It’s that time of year again. What is said to be one the nation’s most perfect trees will be embarking on its journey to Washington D.C. tomorrow as part of the Capital Building’s annual Christmas tradition.
It’s been a custom dating back to 1970, when the Superintendent of the Capital Grounds chooses one of our national forests’ trees to endure the honor of being lighted and displayed on the western front lawn of the Capital Building for all to see.
The tree, better known as the “People’s Tree,” is one of nearly ten trees chosen from our country’s national forests and recommended by the Forest Service each year as being the “perfect” 60-foot red fir tree.
The Stanislaus National Forest, located in California, was chosen to do the honor of providing this year’s tree, making it the fourth time CA has provided the Capital Christmas Tree, the last being in 1995.
Click image for larger view
The Superintendent’s tree choice was made back in August and harvested last Saturday (November 5th). On Nov. 8th, the tree will begin its 4,500-mile journey, touring 8 days throughout CA and an additional 12 days nationwide, making stops along the way for people to view and eventually arriving in Washington D.C. on November 28th. (See image on right for tour schedule).
As in previous years, SkyBitz is allowing individuals to join in on the fun every mile along the way by offering their satellite tracking tools which let people follow the tree’s journey. SkyBitz’s technology provides real-time tracking, including a map of the tree’s location right down to the street-level, just like Road Scholar Transport uses SkyBitz for monitoring your freight.
By going to TrackTheTree.com, you will not only view a map of where the tree is and has been, but will also see photos taken from its stops across the country, a blog about its journey, and a mile counter to keep track of how many miles it has traveled thus far.
Individuals can also follow the tree via Twitter (@TracktheTree) and Facebook (www.Facebook.com/TracktheTree).
Once the tree arrives at its destination, it will be decked out in 10,000 lights and nearly 3,000 homemade ornaments from CA. On Dec. 6th, a child chosen from the tree’s state (in this case CA) will light the tree, which will then stay aglow until Jan. 1st.
The same technology that the Capitol trusts to track their Christmas tree is used on every one of Road Scholar Transport’s tractor trailers, providing full visibility of your cargo during transport. Be sure to visit www.roadscholar.com to get a rate today and gain access to Road Scholar’s SkyBitz satellite tracking.
What do you think of SkyBitz’s satellite tracking and the fact that Road Scholar applies this, and other security technology, onto its fleet? List your comments below.
