Preparing for R Day....

proudmama

5-Year Member
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Looking for a little information regarding R Day...

After we attend the meeting with our son, then we say "see ya" and he begins his journey... we plan to stay to see him march in the parade (is that what it is called?) and take the oath at the end of the day... any tips or tricks on actually finding him or at least his company (is that the right term?) in the parade?

What do most parents do during that day? Are there special events for parents? Where do we park? Is clothing casual for this?

How long does it take to drive to DC (Dulles) as our flights require us to leave from Dulles on early morning flights the day after R-Day?

Thanks so much everyone!

Proudmama
 
To Dulles from West Point? About 5 hours. Won't you be driving all night?
 
I see from previous posts here that there are a number of activities during R-day -- various displays and tours that will keep parents busy during the day. From our previous visits there are also a lot of interesting sights in the area, both at WP as well as nearby.

As for driving from West Point to Dulles -- it is just over 300 miles. With normal trafic conditions and driving, this is a 5-6 hour drive. But it can easily be much, much longer.

Alas, in all the times I have driven the I-95 corridor, normal driving conditions are rare. You should plan on driving down to Dulles after the parade, and continue driving into the night, arriving near Dulles late at night or by the wee hours of the morning. With good luck, you should get to Dulles by midnight. There are several hotels in and around the Dulles airport.

During our last trip in and around the Newark area on I-95, it took one hour to go a short 10 miles. Relying on GPS got us into a jam. We got out of the mess by going out of our way, away from the congestion.

We're leaving from Newark on an early morning flight, so have booked a room near the airport for our return.

Here is a link to maps and driving directions
 
finding your new cadet in the oath ceremony

If my middle age memory hasn't completely failed me, when you line up along Washington with the river to your back, the cadets will line up facing you (and the river) in company order with A to your left and G to your right. Within each company, there will be flags in the grass so you can approximate where your cadet will be (you will learn his or her company and squad number a few weeks before R Day when you receive the summer address info). If I remember correctly, we were also sent a diagram or one was posted on plebe-net or the official West Point Parents facebook page run by Deb Dalton, which is a wealth of great up to date information.

Dress ran the gamut from jeans to casual church type clothes -- it's a long day, so wear flats that you can walk uphill in -- I think I wore nice capris and a cotton blouse... we spent the day touring around, and then had the superintendent's briefing which was an invaluable introduction to our son's new life (we don't have a military background, so we learned a LOT), and also had some great skits and an intro to the summer curriculum, etc. The day flew by.
 
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This may sound stupid but why are you driving to Dulles? There has got to be at least 10 airports closer to West Point.... Never the less though living in the Washington area it is indeed a 6 hour drive assuming good traffic and minimal stoppage.
 
Good questions from everyone... I need to be to Denver as early as possible on Tuesday... the first flight from East Coast to Denver is from Dulles... it seemed like a good idea, given the information you all are sharing I think I need to rethink.

THANKS!

Proudmama
 
decision made

Booked flights into and out of Newark.... business meeting will have to wait!

It is beginning to feel real!
 
why don't you fly into Stewart, about 20 minute from west point, i live 25 mintes from usma and my daughter just accepted class of 2014, very proud parent....
 
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