ATLANTA -- WSB-TV Channel 2 reporter Eric Philips is traveling with the South Cobb High School band up to Washington, D.C. for the presidential inauguration.

He will be blogging about his trip and experiences.

TUESDAY NIGHT

Wow. That's all I can say. Just wow. First and foremost after being embedded with the South Cobb High School Marching Band for the last 5 days I totally shared in the pride that their parents and fellow students felt when they marched in the Presidential Inaugural Parade tonight. It was phenomenal to watch it live on TV.

That's right, I said TV. Only band members who were going to be marching could go beyond a certain point in security checks. The rest of us had to fend for ourselves and try to jockey for a spot on the parade route. That meant leaving our hotel at 3:30 this morning! Our bus was able to manuever all the way downtown and we walked to one of the gates leading to the parade route. And there we stood in below freezing temperatures for hours. SEVEN hours. Levar and I along with the parents and band staff (about 45 people in all) never got past the gate. In fact, thousands (some with pre-purchased tickets) didn't get in. There was some sort of problem with the metal detectors from what we heard. We were freezing and the prospect of getting in was not looking good. So the principal decided to call for an about face and the group went to a local family's home where we arrived in time to see the band live on tv. Parents were kind of disappointed (as was I) because they were looking forward to seeing the band in person on Pennsylvania Ave. but they were satisfied with the decision and thrilled to catch it on tv.

A word about the crowd of thousands in Downtown DC. There was such a sense of fellowship and peace among the crowd. I mean some became frustrated, but by and large people were taking the shortcomings with security and organization in stride (and the shortcomings were there). Even people from other countries came ticketless just to be one among many. I spoke with a man from Ireland who made the trip just for the inauguration. He wanted me to know that his country is celebrating the new leadership just as much as the majority of America.

And of couse the street vendors were plentiful! Selling everything from Barack Obama keychains to Barack Obama puppets! I patronized a couple of them.

This group has been great to work with. I'll never forget this trip. I'm personally proud of this band and this school. And it was cool sharing this experience with my partner in crime, Levar James.

As I look back on this historic event, I'll always know South Cobb High helped make this moment special for me.

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TUESDAY MORNING

Photographer Levar James and I are at 7th and D Streets in Downtown DC. Standing in line with the South Cobb High School group and THOUSANDS of others. All waiting here at 6 o'clock in the morning. Every now and then when a helicopter from overhead shines its light the crowd cheers! The guards won't even let folks onto the Mall or onto the parade route. It's about 30 degrees out here.

MONDAY NIGHT

Levar James and I just got back to our hotel room a short time ago after taking a cab from DC to our hotel in Dumfries, Va. We got lost!! The cab driver doesn't have GPS (or even a map I imagine) and didn't know how to get to Dumfries. We wound up in Maryland!

Anyway we turned around and finally got here and worked on our story on the Ron Clark Academy students. THAT is an energetic bunch!! They performed their newest song "Dear Obama" at luncheon today where Martin Luther King III was the headliner.

We ran into Jovita Moore and photographer Leonard Raglin while in DC today. First time we've come across one of our other crews since we've been here. It's great to be part of this coverage.

MONDAY MORNING

So much has happened since I last blogged! After we left breakfast yesterday morning we went to a Georgia Democratic Inauguration Brunch where the band performed for the crowd. Many of them stood up as the band marched in. They played "Summon the Heroes" and "Georgia on My Mind" the two songs they will play during the parade. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young, Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington, Georgia Congressman David Scott, Ga State Representative Calvin Smyre, and Atlanta's Bishop Eddie Long were all there among others.

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VIDEO UPDATE: South Cobb Band Tours U.S. Capitol

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We left there and went to the National Mall. You should have seen the look on the kids faces as the saw things like the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building. They were all grabbing their digital cameras (which were donated) and snapping away. Many of these students have never been to the nation's capital before. They toured the National Mall...went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum among other stops.

Then came the grand finale! The kids got a private tour of the Capitol Building compliments of Congressman Phil Gingrey (who came in on a Sunday just to provide access for the kids). What was so special about this tour was the kids got to go onto the House floor and sit in the seats where congressmen sit. Congressman Gingrey then took questions from the group who asked about everything from the pictured on the walls, to whether or not Gingrey and his staff coordinate the attire! This was a rarity that the students (and I) enjoyed! What an experience for me...I mean for them :-)

Last night the group ate at a Japanese Steak House called Sekura. The students shrieked, ooooed, and ahhhhed as the chefs/performers twirled spatulas, and set the griddles on fire! The food was superb.

Today South Cobb High has a rather mild day planned so right now Levar and I are on the way to catch up with the Ron Clark Academy kids who will be performing at a luncheon in DC. We are cabbing it from our hotel in Dumfries, VA. Cha Ching!!! The good news is because it's a holiday, traffic going in to the city today is light.

Saturday Morning

After a little more than 10 hours on the road we arrived in Fredericksburg, Va. where we just finished up breakfast at Golden Corral. The bus trip wasn’t bad….a little cold for a while until the heat started to kick in. But once I was warm-ish I was able to fall asleep, and I slept like a log. I remember making one stop at the South Carolina line, but I hear we made several more stops, most of which I slept through.

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VIDEO: Band Gets Capitol Tour
VIDEO: South Cobb Band Arrives In DC Area

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These kids woke up with just as much if not more excitement than they had last night.

As we were waking up, the principal, Mr. Rivera, grabbed the microphone and began reading one of the lastest newspaper articles written about the band. In the midst of all this inaugural hype the students have become accustomed to reading articles and seeing stories on their band, but they’re just as interested nevertheless. On this trip alone there is representation from the New York Times, the Marietta Daily Journal and one other local station besides us. Also CNN Headline News was out yesterday covering the band, as well and there will be an article in People Magazine next week.

Right now we’re on the way to band practice at Woodbridge High School and after that we’ll be checking in to our hotel. I’ve attached a few pictures from the send off pep rally, a shot of those on our bus and a snapshot of breakfast this morning.

Friday night

We've been on the bus now for about 45 minutes. Whereas the excitement of the moment had the students chanting and singing and cheering when they first got on the bus, now many have started to drift off to sleep. Others are texting with loved ones back home, some are having phone conversations. The longer we're on the road the quieter the bus will likely get.

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VIDEO: See Band's Big Send-Off

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Before we got on the bus the students got quite the send off at South Cobb High School. There was a pep rally and the gymnasium was packed with parents, friends and other well wishers cheering the marching band on. They formed a human tunnel for the students to walk through on the way to the buses, high fiving them and clapping all the way. Then the crowd formed a second tunnel for the buses to pass through as they exited the parking lot onto Austell Rd. It was VERY exciting for everyone involved.

For me, another highlight of the night was our live coverage from the bus. My photographer Levar James and I were able to go live from the bus using a camera called a skype. It was the first time our station attempted to use this technology live on air, and it wasn't perfect, but we were able to utilize this new method....and it'll only get smoother in the future.

Look out for my blogs all weekend long and each day leading up to the inauguration. I'll also try to include some pictures and video when I can!