President Barack Obama’s speech left Auburn Mayor John Jenkins speechless, for once.

But he said it wasn’t just that that had him at a loss for words Tuesday.

“It’s everything, the ceremony and the whole American experience,” he said. “I’ve not felt this level of joy before. It’s just amazing.”

Jenkins was one of the millions to brave cold temps at the U.S. Capitol to witness the inauguration of the 44th president, Barack Obama, and among a handful of readers who agreed to contact the Sun Journal on Tuesday with their impressions.

Jenkins arrived at the Capitol about 6 a.m. Tuesday to claim his seat and said he didn’t plan to watch the parade live, but was looking for a place to warm up.

“We’ve been in the cold now for six hours, so I think we need to thaw out a bit,” Jenkins said.

A skinny dot

Even with great seats, Lewiston’s Elaine Makas could barely make out the dignitaries Tuesday morning.

“Barack Obama was a little skinny dot, and Aretha Franklin was little bit wider dot,” Makas said.

Makas managed to get seats in the coveted yellow section at the foot of the Capitol Building steps. Still, it was all she could do to see the stage.

That didn’t matter.

“The most important thing was being with all of those people,” Makas said. “People around me started getting excited when they started announcing the senators and representatives, but it was really exciting when the cavalcade of cars carrying President Bush and then President-elect Obama came by. It was like a wave of cheering in the crowd. You could feel them coming along.”

Security shut out

The millions of inauguration spectators turned out to be a problem for Alex and Rosemarie Freeman of Jay. They had reserved tickets granting them access to the silver area, west of the Capitol reflecting pool.

“But we couldn’t even get to the gate,” Alex said. “The crowd was just unbelievable and we couldn’t even get to the security check area.”

They settled for listening to the speeches over loudspeakers in the area, but didn’t get to see it. With the speech over, they climbed aboard a bus and were headed back out of town.

They’re not disappointed, however.

“Are you kidding?” Alex said. “It was an amazing thing to even be here.”

Not a frown in town

Monday didn’t quite turn out the way Ed and Sheila Desgrosseilliers expected.

They spent the entire day Monday waiting in line for their tickets to Barack Obama’s inauguration. Rather than seeing the sights in the Capitol or going to luncheons and events scheduled throughout the day, they waited.

“It was one long line that wrapped around the building several times,” Desgrosseilliers said Tuesday morning. “But there wasn’t a frown in the place. It was one of the best days ever.”

And their seats were fantastic, in the 10th section, part of the orange seating area directly in front of the podium where Barack Obama took his oath of office at noon Tuesday.

As they were settling into their seats Tuesday morning, the Desgrosseilliers were listening to the Marine Corps band and waiting.

“If I look behind me now, I can see all the way back to the reflecting pool,” he said. “It’s all people, a complete sea of people, everywhere and all the way back.”

Same place, different views

Aimee Arsenault, 23, of Lewiston had great seats for Sunday night’s concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial, but no tickets for Tuesday’s inauguration.

“We were right there, with our backs up against the fence looking right at the concert,” she said. “I guess we’ll have to see how close we can get for the speeches.”

Without tickets, they expected to sit in pretty much the same spot Tuesday where they had for the concert. But instead of seats right at the front, they’d be way at the back.

That was OK, she said. On Monday morning, she and friends staked out a spot along the National Mall, east of the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial, right below one of the 15 Jumbotron screens peppering the mall.

“It’s about as good a view as you could expect,” she said.

Wheelchair ditched

Before the inauguration, Mike Reynolds, 35, of Lewiston worried that strict security would mean people with disabilities may be denied access.

Reynolds, who has cerebral palsy, gets around by wheelchair and needs a backpack to carry medical supplies. Backpacks were not allowed anywhere near the inaugural site, but Reynolds was undeterred.

Staying with friends at nearby Howard University, Reynolds decided to leave his wheelchair and pack with them and use public transportation to get to the Mall. He walked along with the crowd at a point near the Smithsonian’s American History museum, and saw an access point that didn’t appear to have heavy security.

There were “a lot of people who had tickets but who didn’t get into the area” because it was so crowded, he said, but “I could see everything” from his vantage point.

“People were so nice. Everyone said ‘thank you,’ excuse me,’ the entire day,” Reynolds said.

Immediately after the inauguration, Reynolds boarded a plane for Providence, and hoped to be in Boston by late Tuesday night.

“It was amazing,” he said. “Really cool.”