screens.

I was very impressed with the sound system and monitors place along the Mall. While we could see the Capitol dome from our location beneath Washington's Monument, we relied on the video to actually see what was going on. And the sound was great until a big gust of wind would send it a different direction. Overall, a big help!

Afterwards, it took us two hours to get through this crowd to get to where we could edit and feed our report.

Because of the crush of people and tight security, we weren't able to meet up with the Ozarkers we had planned to meet up with. We couldn't get around barricades to get to an area where Jason Duey and some of his Norwood High School social studies students were to watch the Inauguration.

To see my conversation with Steve Grant and Lisa Rose by phone at 6 p.m. Tuesday, click here.

Cell phones were virtually useless because of the huge number of people trying to use them. I sent a number of texts but it was 2 hours after the swearing in before I received responses. That's why there were no blog entries throughout the day!

To see our report at 5 p.m. Tuesday,
click here.

One thing I was surprised about was the strong chorus of boos anytime President Bush was shown on the monitor and when he was announced. I know there is strong dislike for him but I guess I didn't think there would be such mass booing at an inauguration. I mention this because I'm not sure the television audience could hear it because I believe the military band was playing when he was announced.

Tidbits:

--More interesting items for sale with Obama's likeness: dogtags, coloring books, hand puppets and miniature custard bean pies. When I asked the vendor "Why pie?" He didn't know.

More to come Wednesday!

Ethan

You could say today was the calm before the storm. Yes, there was a big crowd on the National Mall (though it took until mid morning to gather) and yes, the Metro trains were packed (again, in the late morning and afternoon) but, we "ain't seen nothing yet."

Tuesday is going to be the ultimate in crowds and crowd control. Security is going to be unprecedented and the size of the crowd for an inaugural likely will be too. Monday's crowds and security check will pale by comparison.

People, like Jim and me, are advised to get an early start if we want to get down to the Capitol in a reasonable amount of time. And by "early start," they're talking 4 a.m. early. That's when the Mall opens and that's when the Metro trains begin running. That's also when Jim and I plan to hop aboard for our date with history.

The weather won't be a huge problem but it will be a pesky nuisance. It's predicted to be in the high 20s or low 30s with a wind chill in the teens. Could be worse of course, but could be better too. I suspect it will be a lot like it was before 11 a.m. on Monday: cold. But it looks like this cold will last through the day instead of easing up around noon like it did Monday. Needless to say, we - and a couple of million other people - will be dressed for it. It sounds like we'll be huddling together for warmth whether we want to or not!

Monday, we were able to meet up with some Ozarkers without much problem. I think we may encounter more problems tomorrow when we're supposed to meet up with some local students and their teacher to watch the inauguration. Whether it's security or the mass of bodies, there are bound to be some glitches to our "meet me at 7 on the south side of the Mall" plan. We'll see. We're ready with some contingency plans!

To see our report at 10 p.m. Monday,
click here.

Here's a quick sign of what might be to come. As Jim and I left the city and got off our Metro train at the end of the line in Alexandria this evening, we were shocked to see a line of people more than a football field long coming toward us. (Actually, they were standing still, we were moving past them) I asked what they were doing and the Metro security officer told me they were in line just to buy a Metro ticket for Inauguration Day! They weren't even going anywhere yet, they were just standing in a huge line so they wouldn't have to stand in a much bigger line Tuesday morning! Sheesh! We're going to have to get on the move EARLY!

tidbits:

--My day Monday got off to a rocky start. After, by chance, (what are the odds?) finding myself in the seat next to a former colleague (from Michigan) on the Metro on the ride into DC, I got up to leave, exited the Metro and realized I had left my gloves on board. Remember, it was about 25 degrees outside and I had an entire day of being out in it ahead of me. Things were not looking good until Jim and I arrived at the top of the escalator, street level, and I nearly walked right into a vendor who had just what the doctor ordered. I asked "how much for the gloves?" The lady said, "$10." I said, "Deal." After payment I told her I would have paid $20 for them. Supply and demand. She had the supply and, for me, gloves were in high demand!

--Speaking of capitalism at work.. a few more items I spotted being peddled with Obama's name and/or likeness: a candle, binoculars and a painting of a bust of Obama of him striking a Julius Caesar-like pose. I don't know if it sold.

Thanks for reading! See you Tuesday on KY3 News!

Ethan

As expected, the crowd filled in but it's still nothing like it's going to be on Tuesday. Jim and had a great day shooting. We spoke with a few folks from southwest Missouri, including a father and son from
Springfield. We just happened upon them -- or, rather, they spotted us.

Our camera and big KY3 logo on Jim's coat are hard to miss. We were
shooting video of the Capitol when I heard "Ethan!"

Our report at 5 p.m. features them and another Ozarker fortunate enough to get a ticket for the inauguration. Then, at 10 p.m., we'll have a report on another couple from southwest Missouri who don't have tickets. Their plan is to get there early and get the best spot they can to watch history happen before their eyes.

I hope you join Jim and me tonight on KY3 news and watch for stories and blog postings here at ky3.com.

Monday, 8:45 a.m. EST

So far, so good. We started bright and early and to our surprise, not only was the Metro not crowded and not delayed, but the National Mall looks deserted! Maybe it was our early start, maybe people are sleeping in, resting up and saving themselves for tomorrow. At any rate, the Mall is empty save other reporters and photographers and the usual joggers. I don't expect it to stay this way for long.

In the meantime, Jim and I are enjoying the warmth and coffee of a nearby Starbucks. We're set to meet with our friends from the Ozarks in about an hour.

Sunday, 10 p.m. EST

Well, we're here, our nation's capital, Washington, D.C. It's exciting to be where all the action is, the spot where the eyes of the world are focused. It's going to be quite an experience. It's the first Inauguration of a president both Jim and I will witness in person. It is a historic event and we are honored to be here to cover it for you.

The issue everyone's talking about here is the huge number of people in town to witness history. Estimates are upwards of 2 million people! It's a daunting task for security. More than 40,000 security personnel are on the job, from Secret Service to active duty soldiers, doing their best to make sure the news of the day happens on the massive podium built on the west steps of the Capitol.

Getting around is the hard part. Bridges are closed in and out of D.C. Basically, the only ways in are walking and riding the Metro. The "getting around" is what's going to make our jobs as reporters difficult. We're doing our best tonight (Sunday) to map out a strategy. We're scouring the Washington Post's inauguration section to find out what's closed and what are our best options. We're staying in Alexandria, Va. As are many visitors, we're renting out the condo of a permanent resident here.

What we're trying to do is coordinate meetings with some of the people I've been talking to from the Ozarks who have also traveled here. With millions of people milling around the National Mall, the issue is going to be getting to a designated spot at a designated time, then finding each other.

There is much we cannot control, especially the time it takes to get from place to place, but we're up for a challenge and will make it work! To that end, we're getting an early start tomorrow. Our day will begin at 4 a.m. so we can have our stories ready to air on KY3 at 5 p.m. Monday, we're set to meet up with some folks from Norwood, Mo., and Berryville, Ark.

Tidbits:

--The pride and the joy people are feeling leading up to this inauguration are palpable. When our plane came out of the clouds and turned a corner to reveal the Capitol and the Washington Monument, spontaneous applause broke out on the airplane. I looked across the aisle to see tears streaming down the faces of two women as they applauded. It's safe to say emotions are running high for many.

-

-More proof that capitalism is alive and well! Everyone, it seems, is trying to make a buck or two on this event. Barack Obama's image appears on everything here, from "special edition inaugural coffee mugs" to playing cards to t-shirts and buttons.

As Jim and I reached the bottom of our escalator to pick up our baggage at the airport, we saw a young man holding up a homemade sign. It caught our attention because he wasn't a limo driver who had scrawled someone's last name on it. Rather, he was an entrepreneur. His sign said, "room 4 rent." He is one of hundreds of capitalistic folks here offering a win-win situation. You get a warm place to sleep, he makes some money. Supply and demand. God bless the USA!

See you Monday! Ethan