The Life of Loonyhiker

Trip 2011 Statistics

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you everyone for your patience while reading about our trip out west. I hope I haven’t bored you with all the details and memories but it was a great trip and I learned so much! As I wind up the trip I thought I would share with you some statistics from our trip that I found interesting! Please come back next week for my regular educational topic posts!

1. Days on the road: 62

2. States traveled through: 9 different states

3. Miles traveled: 11,500

4. Amount spent on gas: $845

5. Things learned: impossible to number!

6. Budget: 61% spent on lodging, 26% spent on food, 8% spent on gas, 5% spent on other.

7. National Parks visited: 11 - Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Glacier, Arches, Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Great Sand Dunes,

8. National Monuments: 7 - Devils Tower, Craters of the Moon, Timpanagos Cave, Pipe Springs, Cedar Breaks,, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Natural Bridges

9. Wildlife seen: buffalo, big horned sheep, black bear, grizzly bear, coyote, ducks, birds, eagles, hawks, mountain goats, marmots, prairie dogs, 1 snake

10. Nights camping: 7

11. Tires purchased: 2

12. Oil changes: 1

13. Average daily cost for 2 people: $173

The Great Adventure 2011 – Heading Home 8/25/11 -8/29/11

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

8/26/11: We are winding our way back east. We left Cortez, CO this morning and headed east by way of the scenic byway. We went up to Ouray and came down the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton and Durango. The mountains were absolutely beautiful! There was even snow up on the mountains. I was surprised that temperatures went from 94 to 54 when we got above 12,000 feet elevation. Eventually we ended up in Alamosa, CO for the night.

8/27/11: Today seemed to go on forever! The road we planned on taking (Hwy 10) was closed and we had to go down to Trinidad, CO to cut across to Hwy 50. It was all flat and boring. We stopped a couple of times but didn’t find any treasures. Finally we got to Hutchinson Hampton Inn. We went to Fazolis for dinner which is like fast food Italian dinners.

8/28/11: We had a really nice drive today until we got near St. Louis and the traffic got thick. We finally stopped in Mt. Vernon, IL for the night at a Hampton Inn. At least we are on the far side of St. Louis so we won’t have to fight the traffic tomorrow morning.

8/29/11: Planned on stopping in Knoxville for the night but we were so close to home (about 4 hrs.) that Don pushed it and we got home about 9pm. By the time we unpacked most of the stuff, it was midnight. And then we were so keyed up and overtired, we didn’t go to bed until 2am! It was a nice drive home but it seemed like it took forever!

What I Learned Today:

· There are major temperatures changes when you get higher in elevation.

· It is best to go through big cities on the weekend!

· There is no place like home! (and my own bed!)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 – Mesa Verde National Park 8/25/11

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a nice drive from Monticello, UT to Cortez, CO. Along the way we found a great antique shop where Don found some treasures. When we got to Cortez, we got a room at the Baymont Inn before heading to Mesa Verde NP. The drive was beautiful. We stopped at the overlooks and enjoyed the scenery and the cliff dwellings. It always amazes us when we see these and think of the people who lived here and their lives.

We also found a Walmart to refill prescriptions and bought some supplies. We looked at the map and decided that tomorrow we will head towards Durango and Great Sand Dunes National Park.

What I Learned Today:

· I’m glad that I didn’t live in the days of the cliff dwellers!

· President Teddy Roosevelt made Mesa Verde a national park in 1906.

· The elevation of the park is above 8000 feet.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 – Utah 8/24/11

2011-09-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE
We had a long day driving today. We went through Bryce Canyon NP, Capitol Reef NP, Glen Canyon NRA, and Natural Bridges NM today. We didn’t get to do a lot of hiking because it was thundering most of the day and it is not a good thing to be the tallest thing out on high ground during that time. We did stop and take lots of pictures though when we could.
Eventually we stopped in Monticello, UT for the night at The Monticello Inn ($54 per night).

What I Learned Today:

·         Natural Bridges NM was Utah’s first national monument.

·         The scenic road in Capitol Reef NP was closed. There is lots of construction going on in all of the national parks.

·         Lake Powell is the second largest man made lake in the US next to Lake Mead and is located on the Colorado River. It was made by damming up the Glen Canyon with a controversial dam.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Image: Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 – Kodachrome State Park 8/23/11

2011-09-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE
We left Zion National Park and headed for Bryce early this morning. We saw big horn sheep and mule deer along the way. We had a wonderful breakfast at the Thunderbird Restaurant in Mt. Carmel Junction. My breakfast had a piece of country ham that was about a half inch thick and covered my 10 inch plate! Plus I had 2 eggs, hash browns, and toast! Along the drive we stopped at the Dixie National Forest Visitor Center and hiked on the trail around the hoodoos.
We are staying at Kodachrome State Park in the Red Stone cabins which are nice. There is a microwave, oven, and full bath along with 2 double beds. It is a nice change from 6 days of camping in a tent. I did get to knit a little on my shawl but as it gets bigger, each row has more stitches.
We ended up exploring the park and doing some hiking around the sand pipes. They views were beautiful but it was hot and dry outside. Eventually we headed back to the cabin where the air condition would keep us cooler.
After a dinner of popcorn and ramen noodles (thanks to the microwave), we sat outside on the porch and enjoyed the thunder and lightning show. We even saw two rainbows! As the sun set, the reflection on the clouds made the sky look like it was on fire. After it got dark, we used the black light on the keychain to look for scorpions but we never found any (thank goodness!)

What I Learned Today:

·         Kodachrome Basin SP is filled with rock formations called sedimentary pipes or sand pipes.

·         Many of the sand pipes look like phallic symbols.

·         We save a lot of money by using the microwave or coffee maker to make our own dinner in hotel rooms.

·         Sunset after a rain storm is spectacular!
Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Image: Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Zion National Park – 8/20/11 – 8/23/11

2011-09-21T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Day 1: This morning we left the Grand Canyon North Rim and headed for Zion National Park. As we passed through Kanab, UT, they were having the 13^th annual Western Legends Festival. I was able to take pictures of Clint Walker, Paul Peterson, James Stacy, Kathy Carver (Cissy from Family Affair), Tommy Kirk, Ed Faulkner, Joel McCrea. We walked around the booths and admired the different crafts available. After stopping at a couple of grocery stores, we were on our way.

When we left there we stopped at a couple of antique shops in Orderville. We also stopped at some rock shops so I could find some rock disks to make a drop spindle.

We arrived at Zion and set up our tent at site B14. It is a beautiful spot with trees around us. We drove to Springdale for a block of ice and then went to the visitor center for info. Then we decided it was time to swim in the river (no showers in the park). After swimming we ate dinner (Doritos and bologna). When the stars came out, it was beautiful! We even saw the milky way! It was so beautiful we almost didn’t want to go to bed!

Day 2: I woke up to a really windy morning. It was still dark outside when I got on the computer and waited for the sun to come up. Don finally got up and we took the free shuttle to the Temple of Sinewava to hike in the Narrows (a slot canyon). On the way we saw Condors up in the trees and in the sky. We started hiking at 10am and we finished by 5pm after hiking at least 10 miles in the river. I only fell twice! The water came up to my chest on the way in at one place and on the way back it was up to my neck. That was the scariest part. There was lots of rock and boulder scrambling but it was well worth the hike! I think it was the best hike I’ve ever done (maybe because it was different).

Day 3: We had another windy morning which must be usual in the canyon. I played on my computer in the dark until hubby finally woke up. Our breakfast of bagels, garlic and herb cheese and a slice of bologna has really been a hit! Then we rode the shuttle through the park to the Lodge where we looked around. Eventually we even got a soft serve ice cream ($2.50). After that we went to the museum and another ranger talk about ravens. By this time, it was lunch (do you notice a lot of our day has revolved around food?) so we went to Blondie’s Diner in Springdale which was right outside the park. I had chicken strips and fries for $6.95. The food was so good that we decided to go back for dinner that evening. In the heat of the afternoon when the temps reached 103F, we played in the river to keep cool. At 6:30pm we went on a 2 hr. bus tour with the ranger through the park and enjoyed that. After that, we were back at Blondie’s where I had an 8 oz. steak, salad, potato, and vegetable for $14.95. It was a great day!

What I Learned Today:

· Many movie stars look nothing like they did when they were young and famous.

· It is hard to find a rock disk.

· The wind is pretty strong down the canyon in the morning.

· The water was 62 degrees F.

· In 1909 this area was made into a national monument by President Taft and called Mukuntuweap National Monument. In 1919, it became Zion National Park.

· This area gets an average of 15 inches of rainfall each year.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Grand Canyon – 8/15/11 – 8/19/11

2011-09-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Day 1: On the way to the Grand Canyon at the North Rim, we stopped at Pipe Springs National Monument. I had never heard of this but I’m glad we went. This was the only water source for the area and a Mormon settlement was built right over the spring. This settlement was used to hold the tithing herd from the Mormon Church and also served as a hideout for the many wives when the anti-polygamists were looking to arrest the husbands. It also served as the first telegraph office in Arizona. I met a Native American who was making cordage out of yucca fibers. I also met a volunteer who was chipping obsidian to make arrowheads for tools. His wife brought out her drop spindle to show me how she makes yarn. What I thought was interesting was that her drop spindle was made from a stone disk that she bought from a rock shop and stuck on a branch from her yard.

At the Grand Canyon, we are staying in a Pioneer cabin with 1 queen bed and 2 bunk beds plus a futon double. There are 2 rooms with a bath and shower. It is pretty nice here. After 2 days w-e are moving to the Campground (site 64). We ate the pasta lunch buffet at the lodge ($13.95 including drink per person). We attended the geology talk which was a pretty good talk. After exploring, we attended the Condor talk too. Then we walked the Transcept trail along the rim to the campground. For dinner we shared a pint of Haagen Dazs Pistachio ice cream. We did see a bike company use the handicapped parking as a loading and unloading zone. (We took pictures and I will probably write to the company about this.) At 8pm, we attended the evening show about the Colorado River.

Day 2: The heat and the elevation has been hard on us. We hiked to the campground and back for a hotdog and ice cream. The price of food has been outrageous! In the afternoon, we came back to the cabin and rested while watching TED videos on my ipad. In the evening we went to the ranger program about the Geology of the North Kaibab Trail which was really interesting.

Day 3: Don woke up not feeling too well today and had a pop tart for breakfast. Then he crawled back in bed for about 2 hours before we had to check out of our cabin. After having the pasta buffet for lunch, we headed to the campground where we will be staying for 3 days. It was hard putting up the tent in the heat of the day. After setting up the tent, we relaxed for a little while. Then we drove around to Point Imperial. After doing some research, we decided Don was throwing off too many minerals from drinking too much water (mimicking heat exhaustion)and he had a package of salt and some salty pretzels which made him feel better. When we returned we had ice cream again for dinner (Haagen Dazs Amaretto Almond Crunch). In the evening we went to the Ranger presentation in the amphitheater on Grand Canyon geology.

Day 4: I woke up early and sat outside the tent waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. I listened to some podcasts on my Ipad and knit on my shawl. After a very light breakfast (poptarts and cookies) we took a drive to the Vermillion Cliffs where the Condors were released years ago. Then we drove to Cape Royal and did some hiking. By then the afternoon thunderstorms arrived and we went back to our campsite to relax. Dinner was ramen noodles.

Day 5: For breakfast we ate oatmeal and granola bars. We had a lazy day and spent it at the campground. It was overcast and we had some showers in the afternoon but not enough to even wet the ground. We did take the opportunity to do some laundry and eat more ice cream. I think 5 days was too much for the North Rim and we would have been happy with 2 or 3 days.

What I Learned:

· I had to change the time on my watch because Arizona is in standard time and doesn’t change their time like everyone else.

· A raven has a wing span of 54 inches.

· We are at 8500 ft. elevation here in the North Rim.

· Make sure the air pump for the air mattress has fresh batteries or it will take forever to pump up!

· Ice cream makes a great dinner!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/14/11

2011-09-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Early in the morning we left Moab and headed to Kanab, UT. On the way we stopped at an antique store and bought some treasures. We took a side trip to Cedar Breaks National Monument. There were 2 – two mile hikes there. One of them was to a Bristlecone Pine Tree that was 1600 years old. The other one was to an Alpine Pond. I was surprised when I had to put on a jacket because it was so windy and cool here (compared to the extreme heat of Moab!).

We finally arrived at the Parry Lodge and was given the Yvonne DeCarlo (Lily Munster from the TV show The Munsters) room. She stayed in this room when she was filming in town. Many western movies were filmed in the area and the famous people stayed at this hotel which is nicknamed “Little Hollywood.” At 8pm each night, they show an old movie in the barn.

What I Learned Today:

· Franklin D. Roosevelt established Cedar Breaks National Monument in 1933.

· Cedar Breaks National Monument was above 10,000 feet in elevation.

· The Parry Lodge is called “Little Hollywood” where famous actors and actresses stayed while making movies in the area.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/13/11

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We headed to the Corona Trailhead early this morning before it got too hard. It started uphill right off the bat. First we crossed over the railroad tracks and headed across the desert to the cliffs. Eventually we came to 2 safety cabled areas which helped us cross some steep slippery slopes with ease. Don decided to stop at the second safety cable since we could see both arches from there. I decided to climb past the second safety cable and go up the ladder to this stone ledge which traveled about a half a mile to the base of both arches. I could see Don from the arches and he took pictures of me. I was worried about him standing in the hot sun so long so once I reached the arches, I didn’t stay long and returned to where he was. I had forgotten to watch carefully the route I took so I had to make several tries to find out the best place to work my way back along the steep slope. It was really hot on the way back. On the way back we stopped at the Farmer’s Market in Moab and I met a spinner (Meg Bigler) who was selling soap there. She took the time to show me how her spinning wheel worked and the basics. It was so much fun talking to her and of course, we exchanged Ravelry names!

This afternoon we returned to Desert Thread to look at more yarn and fiber. Of course I couldn’t resist buying more local fiber at $2.50/oz. I ended up buying 18 oz. of CVM-Romney-Tunis blend. I also met the owners Cathy and Rosie who are sister. Even my hubby enjoyed talking to them. Of course we visited and talked their ears off while we were there and they never acted like we were in the way or keeping them for doing something. They were so warm and welcoming that I was glad we returned to the store again and met them. Rosie mentioned that she knew someone who lived in Asheville and I told them that they needed to come to the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair that is held there each year. I think it would be so cool to see them again on our side of the country! I thought the prices of their local yarn were reasonable and their fiber seemed very reasonable compared to what I was buying online. If any knitter or spinner is near Moab, I would make this shop a must for stopping!

What I Learned Today:

· I can do heights and steep slopes if there are safety cables and ladders.

· Asking someone questions about something they love to do usually sparks a demonstration if possible like the spinner who showed me how to use the spinning wheel.

· It is fun to meet local knitters and spinners.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/12/11

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

This morning after breakfast at Denny’s, we headed out to do Park Ave. trail and the Windows Trail. We did a few side trails also. The Park Avenue trail was wonderful early in the morning because most of the trail was in the shade and the ground was hard (not a sandy beach like yesterday). The Windows trail brought back memories of when we did that hike one year in April and it was cold and windy. In fact, I lost my favorite ball cap here!

After hiking, we went to Pasta Jays for lunch. We ate at a Pasta Jays in Boulder, CO and really enjoyed it. We brought leftovers home for dinner. That is the best part about having a full kitchen to come back to. Then we did some grocery shopping (ahhhh, air conditioning!). It was 99F outside at 3:30pm.

Tomorrow we will need to repack the car. Hopefully we can get the spinning wheel in the back compartment so it is out of the way. We will pack all the fiber and yarn around it to cushion it.

What I Learned Today:

· Most hikes in the desert are more pleasant in the morning because the rocks are cooler. I think in the evening the rocks will still retain the heat from the day.

· Some stuff can be cheaper at the Dollar General than the grocery store.

· Naps in the heat of the afternoon are really a good thing!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/11/11

2011-09-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Early in the morning we headed out for a hike beginning at the Devil’s Garden Trailhead at the back of Arches National Park. We planned on doing the loop trail and side trails which would be about 8 miles long. Years ago we tried this hike but it was so windy in April that I was too scared to cross the fins near the Landscape Arch. This time I was prepared, the wind wasn’t blowing, and I was sure I could do it!

We arrived at Landscape Arch on the main trail where I took a bunch of pictures. I also saw another arch above and in the distance but I’m not sure which one it was. Then we continued on the trail only to find out that Wall Arch had collapsed in 2008 on the main trail so the trail was rerouted, right over a rock fin. I tried to go up the fin, but eventually I chickened out. So, we decided to retrace our steps and begin on the primitive loop which goes around the other way. After about 2.5 miles of soft sandy trail (which really tired out my legs) and some rock scrambling, we came to a rock fin. After 5 or 6 tries, Don was able to haul me up to the first ledge. We talked about continuing up the steep rock face but finally decided to give up. I had to admit defeat! I would rather do that than have to get the rangers to rescue me when I got in over my head! We returned the way we came and stopped at Pine Tree Arch and Tunnel Arch. All in all, we ended up doing our 8 miles anyway even if we didn’t do the whole loop trail. I feel bad for Don because he didn’t get to see all of the arches that we had hoped to see.

By then it was lunch time so we went to La Hacienda for lunch. I had 2 chili rellenos and a salad. In the afternoon we did our laundry. We found one Laundromat near the City Market but they wanted $4 for the washing machine! We left there and went to another one near McDonalds and their washers were only $1.50. In fact, it cost us $4 total to do our laundry (washer and dryer!) Then we came back and took a nap!

What I Learned Today:

· Gatorade makes a big difference when hiking in extreme heat! I drank more than if I had warm water.

· Knowing my limitations keeps me from getting in bad hiking situations.

· You never know what wildlife may be hidden in the bushes like deer and lizards.

· $4 is way too much to spend on a washing machine! (We found another Laundromat with $1.50 machines)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/10/11

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a wonderful day hiking today. First we hiked in Negro Bill Canyon to the Morning Glory Bridge. Even though we started at 8am, it was hot by the time we finished. The trail went in and out of the shade which was nice and there were several stream crossings. The Morning Glory Bridge is the 6^th longest natural bridge in the US.

After our hike, we went to Wendy’s for lunch and then drove the La Sal Mountain Loop for a scenic drive. I was so excited when a black bear crossed in front of our car! When we finished it was still early enough for us to go on Cane Creek Rd. which was another scenic drive.

Animals seen today: Deer, Lizards, Black bear, blue birds and evidence of beaver and big horn sheep

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/9/11

2011-09-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Today we had a wonderful full day rafting on the Colorado River. It was a lot of fun! I really don’t have a lot to say because the pictures say it all!

What I Learned Today:

· A Butte is taller than it is wide and a Mesa is wider than it is tall.

· If the air and water temperature together is not at least 120 degrees, a person is at risk of hypothermia.

· It is hard to get back in a raft if you jump in the river to swim.

· Bring your own bottle of water, even if they say they supply water. (It is easier and more likely help you drink if you don’t have to bother someone to get some water.) Luckily I brought my own bottle of Gatorade to drink before lunch and then mixed some lemonade in it for the ride after lunch.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/8/11

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

This morning we got up early and headed towards Delicate Arch. Even though it wasn’t a long hike, it was hard when it got hot. The views were as beautiful as I remember but the last time we were here, it was in April and colder. After that we did the Delicate Arch viewpoints. Then we hiked to the Double Arch. After lunch we stopped at the grocery store and the knitting shop called Desert Threads. I bought a pound of 100% Corriedale fiber for about $40. The clerk, Nicole, was so nice and we spent a lot of time talking with her. As a former river guide, she told us about rafting down the Colorado River so we ended up booking a rafting trip for tomorrow. Then we drove on Hwy 279 to the Potash Plant. Along the way we saw petroglyphs and another arch. We stopped at a mailing center to see about mailing my spinning wheel home but decided it wasn’t cost effective to do so. Instead we will repack the car and store the wheel in the car.

What I Learned Today:

· Even hiking at 8am, it is still hot outside! We need to get an earlier start if we want to do that 8 mile hike before it gets hot.

· The red thread in the rocks is caused by the oxidizing of iron.

· “To qualify as an official stone “arch,” a hole must have an opening at least three feet (1m) long in any one direction.”

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/7/11

2011-09-06T06:00:00.002-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE
We drove to Moab, UT this morning and it was a lovely drive. It is amazing how much open land there is. We got to Arches NP at about 10am and it was already hot. We hiked to Sand Dunes Arches, Skyline Arches, and Balancing Rock but then it got too hot to hike anymore. By then it was lunchtime and we had chili rellenos at La Hacienda for lunch before checking into our room at the Kokopelli Intowner (part of the Kokopelli Lodge). I loved where we are staying for the week! Our “room” is actually a small apartment with livingroom and full kitchen along with bedroom and bath. There are some lawn chairs and a bbq grill outside for us to use too. I will enjoy staying here and the cost was less than the room we stayed in at the Comfort Inn last night in Green River!
What I Learned Today:
· This dry heat can really sap your energy!
· There are over 2000 arches in Arches NP.
· Arches NP is in the high desert between 4000 - 6000 ft. in elevation.
· President Hoover made Arches into a National Monument but it didn’t become a national park until 1971.
Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/6/11

2011-09-05T06:00:00.003-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Today we went to Goblin Valley State Park in Utah. It was a beautiful drive and the scenery was outstanding! How different the terrain is compared to Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. We hiked around the “goblins” and it was so hot! The air temperature was 95F but there in the valley, I’m sure it was hotter. Even though we drank lots of water, Don got a little overheated so we headed back to the car. If it was this hot here, I can only imagine how hot Arches NP will be over the next coming days. We will probably have to hike early in the morning and early evening, leaving the hot afternoon for either drives in the car or a nap.

What I Learned Today:

· Goblin Valley is made up of formations of sandstone that have eroded into interesting shapes.

· The movie Galaxy Quest (with Tim Allen) was filmed in Goblin Valley.

· The “goblins” are really hoodoos (according to Wikipedia, “A hoodoo (also called a tent rock, fairy chimney, and earth pyramid) is a tall, thin spire of rock that protrudes from the bottom of an arid drainage basin or badland. Hoodoos consist of relatively soft rock topped by harder, less easily eroded stone that protects each column from the elements. They typically form within sedimentary rock and volcanic rock formations”

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Utah – 8/5/11

2011-09-01T06:00:00.002-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We headed towards Timpanagos Caves National Monument this morning. Our tickets noted that we could start hiking up the mountain at 10:45 and our tour started at 12:15 so we hiked on the nature trail first. Then at 10:30, we started up the 1100 foot climb to the cave entrance. It was so steep that it was quite a challenge and I felt pretty out of shape but the ranger reminded me that this elevation was different than I was used to so I felt better. The views were outstanding though along the way! We made it to the entrance at 12:00. The tour lasted an hour as we hiked through 3 caves (Hansen, Middle, and Timpanagos). Then we had to hike back down the 1100 feet!

After that we drove through the American Fork Canyon to Cascade Springs which was very pretty. We hiked the loop trails around the springs before driving through Provo Canyon. On the way back, we stopped at the In-n-Out Burger for dinner.

What I Learned Today:

· President Harding signed the proclamation declaring Timpanagos Caves a national monument in 1922.
· Chipmunks have a stripe that goes up their back and across their eyes. Ground squirrels have the stripe just up their backs.
· Climbing up 1100 feet is different at 6000 feet elevation than at 2000 feet.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Idaho – 8/4/11

2011-08-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We went to a place called Pickles for breakfast and just the name made me smile. After that we drove to the Experimental Breeder Reactor #1 (EBR-1) and took a self guided tour. It was really interesting. After that we drove through Atomic City which is an almost ghost town of 25 people but it has a brand new 3 bay fire station. When we left there, we drove to Blackfoot, ID to the World Largest Potato Museum. Then we drove to Utah!

I had hoped to visit my online friend, Jaedee, in Ogden when we stopped to see Hill AFB air museum. Unfortunately we drove for hours before we were able to find a hotel room. There was some outdoor convention of 25,000+ people so it was almost impossible to find a room. We finally found a room at the Quality Inn in Payson, ID. For dinner we went to Daltons which was wonderful. We had a dinner for two for only $20. We decided to stay tomorrow night too and go to the Salmon Supper which is an annual event here in Payson. Tomorrow morning, I will try to get us cave tour tickets to the Timpanogos Cave National Monument.

What I Learned Today:

· The EBR-1 is a great place to visit and it was free.

· Idaho is a beautiful place but we didn’t see a lot that we wanted to stop and see.

· Rush hour in Salt Lake City on I-15 is awful!

· The HOV 2+ lane was toll free.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Idaho – 8/3/11

2011-08-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a wonderful hot breakfast at Ruby’s Inn (it came with the room) and then headed to Idaho. Most of the day was spent traveling but the scenery was beautiful. I didn’t see a lot of places to stop along the way but there were lots of opportunities for rafting and fishing if we did either of those things. Finally we ended up in Arco, ID. We stopped at the hotel we wanted to stay at but the office was closed for about 30 minutes so we headed to the Craters of the Moon National Monument and drove the 7 mile loop road. We also stopped to do the nature trail and look at all the lava which reminded us a lot of Lava Beds National Monument in northern California.

I called the DK motel and made a reservation since we didn’t think any of the other motels looked like possibilities and there were a lot of people at the national monument. The room with a queen bed was $38 and a 2 room suite was $48 so we got the 2 room suite. We were a little surprised that a 2 room suites just meant 2 bedrooms (one did not have a TV) and they both shared a bathroom. I was hoping for a sitting area but I should have asked. The room had a small dorm fridge and a microwave so it was okay for the price. We also did our laundry which was only 2 doors down from our room.

The hotel manager recommended Mello-dees for dinner and it was wonderful. My petite sirloin was $16.95 and my hubby had chicken fried steak for $14.95. Each meal included the zucchini/turkey sausage soup, a huge salad (including beets), the main dish with lots of mashed potatoes and gravy plus ice cream for dessert! The food was so tasty so I’m glad we stopped there for dinner.

What I Learned Today:

· In Idaho, there is a 21 mile scarp line caused by the 1983 earthquake.

· Astronauts trained for the early moon missions at Craters of the Moon National Monument.

· Arco, ID was the first atomic city.

· The first atomic sub sail is in Arco, ID park and has the number 666 which caused the sub to be called the Devil Sub.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 8/2/11

2011-08-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

After breakfast in Babb again, we headed for the Going-to-the-Sun road one last time. We stopped at the 1913 Ranger Station where volunteer Sheryl Mink, the artist, invited us to participate in the painting of the mural that when finished will be hung in the St. Mary’s Visitor Center. After that we did the Sun Point trail to Baring Falls which was very pretty. Then we continued across the road and out of the park. We headed towards Missoula on the east side of Flathead Lake because we took the west side to get to Kalispell. On the side of the road were tons of cherry orchards so we had to stop and buy some. A lb. of bing cherries were 2.50 and a lb. of Rainer cherries were 3.50 so we got both. We ended up for the night at Ruby’s Inn (King room for only $89). The staff were really friendly, the rooms clean, and we walked to The Montana Club for dinner.

What I Learned Today:

· The 2 bedroom cabin at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn had more room and was worth the $10 extra if one is available.

· Singing on the trail must keep the bears away because we never did see a bear on the trail since I was always singing.

· Some mom and pop hotels are much better than chain hotels.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 8/1/11

2011-08-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Our one bedroom cabin at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn was small but cozy. The bathroom building was not too far away and they gave us 4 tokens for the shower (1 token = approx. 8.5 minutes). We got up early and did a wildflower hike around Lake Josephine. The area was abundant with wildflowers and I took lots of pictures. We saw a load of bear scat on the trail but no bears. After the wildflower hike, we had a picnic. Then we hiked to Apikuni Falls which was straight up a mountain. It was a great hike but it was tiring. After the hike we hit the restaurant for some pizza and then ice cream.

What I Learned Today:

· Beargrass was named by Lewis and Clark because it looked like grass and is found where bears live. Bears do not like to eat it unless they have to in order to survive.

· Sweet Cicely smells like licorice. You can eat the seeds that taste like licorice.

· Aspens shoot out roots underground for new growth.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 7/31/11

2011-08-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

I woke up early because I heard the wind howling and the rain pouring down. After I got up and tried to read my Ipad in the dark, I decided to go sit outside in my lawn chair. The rain and wind stopped and the sky looked like it was on fire! I was able to sit outside and knit while I listened to podcasts. When Don woke up, we checked out of our room and drove into Babb for breakfast. On the way back we hiked around Swiftcurrent Lake and looked for wildlife. The wind picked up while we were hiking and it felt like a fall day. After our hike, we stopped and had a picnic. In the afternoon we checked into our cabin and then joined the ranger on a nature hike which was wonderful. After the hike we came back to our cabin to relax before going to the restaurant and having a pizza. After dinner we went to hear the ranger talk about bears.

What I Learned Today:

· There is 1 species of salamander in the park and 4 frog species.

· The Calliope Hummingbird nest we saw was made from lichens, moss, and spider webs.

· Talking and making noise is the best way to let a bear know you are near.

· Human mother’s milk is about 3% fat and grizzly bear mother’s milk is 33% fat.

· The bears mate in the spring and is “almost pregnant.” If the conditions are right and the mother is in good shape, she is pregnant in November and the cub(s) are born in January or February.

· Black bear cubs stay for one summer and are kicked out the next. Grizzly bear cubs stay for 3 summers.

· Black bears get pregnant every other summer and grizzly bears every 3^rd year.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 7/30/11

2011-08-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

This morning we left Glacier Park Lodge and went to Browning for breakfast. The only place we could find was at the Glacier Parks Casino and the breakfast was great! After that we headed to Two Medicine Flats area. There we hiked to 2 waterfalls: Running Eagle Falls and Appistoki Falls. Both were beautiful! Of course we were on our own so Don did a lot of singing (off key of course) to scare away any bears and we didn’t come across any. I want to see some but only through binoculars or through a car window. After that we had lunch in Babb at Thorson’s Café and it was good too.

By then it was time to head to the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn to check in. Thankfully our room was ready for us. What a difference this place was compared to the Glacier Park Lodge! Everyone was smiling and seemed happy to be there. Our room was ready even though we were about an hour earlier than scheduled check in.

Once we checked in, we drove to the Many Glacier Lodge and looked around. It was a beautiful place! How different this place was compared to the Glacier Park Lodge. The staff was welcoming and the whole place was so much cleaner even though they were going through a major renovation! At 4pm we took the historical hotel tour with the ranger and learned about the history of the hotel. After the tour we headed back to Swiftcurrent where the ranger and some volunteers had scopes set up in the parking lot. We were able to see the mountain goats high up on the mountain as well as people hiking down the mountain. I think that was a neat activity to set up for visitors.

What I Learned Today:

· I can spray bug spray on my clothing and it will have the same effect as putting it on my skin. The bugs stayed away from me. Of course I had long hiking pants and a long sleeve shirt. I also sprayed the bug spray on the brim of my hat which helped keep them away from my face.

· The Two Medicine Flats area is not as heavily visited as the other sections of the park. This made it quite enjoyable for hiking.

· The Many Glacier Lodge which was built in 1915 by the Great Northern Railway.

· I would recommend the Many Glacier Lodge and the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn to others.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 7/29/11

2011-08-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

On the way to Glacier Park Lodge in East Glacier today, we stopped at a sale in front of an antique store called Station 8 in Columbia Falls, MT. I found my first spinning wheel – a Louet S70! I wasn’t sure if I should buy it since we were so far from home though and I called my friend Caron (who doesn’t seem to mind if I keep bugging her for advice!) and she said the price was great so I couldn’t resist. We took some parts off of it to get it in the car. Now I hope I can get it back together again when I get home. We may need to stop in Kalispell on the way to Idaho to find a long box and then take it apart more to ship it home.

Then we arrived at the Glacier Park Lodge. It was supposed to be a grand hotel and we were pretty disappointed. First we got there at 2:15 and this snooty desk clerk told me that check in wasn’t until 3pm and our room wasn’t ready yet. I can understand that but I was surprised that no rooms were cleaned at this time and there was no one else checking in. I went to use the restroom and it was filthy. There was toilet paper and empty rolls on the floor. The trash can was overflowing with dirty paper towels. The paper towel dispenser was empty and a roll was on top. You had to get it with your wet hands to unroll some to dry your hands. In the lobby, the radiators must have had dust an inch thick because we could write our names in it! I was shocked that a “nice” hotel would look like this! I went back at 3pm and they told me that there were still no rooms ready for us and that we needed to come back in 20 minutes. By this time the train arrived and a ton of people came in to check in and there were no rooms ready so the lobby was full of people milling around. I went back at 3:20 and they told me that my room still wasn’t ready. Finally at 3:30, I was able to check in. (Now would they let me check out 30 minutes later since my check in was 30 minutes later? No.) When we got to our room (307), the room had 2 double beds and a small bathroom. It wasn’t anything fancy at all and it cost almost $200! I’m glad we are only staying here for one night.

After check in, we walked around East Glacier and checked out the shops. At 4:45 we got in line outside of Serranos (a Mexican restaurant) waiting for it to open at 5pm. The food was outstanding! We each had 3 large chili rellenos ($14.95) that came with black beans and rice and a pitcher of margaritas ($24). I would definitely go here again! I want to thank @GlacierMTGuy on plurk for recommending this to us!

After dinner we walked around the train station and back to the lodge. We met a really nice couple from Denver and visited with them for awhile. Then we sat out on the porch to enjoy the sunset which was lovely.

What I Learned Today:

· It takes about 2 hours to drive from Kalispell to East Glacier.

· Huckleberry ice cream tastes like blueberry to me.

· Serranos is a wonderful place to eat!!

· I would not recommend the Glacier Lodge to anyone.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 7/28/11

2011-08-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a lovely day today especially since the sun was out! We got to Logan’s Pass to do the Hidden Lake Trail. The ranger said it was under snow but if we had hiking boots and hiking sticks, we could do it so away we went. The views were beautiful but it was very challenging to walk up the mountain in the snow especially when we came to steep ledges. The trail was very slippery! When we got to the lake overlook, we came across a bunch of wild mountain goats and they were beautiful! I even got some fiber from one of them (No, I didn’t attack the goat! It shed its hair and I rescued the fiber as a souvenir!) On the way back down the mountain, we did a lot of slipping, sliding, and skiing with our boots.

When we drove out of the parking lot, we heard a scraping sound so we parked the car and looked under it. But we didn’t see anything making that awful metal sound. The teen in the truck next to us even got on the ground to look under our car and said that it was probably just a rock in our brake shoe. So, away we go again. But this time it sounds even worse so we stop and I jump out again to look. I expect to find a brake shoe dragging on the ground. A couple nearby (from Florence, SC) told us that it was probably a rock in the brake shoe and the man suggested Don put the car in reverse. After this gosh-awful screech and scrape, the noise went away (I guess the rock came out) and all was well again so we left. What a relief that it wasn’t anything more major! I could just picture us coming down that mountain with no brakes!

On the drive down the mountain, we stopped at a few overlooks. One had a trail to a bridge over the raging river and that was exciting.

It was a lovely day!

What I Learned Today:

· Hiking in the snow in July is magical but it can wear you out!

· Mountain goats are very lively (or restless) animals and move around quickly rather than staying in one place.

· Hidden Lake was still frozen over!

· Rocks in brake shoes sound awful like the car is falling apart!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 7/27/11

2011-08-17T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We got up early so we could do some hikes before the crowds hit the park but when we got in the car, our tire pressure was low. We noticed this last night and Don checked the tires and added air with our air pump so we were worried when it was even lower this morning. So, we found a Les Schwab store to check on our tires. (We like Les Schwab stores! Last time we were out west, we had to buy chains because the law said so and the fine was outrageous. This guy in Idaho opened his store on a Sunday and sold us the chains at no extra charge for Sunday. So, we felt like we could trust Les Schwab to check our tires). Unfortunately the metal was showing in both back tires so we had to get new ones and we were back on the road in an hour.

We drove to the trailhead and hiked to Avalanche Lake. Again, the views were wonderful! There were lots of people on the trail so I didn’t feel nervous about meeting a grizzly. At first we didn’t expect the lake to be anything special but it was at the foot of Sperry Glacier. From the lake we saw 6 waterfalls coming down the mountain before it!

After the hike we hunted for lunch but by then most places stopped serving lunch so we stopped for an ice cream to tide us over to dinner. On the way back to our hotel, we stopped in Columbia Falls at the Nite Owl restaurant for dinner. My rib eye was mouthwatering!

What I Learned Today:

· It is smarter to check out tire problems rather than ignore them. It would have been bad to be in the park with a flat tire!

· Snow melting out of the mountains create beautiful waterfalls.

· The hike to Avalanche Lake is a must if you visit Glacier National Park!

· It is cheaper to eat outside the park than inside.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Montana – 7/26/11

2011-08-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We headed for Glacier National Park early in the morning and spent the day driving on the Going to the Sun Road. I was surprised when we got up to Logan’s Pass how cold it was. It was actually snowing and sleeting on us! The scenery was absolutely beautiful and due to the snow melting, there were waterfalls all around us. There was lots of construction on the road so we had many delays involving stopping on the road and waiting for the road to clear. I didn’t mind this because I was able to take plenty of pictures. It was funny to see people in shorts and tshirts when their lips turned blue! We didn’t stop a lot but really enjoyed the trip. We went to a café in Babb, MT for lunch and the food was good.

What I Learned Today:

· There is still snow in higher elevations in July!

· Some people just don’t know how to dress in different types of weather and insist on wearing shorts in July even if it is snowing.

· Snow melting in the mountains create magnificent waterfalls!

· Montana is a beautiful state and the people are nice here too!

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming and Montana– 7/25/11

2011-08-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We left early this morning and headed towards Kalispell, MT. On the way out of the park we saw elk and buffalo. One buffalo was walking right down the yellow line towards our car! When we saw the elk, we saw a baby elk run out in front of a car and narrowly was missed. We drove 400 miles to Kalispell and got there around 3:30pm. We decided to get our oil changed since we have driven about 5200 miles since the oil change right before we left home. Surprisingly, the Toyota dealership was cheaper than any of the hourly oil change places. After the oil change, we went to Wal-Mart to refill some of Don’s prescriptions and buy some supplies. Since there was a Subway shop there too, we grabbed a couple of subs for dinner. We ate our dinner at the hotel while we did laundry. We feel like we accomplished a lot today and will be ready for a fresh start in the morning. Hopefully the weather will be nice and we will drive on the Going to the Sun road through Glacier NP.

What I Learned Today:

· Early morning is the best time to spot wildlife.

· It pays to call around and price oil changes. I would never have thought that the dealership would be the cheapest.

· It wasn’t hard to transfer prescriptions to the Wal-Mart as I expected.

· I take my own washer and dryer for granted when I’m hope and I really appreciate them when I have to do laundry when traveling.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/24/11

2011-08-11T06:00:00.002-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a slow lazy day today. I was pretty sore from my tumble yesterday so we didn’t go any hiking. We walked around the Old Faithful complex and I bought souvenirs. We also watched a movie at the Visitor Center. Then we ate the lunch buffet in the dining room but we didn’t like it. The food only tasted mediocre and the cost was much too high. It cost $13.95 but I didn’t think the food was great at all. After lunch we drove to Madison and then back down to West Thumb. We spent the rest of the evening in lobby people watching.

Tomorrow morning we head towards Kalispell, MT and Glacier National Park.

What I Learned Today:

· The Yellowstone Hot Spot does not move.

· The land above the Hot Spot moves an inch every year which is why there are calderas from Nevada to here.

· The Yellowstone Caldera is the largest active caldera in the world.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/23/11

2011-08-10T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Most of the day was spent hiking up to Mount Washburn. We hiked this years ago and I guess I forgot how hard it was. I would recommend this hike to everyone though because it was awesome. We had 360 degree views when we got to the fire tower.

Along the trail we saw a buffalo. Then as we hiked the steep trail, we saw lots of people stopped way ahead. Then we realized that a coyote was heading straight towards us and away from them. I dug out the bear spray and we picked up some rocks in case it got aggressive (before we started this hike we were told to report any aggressive coyotes on the trail) but it decided to get off the trail and go a different way. Further up the trail we saw a yellow bellied marmot and an eagle. Then we came across a huge group of bighorn sheep. As we continued to hike up we found another group. There were lots of little babies and they were playing in the snow. Then on the way down, we saw a lot more sheep in two different places. I guess we saw about 40-50 sheep today and Don had to hold me back from getting any of their wool to knit! Darn!

Of course not too far from the end, I took a tumble on the loose rocks and landed on my knee, hand, and hip. Nothing major was hurt but I’m sure I will be a little sore tomorrow.

For dinner, we decided to eat in the restaurant in the Old Faithful Inn. Both of us chose the prime rib dinner buffet for $25.95 and it was delicious. First we started with the red pepper gouda soup that was so tasty. There was a Caesar salad, twice baked potatoes, wild rice, green beans almandine, and stuffed mushrooms to go with the prime rib which melted in your mouth. I’m glad we decided to do this tonight.

What I Learned Today:

· I’m not as young as I used to be and that hiking up a mountain that I did ten years ago is much different now.

· Wild animals are not as afraid of people as we think. I guess the sheep are desensitized to tourists by now because we were able to walk on the trail to get by them and they didn’t run away.

· There is still a lot of snow in the higher elevations than I expected.

· As I get older, I need to be more careful walking down the mountains on loose rock.

· The views from the top of the mountain is something that is magical.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/22/11

2011-08-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Today was an absolutely beautiful day! I woke up feeling so much better and everything we did was wonderful. After breakfast in our room (oatmeal and fruit and hot chocolate), we headed towards the Mammoth Hot Springs area. I was a little disappointed in the terraces because it is not how I remembered it. The last time we were here, they were glistening terraces of white, gold, and oranges but today they were white and gray. They seemed dead and inactive. After seeing this, I wondered if someday, Old Faithful might end up in the same condition and that we need to appreciate it while it is still erupting on a predictable schedule.

Then we ended up in Gardiner, MT for lunch at the Corral Drive In. Our hamburger baskets and 2 drinks cost $24 and the burgers were huge. Later we wished we had just gotten a $5 sub from Subway which would have satisfied us just as well. On the way back, we saw the Boiling River where we wanted to swim (the glacial waters join the hot springs water in the river) but it was closed because the water was too high. So, we headed towards the Tower area and saw the Tower falls (the end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone).

When we returned to the hotel, we sat out in the lobby and enjoyed the action all around us. For dinner, we had triscuits and cheese in our room.

Today we saw black bear, buffalo, elk, ground squirrels, and a grizzly bear!

What I Learned Today:

· Change happens whether we want it or not.

· Change can happen in our lifetime even if we don’t expect it.

· Some slow drivers are just inconsiderate and won’t pull off to the side so others can pass, even if there are signs reminding them to do so.

· Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service in 1916.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/21/11

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

It was cold again this morning but pleasant. I woke up with a sore throat and a headache so we didn’t get much hiking done today. Instead we drove to Jackson, WY (2 hour drive from Old Faithful) and did some shopping as well as getting gas. It was 50 cents cheaper there than in the park. After lunch we drove to Jenny Lake and the loop road. On the way back to Old Faithful we stopped often to take pictures. We got back around 6pm.

What I Learned Today:

· The National Elk Refuge is outside of Jackson.

· Elk shed their antlers each season.

· The Indian Arts Museum at Colter Bay was exceptional.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/20/11

2011-08-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

It was nice and chilly this morning (43F when I got up but I heard it got down to 38F). We got up early and went to meet a ranger for a hike this morning. When we got there we found out that the original hike was changed due to bear activity in the area (this is where the hiker was killed a few weeks ago). We had a delightful hike and saw the Upper and Lower Yellowstone Falls. I didn’t find out until later from friends that three people fell over these falls yesterday!

After the hike, we drove around and did some hiking to geysers and sightseeing spots. In the late afternoon we hiked to an observation point and both of us heard what we thought was a mountain lion growl. Needless to say, we continued on the trail quickly until we got to a safe area!

In the evening, we sat in the lobby of Old Faithful Inn and listened to the piano player. A fire was started and it was cozy way to spend the evening.

What I Learned Today:

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is 20 miles long.

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone only took thousands of years to form while the Grand Canyon took millions of years.

· The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is anywhere from 1500 – 4000 feet wide.

· It is a shame that people don’t follow rules like “stay behind the guard rails” and lose their lives by being swept over waterfalls.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/19/11

2011-08-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We decided to eat breakfast in our room since the cost of food in the park is so outrageous. Using the coffee maker to boil water, we fixed our instant oatmeal (adding walnuts and fruit) and hot chocolate which filled us up. Then we headed for the Mystic Falls hike with the ranger.

We started out first thing seeing a snake! Then we hiked to the falls and then the ranger turned back but encouraged us to continue up the mountain to the overlook. It was pretty steep but well worth the view. By the time we got back to our car, it was lunch time. We drove to West Yellowstone, MT out of the west entrance to the park (14 miles from Madison) where we ate lunch, found a supermarket to refill some supplies and filled up with gas for 3.89 a gallon (it was 3.99 a gallon in the park.)

After lunch we headed up to Norris and did some hiking around the geysers and waterfalls. About 5pm it started to rain so we headed back to Old Faithful in time to get settled and then attend the ranger program on Yellowstone Art.

What I Learned Today:

· There are no poisonous snakes in Yellowstone.

· There are 900 geysers in the world and 500 of them are in Yellowstone.

· A 10 year old fell into one of the geysers and died one year.

· Big birds build their nests in the top of old snags.

· Mosquitoes are bad in Yellowstone this time of year.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/18/11

2011-08-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We got up early and decided to have breakfast at the Geyser Grille only to find out that they didn’t open until 8 and it was 7am. So we decided to have a breakfast at a picnic table. Then we found out the mosquitoes were in full force and had to gulp down our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and run for the car.

At 9am, we met a ranger for a hike around Harlequin Lake. It was a fun hike. We saw a pair of osprey and their nest, a bald eagle, a red winged blackbird, a loon, a cormorant, and ground squirrels. After the hike we had a nice picnic lunch where there were no mosquitoes. Then we stopped along the ride back to walk around scenic geysers. At 4pm, we decided to do another hike around geysers in the Old Faithful area before joining a ranger on a hike at 5:30. We hiked on our own about 7pm to the Morning Glory geyser and then back to our hotel. We were too exhausted to even go find some dinner. We walked too many miles to count today and I hope we can get out of bed tomorrow!

Tomorrow we plan to do the Mystic Falls hike with the ranger and then do some more geyser hiking. That is, if we can still walk.

What I Learned Today:

· Rain that doesn’t reach the ground is called Verga

· Ospreys have a dihedral wing pattern which looks like they have elbows.

· Beavers come out at dusk and dawn.

· Blue dragonflies are called Bluets.

· Old Faithful is not the largest geyser.

· A geyser is predictable only if it has its own water source.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/17/11

2011-08-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We left Cody and headed for Yellowstone this morning. First we stopped at the Buffalo Bill Dam which was awesome. A shuttle took us to the visitor center that had been blocked off to cars since 9/11. We were amazed how much water was being dropped from the dam.

After the dam, we drove to the park. It seemed like a long ride, maybe because we didn’t get much sleep last night. Don had bad leg cramps and I was miserably hot and too lazy to get up to turn on the air condition.

We arrived at the Old Faithful Inn and checked in. Our room was very nice but a little over priced at $170 per night. There is a bed that they claim is a Queen size but it seems like a Full size bed to us. There is no TV but it does have a private bath.

We saw Old Faithful erupt about 3 times while we checked out all the lodges, restaurants, and the visitor center. We checked out the ice cream shops at all 3 places in this area but the lines were ridiculous! They need to add more ice cream shops. We walked the geyser loop trail and it was pretty. After dinner we went to the ranger evening program. Then we sat outside on the upper porch to watch Old Faithful erupt one last time.

What I Learned Today:

· The colors of the mud pots are caused by iron sulfites, iron sulfates, and iron oxides.

· There are about 100 wolves in the park.

· The park was not as crowded as we expected.

· There are plenty of eating establishments available.

· There are plenty of ranger led activities each day all over the park.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Dam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/16/11

2011-07-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Another day in Cody paradise!! Marci and her Boxer, Benny, picked us up around 10:30 and headed on the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway to the Top of the World (on the road to Red Lodge). There were tons of motorcycles but there were plenty of places to pull over and get great photos. There were magnificent views that are impossible to describe. After that we headed to Cooke City for lunch but it was too crowded to find a spot. So, we went on to Silver Gate and had lunch at the Log Cabin Café. After lunch we drove to Yellowstone Park to Lamar Valley. On the way we saw two black bear cubs and tons of buffalo. Two buffalo walked the middle of the road on the yellow line and headed right to our car! But they went around us without any harm to them or us. Then we went to Marci’s cabin on the river and it was beautiful. There also was a sweathouse that looked wonderful to use and was right on the river. We headed back to Cody and dropped Benny off at home with Mitch (and his brother and nephews) before heading to the Silver Dollar Bar for dinner and drinks. It truly was a wonderful day!

What I Learned Today:

· Snow with pink on top is caused by lichens.

· There are lots of buffalo in Yellowstone.

· Marci’s sweathouse is a sauna right on the river.

· Buffalo like to scratch against cars.

· There is still snow in the Beartooth Mountains.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Snow by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/15/11

2011-07-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a glorious day in Cody, WY! We went to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center which consists of 5 different museums (admission $18 per person). It was a wonderful place and well worth the money. We went to a Bird of Prey presentation first and learned about birds of prey. Then we went through the Museum of Natural History. There was also a Firearms Museum with the best collection of firearms I have ever seen. There were about 2000 firearms displayed upstairs and another 1200 downstairs. When I asked one of the docents when the collection started, he said in 1916 and only half of them were displayed. We left to eat lunch and then returned to see the rest of the museum. We saw another presentation about Annie Oakly.

After the museum we went to the Sierra Outfitters Outlet store and Walmart. By then it was time to eat dinner and see the shootout at the Irma that happens nightly. After the shootout, we went to the nightly rodeo and had a wonderful time!

What I Learned Today:

· Golden Eagles can see a rabbit move from 2 miles away.

· Some vultures are not birds of prey.

· Birds of Prey have beaks that serve as their fork, knife, and spoon.

· Owls have feathers made in a way that makes their flight silent.

· Birds of Prey catch the food with their feet.

· Bulls can jump fences. (That was exciting to see!)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Steam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/14/11

2011-07-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We left Thermopolis this morning and drove to Cody, WY which took about 2 hours. We checked with the Irma Hotel to see if they had a room for us because we were a day early and they did. But tomorrow we will need to move to the room we will have for the next 2 days. Then we walked around town and ended up at La Comida for lunch. After that we went back to the Irma to check in because they don’t allow check ins before 3pm. Then we went to the Silver Dollar Bar which is historic and we met a nice couple originally from Canada but were fulltime RVers now. At 6pm, Marci picked us up for dinner and took us to Cassie’s where her husband Mitch met us after work. The prime rib practically melted in our mouths! After dinner we drove around the town and saw how beautiful the area was. We saw deer and rabbits along the roads right into town. On Saturday we will spend the day at their cabin in the Beartooth Mountains.

What I Learned Today:

· Cody is a bigger town than Thermopolis.

· The Irma Hotel is on the national register of historic places and every evening the have a “gunfight” show in the street.

· Buffalo Bill built the Irma Hotel.

· Cassie’s was originally a house of ill repute in the days of Buffalo Bill.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Steam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/13/11

2011-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had another lazy day today in Thermopolis. We went to Hot Springs State Park and walked to the swinging bridge and some of the springs. Then we went back to the hot mineral pools at the Fountain of Youth RV Park and spent most of the morning there. Don spent most of the time in the water while I dipped in and out. We met a family who was originally from Paris and now living in Ohio but were on vacation. They are heading to Yellowstone too so we might cross paths again. After lunch at Butch’s in Kirby, we decided to go find a Laundromat and do some laundry. Then we drove around some more until we were tired. We tried to visit Lucy’s Sheep Camp so I could check out the fiber but it was closed.

What I Learned Today:

· I still remember some of my high school and college French when I practiced it on this French family.

· All mustards are not created equal. The one my hubby uses has no calories and the one at lunch had 45 calories.

· I am so thankful that I have my own washer and dryer at home.

· It is more fun to do laundry when you have company.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Steam by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/12/11

2011-07-21T07:27:00.001-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

We had a lazy day today in Thermopolis. First we went to Hot Springs State Park and went into the hot mineral pool for 20 minutes (We were only allowed 20 minutes). Then we went to the pool at the RV Park which is owned by our hotel (Fountain of Youth). I wondered if we would come out looking younger like in the movie Cocoon. We spent the rest of the morning there and met a nice couple to talk to which was interesting. After lunch at McDonalds we drove through Wind River Canyon which was absolutely beautiful and ended up in Shoshoni, WY. Then we turned around and came back to Thermopolis.

What I Learned Today:

· People believe in the healing properties of the mineral springs.

· The sulfur in the water made it smell stinky even if it felt good.

· The actual spring water can be up to 130F.

· Canyons are beautiful to drive through.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: Fountain of Youth by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/11/11

2011-07-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Don had terrible leg cramps all night long and I was up at 5am so we didn’t get much sleep last night. When I got out of the tent, I was surprised to see so many photographers with tripods taking pictures of the Devils Tower. The clouds were heavy over us and it rained a little during the night but they moved on and the sky got clearer by the time Don woke up. We packed up the tent and headed toward Thermopolis. We stopped at Donna’s Diner in Gilette for breakfast and a couple in a van next to us asked us about our Prius. The server was so friendly and we enjoyed talking to her! Then local people came up to Don and asked him about our Prius! The drive over the mountains was beautiful and we saw mountains with snow on them again. We arrived at some road construction and had to sit there for about 15 minutes so we talked to the man holding the stop sign about things to do in Thermopolis and places to eat. When we arrived in Thermopolis we ate lunch at the A&W diner/bowling alley where you called in your order on a phone located at the table. When your food is ready, they bring it out to you and you pay just like the old car hops did.

Then we drove around and explored. We went to Hot Springs State Park where the hot mineral springs are. We also drove to the buffalo pasture and saw the buffalo. It was very scenic. After dinner at our hotel, we called it an early night since we didn’t get much sleep last night.

What I Learned Today:

· Road construction workers are like tourist info centers and usually enjoy giving advice about a local area.

· Mom and Pop hotels can be cheaper and have better service than some of the chain hotels (the water pressure is great here! We also have a microwave, refrigerator, HDTV, and free wifi, with our king size bed for only $60.

· We have some awesome scenery in the USA!

· The mineral springs in Thermopolis is supposed to have some healing powers. (We shall see…)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Hot Springs State Park by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Wyoming– 7/10/11

2011-07-19T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE.

We drove about 6 hours today to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. The movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind was filmed here. It was amazing how big this huge geologic feature was! First we set up our tent at our campsite and then we hiked around the base of the tower. It was interesting how different it looked from different sides. While we hiked, we looked up and saw about 8 people rock climbing up the tower. I don’t think I have the strength, or the desire to do something like that.

After hiking, we went into Hulett for dinner at the Ponderosa and the meal was quite good. On the way back to the tower, we stopped and had an ice cream cone and bought some souvenirs. Then we returned to the tower to take lots more pictures! We saw the prairie dogs and it reminded me of the Whack-a-Mole game! Two were rubbing noses and I started singing Muskrat Love and got the giggles. At 9pm there was a ranger talk about porcupines which was interesting too.

What I Learned Today:

· The Devil’s Tower is more impressive in person than it is in pictures.

· The trees dropping all these white cottony stuff is cottonwood trees.

· There are rattlesnakes around Devil’s Tower (we saw one!)

· Watching prairie dogs is like watching the Whack-a-Mole game.

· Porcupines live in trees and their babies are born with quills which don’t get hard until they encounter air for a few days.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Devils Tower by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/8/11

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE.

This morning we went to Rocky Mountain National Park through Estes Park on the east side. We started off the day by hiking with the ranger at the Moraine Visitor Center. Then we tried to find some place to sell me a diet pepsi but nowhere around had any so we went back out of the park to McDonalds where I had lots of diet coke to wake me up.

Then we headed back into the park to the Alluvial Fan. It is as beautiful as I remember it! The water gushing down the fan was magnificent. This alluvial fan was caused by a flood in 1982.

After we left there we went to Sheep Lakes where it is known that sheep cross the road there. When we arrived, a sheep had just crossed the road and we were able to see it and take pictures of it! There are even volunteers who stop traffic and allow the sheep to cross the street safely. It was pretty exciting.

After that we drove around the park looking for more wildlife but eventually headed back to Fort Collins. We got back in time before the heavy rain. For dinner we stopped at the Hibachi Grill which is just like the one we have at home.

What I Learned Today:

· Ponderosa pine bark smells like vanilla.

· Alluvial Fans are caused by flooding.

· Sheep are nervous animals.

· Abert squirrels eat ponderosa pine parts.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Friends by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/7/11

2011-07-13T06:00:00.003-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE.

We started the day off with a self guided tour at NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research) in Boulder, CO. It was a nice tour but it involved too much reading displays. I had a little trouble focusing on the details but the displays were colorful I got a lot of web page links that I will have to check out and see if there is anything good to share.

Our next stop was at the Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder for a tour. On the way there, Don spotted a yarn store for me and I’m so glad we stopped there. I found the little tool that I had lost and the people there were very friendly! It was a huge store with lots of varieties of yarn and fiber plus a huge classroom for classes in knitting, crocheting, spinning, and weaving. After the tour at Celestial Seasonings, we sampled a few of the teas that I wanted to try. For lunch we ate at Pasta Jays in downtown Boulder which was excellent food for reasonable prices.

We tried to go to Coors in Golden for a tour but the line was over an hour long in the hot sun so we skipped there and went to REI in Denver. This was the flagship store and I enjoyed seeing the huge rock climbing wall in the middle of the store. After that we were going to go to Hammonds Candy for a tour but we never made it.

Since there was a lot of traffic, I drove all day which wasn’t a problem. On the way to the candy store though, I got on the interstate and we saw a sign stating that a $2 toll was coming up. Then I saw the HOV lane (2+) was toll free so I sped across 5 lanes and got in the HOV lane. As we traveled north, I noticed that we were passing the exit that I needed to get off at for the candy tour so we just kept going. Poor Don spent the day holding onto his door and “helping” me drive.

We arrived in Lafayette and shopped at a thrift store where I bought some glass sticks that would look nice with some shawls and also a metal bank. Then we parked downtown and walked through the Farmer’s market before it began to rain. At 6pm, we met Craig and Lisa for dinner at Efraim’s which was very good Mexican food. The chili relleno with rice and beans was only $6 and margaritas were $4. It has been seven years since we have seen them and we had a great time catching up on news.

What I Learned Today:

· White tea has more antioxidants than green tea but is milder tasting.

· White, green, and black teas all come from the leaves of the same plant. White tea leaves are the baby leaves during the first week of harvest.

· Healthy pine trees pitch out the pine beetles in their sap causing yellow popcorn shapes on the bark of the tree. If there is a drought and the tree doesn’t have enough water and sap, the beetles will attack the tree and kill it within a year.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).
Original Photo: Friends by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/6/11

2011-07-12T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE

Today we left Granby and headed to Fort Collins. I knew the day was going to be good when the first thing we saw was this beautiful hot air balloon.

Before we left Granby, I called the Lonesome Stone Fiber Mill to see if we could come for a visit. I learned about fiber fresh off the alpacas and llamas and saw where the fiber is processed into yarn. While we were there we saw superwash being put through the carder and being made into top. I also saw this huge spinning machine where the fiber is spun into singles. Then we saw the machine where the singles are plied together. I was amazed at this huge niddy noddy where the yarn is made into skeins. Outside the store was some yarn drying that had been hand painted. I also learned that I could buy my own alpaca and almost talked my hubby into buying one for me. But first I want to check with my friend Caron to see if this is a good deal or not. I could buy a male alpaca for $200 and then pay $1 per day to board it. The only extra cost would be vet bills if necessary. They would shear the alpaca and then process the fiber for me if I want. I think that would be pretty cool but we shall see. I did end up buying some fiber from her before I left.

Instead of going through the middle of the national park, we went north through Rand and Gould. We had beautiful views through the Poudre Canyon area. On the trip we saw some mule deer and some hawks.

Since we took our time enjoying the trip, we didn’t arrive in Fort Collins until 4pm. After a week away from a big city, the traffic was overwhelming again! After dinner at Five Guys Burger and Fries, we settled into our room at the Hampton Inn which is pretty nice.

What I Learned Today:

· It is good to stop at US Forestry offices to see what is available in the area.

· They use guardian dogs to protect sheep herds. According to the advisory sign, “try to outrun the dogs!” (And this is not a joke!)

· It is useful to ask locals where their favorite place to eat is rather than where they recommend for you to go.

· Usually waterfalls are beautiful sights no matter how much water is falling!

· Wifi on smartphones and Ipads are great until you can’t get a signal in the mountains. That is when it is good to have a GPS system in the car!

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Hot Air Balloon by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/5/11

2011-07-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE.

This morning we decided to head towards Hot Sulphur Springs and Steamboat Springs for the day. The drive over the mountains and through the passes was beautiful! Of course I kept having Don stop so I could take pictures. When we arrived we stopped at the Colorado Department of Wildlife office and were told about a beautiful waterfall in the area. We parked downtown Steamboat Springs and shopped at the F. M. Light store which reminded me a lot of our Mast General Store at home. There were signs along the highway coming into town that reminded me of the old Burma Shave signs (the ones I’ve heard about because you know I’m much too young to have seen the actual signs!). After shopping we had a wonderful lunch at the Creekside Café. I had a combo meal which was an Apple spinach salad with Green chili and ham stew. The salad was very tasty and the soup had a lot of heat to it but it was good too.

After lunch we went to Fish Creek Falls and hiked a few miles. The waterfall was an awesome sight! I guess because the snow is melting and there is a lot of water but that was something to see! I’m not sure the pictures do it justice but it was great to see in person. I’m really glad we took the time to see it and glad our annual national park pass covered the $5 fee.

On the way back to Granby, we decided to take a scenic route and went back a different way through Oak Creek to make a loop drive. We found out that Oak Creek was a small mining town.

By the time we got back to Granby, it was dinner time and relaxation time. Tomorrow we will head to Fort Collins, CO and working on a scenic route there. I think we won’t take the Hwy 34 through the park but may go north to Walden and through Gould. I’m not sure what we are getting into but it will be an adventure!

What I Learned Today:

· It is good to stop at US Forestry offices to see what is available in the area.

· They use guardian dogs to protect sheep herds. According to the advisory sign, “try to outrun the dogs!” (And this is not a joke!)

· It is useful to ask locals where their favorite place to eat is rather than where they recommend for you to go.

· Usually waterfalls are beautiful sights no matter how much water is falling!

· Wifi on smartphones and Ipads are great until you can’t get a signal in the mountains. That is when it is good to have a GPS system in the car!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Fish Creek Falls by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/4/11

2011-07-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE.

It was another day in Paradise! After breakfast we went back into the park and did some hiking. Eventually we headed to hike to the highest point in the park. At the top, we had to scramble over some rocks and it was a little scary. There was a metal marker that told you what you were seeing in the 360 degree view around you. While we were there we even saw a marmot!

On the way back down we met three older gentlemen who were in the park for a reunion. They came from Michigan, Alaska, and New Mexico. It was really interesting to talk to them and I couldn’t resist showing them my close focus binoculars. We enjoyed talking to them so much we spent a long time on the side of the trail having a wonderful conversation! While we were talking, a huge herd of elk passed by right in front of us! The herd was full of males, females, and babies.

When we left there we went to the visitor center and had a nice picnic at the back of our car. We pulled out our lawn chairs and ate sandwiches and chips. Then we did some shopping before heading back down the mountain.

On the way down the mountain we stopped at a few trailheads and did some hiking. We walked through some snow to Lake Irene and the view was beautiful. On the way back we came across a bunch of pikas (little rabbit like animals).

Eventually we made it back to town and grabbed a couple of subway sandwiches to eat in our new motel room at Littletree Inn in Granby, CO. It is a nice room with a king bed, fridge, microwave, TV, and wifi for only $59.

This will probably be posted on Thursday so the next update of our trip will continue on Monday. Please come back if you are interested in reading more!

What I Learned Today:

· There are no poisonous snakes, or poison ivy, or poison oak, or poison sumac in the park.

· Moose can be aggressive.

· Sun reflectors in the windows of our car while parked really help keep the car much cooler.

· Picnic lunches are fun!

· It is fun to meet new friends on the trail!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Lake Irene by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/3/11

2011-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE.

We had an awesome day filled with Ranger led activities! I would highly recommend you doing them in any national park that you go to.

First we met at the East Inlet and hiked with Ranger Kathleen on the Glimpse of Paradise Hike. It lasted until noon and we hiked past Adams Falls which was gushing with water. Along the way, we saw lots of beautiful wildflowers like arnica, paintbrush, penstemon, and wild rose. We also saw a moose along the trail which was exciting for everyone.

Then we went to the Visitor Center where we had a picnic lunch and then watched the movie about the park until our afternoon hike.

This time we hiked with Ranger Mandy and learned about the many blooming wildflowers. In fact, July is a great month to observe wildflowers. When you go to my flickr page of pictures, you will see many of the flowers that we saw.

After that hike we drove up the road and saw some more moose and elk. We saw 6 moose in all today! We also stopped at the Baker Bowen Trailhead and was disappointed to find out it was underwater. There at the picnic table were two US Forest Service guys with two llamas and one guy told me I could pet them but I declined. I told him that I was a knitter and maybe the llama knew it and would be offended. He immediately smiled and told me that he was a knitter too and then told me of a fiber mill called Lonesome Stone right in the town where we are staying. Their alpacas stay at this farm during the winter months. I was so excited! On the way back to the hotel we drove past the farm/mill to see the alpacas and llamas and I looked them up on the internet. I will try to give them a call to find out when their yarn store is open.

What I Learned Today:

· The wildflower Paintbrush is parasitic and eats the nutrients from the surrounding plants.

· Certain pine cones need fire to release their seeds and this might take 80 years.

· Fir has flat, friendly needles.

· Spruce has square, spiky needles.

· The Colorado columbine’s flowers and seeds are poisonous.

· The pink lines in the wild geranium are nectar guides for the pollinators.

· Arnica is found in pine forests.

· Fairy slipper or Calypso orchid is a rare orchid.

· Paintbrush is only pollinated by hummingbirds.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo: Mt. Baldy by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/2/11

2011-07-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

(For more pictures, click HERE. )

I’m still not used to the two hour time change so I was awake by 3am (my body thought it was 5am so it wanted to get up and do something!). I finally got out of bed by 4am and played on the computer until Don got up around 5:30 (local time). We ate a good breakfast at the Chuckwagon Café before heading out for a day of hiking.

Our first stop was the Coyote Valley Nature Trail but could only hike for a little while before we came to a “trail closed” sign because the trail was under water. The river seemed angry and overflowing so we headed back to try another hike.

Next we went on a Tundra Nature Walk led by Ranger Jan and I enjoyed seeing the wildflowers in the tundra. The views were awesome!

After we left there we had lunch at the Hidden Valley Picnic Area and then did the nature trail after lunch. By this time, it was getting pretty hot outside.

We left there and headed to Bear Lake and hiked around the lake. The last time we were there two years ago, we hiked in the snow and the snow was above the railings on the bridge. It was nice to enjoy the beautiful scenery!

Animals we saw today include moose, yellow bellied marmots, elk, squirrel, duck, and a stellar jay.

By the time we returned to our hotel after dinner, we were pretty tired! Tomorrow we have two ranger led activities in store for us.

What I Learned Today:

· Krumholz means crooked wood

· The fir on the tundra grows 1 inch each 100 years. The fir we saw were about 300 years old (the trunk was 3 inches in diameter).

· Use a copper penny (not shiny) beside wildflowers when taking a photo so that size can be recognized.

· Be careful hiking on ice and snow because it is slippery (I watched hubby do a fancy dance and couldn’t help laughing!)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photos: Slippery by Pat Hensley; View by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 Colorado– 7/1/11

2011-07-04T06:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July to all my USA friends!!

(For more pictures of our Great Adventure 2011, click HERE. )

We left Colby, Kansas and headed west. It really wasn’t too bad in the morning. We passed Goodland which boasts a huge Van Gogh painting that we saw two years ago when we were there. It was nice to see rolling hills in the distance as we traveled down the highway. We couldn’t believe all the traffic that we hit when we got to Denver and it wasn’t even rush hour!

Our first stop was Idaho Springs where we ate lunch. It was a cute little town! Then we headed up Hwy 40 to Granby which was a very curvy mountainous road.

We arrived in Granby a day early and The Trail Riders Motel (215 E. Agate Ave.) had our room ready for us and let us check in a day early. It was an adorable motel and I hate that we could only get 3 nights there (they were booked after that). The couple running the motel was extremely welcoming! Our cute room had a double bed, eating area, small fridge, microwave, desk and private bathroom plus free wifi. There was a little porch with white plastic chairs in front of our room that overlooked the main road and we enjoyed sitting out there watching the sun set. I would highly recommend this motel to people coming to the area! Not only was the motel clean and cute, but the prices were very reasonable!

After we checked in, we headed to the Rocky Mountain National Park and drove the Trail Ridge Road up to the highest point. Along the way we saw a moose and her two babies and lots of elk. The mountains still had snow on them and there were places that the snow was over our head! The views were breathtaking and hard to describe. After getting in and out of the car, we realized that the high altitude was going to give us some problems hiking if we rushed onto a trail, so we stayed close to the car and enjoyed the views. Tomorrow we will do some lower elevation hikes and continue to get acclimated to the altitude.

We had dinner at the Maverick Grille which was only two blocks from the motel and the food was great! Don had a beef chimichanga which he says was outstanding and I had the smothered chicken (smother in mushrooms, bacon, and pepper jack cheese) that I enjoyed also.

I look forward to doing some hiking in the park tomorrow!

What I Learned Today:

· It can be super hot at one location and a few hours later, I could be standing on a snow covered mountain.

· Seeing a mother moose with her two babies is really exciting.

· The views from the Rockies were amazing and hard to describe. Pictures just don’t do them justice.

· It is fun to stay at small “mom and pop” motels where guests can feel welcomed and appreciated.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo Rockies by Pat Hensley

The Great Adventure 2011 (Kansas)– 6/30/11

2011-07-01T05:00:00.000-04:00

For more pictures, click HERE. This morning we woke up very early and decided to hit the road before they even started serving breakfast. Of course that means we hit the Kansas City rush hour and construction on I-70. I had even forgotten that it becomes a toll road for a little while and cost us $2.50. Along the road we saw signs about a Cavalry Museum and decided to check it out. It was free and located on the Fort Riley army base. It was pretty interesting and had lots of interesting artifacts. The day got hotter and hotter the longer we drove west through Kansas. Eventually we stopped for the night in Colby Kansas and stayed at a Hampton Inn. While driving around to see the town, we saw a sign that said it was 111F. After dinner at the City Limits steakhouse, the sign said it was 115F!

What I Learned Today:

· Don’t be afraid to stop and check out museums along the way (especially if they are free).

· Don’t leave my pocketbook behind at McDonalds! (nothing was stolen, thank goodness)

· You need to drink more water when it is extremely hot outside.

· Gasbuddy.com is my friend when we are traveling! We saved a lot of money by checking this first.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo Temperature by Pat Hensley

Beginning of the Great Adventure 2011

2011-06-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

We left our home at 5am and planned on driving pretty far on our first day because usually hubby is hyped up on the first day. Leaving at that time was just perfect because we missed rush hour in all the major cities we went through which means we went further than we expected. We went through Asheville, Knoxville, Nashville, and St. Louis. After 12 hours of driving about 800 miles, we ended up in Columbia, Missouri for the night. When we checked into the Hampton Inn, we met another couple from Simpsonville (about 5 minutes from where we live). Dinner was pretty good at the Cracker Barrel right next door and then we just relaxed the rest of the evening. Tomorrow may be another long drive day.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Photo of St. Louis by Pat Hensley

Standing Indian Camp Out

2011-05-23T05:00:00.000-04:00

(If you want to see pictures of this weekend, click here: Friday and Saturday)

I had an awesome weekend camping with friends in NC. We got to the group site at Standing Indian campground first and set up our tent. Of course I forgot the batteries for the pump to blow up our air mattress so we headed to Franklin for supplies and lunch. When we arrived back at camp, the others had arrived and we did a short hike (4 miles) to Pickens Nose. At the end, we even saw some rock climbers as well as wildflowers. The rhododendron was in full bloom. We saw a junco nest on the trail under a step. It was truly amazing. I never knew birds built nests like that. Of course the views were breath taking!

Then on Saturday we did a killer hike (7 miles with 2000 ft. elevation gain) to Albert Mountain Fire Tower by way of Bear Pen Trail and Appalachian Trail. We met some Univ. of Georgia students who were taking a environmental class and they showed us a vireo nest in a tree and we all thought it was just blown debris. Amazing what I learned about birds this weekend. I thought I would never make it up to the fire tower and the last half mile was straight up hill and was almost rock climbing. I did finally get to the top of the fire tower and had a 360 degree view of the scenery and it made that miserable uphill worth it.

Flora and Fauna include:

1. Rhododendron

2. Junco’s nest with baby bird

3. Indian Cucumber

4. Yellow Star Grass

5. Trillium

6. Clinton’s Lily

7. Jack in the Pulpit

8. Mayapple

9. Ferns

10. Squaw root

11. Toothwort

12. Mushroom

13. Ladybugs

14. Vireo nest with bird in it.

There were 15 of us camping and I enjoyed being with them so much! Some of these friends I only see once a year at this campout so it is wonderful to catch up on news.

(crossposted on Successful Teaching Blog)

Original image: 'Rhododendron’
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23240330@N03/5748081706/in/set-72157626656446919 by: Pat Hensley

March and April Scrapbook Pages

2011-04-07T08:31:00.001-04:00

Here are the latest Scrapbook Pages posted in my Gallery at Digital Scrapbook Place

Memories

2011-03-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

After reading I Remember... from Sioux's Page, I just couldn’t pass up the chance to write about my own memories. It was almost bittersweet to remember how much life has changed since I was a child.

· I remember my family going to Jones Beach in NY and I was scared of the huge waves. My father picked me up and held me safely in the water. I trusted him and never doubted that I was safe.

· I remember never locking our house or car doors. No one would steal anything that wasn’t theirs.

· I remember playing jump rope with my friends and learning all the wonderful little rhyming songs that went with this.

· I remember playing jacks and being so excited when I moved up a level past my friends.

· I remember being so excited when someone bought a new refrigerator because that meant the neighborhood kids were given the huge box to play with. We would pretend it was a castle or a fort or whatever we wanted at the time.

· I remember playing in the neighborhood and feeling safe. We didn’t worry about creeps kidnapping us or doing even worse. Our parents knew we were safe and if anyone misbehaved, any parent could scold any child. If you were scolded, you never went home whining about it or your parents would scold you again.

· I remember going to an ice cream parlor was a special occasion such as winning an award or doing well at a music recital.

· I remember when gas was 35 cents a gallon, mailing letters through the post office was how we connected with others, long distance phone calls were very rare and very expensive.

· I remember knowing that if I got in trouble at school, I would be in trouble again at home.

· I remember walking to elementary and jr. high school because we attended neighborhood schools. Teachers lived in the neighborhood and shopped at the same stores the students did. Teachers and parents talked when they saw each other in the community so parent/teacher conferences were not a big deal.

· I remember neighbors coming over for coffee and cake regularly. We would also have barbecues where neighbors were invited. We had an active community which supported each other.

I think this would be a great exercise to do with our students. Have them write about the memories they have now. Encourage them to put this in a safe place. Encourage them to add to it five or ten years from now. It may amaze them how much the world has changed in their lifetime. This would be a great topic for students to discuss with their parents to see how much their world has changed.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Untitled'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94729981@N00/3203717279 by: Leanne

Happy Birthday to My Hubby!

2011-02-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

Today is my hubby’s birthday! He seems to not like his birthdays ending in 9s. When he turned 39, he was pretty depressed. When he turned 49, he was kind of grouchy. Yesterday when I discussed what we should do for his 59^th birthday, he got cranky. Any other birthdays has not affected him this way. He thinks I make too much out of birthdays. But I have to disagree. The alternative to getting older is death so I will celebrate each year that I get older.

Every birthday is a celebration of life! Each year we get a little older and a little wiser. We have had the opportunity to experience new things, capture new memories, and enjoy others more.

We enjoy our lives together and try to treat every day as special which is a good thing. But I think celebrating another year that goes by is also a special event and should be honored.

So happy birthday to my best and dearest friend, the love of my life! I celebrate the fact that you were born and that I get to share your life with you. I’m glad you are in my life and I hope that we get to celebrate many, many more of your birthdays!

cross posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Birthday Cake'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22998854@N02/2311733808 by: Theresa Thompson

Show Up for Life

2011-02-24T06:00:00.000-05:00

In Disconnect to Connect from The Thinking Stick, Jeff Utecht took students on a week long journey and students had to turn in all electronic devices other than a camera. He made his theme for the week: Disconnect to Connect. He shares,

“Each day after working on the project and teaching students we would come together to debrief about the day. I would lead the kids through the debrief session that went something like this.

Thoughts on Today
(Overall comments on the day, something funny a kid said, something you learned.)

A Moment
(I wanted students to reflect on a moment...one of those moments we have from time to time where you just step back and go WOW. I wanted kids to think about those moments, when did they come and what did they mean to them.)

A Conversation
(I gave them time to talk about a conversation they had with another student based on my challenge above. Who did they talk to, what did they learn?)

A Take Away
(Each night I would add my own observation of the day and try to send the kids away thinking about something. One night we talked leadership, one night team work and another night about the kids at the school and their lives.)”

What a wonderful way to connect with life! Maybe this is a commercial break from my usual blog posts but this really struck me as important. Not just in the classroom but in real life. How much of life do I let pass me by without taking stock of each day and appreciating it? Wouldn’t this be a good practice to get into on a daily basis? I think at times I do this when we do something special but not when I have ordinary days. Even the ordinary days should count.

I think it is important to show up for life and appreciate each of these things in every day. I want every day to have a Wow moment. I want to take time to have a conversation with others about my Wow moment. I want to learn something every day which is an indication that I didn’t waste the day because for me, not learning something each day is wasteful.

Do you take stock in your day? How do you show up for life each day?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Bedruthan Sunset_Z7717L'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21222992@N00/41648588 by: Barry

Scrapbook Pages Update

2011-02-19T08:07:00.001-05:00

I saw Monica’s post Scrapbook Saturday on her Daily Dwelling and I thought that was such a good idea that I would post my scrapbook pages too. Here are some that I did in January:

Carnival Fantasy – Nassau 1/31/11

2011-02-07T05:00:00.001-05:00

(For more pictures, click here .)

We arrived in Nassau but we didn’t get off the ship. We did watch the Disney Dream dock beside us and enjoyed looking at their really cool waterslide. Most of the day was spent relaxing. We sat by the pool and got some sun today but we didn’t do anything special. Don’s Ipod died and he forgot to bring his cord to charge it. Luckily we saw Rhonda and Helen and Rhonda had a cord for us to borrow. Roberta sent us a box of cookies which were delightful!

Dinner was really nice. Baris and Fatma and Alina (the hotel director) and the chef came to our table to visit. It was really nice. Then they felt bad that my food got cold so they had the servers bring out new plates for us when they left. After dinner we went to the deck party and visited with Sonny and Vicky from Birmingham, AL.

Carnival Fantasy – Freeport, Bahamas 1/30/11

2011-02-06T05:00:00.001-05:00

(For more pictures, click here .)

As usual, I got on the internet for 15 minutes and then walked on the treadmill for an hour before waking Don up. He was really tired this morning. We ate breakfast in the dining room and had a nice chat with Baris. Then we sat out on the deck for awhile and ended up taking a short nap before we headed into Port Lucaya. We were docked at Freeport Harbour and it cost $5 per person for the taxi ride to Port Lucaya. We walked around the straw market, saw the lighthouse, walked along the beach before stopping for a few beers at Rum Runners Bar (2 Coronas for $5). We at lunch at Unexso (2 grilled cheese sandwich plates with French fries and 1 diet coke came to $14.95). After one more beer at Rum Runners, we took the cab back to the harbor and walked around the straw market. Once on the ship we shared a pastrami sandwich from the deli and then it was time to get ready for the evening. We went to the past guest party and I had a nice chat with Fatma, Baris’s wife. Dinner was nice and after walking around the ship, we headed back to the cabin. When we got back to the cabin, we noticed that Don’s feet and legs were really swollen (like we noticed yesterday too) and we are a little concerned. When we get back into Charleston, we will probably call the doctor if the swelling hadn’t gone down. Then we watched the movie The Sorcerer’s Apprentice with Nicholas Cage which was a really cute movie.

Carnival Fantasy – At Sea 1/29/11

2011-02-05T05:00:00.001-05:00

(For more pictures, click here.)

It was a very relaxing day today. I woke up and went to the Lido deck and tried to get on the wifi but I couldn’t do it. Then I went down to the internet café and was able to connect. There were 3 pricing plans: 60 min/$24.00 or 30 min/$16.50 or .75 per minute pay as you go.

I’m glad that I bought the time though because when I checked my email, I found out that one of my rental houses was broken into and the refrigerator and stove had been stolen! Now we have to deal with that when we get home! But at least I’m able to stay in touch with my property manager.

Next I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill for an hour. I’m hoping this will help me from gaining so much weight on this cruise. There were lots of people using the treadmills while I was there.

By the time I was done, Don was awake and we ate breakfast in the dining room. After breakfast we walked around until it was time to hear the cruise director, Risa talk about the ports. When this was over, we walked around some more until it was time for lunch which we ate in the dining room. We sat with another couple from Easley and we really enjoyed talking with them. After lunch I entered the slot tournament but I didn’t get enough points to be a finalist. I will have another try on the last sea day. Then we went to the cabin to rest until it was tea time. Roberta sent us a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and they were scrumptious!

There was a nice tea in Cleopatra’s Lounge and I had a scone with my tea. We met another couple from Charlotte, NC (Nancy and Lee) and we enjoyed talking with them. By this time, it was time to get ready for the Captain’s celebration (met the captain and senior crew) and then dinner. I was really surprised to find that there wasn’t a full length mirror or a hair dryer in our cabin. Luckily I was able to get a hair dryer from the cabin steward and he said it was the only one that he had left.

We met the Captain and I even had a picture taken with him. We also met Baris’s wife Fatma who is the food and beverage director.

It was formal night at dinner and I love seeing everyone dressed up. It was really cute seeing the little girls and boys all dressed up. I had lobster and prime rib for dinner. Baris brought Fatma to our table for a picture. Another lady, Sandy (from Myrtle Beach) joined our table. She was all alone because her friend from VA who was supposed to come with her arrived at the port without a passport and only brought an uncertified copy of her birth certificate so they wouldn’t let her come. So, Sandy had to leave her behind and came alone so she didn’t lose her money.

After dinner we went to the show which was really cute. We sat next a nice couple from Birmingham, AL. She is a retired school teacher and he used to own a bunch of Baskin and Robbins. I wanted to go to the comedy show after that but it was packed and there weren’t any seats available so we just went back to our cabin for the night.

Carnival Fantasy – Embarkation 1/28/11

2011-02-04T05:00:00.001-05:00

(For more pictures, click here)

The shuttle was early and picked us up at 11:45. We got on board the Carnival Fantasy out of Charleston. This is my least favorite port of all time. The shuttle brought us to a drop off point where we had to stand in line for another bus to take us to the terminal.

Once we got on the ship, it was wonderful. Don loves the layout of the ship and I like the décor. We ate some lunch and got in our cabin at 1:30. It is a really nice cabin (M162). Then we walked around the ship until the safety drill. After the safety drill we walked around some more until dinner. We have a wonderful group of people to sit with every night (Ann from Augusta, GA, Mary from St. Louis, MO, James and Betty from Johnson City, TN, Rhonda from Knoxville, TN, and Helen from Jefferson City, TN). I will enjoy talking with them every night.

After dinner we walked around the ship a little while and went into the casino. I watched the craps table for awhile and tried to figure it out. It is fascinating to watch and I could hear it calling my name but I resisted. I was kind of tired so we called it an early night.

Charleston, SC 1/27/11

2011-02-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful day today. I picked up hubby’s prescription refill before we left town. It took us about 3 hours to get to Charleston and the first place we went to was a local yarn store called Knit (89 Wentworth St. in downtown Charleston). Of course I found some yarn I just had to buy and a book on sale. Hubby asked me what I was going to make with it and I said, “I don’t know yet!” He just doesn’t understand! Once I felt this yarn, it had to go home with me. After that we went to the Tanger Outlet mall to register our AAA cards for the year. Now any other Tanger Outlet mall we go to, we each get a $5 gift card. When we go to Myrtle Beach next week, we will go to 2 Tanger Outlet malls and so we will end up with $20 in gift cards. We ate lunch at this neat place called the Boulevard Diner in Mt. Pleasant. Don had spicy shrimp and grits ($10) and I had French Onion Soup ($5) and Spinach Salad ($7).

Then we hit 2 antique stores which made hubby happy. Don found some postcards and 2 pictures he liked at one store. I found 2 knitting books at the other store. Then we went to The Wreck in Mt. Pleasant for dinner. It is a little out of the way, nondescript place along the waterfront. The place doesn’t even have a name on the building so unless you know it is a restaurant, you wouldn’t probably stop here. It was a little pricey but it was good. I had crab cake on fried green tomato and Don had fried oysters and our bill came to $42.

Now we are tucked in at the Hampton Inn (on Sessions Way). The staff here is really great. When we arrived I was given a bag of chips and a bottle of water. When we arrived after dinner, we were given two chocolate chip cookies from Otis Spunkmeyer. Tomorrow the shuttle picks us up at noon to take us to the ship and our adventure begins!

Carnival Dream 12/11/10 (Week 2)

2010-12-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

Here is another slight diversion from Education. This is about our past week on the Carnival Dream where we visited Cozumel (Mexico), Belize, Roatan (Honduras), and Costa Maya (Mexico).

For more pictures, click HERE.

Embarkation

We were back on the ship by 9:45. Jan and Mike from dinner were also staying on the ship so we visited with them until lunch time. Our cabin was ready about 10:30 so I ran down there and unpacked. Jan and Mike had seen a manatee the week before so we went to the back of the ship to look for manatees but we never found any. We rested in our cabin about an hour before the safety drill and it really felt nice not to be rushed or feel like we had to go and see everything. After the safety drill we went out to the deck to watch us pull out of the pier but it was so cold we finally went inside. By then it was time to get ready for dinner. We are sitting at the same table with the same dining room servers which are wonderful because we really like them. Mike and Jan are sitting with us again too. Our new dinner mates are Rocky and his wife Joyce and their sister in law, Wanda from Southwest Virginia. Then Bob and Dot and their son Mark are from central Florida.

Day 1 Sea Day

My whole day revolved around eating! I was up early and had an omelet made for me on the Lido deck. When Don joined me around 9am, we went to the dining room where I had a poached egg, sausage, and hash browns. After breakfast we sat out on the deck and listened to the music. By then it was lunch so we tried the salads on the Lido deck before I tried the slot tournament. After the tournament we went to the dining room for lunch. After lunch, it was time for my second try in the slot tournament and each time I seemed to do worse. We walked around the ship before deciding to take an afternoon nap and ended up watching Oliver Twist on TV. Before long, we dressed to meet Captain Quierolo before dinner. We have sailed with him and Pierre the hotel director a couple of times before. After dinner we walked around and had an early night. The ship was rocking pretty good all day and night which is unusual because it is such a big ship.

Day 2 Cozumel

We were supposed to go snorkeling today but it was cancelled because the water was too rough and the winds were too strong. I’m glad they watch out for safety that way. Plus it was kind of cool outside so I was glad we didn’t have to go snorkeling. Next time we are here though, we won’t book a shore excursion because when we walked the 3 miles into downtown, we saw the place we would have gone. It was only about a 10 minute walk from the ship so next time we will go there on our own. We had a really nice leisurely walk into town and stopped at their 2 department/grocery stores and looked for yarn but really didn’t see any. I guess in the tropics, they don’t knit very much. Then we visited our favorite bar which is called Ambar and saw the old man that remembered us too. His jewelry store moved down the street instead of across the street from the bar, but he came to see us and talk with us. After drinking a couple of beers (coronas were $1 each), and eating Mexican burritos (one plate for $6.50 was enough for 2 of us), we shopped some more. When I had to use the restroom, the only one we found was a pay toilet so we headed back to the bar and had 2 more beers. I figured if I had to pay, I might as well get a beer for it! By then we were tired of walking and headed back to the ship but we took a taxi ($7 total for both of us). We had time for about an hour rest until we had to get ready for dinner. When dinner started, we left Cozumel. After dinner we walked around the ship and watched a break dancing show before heading back to our cabin for the night.

Day 3 Belize

Belize is our least favorite port and if we can avoid this port we will. Of course it is the fifth time we have been here so we sometimes have to be here whether we like it or not. We had to tender into Belize and it takes about a 15 minute boat ride because the ship anchors about 6 miles out from Belize. The only reason we got off the ship was so I could take a picture of Kaeli’s picture in Belize. We walked around the port shops and some of the stuff was higher than the prices on the ship. I noticed that in Cozumel too. Once we tried to walk out of the port area but the people started harassing us as soon as we stepped out. When Don told this guy about 5 times, “no thank you” and the guy kept harassing him, we decided to turn around and go back in the port. Then I saw a wood carver and I wanted to take a picture of him but didn’t want to interrupt him while he was in the middle of carving. He looked up and then I asked if I could take a picture and he started accusing me of taking one before asking and then wanted to argue with me. I just thought he was plain rude! So, I never took a picture and by then, I didn’t even want one. We decided it was time to return to the ship and I never spent a penny in Belize! When we got back, it was time for lunch and then we walked 4 miles around the track before going to the coed sauna. By then it was just enough time to relax before getting ready for dinner. After dinner we watched the movie The Clash of the Titans.

Day 4 Roatan, Honduras

We had a wonderful day in Roatan! At first, it was really cold. After breakfast we walked outside to watch us pull in the port around 9:15am but it was so cold that we put on long pants and a jacket. It was disheartening because we had paid for shore excursion to the Tabyana Beach. When we got ready to get off the ship though, it had warmed up and the wind died down so we went back to our cabin and changed back into shorts. Our ship docked at Mahogany Bay which is different than the last time we came because last time we docked in the town. Mahogany Beach was right within walking distance of the ship so I was sorry I paid $37 per person for Tabyana Beach. When we got off the ship we boarded a bus that took us on a 45 minute drive to the beach and it was a very nice ride. We drove through town and around the island so it was like getting a tour in addition to the beach. The beach was nice and we got lounge chairs which was included in our tour. We sat and enjoyed the beach and then decided to walk down the beach. On our walk, I looked down and saw something that had just washed up in the wave and was wiggling. It was a tiny seahorse! Don picked it up and showed children around us and other adults before putting it back in the water and saving its life. After that we ended up getting a “bucket” of beer (which was really a bag of ice and 6 local beers in the ice) for $20. Later when I got hungry, I bought 2 hotdogs for us at $3 each. We also bought another “bucket” and since they ended up running out of bags, they brought the 6 beers to us in ice but it was in the vegetable drawer of a refrigerator! About 3pm, we headed back to the ship and had time to explore Mahogany Beach. It seemed really nice and would not have cost us anything except chair rentals so next time, we will head to this beach. Some people paid for the chair lift but it was an easy walking distance for us over the bridge. We got back in time to get ready for dinner and then after dinner, we went to the magic show with Mike and Jan. The magic show was terrific and we all enjoyed it. Mike and Jan went to it last week and we didn’t but since they said it was so good, we wanted to see it. It was truly a wonderful day!

Day 5 Costa Maya

We arrived in Costa Maya at 7am but we didn’t get off the ship until 9:30. We decided to walk around the port shops before taking a cab to Mahahual. It was $3 per person on the way there but $2 per person for the ride back. The wind was really blowing hard enough that I put on a long shirt t-shirt. We walked up and down the small fishing village about twice before Don got up enough nerve to get a back massage. It was $20 for an hour and he said it was wonderful. I sat beside them and got a lot of knitting done. After the message we stopped at one place and had a couple of beers (Corona for $2 each) before returning to the ship. When we got back to the ship we had lunch and showered and by then we could watch the ship pull out of the port. We ended up on the Serenity deck (adults only and really nice cushioned lounge chairs) where Mike and Jan were. We spent the whole time visiting until it was time to get ready for the past guest party but we ended up skipping it because I went last week and it is the same thing every ship. Dinner was really nice but I’m kind of getting tired of all this rich food and I’m to the point that I’m not eating everything on my plate (which is actually a good thing since I gained so much weight). We skipped the show since we saw it last week and watched TV in our cabin. It was a better day than I expected because I’m not really fond of Costa Maya but I’m glad Don finally got the massage that he has talked about getting for years when we come here. The only bad thing that happened was that Don got hives on his back again and we think it may have come from the pressure of the massage. I hope they are gone in the morning.

Day 6 At Sea

Today we had a day at sea and didn’t do anything special. Don got up for breakfast and then went back to bed while I sat out on the deck and enjoyed the sunshine while I knit. Unfortunately the pressure of the massage caused his hives to appear on his back and shoulders so I think he was miserable. By the time he got up, he was better and it was time for lunch so we went to the dining room where I met curriculum specialist. I love meeting new people and finding those in education! After lunch we packed which really didn’t take long at all and then we both entered the slot tournament. But neither of us got into the finals. So, we went to the coed sauna again and just relaxed most of the day. Dinner was sad because it was the last night. We really enjoyed our dinner mates and servers. We gave our cabin steward (Bong) a box of SC tea as a thank you gift. After dinner we came back to the cabin and put our suitcases out in the hall and then watched the movie How to Train A Dragon.

Debarkation

First of all, we will never ever (I hope) book a cabin on the back of the ship on the 1^st floor ever again! As they prepared for the arrival to the port, the noise was terrible and we were up most of the night. Throughout the trip, it was pretty noisy. It was so noisy that we had a hard time hearing the TV. Of course, when you book it last minute, you get what is left but next time, we will probably leave this alone. We will try to stay in the middle or the front. We went to breakfast by 6am and then went to the Crimson Lounge where we were told to meet. Since we were Platinum members, we were allowed to leave right after the self assist people so by 7am, we were off the ship. I like claiming my luggage because it is like the airport conveyer belts so we quickly got our luggage and was on our shuttle to the hotel by 7:30. Our car awaited us at the Hampton Inn safe and sound. We really had a great deal by staying there because our room was $119 and the ride to and from the ship was free plus it included free 2 weeks of parking. We saved a lot of money doing that!

This week was a lovely week and for I’m glad the weather was sunnier than the previous week. I think we will try smaller ships from now on though because the lines were too long on the Lido deck at lunches and sometimes it was hard to find a table. The smaller ships seem more personal too. We hope in the future to try some Celebrity and Princess ships. I think we would also like to sail on the Carnival Legend which is one we haven’t done yet.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Pictures by Pat Hensley

The Gift

2010-12-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is the gift.

Challenge: If you could give one gift, who would you give it to and what would you choose?

If I could give one gift, it would be a cure for lupus and I would give it to my sister. She has suffered from this for over thirty years. This disease ended up killing my oldest sister and my mother died with it also. I feel so bad when I hear of all the medical stuff my sister has to go through but I’m glad it has kept her alive all these years. She is involved in the Lupus Foundation and walks every year to raise money so a cure can be found. My blood was even given to a research group to find out why I did not get lupus and if it could help in finding a cure. If a cure could be found and it would help her, that would be the greatest gift for both of us!

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'ready for the holiday'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77485110@N00/2069160530 by: Sarah Parrott

Understanding The Military and Special Education

2010-12-14T05:00:00.000-05:00

Recently we held our Passport to Success 2010 which is an event filled day of activities enabling students to receive information which will assist them in transitioning from high school to post secondary training or post school employment. I think it is a wonderful event which brings agencies and businesses together for the students and parents in one venue. In fact, I was thrilled to see some parents attend and get involved.

It was my job to invite vendors to the event and was thrilled that in our economic situation, that about 25 vendors decided to attend. The US Army Recruiting Office was one of those that sent a confirmation that they would attend. I was so excited to have them present because so many of our students ask about going into the military.

Yet on that day, two nice recruiters arrived to talk to me and said that if any of these students had “special education” in their records anywhere, the military would not accept them. I tried to explain that not all of the students in special education are developmentally disabled or physically disabled and that some may have minor disabilities that still enable them to attend college. They said that they understand that but that the military doesn’t offer any accommodations like the education system offers and would not take any student who received special education services. Of course, they asked me not to “kill the messenger” because they were just relaying what they were told to do. Then they politely left.

I can understand not wanting to have someone developmentally disabled or unable to control their behavior having a gun in their hands. I understand not wanting to have someone who can’t read or write or understand basic instructions because it would be too dangerous. But that is not everyone who receives special education services! Is this not discrimination?

What I don’t understand is who is lying? I know some students who received special education services that are serving in the military right now. I know their permanent records showed special education services because I have seen those records. I also know that they are performing well and in fact, moving up in ranks. Many current students know these people also and are getting mixed messages here. They don’t understand when some people are saying they can’t join and then others show they can by their actions. I’m not sure even I understand the right story.

I have had former special education students who are able to hunt and even provide food for their families. They have worked construction jobs and some have even worked on their own houses to provide shelter for their families. Some of my students are even quite adept at using computers and repairing them. For most of their jobs, they are required to prove competence and no one cares if they received special education services when they were in school. If they are incompetent, they lose their jobs and that is fair.

How can we deny these students the right to serve our country? Many people complain about our young people not appreciating our own country and then we treat the ones that do in this manner. I also look at the statistics and see how many people in our country have some kind of disability or another. Where will the military draw the line? Yesterday they were accepted but today they are not and tomorrow they might be?

I also think this is setting a precedent for students and parents to refuse the help that a school can provide. I think that many can struggle and possibly survive the school system without help but is that the best we can do for our students? I know that I have taught my students to find out what they need and what works best for them so they can apply it to their lives after they leave my classroom. Could this not also work if they chose the military path? What is the military so afraid of? I know the military came to our school and gave the ASVAB test so wouldn’t that rule out many who couldn’t pass the test? I believe that some of my special education students would be able to surpass some of the general education students in a physical test. Everyone who enters the military goes to basic training which would be one more level for students to show competence.

Is this a way to discourage students and parents from seeking special education services? It is hard enough for the students to face the stigma of having a disability but to me, this is just another insult. I spend hours and days telling my students that they have nothing to be ashamed of because a disability is not their fault. Yet, I feel that it is my responsibility to share this information with parents and students when they are considering special education services. Parents and students need to be given the whole picture and not find out until it is too late.

What do you think? Should this information be shared with parents and students or not? How do we prepare students who want the military to be an option when they graduate? Please share your thoughts.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'The Drill Instructor'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/46042146@N00/1052385311 by: Randy Robertson

Carnival Dream 12/4/10

2010-12-12T06:19:00.002-05:00

Last week we cruised on the Carnival Dream. We went to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. Here is my journal about our week on the ship. To see more pictures, click here.

Embarkation

We left on the Carnival Dream today. Embarkation went very smoothly. We arrived at the port by 10:30 on the shuttle and left our car behind at the Hampton Inn. I only hope that it is still there when we return. We were on the ship by 11am and eating lunch. While waiting for our cabin to open, we stopped for a bucket of bear (4 for $21.54). Our muster drill station was in the Encore Lounge and we didn’t need our life jackets but it was really hot in the lounge. After the drill we went up to the Lido Aft Bar but I didn’t see any of my cruise critic friends and we just watched our ship leave out of the Florida. It is always fascinating to watch us pull out of the port as the sun is setting.

Dinner was at 6 and we sat with 2 other very nice couples. Mike and Jan are from Minnesota and Don and Melissa are from the Villages in Florida (but originally from TN- Nashville area). After dinner we walked around the ship and enjoyed the music.

I am surprised how run down this fairly new ship looks already and the service has really gone downhill. We had always loved cruising on Carnival but now we are rethinking this. I think because the economy is down that they have had so many cutbacks that it is affecting the running of the ship. As a Platinum guest, I should be treated special when I am in line for things but basically I’m ignored and treated like any other guest. The stationery that they give Platinum guests used to be nice shiny paper and now it is cheap regular paper. Our cabin steward never did turn down our bed last night which is the first time that has ever happened. As we walked around the ship we saw lots of rust and disrepair. I’m wondering if we will see more ship breakdowns in the future. We are hoping we will not be sorry we booked this ship as a back to back because now we feel stuck on this ship where the service is not very good and it is looking in rough shape.

Day 1 Nassau

It was a really nice day. I was on the Lido deck and played on my computer before going back to the cabin to get my knitting and book. About 8am, Don joined me but I had already had an everything omelet. At 9am, we decided to go eat in the dining room so I had a second breakfast of French Toast (thank goodness it was a very small portion). I am trying to use the stairs in order to burn these extra calories I’m consuming but I’m not sure it is helping. I do know my calves are really sore and they say no pain no gain, so it must be helping! After breakfast we walked around the track and then used the coed sauna before finally laying under an umbrella until lunch time. After lunch we sat around the pool under an umbrella again so I did get some knitting done. We also went to a trivia game and walked around the ship. The Captain’s celebration was at 5pm and we met the Captain. We have sailed with him and the hotel director Pierre before. At dinner another new couple, Bruce and Pat joined us. We really have a great mix at dinner. We went to the “Get Ready” show after dinner and I was pleasantly surprised because it was better than I expected. We have been to so many shows that were the same thing but this one was different. The sets were different than we had seen and the dancers and singers were really good in this show. We will probably go to more after seeing this. Then we walked around the deck after the show but it was pretty windy so we ended up back in our room for the night.

Day 2 Sea Day

Another day in Paradise. Today we went to the Chef’s cooking demo which included big sample of the mushroom cappuccino, spinach salad with mushrooms, a chicken dish, and tiramisu. I also entered the slot tournament but didn’t even get a huge score. During the day the top of my right foot became so painful that I could hardly walk on it. At first I thought I might have a stress fracture but later when my left toes started cramping, I hoped it was just cramping. In the afternoon we went to the sauna and then I elevated my foot and took some aspirin so by dinner time, it was feeling much better. At dinner there were just four of us (Mike and Jan from Minnesota) and we had a nice evening. It ended with the juggling show in the encore theater which was very entertaining.

Day 3 St. Thomas

It was a relaxing day. Since it was overcast and showery, we did not go to the beach or snorkel. Instead, we walked around the mall right near the ship and then came back to the ship for lunch. After lunch we walked around the shops some more and found a cute bar that had a bucket of beers for $10 so we had a couple of buckets before coming back to the ship for dinner. The show was called Dancing in the Street which involved break dancing and some acrobatics which I enjoyed.

Day 4 St. Maarten

Since it was still overcast and showery, we didn’t go to the beach like we usually do. We decided to take a tour around the island. Near the ships were lots of taxis and the posted rates were $90 for 1-2 people so we asked a cab driver to take us. He tried to talk us into going with a bigger crowd for less money but we didn’t want other people with us so he tried to find someone else to do it. Don and I both got a bad feeling about this like we would be ripped off so we told him to forget about it. So, we took the water taxi into town ($6 all day long) and found a cab driver (Ramona) who took us on a private tour for $80. We had a wonderful time and she said she even preferred private tours because they were easier. After the tour we found our favorite bar on the beach called Caribbean Blend and had a bucket of coronas for $12. While we were there, Mike and Jan came by and joined us for a little while. Then we walked around town before coming back for a couple of beers. We ended up having the last 2 coronas they had. Then we took the water taxi back to the ship and met up with Don and Melissa. At 5pm, we got back on the ship and it was already dark. I think that is the latest we have ever returned to a ship because when we went out to look where we were after our showers, we were already moving away from the dock. We didn’t go to the show because I was exhausted so we had an early night.

Day 5 At Sea

We had a relaxing day and really didn’t do much at all. I entered the slot tournament again but had another really low score. I did get to finish knitting my second sock and I was really happy about that. Dinner was really nice again and it was formal night. We also had our laundry done today.

Day 6 At Sea

Today was the last full day on the ship. We went to the sauna again and that was nice. It was nice that it was coed and Don and I could go in together because I don’t like being alone in there by myself. The ship was really rocking today. In fact, for the first time, I saw barf bags available at each elevator. We packed our bags pretty early in the day and it was fast and easy because we know we will just be switching cabins. We didn’t even have to put our luggage outside of our cabin because our cabin steward would be coming in the morning to move them to our new cabin. After dinner, we stood around and had a nice visit with Bruce and Pat (from Maryland).

Day 7 Debarkation

We were up around 6am to gather our last stuff together and the cabin steward arrived at 6:30am to move our luggage. Then we spent most of the morning on the Lido deck waiting until 9:30 when we would meet the group of back to back cruisers and find out what we needed to do. At that time, Winston (a crew member) took us off the ship as a group and through customs. Then we went back up the escalator and back on the ship. This process took about 5 minutes.

All in all it was a nice cruise and turned out to be much better than it started which is a relief. It makes us not so anxious about the next week.

My DirecTV experience

2010-12-06T06:00:00.001-05:00

(Warning: Rant in progress!)

Every year I start my vacation on a bad note with DirecTV. I have been a loyal customer since 2006¸ paying almost $140 per month for this service. Keep in mind, I enjoy DirecTV and the programming we get with it but it is a luxury and not a necessity. When I called DirecTV to put a vacation suspension on my service, they say I need to have a zero balance to put this hold on my service. I just paid my bill in full on 11/19 and do not feel that I should have to pay the full amount in advance on 12/3 just to put a hold on my service. I feel this is a terrible way to treat loyal customers! It is not like I’m trying to get out of paying my bill because I pay my bill in full every month.

The first girl told me that it was impossible to do and got me her supervisor, Vanessa when I asked for her. She also told me it was impossible to do without paying the whole amount so I asked for my service to be cancelled. So, Vanessa passes me on to Solomon. We go through the same song and dance and I still feel that I am treated pretty shabbily when all I want to do is put a vacation hold on my service. I finally ask for the company president’s address and an email to file a complaint. Solomon gave me an address and told me to address to the attention of the “Office of the President” but would not give me a name (which I found out by looking at their website is Michael White, Chairman, President & CEO).

When I asked for an email address, he told me that he couldn’t give me a specific email address but told me to go through the following steps: Go to “DirecTV.com”, click on “About Us,” Click on “Our Company,” click on “Executive Team,” click on Executive Customer Care Contact,” then click on “Ellen Filipiak, Sr. VP of Customer Care.” Why did he have to go spend all that time when he could have just given me that final person’s name and email? I believe they hoped that I would be fed up and give up without cancelling my service! You would think that a company that can turn my service on and off by the touch of a computer should be able to handle this quickly and efficiently.

After all that, when I asked Solomon if he cancelled my service, he acted surprised, like he didn’t know that I still wanted to cancel my service. Finally, twenty minutes after I began this ordeal, Solomon says that he will put a vacation hold on my service but this is a onetime deal only. Again, I feel this is a terrible way to treat a long term customer and should not be made to feel like I’m begging for something that isn’t due to me.

I have to go through this ordeal every year when I want to put a hold on my service. Why do I need to have this aggravation when I start a vacation? I should not have to threaten to cancel my service in order to get good service.

When we return home, we plan to look seriously at this situation to decide if we want to continue with DirecTV. If they don’t value long term, loyal customers, there may a company out there that does want our business. Please let me know if you have a company you have had a lot of trouble with so we don’t put it on our list to consider.

Now it’s time to put this horrible experience on the back burner and go enjoy my vacation!

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Day 15--Frustration'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/58372737@N00/369649914 by: Brandy

My Years as a Student

2010-11-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is thankfulness.

Challenge: Our students and colleagues never knew us as children. What were you like at the grade you teach? What were your interests? Did you like school? Share a photo if possible.

I taught high school for most of my career so I will talk about my high school years.

During grades 7-9, I attended a junior high and high school did not start until 10^th grade. My oldest sister had died that summer and we were very close so this was a traumatic time for me. I was going to a high school out of my attendance area because my assigned school was so large that they had to hold 2 shifts at one school. Knowing that education was the only way out for me, I begged my parents to let me go to the school where my sister and her family lived which was about 5 miles away from us. I was able to take the public bus from my corner right to the high school and did that for 3 years. I know it was wrong to use my sister’s address but I was desperate. The school in my area was overcrowded and over run with gangs and drugs so I needed to get away from there.

It was very scary starting the first day at a new school but I was glad to see some people that I knew from my church youth group. They immediately took me under their wings and made my life so much easier. I ended up having a best friend, Bunny, who stuck with me all three years. Never one for cliques, I had many different friends from many different groups. I also became very involved in the drama club and worked backstage for every production that was done over the three years. And I remember being a “mathlete” and was part of a math competition team for our high school.

For some reason I had gotten further ahead of everyone and ended up taking all AP classes during my senior year. I took AP Calculus, AP English, AP Biology, and AP French and then was given an early dismissal since there was nothing else I could take. Since I planned on going to an out of state private college, I knew those AP courses would save me a ton of money so I studied furiously and passed all my tests with flying colors.

I felt very overprotected by my family since I was the youngest and was very determined to leave home and go very far away. I think I was so focused on studying and leaving town that I didn’t make a lot of deep friendships during high school. Even though I had many friends who were acquaintances, the only friend I stayed in touch with after high school was Bunny. Now that I look back, I guess I was in the group that would be labeled Nerds today. I wasn’t part of the popular group or any special group and stayed more to myself or on the edge of a lot of different groups.

I think that is why I understand students who don’t fit in with a crowd or are different. I remember being that student and how I felt. I hope my experience during those times can help a student who is going through the same thing.

Do you feel your experiences as a student made a difference in your actions as a teacher? If so, please share.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'the professor is six minutes late'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55779593@N00/127023370 by: Jonathan Pobre

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T06:27:00.001-05:00

Today is Thanksgiving Day!

I am thankful for so many things and that includes you (my readers) and I appreciate all your support and comments. Enjoy your day and remember to be thankful for all the good things that are in your life, no matter how small they may be.

Original image: 'Thanks for My Flickr Friends!'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24882165@N07/4102336245 by: John

Thankfulness

2010-11-18T18:14:00.001-05:00

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is thankfulness.

Challenge: During this time of the year everyone is taking time to be thankful. What is one thing you are thankful for and why?

I thought about this topic for awhile and wanted to write something interesting but something that I was truly thankful for. Over the years I have written the usual stuff because I am so thankful for my husband, my family, and my health. I thought this time that I focus on being thankful for something different (even though I am still truly thankful for the things I mentioned).

I am thankful for my curious nature. Of course this leads me to learning new things. Sometimes I am cautious to start something new but eventually my curiosity gets the better of me and gives me courage to take that first step. I tend to think about what is the worst thing that could happen to me if I try and usually the consequences are minimal.

During this year I learned how to:

1. Make collards and black eyed peas from scratch (Heard how homemade was better than canned)

2. Make a triangular lace shawl (I saw someone else do it and wanted to try)

3. Join and help in a community garden (My friend was involved and kept talking about it on facebook)

4. Make chocolate zucchini bread (Bought a huge zucchini at the farmer’s market and the lady gave me the recipe)

5. Spin my own yarn (I watched a friend do this in my knitting group and thought it looked fun)

6. Be a Master Naturalist (met a friend while we were hiking who told us about the program and how interesting it was)

I’m thankful that I’m curious or I never would have tried any of these things. I look forward to new adventures that curiosity will take me on in the future.

I believe we encourage students to be careful so much that we make them scared to try. When my children were growing up, I would tell them, “No.” “Don’t do that. You might get hurt.” “Be careful. You don’t know what might happen.” What if I stifled their curiosity and kept them from learning? I notice that as I get older, I give in to my curiosity more often. I wonder if it is because I have more experience in life and realize that being curious is okay, as long as I don’t put myself in dangerous positions. Maybe that is part of growing up. Maybe that is the real message that I need to share with my students.

What is one thing that you are thankful for?

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'curious roy'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035611977@N01/17200747 by: Stefano Mortellaro

Master Naturalist Class Day 12

2010-11-08T05:00:00.000-05:00

(For pictures, click HERE. Look for the totem pole picture!)

This was our last day of class and it ended at the SC Botanical Gardens. We started off the morning with Lisa Wagner, Education Director for the gardens. Then she took us on a tour around the gardens and even though it was raining, everything looked so green and fresh. Along the path we saw holly, gingko tree, ducks, camellia sinensis (used for tea), big leaf magnolia, sculpture over an old spring, cavities in a poplar tree, hardy cyclamen, In the classroom Lisa showed us seed pods and other plants. She also shared with us volunteer opportunities in the garden.

Then we had lunch provided by the Upstate Master Naturalist Association. The food and drink were awesome! After lunch we graduated and each one of us received a certificate and a wooden name tag. Then our leaders were given gifts of appreciation and filled the room with lots of laughter.

After graduation, we drove to the Cherokee garden where Karen explained the different parts and meanings to it. It was a great way to end the day.

I really enjoyed these 12 weeks of classes and will miss getting together with this group. All of my classmates were wonderful to get to know and I hope to see them at other gatherings and volunteer events. I am thankful for the leaders and organizers of the program who put in lots of hard work and time to make this program meaningful.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original picture: Group Leaders by Pat Hensley

Master Naturalist Class Day 11

2010-11-01T05:00:00.001-04:00

(For pictures, click HERE)

Hi! I’m Herbie the hiking boot and today we went to the Bunched Arrowhead Heritage Preserve. It is a really cool place in Traveler’s Rest, SC and I never knew it was here. This preserve is 178.7 acres and is the habitat for the Bunched Arrowhead, an endangered plant because of the loss of habitat for it to grow in. While we walked around, we had to watch where we stepped because there were lots of poop around (dog and coyote that we know of) and who knows what else! I sure hate when that stuff gets on me because it sure stinks. And usually the hiker doesn’t smell it because his nose is further away than my nose is!

As we stood there and listened to Ranger Tim, we overlooked a meadow area, sometimes called a prairie or early succession field or old field succession. There will be a lot of mineral soil if it was plowed a lot. First there will be herbaceous stuff like asters and goldenrods. Lots of spiders will mean prey there.

We saw a thin legged wolf spider with an egg sac. We also saw tons of grasshoppers. The pictures will show many things that we saw such as morning glory, partridge pea (yellow flower), mulberry, staghorn sumac, black walnut, wild plum, rabbit tobacco, Queen Anne’s Lace (seeds feed mice and other small mammals. They are white multiple flowers and in the centers are a deep red which looks like where Queen Anne’s head would be with lace around the neck. Queen Anne had been beheaded.), Mullen (very medicinal plant, used as an antiseptic for wounds), sycamores, persimmon, sweet gum, honey locust (big thorns, birds can use these to store and spear prey), devil’s walking stick, maypop, verbena, and ferns.

I learned that sweet gum trees attract songbirds so I guess they are useful, even though I hate walking on those darn balls! The balls are actually the female part of the plant. They have actually developed some sweet gums that are all males but research shows that areas with these trees have high rates of asthma due to all the pollen they generate.

It was really cool when we came across a newborn box turtle. We think we saw the hole that it must have come out. If you look at their bottom shell, females are flat and males have a concave indentation on them which is necessary for mating.

After lunch, we went into the forest and learned how to identify ferns using a key. Good keys use reproductive structures and physical characteristic because you might be looking at a fern when the reproductive structures are not evident. I learned the following terms:

1. Frond is the whole fern leaf.

2. Blade is the leafy part of the frond.

3. Stalk or Stipe is below the blade.

4. Bipinnate means that it is like a leaf on a compound leaf.

5. Pinnatifid means the leaves are not individual and are lobed like an oak leaf; not divided.

We broke into small groups and had to identify five different ferns which were: Club Moss, Netted Chain Fern, Christmas Fern, Ebony Spleenwort, and Southern Lady Fern. There are over 800 ferns in the world and 34 are found in Mountain Bridge Wilderness.

Two books that Ranger Tim recommended were Peterson’s Guide to Ferns and Fern and Fern Allies of North America (Smithsonian Press) by David Lellenger.

Then we went to the piedmont seepage area where we saw the Bunched Arrowhead. They were in the water and not blooming at this time but they bloom in the spring. We had to crawl under the barbwire fence to get to them. I guess that fence is too keep people away and I’m glad that no one used me to step on the fence so people could get through.

As we walked around, we saw lots of bluebird boxes and we saw one at lunch on a power line. Did you know that bluebirds can have five broods a year? Each time they have less and less eggs but usually have five or six eggs the first time. European starlings like their boxes too. Boy, if I saw a starling in a bluebird box, I would probably nudge it with my toe and scare them away!

We walked to the area where DNR holds controlled burns. It was filled with many different grasses. On the way back we walked over an earthen dam and looked down on the bladderwort in the water.

Then everyone saw a red shouldered hawk but I didn’t because I was too low on the ground and by the time I looked up, it was gone. But I did see the “black knot” on the tree which looks like dog poop on a branch. I will remember this because when they tried to identify the verbena, someone said it was “verbena on a stick.”

Well, it was a full day and by the time we got back to the cars, my feet were tired. I’m just glad my laces stayed tied (most of the time). Sometimes when they get tired, they tend to act up!

(Here is another example of using creative writing to share facts that are learned. Students can choose the item or you can assign an item. It would be interesting to have different items tell the same story because then you can talk about perspectives. Maybe a hiking stick or binoculars might tell a different story than the hiking boot did. Have you ever done this? Did it work? If so, please share your experiences.)

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Picture: Bunched Arrowhead by Pat Hensley

Lentil Soup

2010-10-16T17:46:00.001-04:00

My lentil soup was a hit! Hubby and I had three helpings.

Ingredients

5/8 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
3/8 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
3/8 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2/3 cup dry lentils
5 cups water
Diced yellow squash
Diced zucchini squash
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, stir in lentils, water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 30 minutes. Add squash. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Master Naturalist Class Day 8

2010-10-11T05:00:00.000-04:00

(For pictures, click HERE)

Natural Wildlife Trivia Game

Welcome! I’m Olivia Owl, the host of Natural Wildlife Trivia Game. Today our two contestants are Penny the Possum and Wilbur the Woodpecker. Each question is worth one point and each contestant will have a chance to answer the question. If they miss the answer, the other one has a chance to answer it. The winner wins a month’s supply of winter food (their choice). Now we did a coin toss and Penny will be going first.

Olivia: What spider lives in a home that has an opening with a hinge and usually found in the side of road beds?

Penny: A trapdoor spider.

Olivia: Great! That’s one point.

Olivia: What is the largest conservation tract in South Carolina?

Wilbur: The Clemson Experimental Forest

Olivia: Another point!

Olivia: What yellowish stalk is a flower and indicates that beech trees are growing near?

Penny: ummmm, Daisies?

Olivia: I’m sorry, that is not the correct answer. Wilbur?

Wilbur: Beechdrops!

Olivia: That is correct. Now Wilbur it is your turn.

Olivia: What are considered the giants of the forest?

Wilbur: Beech trees

Olivia: One more point.

Olivia: Penny, what is an evergreen ground cover with small red berries.

Penny: Partridgeberry.

Olivia: Good, one point.

Olivia: Wilbur, what is considered the rarest type of habitat?

Wilbur: oak hickory forest?

Olivia: No, I’m sorry that isn’t correct. Penny?

Penny: a meadow!

Olivia: Okay, one point for Penny.

Olivia: What 3 purposes does the Clemson Experimental Forest serve?

Penny: conservation, education, and recreation

Olivia: Great! One point.

Olivia: What kind of pine is good for paper and lumber?

Wilbur: Loblolly

Olivia: Okay, another point.

Olivia: What is the difference between white oak acorns and red oak acorns?

Penny: Red oak acorns have more tannin, more nutritious and are on the ground longer. White oak acorns have less tannin, less carbohydrates, but not as bitter as red oak acorns. Bears love the white oak ones much better.

Olivia: Another point for Penny.

Olivia: The Clemson Experimental Forest was 26,000 acres. Now it is only 17, 500 acres. What happened to the missing acreage?

Wilbur: It is under Lake Hartwell.

Olivia: Another point for Wilbur.

Olivia: The Clemson Forest is broken up into how many parts?

Penny: 2 parts – The North part and the South part.

Olivia: one point for Penny

Olivia: Pine needles grow in bundles called what?

Wilbur: Fascicles

Olivia: one point for Wilbur.

Olivia: Name species that are making a comeback?

Penny: Bald eagle, wild turkey, white tailed deer, beaver, river otter, and black bears

Olivia: Great job! One point.

Olivia: How much were turkeys sold to other states?

Wilbur: $500 for each turkey

Olivia: Great! I wish I had turkeys to sell!

Olivia: What are some common characteristics of an old home site in forests?

Penny: rock piles (usually from the chimney or the footing of the house), daffodils, in the winter, it looks like a mowed lawn, and black walnuts.

Olivia: Good. One point.

Olivia: Why did people plant black walnuts?

Wilbur: For food and dye. And the chemicals in the walnut trees poisoned the area so no other trees could grow.

Olivia: Good.

Olivia: What is the Firewise Program?

Penny: a program to educate homeowners how to prepare for and prevent wildfires in their communities.

Olivia: Good!

Olivia: How many freshwater fish species are there in SC?

Wilbur: 150

Olivia: Great!

Olivia: How many species of crayfish are there?

Penny: 36 and 9 of them are found exclusively in SC.

Olivia: Wonderful!

Olivia: What book did the Stream Team recommend to their audience?

Wilbur: Freshwater Fishes of SC.

Olivia: Good.

Olivia: Well, that ends our game. It seems that we have a tie and we need to have a tiebreaker. Whoever buzzes in first, and answers the question correctly, wins our game and a month’s supply of winter food. What fish is on the forty five cent US postage stamp?

Wilbur: (buzzes in first) The Pumpkinseed Sunfish!!

Olivia: Wilbur wins! Congratulations Wilbur!

Hope you enjoyed our nature trivia game. Hope to see you next time!

(I think putting facts and information in a game form really helps students learn the material. If the facts and information is just given in a list, many students will become bored with the information. Students can be individual contestants or you can put them in teams. I think that many students are naturally competitive and will help their team members learn the material so they can win. You can have a trivia contest like this. Or put the answers on a bingo card and then ask the questions. If they have the right answer, they mark out the answer. There are many ways to play games in order to review information given. If you have any other suggestions for games, please share!)

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Photo credits:

Original Picture by Pat Hensley

US Postage stamp of Pumpkinseed Sunfish

Master Naturalist Class Day 7

2010-10-04T05:00:00.000-04:00

(For pictures, click here.)

LAKE EDUCATION – An acrostic poem

Look at fish in the lake like threadfin shad, shellcracker, blue gill, warmouth, sunfish, bass, catfish, carp

Animals like beavers chew up many of the trees so protection like drain tiles were put around the trunks.

Know Grimes Stress/Disturbance Model for Plant Distribution (handout)

Erosion of sapprolite is faster than compacted clay.

Elderberry, silky dogwood, buttonbush, willow are good for live staking. Cut off at least 3 nodes, push 2 nodes in soft soil with one node out.

Dendritic – arms that come in on a linear form; tributaries come into the reservoir. Man made lakes are dendritic.

Understand how storm water affects our water supply; run off may have pesticides, fecal matter, automotive oils, fertilizer, trash that pollutes our water

Cove gets sandy as points are grinding down; eventually smooth out and become straight but not in our life time; greener shores

A trench is dug, filter fabric laid and rip rap is put down to help stop the waves from eroding the shoreline.

The DNR stocks the lake with hybrids and stripers for recreational purposes.

Invasive species like Japanese honeysuckle can take over.

Open water distance that wind can blow is called fetch; where wind hits there is more erosion and waves cut into the toes of upland soils; eventually causes caves to form.

Native plants, switchgrass, maidencane, buttonbush, river birch, meadow beauty, bald cypress, alders, sedge willow, elderberry, silky dogwood, native hibiscus, tupelo tree were seen along the shoreline.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Nature’s Villains and Heroes

2010-09-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

(For pictures: click HERE. For video of Ranger Tim talking about turkey vultures: click HERE.)

Hello everyone. I’m Olivia the Owl coming to you from National Wildlife Radio. If you missed our weekly show last night, I’m posting the transcript of the interviews that took place. I had a wonderful time interviewing many villains and heroes that you might encounter in nature. I hope you enjoy them. Stay tuned next week because I will have another great show!

Transcript:

Olivia: Welcome to the National Wildlife Radio. Tonight I will be interviewing a lot of interesting guests who have an impact on the world around us. Our first villain tonight is Wilma the Wooly Adelgid. Welcome Wilma!

Wilma: Thank you Olivia for having me here tonight. You picked a great time actually because I had just finished some tasty hemlock when you called me.

Olivia: Hmmm. Yes, well, Wilma, please tell us more about the wooly adelgid and your life. Our guests are very interested in why you are destroying their forests.

Wilma: Well, I don’t really consider it destroying because I see it as my way of life. I don’t mean to be the villain because I can’t help it if I love those hemlocks! First of all, let me tell you how we arrived here. My ancestors arrived in the 1950s in the Shenandoah Valley on ornamental hemlocks from Asia. They loved it here so much that they headed north and spread out. Of course, they didn’t get really established and noticed until the 1980s when we started cleaning out all of the hemlocks in our path. We lay eggs in this wooly waxy stuff to protect them. If something tries to eat them, they will spit them out. We can lay two generations of eggs in five months around March to May. In June and July the eggs are laid but stay in hibernation. By the end of November, those developed from larva become adult and start feeding. Temperature drops, light changes, moisture changes are signals to become adults and begin feeding so more eggs can be laid in March.

Olivia: How do you move from tree to tree?

Wilma: We move on small mammals or catch a ride on the wind or raindrops. Sometimes birds will give us a lift without knowing it too. Of course we don’t let them know we are catching a ride because we are usually eating away their home.

Olivia: So, you think that you cannot be stopped. Is that true?

Wilma: Yes. Scientists are introducing some beetle from Japan that will take us out but we will find ways to outmaneuver them. Our families are banding together to find a way to wage war against them and no one will know how we will do that.

Olivia: Well, thank you Wilma for coming on our show. Hopefully one of our staff will show you out. (whispers: And hopefully that beetle from Japan is waiting for you outside that door!) Our next villain is Cindy the centipede. Welcome Cindy!

Cindy: Thanks Olivia. I’m glad to be here.

Olivia: Tell us about your day yesterday. You had some excitement?

Cindy: Oh yes. Ranger Tim brought a group of students out to find invertebrates on the forest floor. They sifted through the leaf stuff on the ground and found lots of interesting things such as ants, spiders, millipedes, snails, slugs, worms, red velvet mites, yellow jackets (and their nest), and earwigs.

Olivia: It sounds wonderful. Now, would you tell us the difference between you and a millipede? You both look so much alike to me.

Cindy: Well, centipedes are venomous and we kill our prey. Plus we have one leg per segment. Millipedes are poisonous and have 2 legs per segment.

Olivia: Well, thanks Cindy for being here today. One of the staff will show you the way out. And please don’t kill Millie the Millipede. She is quite frightened of you. Now our next guest is a good friend Teddy the Turkey Vulture. Some people think he is a villain and others think he is a hero. Hello Teddy!

Teddy: Thank you Olivia. I’m so glad to be here. Yes, some people feel that I’m a villain because I’m not as pretty as other birds and because I find eating dead stuff delightful! Hmm, is that a dead rat over there in the corner?! Oh, sorry, I get so easily distracted.

Olivia: Ummm, oh yes, well Teddy, let’s leave lunch for later, okay? Will you share with us some information about the area where you live?

Teddy: I live in the Blue Ridge Escarpment which is an abrupt change in elevation from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the piedmont. As the temperature changes, so does the flora and fauna. Moisture increases. Right now in the fall you will see a lot of blooming asters including White Snakeroot, New England Asters and Goldenrod.

Olivia: It seems like there are a lot of visitors at Caesar’s Head State Park right now. Can you tell us why they are there?

Teddy: Yes, they are there to see the Hawk Migration and many are volunteers to count how many hawks go through here.

Olivia: And how do you feel about this hawk migration?

Teddy: Well, a lot of us local birds have mixed opinions. Many feel aggravated because these hawks come in and take over the best homes and eat a lot of the food that is available. In fact, some may even bully the locals and eat them for dinner. The songbirds usually fly about early in the morning before the hawks get lively so they don’t get eaten. Others like me are just used to this happening and don’t let it bother us. Usually during this time, I find lots of extra food and even invite the relatives to visit to help eat on the buffet.

Olivia: Why do these hawks come here and how do they know where to go?

Teddy: This area is famous for the thermals that occur and make it easy for birds to get lift in order to fly longer distances. In fact, this area is well advertised in many of our aviary travel magazines! It is kind of nice to live in a tourist attraction I guess. Now, when migrating, the hawks have an internal compass, use the sun and light, as well as follow their buddies so they know which direction to go. Of course the ones that are too old, too sick, get lost, or give up and die become dinner for me! Yummy.

Olivia: Well, we appreciate the information you gave us Teddy and we hope to see you again soon (but hopefully not as dinner). Now our last guess is Penny the Praying Mantis. Hello Penny. Where did you encounter a group yesterday?

Penny: Hi Olivia. The same group that Cindy saw came over to Bald Rock Heritage Preserve to look at the area. I guess I surprised them when I hopped on Ranger Tim’s shoulder to get a better look at what he was talking about.

Olivia: Oh, and what did he share with the group?

Penny: He showed them different types of lichens (crustose, foliose, fruiticose, squamulose), citrus grass, and Appalachian Fame Flower. The group seemed very interested in the things they saw here. Of course some were fascinated by seeing me even though I’m not native to this area. Ranger Tim was glad that I wasn’t choosing him for a mate since I’d have to kill him! LOL

Olivia: Yes, I’m glad you didn’t have to kill the ranger Penny. Rangers are our friends and seem to understand our role in nature. I’m sorry to say we have run out of time for this show. I want to thank all of our villains and heroes for joining us. And until next time, have a great week!

(Having students act out different characters is a great way to learn information. Writing the character’s script would be a great way to improve reading and writing as well as integrating content. Have you ever done this with students? If so, how did it work? What advice would you give?)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original photo by Pat Hensley

From the Diary of Darren the Daddy Long Legs

2010-09-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

For pictures, click here.

What a day I had today! I saw Ranger Tim heading down the trail with another group of “students” and I knew today would be interesting. I love when he brings groups here to Jones Gap because I get so learn so much from him. Of course my mom and dad worry about my adventures but they don’t mind when I come back and tell them how much I learned. When I get back home, my mom makes me write down everything in my diary so I won’t forget. They are just afraid that someone will decide I’m dangerous and step on me. So, today, I hitched a ride on Ranger Tim’s clothes because I knew he wouldn’t hurt me.

Here is what I learned today:

1. Private citizens formed the Mountain Bridge Wilderness and Naturaland Trust was a big part of this.

2. From 1931 -1963 trout were raised here.

3. Before then, this was the major thoroughfare from Greenville to North Carolina and it was the Solomon Jones toll road. Carriage with two horses paid a dollar but pedestrians paid a penny. Folklore says that Solomon Jones let Suzy the pig loose at the bottom so he would find the easiest way to home and food. That is how he knew how to make the road.

4. The Blue Ridge Escarpment is in NC, SC, and GA.

5. Jones Gap is in the top 5 ecological hotspots on the planet according to the Nature Conservancy.

6. Islands in the sky refer to the tops of mountains; certain organisms can’t survive in warmer climates so they move up in elevation.

7. Greatest diversity of salamanders in Appalachian Mountains because of islands in the sky.

8. A cove is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains; one way in and one way out.

9. The overlapping communities are what give the diversity.

10. The weather station behind the building is part of a microclimate study.

11. Jones Gap has an east west orientation. It has the same climate as Pennsylvania. Northern species growing right beside southern species.

12. Hurricane Ivan hit in 2004 and toppled trees on one side of the cove.

13. Beechdrops (Epifagus) – feeds on roots of beech trees

14. Beech trees are near water and have coppery leaves in the winter.

15. Pines and evergreens cause the soil to be too acidic for salamanders.

16. Green salamanders love beech trees because smooth trunk allows lichens and mosses to grow.

17. Holes in rocks due to drills for blasting. Due to erosion, soil is lower than the rocks.

18. Broad beech fern grows near beech trees; one stem and triangular in shape.

19. 5 distinct layers in this forest: canopy, understory or subcanopy, shrub layer, herbaceous layer, and forest floor.

20. Canopy gaps allow sunlight to reach forest floor.

21. Jones Gap is a young forest because a lot of the timber was used in the 1940s.

22. Fraser Magnolia or mountain magnolia – lobed on the bottom.

23. Deciduous magnolias – Tulip Poplar, Cucumber Magnolia, and Fraser magnolia

24. Maple Leaf viburnum – has a maple leaf and several stems and is not a tree

25. Sweet shrub – repeating pattern, opposite leaves, drip tip, entire seed pod stays on most of the year, mice feed on seed pod, shiny leaf (aka boobybush; blooms same time as service berry)

26. Saprolite is chemically weathered rock. This is where we get our sand from and why it is not the fine sand found on beaches like FL.

27. Bears – like tree cavities; dens that are tight and not wet.

28. SC black bears do not hibernate. Females that are giving birth will den and if it is cold, males will den.

29. Copper Button – terrestrial snail and are left handed

30. Chestnut Oak has white meat acorns. Red oak has red or orange acorns due to the tannic acid

Oh, now Ranger Tim is talking about me! He mentioned about how I like to use my 2 legs as sensory tools to check out my environment. I’m so glad he told the people that I was not poisonous because then they would get sick if they touched me. Then people think I’m venomous but that isn’t true either because I eat dead stuff. What would I use the venom for? I hate carrying stuff that isn’t any use to me, so I’m not dragging venom around with me, that’s for sure! I also don’t build a web but I harvest my food. And I do bite so you might feel me nibble on you a bit.

Okay, now back to my notes…

31. Jones Gap is a natural cold water habitat.

32. There are 4 major watersheds: Savannah, Santee, Pee Dee, and Ace Basin

33. Jones Gap is the water shed for the Middle Saluda.

34. Santee is the largest watershed in SC.

35. Santee Delta is the largest delta on the eastern seaboard.

Now it was time for the water fun. Ranger Tim pulled out the minnow traps and some fish to show the group. There were the 2 most common minnows: Yellow fin Shiner (males have red fins; during spawning, males are bright pink) and Blue headed chubs (builds the rock nests that the shiners use; black spot on back fin, clear tubes by eyes, during spawning, slate colored heads). The mouth shape indicates where they feed so bigger lower jaw means they eat above them and bigger upper jaw means they eat below them. He also showed a crayfish which has gills near its abdomen, pink due to iodine.

Then I got to watch the groups of people play in the water. They were looking for some of my friends under rocks to look at under the microscope. Others were testing the temperature and the turbidity.

When everyone returned to the lab, Ranger Tim put my friends under the microscope so the class could see them better. They were like TV stars as they showed up on the HDTV screen. The class saw a water penny, mayfly nymph, stonefly nymph, gilled snail, caddisfly larvae, caddisfly case and a crayfish and it was so cool to see everyone up close and personal! I can’t wait to tell my friends that I saw them on TV but I wish they could see this too. Of course, I’m sure they were scared because they didn’t know what was happening to them and they were afraid they wouldn’t get to see home again. But I could have told them that Ranger Tim would take care of them and not hurt them.

After that I had to leave so I wouldn’t be late for dinner. I also wanted to rush out before the class so no one would accidentally step on me. It was a lot of fun and I learned so much. Next week they will go to Caesar’s Head State Park. I wish I could go with them.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Visiting Boris the Bat

2010-09-15T05:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome ladies and gentlemen. My name is Boris and I want to welcome you to my humble abode, the Stumphouse Tunnel in South Carolina.

I have lived here for a few years with many of my family and friends. As you can see, it isn’t very fancy but we love it here. It stays a pretty constant temperature here and protects us during the winter. I’m so glad someone put up that gate even though you may find it frustrating. It was really upsetting to us when we kept having uninvited guests who just walked into our homes uninvited and thought we should stop our regular routine and entertain them! Now we usually go in and out the back door where people can’t disturb us.

I would like to share with you some information that is scaring me and the others who live here. Just like in your world, you worry about cancer and AIDS¸ we have something called White Nose Syndrome or WNS. My wife Natasha was diagnosed with it. First we saw white stuff on her nose, then ears and then wings. She started to drive us crazy because she wanted to fly outside in the daylight instead of sleeping with the rest of us. When she left, she would whoop and holler so the rest of us would wake up. I don’t know when she became such a party animal but it was sad. Instead of resting in the winter when we were supposed to hibernate, she wanted to go out and party. Those that do that rarely lived long. She lost more and more body fat until she couldn’t survive any longer and we lost her last year. We had hoped to have another child this year but then she became afflicted with this disease. My son and I miss her very much even though we had only been together for two years.

We appreciate all the researchers trying to find out what is causing WNS and trying to help keep it from spreading. We hope that they don’t give up on us. They have come up with some ways to hopefully keep the disease from spreading. Since they aren’t exactly sure how it is spreading, they are asking anyone who visits a cave, not to bring anything in it that has been in another cave in the past five years. One lady today had paper booties on to cover her shoes (wasn’t she thoughtful!). All of the people had the flashlights in Ziploc bags so they could throw them away when they left. Their clothes could be washed and disinfected. According to some government paper, they found some chemical products that kill the spores such as:

“1. Lysol® IC Quaternary Disinfectant Cleaner (0.3% quaternary ammonium compound minimum) - 1 part concentrate to 128 parts water or 1 ounce of concentrate per gallon of water;

2. Lysol® All-purpose Professional Cleaner (0.3% quaternary ammonium compound minimum);

3.Formula 409® Antibacterial All-Purpose Cleaner (0.3% quaternary ammonium compound minimum);

4. A 10% solution of household bleach - 1 part bleach to 9 parts water (an estimate of 1:9 is insufficient);

5. Lysol® Disinfecting Wipes; or

6. Boil submersible gear in water for 15 minutes”

There is an organization that seems to be helping bats called Bat Conservation International that has some interesting information. You can also google “white nose syndrome” if you want to know more. Unfortunately we don’t have any computers here in the tunnel but we hear about these when there are educational groups brought into the tunnel. You see, my ears pick up on lots of neat stuff since we use echolocation to get around. So, if you have any secrets you don’t want bats to know, don’t say it anywhere near them. But at least we don’t go spreading any gossip!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my home. Please spread the word to your friends about our cause. Explain to them that we love to have them visit and learn more about us but we would appreciate if they could take whatever precautions are necessary to ensure our survival. On this earth, we all have a specific purpose and we need each other. Thank you!

(If I did this lesson, I would have some kind of stuffed animal or prop that is a bat to talk to the class. Sometimes students are more motivated in hearing facts and information this way rather than just a dry lecture. I actually found a pattern to knit a bat for this kind of lesson: Boo the Bat and Flippy the Bat. It would be a great lesson to use in October.)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: Little Brown Bat by Gare and Kitty

Master Naturalist Class Day 4 Part 2

2010-09-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

For pictures, click HERE.

(This is part 2 of last week’s class. Check out yesterday’s post for Part 1)

After lunch, Dr. Rob Bixler (PRT professor at Clemson University) met with us. He helped us learn how to be an effective interpreter.

Interpretation – make things clear.

We have a recreation and leisure activity which is more of an experience rather than a program.

We need to create wonder about every day nature.

Get kids out being observant.

Early times, nature was very important and part of the curriculum. It was the dominant aspect into the curriculum until the 1930s.

Then cultural decay began because it wasn’t being reinforced any more.

Rachel Carson – mother of the modern environmental movement.

Environmental issues and studies became more important than nature study.

Decline in membership of conservation organizations.

Fewer students interested in natural resource careers

Public programs – self selected; people choose to come to these.

Don’t think too scientifically. Figure out ways to connect science to history or culture or pop culture or humanities.

Bring in special people.

Look for humor.

Use poems or music lyrics.

Sensory analysis is important (hearing, smell, touch, see – don’t use taste with young children)

Demonstrations are memorable

Gestures

Look at other cultures.

Go to a local history society for more information.

Look for old, old books

Go to internet forums

Find famous people connected to your topic.

Interpretation does not mean interpret-torture!

People’s time is precious. They are taking a risk to come to a public program.

Vogel State Park has an “Ask a Naturalist” program

Encourage audience participation. They can identify with the information and feel good about adding to it.

Be early, clean and neat, start on time. Start off with general information, getting to know others for the first 5 minutes in case anyone is late.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

· Make sure they are comfortable. Make sure they know what to expect.

· Check safety and security. Make sure they are appropriately dressed for the activity.

· Develop a rapport.

· Recognize someone’s contribution.

Have a Theme statement.

The program does not need to be long and can be informal.

Mechanics of leading a hike

1. Walk past key thing and stop group, then walk back to it so you and key thing is in the middle.

2. End with conclusion; restate theme and subthemes.

3. Don’t end in view of the parking lot.

4. Make yourself available for informal interactions after program ends.

Questioning: Use open ended questions; only ask recall questions about information that you spoke about

Planning is essential! We were given a worksheet and we wrote down a topic and theme. Then we looked at different ways to promote the theme. These include alliteration, exclamation, metaphor/simile, limerick, rhyme, word picture. Don’t do more than one or it will be annoying.

Work with other people. Share ideas.

Look at YouTube videos: search for Piaget + conservation

Young children do not understand cause and effect; multiple relationships. They are very sensory oriented. They need to see, touch, hear and smell. They have trouble with zero.

If you can’t directly experience it, do not talk about it.

Young children do not understand how to ask questions; keep it concrete, simple, and sensory rich.

Group size – 1^st through 3^rd grade is usually best to have no more than 6 with a parent.

You need a finale! You want to get people back. You want them to be talking about this at home. Every program needs to end with a “what next.”

Sharing nature with other people is important to do!

Many of these techniques are ones that should be used in the classroom also. Planning is important because you need to make it worthwhile for people to invest their time in an activity that you do. It is important to engage the audience. If the audience is engaged, there will be less opportunity for misbehavior. Of course we want to tempt them so they want to learn more. I have attended many ranger led activities where I was wishing this person would have a “part 2” of their talk because they were so interesting. Whether you are in a classroom or leading an interpretive experience, the same should apply.

For our next class we will be at Jones Gap State Park and do some water activities. I’m really looking forward to this!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Master Naturalist Class Day 4 Part 1

2010-09-13T05:00:00.002-04:00

For pictures, click HERE.

I took so many notes for the last class that I am actually going to make this a two part blog post. This is part one and part two will be posted tomorrow. I didn’t want to overwhelm anyone with all this information so I felt it would be better to split it all instead of putting you to sleep. Hope you enjoy it.

First we met at Stumphouse Tunnel where we met Mary Bunch, the wildlife biologist with DNR. She suggested that we take this picture and turn it upside down so we look like bats.

Here are some bat facts that I learned:

1. White Nose Syndrome (WNS) – could be killing the bats, yet it is not invasive, not getting in external organs.

2. Afflicted bats cannot break down chitin (exoskeleton of insects)

3. WNS optimal growth 5°C - 10°C; marginal growth 15°C, and upper growth 20°C

4. Bats need 3°C-14°C

5. Southern bats live longer because they have shorter hibernation, warmer temperatures, more insects

6. Little brown bat – mountains are the southern most range for these

7. Extinction of little brown bat due to WNS in 16 years

8. Disease is spreading faster than research can happen.

9. Predominant species in Piedmont: Tricolored bats, big brown bat, Evening bats, free tailed bats (found in artificial structures in SC)

10. First 3 species in list given are not colonial cavity roosters

11. Bats swarm

12. In winter, tree bats are in the leaf litter.

13. Red bats are common in the Piedmont, won’t use a bat box

14. WNS is easily detected in early spring but no treatment. Look for flying in the cold and daylight, and bats dying.

15. Lifespan of a bat is 10-15 years.

16. Bats are slow to reproduce and only have pups once a year. They don’t usually mate the first year.

17. Female mortality rate is higher.

18. Bats in Europe are not dying from WNS.

19. Gray bats are expected to become the first species to become extinct; already endangered; go in caves for breeding and wintering.

20. Bats are true hibernators. They can delay ovulation and implantation. Bats can delay pregnancy.

21. No fruit eating bats in SC; SC bats only eat insects.

22. Big brown bats are great for eating agricultural pests.

23. Predators of bats include snakes, owls, bluejays

24. Check out website of Bat Conservation International

25. Recommended Book: Rocky Road to Nowhere (about the Stumphouse Tunnel)

Next Bill Dillard came to talk to us about Stumphouse Tunnel and the history of it. He was in the first master naturalist class.

Bill was the descendent of William Welch who was a contractor/engineer of Stumphouse Tunnel.

Prior to the Civil War, South Carolina was the wealthiest state in the nation. The railroad made a huge impact on the economy.

The tunnel never was finished.

I know that students in the classroom would really enjoy learning about bats. Students of all ages are fascinated by them. I think having a speaker like we did would really help bring this topic to life in a classroom and being able to visit their habitat makes it even more real. Of course, no one can guarantee that you would find any bats because it wasn’t our lucky day. We didn’t get to see any this time because it wasn’t cold enough for the bats to see shelter in the tunnel.

(Please check back tomorrow for Part 2 of my notes)

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

From The Salamander’s Point of View

2010-09-09T05:25:00.001-04:00

(Today is a guest post by the Salamander we saw at Kings Creek Falls. Hope you enjoy it!)

Hey, what are all these people doing here? Where did they come from? I was having a great day just hanging out here in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall and all of a sudden this humongous group appears out of nowhere. Gee, it is fun to watch them cross that log! Maybe I will get to see someone fall in the water.

I see a group over on the side looking at the rocks. Hi there! That’s my friend Sammy the Snail that you are looking at. He likes when things are wet. I hope no one picks him up because he gets really scared when people do that. I bet he thought no one would come here so it would be safe to explore that rock.

That ranger over there is saying this is a spray cliff community. I didn’t know my subdivision had a name. Now I can tell people where to come visit me! Oh wait, that isn’t the name of my subdivision. I think that is the name of the type of place where I live; like some people live in the desert and some live in the mountains. I live in a spray cliff community! It sounds pretty impressive and I can’t wait to tell my friends.

I love where I live. There is plenty of cool running water. I also have lots of cool places to hide. There are different sizes of rocks and logs to hide under. I have to stay hidden so I don’t get eaten by all those things that think I’m a tasty morsel for dinner.

I peeked out at one time and these people were looking at the rocks right near me. One lady said that the rock they were looking at was feldspar with mica in it. Wow, I can’t wait to tell my friends what I know. They will think I’m so smart! I wonder if there is gold around me. Well, it wouldn’t matter because I couldn’t get rich from it and it would only bring in tons of people who would disturb my home. They would probably want to develop the area and really mess up the neighborhood.

There is another group over there looking at all the flowers. They like the alumroot, hemlock, and lobelia. I love when the flowers bloom around my home because I feel like I live in a fairyland. My favorite is the Joe Pye Weed because my friends the butterflies come to visit when it is blooming. Usually when they show up, we have a big party.

Whoa. Now this guy just put me in this plastic box! At least he put some water in it so I don’t get all dried out. Hey lady, be careful how you hold this box! Did you know I can see up your nose when you get this close. Man, you have big eyes!

No, I’m not the Geico gecko. I am a salamander! I'm a northern dusky salamander to be exact! (That isn't a picture of me but I thought it looked better than I do. I mean, haven't you ever wanted to use a picture of Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt instead of yourself?) I hate when people get me confused with that gecko though and think I’m in those stupid TV ads. Now, of course, I wouldn’t mind the perks and prestige so if you gave me an offer, I’d be glad to talk with you about it.

Well, after they passed me around and looked at me, that ranger guy decided to put me back in the water. What a relief! I was so afraid that someone would decide that they needed to take me home. I really didn’t want to relocate at this time and especially since no one had consulted me. I think I need to do a better job of hiding so this doesn’t happen to me again. Next time I might not be so lucky!

Well, it is time for me to go find my friends and share this all with them. They won’t believe the adventure that I had today!

(I had to write this post since my classmates and I had discussed what the salamander’s point of view would be. I thought it would be a great exercise in writing. I also think this would be a great writing exercise for our students. What if they wrote a conversation from the perspective of a tennis shoe, or a laptop, or their book bag, or their bathroom mirror? Or even better, let the students come up with an idea. This was just a thought for motivating writing skills. I think the students would like doing this because I know I did! What do you think?)

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Red Eft, P6020048'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61897811@N00/17472483 by: Anita

Master Naturalist Class Day 3

2010-09-06T05:00:00.000-04:00

For pictures, click here.

For this class, we met at the Andrew Pickens Ranger Station near Stumphouse Tunnel and then moved on to Burrell’s Ford.

We joined Amy, Vic, and Dan Rankin (from DNR) to learn more about brook trout. They (the trout, not Amy, Vic, and Dan) usually live about three years and their eggs need cold, running water to survive. Rainbow and Brown trout are non native fish that have taken over the Brook trout habitat. Dan talked about the different things that have been done to increase the brook trout population and lower the rainbow and brown trout population such as using a piscitoxin (not sure about the spelling) that only kills fish and nothing else. The toxin they used was actually an antibiotic that is dangerous to handle due to its high concentration and has to be diluted. Then the three of them entered Kings Creek to gather some trout for us to examine. It was fascinating to see how they used this shock system to momentarily shock the fish so they could net them and get them into a bucket of water. They used about 700 volts and4-6 amps of electricity from a 30 something pound pack that Vic wore on his back. It sounded harsh but they say the fish was not hurt. There were different sized brook trout so we could see what they looked at different ages. We also learned how to tell a male from a female during the spawning season. The males have more color (more red) and their jaws are bigger. When it is not spawning season, it is harder to tell the difference.

After this, we headed down the road for our hike to Kings Creek Falls and beyond. Along the hike we saw lots of flora and fauna. Along the way, Ranger Tim Lee stopped to explain some special things we were seeing. About noon we stopped for lunch along the creek. When we arrived at the falls we explored the spray cliff community on our own and then Ranger Tim explained the many things we observed

Here are some of the things that Tim pointed out:

Lady Ferns had hairy stems that were sometimes reddish.

New York Ferns were tapered at both ends. (imagine New Yorkers who burn the candle at both ends)

Pink Lady Slipper – found in an area with a lot of pines, veins are parallel on the leaves, dependent on fungi, almost impossible to transplant.

SC has 53 species of wild orchids and has specific fungi associated with each. That is why it is hard to transplant them.

Huckleberry – low growing shrub; also known as bearberry, doeberry, buckberry

Trees – on woody stem

Shrubs – multiple woody stems

Wildflowers – fleshy stems

Basal – low to the ground

Rhododendron likes moist ground, lower light while Mountain Laurel likes drier ground

Trailing Arbutus – epigaea repens; found on edge of cut slopes or trails, likes mineral soil

Repens = creeping

Soil is affected by rocks; limestone affects soil pH

Granitic gneiss is fairly neutral

Downy Rattlesnake Plantain – native orchid, multiple flowers and seeds, seed pod dries out and rattles

SC state butterfly is the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail

When talking to a group: face into the sunlight so the group doesn’t have to; keep main attraction to your back

Kings Creek Falls - Spray Cliff Community – even though it was in full sunlight, the spray keeps it cool

5 species of tropical fern are found in spray cliff communities

Observed at the waterfall:

· Alumroot looks like foam flower but likes it wet

· Hemlock looks like Queen Anne’s Lace

· Lobelia

· Joe Pye Weed

· Goldenrod

· Jewelweed

· Salamander

· Snail

Liverwort – loves to grow near creeks, non vascular

Mosses are non vascular also

Indian Cucumber – root is cucumber like

Pinesap

Creeping moss (repens) grows horizontally on tree because of moisture

Doghobble (Leucothoe fontanesiana) – likes to grow along the edge of creek (riparian zone); fetterbush is found in higher elevations and is deciduous; produces multiple white flowers and butterflies love it.

Great Blue Heron

Partridgeberry

Ground Cedar (lycopodium) – spores are highly flammable

Books:

· Waterfall Hikes of Upstate SC by Thomas King

· Bringing Nature Home by Douglas Tallamy

Again, it was another awesome class! All of the people in the class are great to be around and easy to get along with which helps make the class enjoyable. The teachers are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about their subject. So far, I keep thinking that the next class can’t get much better than the previous class and each time, I’m surprised. I think that the topics are different, and that we are learning in a real life situation which makes it more interesting and relevant. Next week we will go into a cave and have a new adventure!

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Master Naturalist Class Day 2

2010-08-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

(For pictures, click here.)

Our class met at Table Rock State Park in Pickens, SC. We started out in the classroom where Dr. Wagner from Clemson introduced us to rocks and minerals.

Our first activity was to be a rock. As a solid, we moved in place. As a liquid, we moved around. And as a gas, we had to get off the ground (but we really didn’t since we were in a small area). But if I did this with school age students, I think they would enjoy this activity.

Next we were given some minerals and asked to identify them if we could. Then Dr. Wagner identified them for us and explained how we could recognize them. We learned about quartz, feldspar, mica, and amphibole. Feldspar breaks along lines, and has a shiny flat surface at the cleavage. Mica is soft and breaks in sheets. Amphibole is dark colored and has a cleavage. Quartz is light colored and does not show shine at the cleavage.

Next, we learned about the difference of the three types of rocks.

1. Igneous rocks are from lava and then cooled. Examples are granite (continental crust) and basalt (oceanic crust).

2. Sedimentary rocks are layers of particles glued together by fluids from the materials. Examples are sandstone, limestone, conglomerates, and shale.

3. Metamorphic rocks – heat and pressure compress the particles so they are grown together but you can see an organized pattern due to the compression.

Then Dr. Wagner compared the rocks to food so that we could understand the concept of how they were formed.

1. Igneous rocks are like jello. Jello starts out in liquid form and is heated up and then cooled to become solid.

2. Sedimentary rocks are like fudge. At first it is creamy and then it becomes grainy and over a long period of time (about 3 months), it will become crystallized.

3. Metamorphic rocks are like a granola bar that has been stepped on. The layers are squished but they are compressed into an organized pattern.

Then we were given an activity which involved separating some rocks into the three different categories using the information that we were given. Our group had a great discussion on where they should go. Then Dr. Wagner gave us the correct answers and explained why.

In South Carolina, we will find sandstone, limestone, shale, granite, gneiss, schist, and amphibolite.

After lunch we gave a physical representation of the geological timeline. It was interesting to see where most of the geological changes took place on the timeline. This was a great activity to see visually how the earth has developed.

In the afternoon, we took a hike and looked at rocks in the environment. We saw how the rocks break and how it affects the water flow in creeks which in turn affect the rocks. What a great way to take our knowledge we gained in the morning and apply it to a real life situation. This was a great way to show relevance in the lessons and really was more meaningful to me as I saw how the information applied in the real world. I think because I was able to see the rocks in nature and learn how to identify them, I will remember this better than just looking at a textbook or seeing pictures or even handling samples of what they look like.

That was the end of Day 2 and it was wonderful! I’m really enjoying this course and it seems like the others are also. Next week we will be going to King’s Creek and Burrell’s Ford. I can’t wait to see what adventures are in store for us then!

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Table Rock State Park by Pat Hensley

Master Naturalist Day 1

2010-08-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Last week we attended the first day of our Master Naturalist course which meets once a week for twelve weeks. First of all, let me start of by saying that it was awesome and I look forward to the rest of the classes. There are about twenty of us in the class along with the organizers and teachers.

I was impressed with the planning that went into this day because we had a lot of activities with very little empty time to get bored. We moved from one activity to the other but it made the day go by quickly and all of the activities were very helpful.

We were given the following books:

1. Peterson First Guides: Rocks and Minerals

2. Amphibians & Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia

3. Native Trees of the Southeast: An Identification Guide

4. A Guide to the Wildflowers of South Carolina

5. Photographic Atlas of Entomology and Guide to Insect Identification

6. South Carolina Master Naturalist Program Training Manual

7. 3 ring binder with weekly schedule, homework assignments, and articles

8. Waterproof field book (for notes)

9. 10x Coddington Magnifier

We did a lot of different activities that would be great to do in a classroom. Here are some of the activities we did:

1. Identification quiz: We had seven different stations and items were numbered. The stations were skulls, pelts, reptiles, nuts/fruits, rocks, plants/trees, and we had to identify them in 15 minutes and then return to the big group. It was fun to touch the objects. Then we were given a chance to share our answers and find out the correct answers.

2. Identify Trees: We went outside with our guide books and then broke out into groups to identify the tree that we were assigned. We used the key in our book and followed the guidelines. Our group identified the American Holly tree using the guide. Unfortunately one group was attacked by the yellow jackets as their nest was disturbed by the group. They were able to move to a new tree that was assigned. We only spent about 30 minutes doing this because we were learning the process. If I did this with a class, I would probably pick the trees ahead of time and have the key with the highlighted answers to help guide the group in using the key. I learned that I need to learn the terminology in order to use the key effectively.

3. Waiver/Liability and ICE forms: We were given forms to sign in case anyone got hurt. I’m glad that they prepared for this possibility which shows once again how prepared they were.

4. Lunch was provided for the entire group for this first day and that gave us time to get to know one another and process what was learned during the morning.

5. Leave No Trace: Again we were broken up into groups and sent to seven different stations. There was a display at each station and we were to try to figure out the seven principles of Leave No Trace. These principles are:

a. Plan Ahead and Prepare

b. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces

c. Dispose of Waste Properly

d. Leave What You Find

e. Minimize Campfire Impacts

f. Respect Wildlife

g. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

6. Hike: We went on a short afternoon hike in the forest and saw a lot of wildflowers and trees along the way. Our leader was very knowledgeable about these things and was able to help us identify them as we walked past them. Even though it was hot and humid, the hike was great to end the day. The rain never started until after we returned to our cars and headed home.

I can’t wait until our next class! We will be meeting at Table Rock State Park. Since our homework was about rocks, minerals, fossils, and other geological information, I bet this day will be spent studying that topic.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Image: Master Naturalist Learners by Pat Hensley

New Cell Phones and Teaching

2010-07-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

It has been years since I have upgraded my cell phone. Lately I’ve been reading about all the great ways to use a cell phone in the classroom and I realize that I was being left behind. I feel like when I was a little kid and just learned to ride a bicycle. I had a small heavy bicycle while my friends were riding 10 speed bikes and going much faster than I was. Now I have to pedal hard to catch up.

I now have a Droid Incredible and I can only hope that it will do incredible things. I have never used the internet on the phone or checked my email. Apparently this has a GPS system and lots of other toys on it. It has been years since I have sent any text messages or even taken a picture with my phone so I need to get back to all of this and it is exciting.

I think I will start by learning how to use all the “stuff” that comes with the phone before I start downloading any apps to play with. I need to learn how to use the basics before I start adding anything. I also want to do a lot of research on the best free apps to get and the implications of getting them.

Sometimes I wonder if I forget that I need to teach this way. I need to make sure that my students have the basics before I start adding all the bells and whistles. This can be overwhelming to them because I know it can do the same thing to me.

Of course, I am impatient and want to skip the basics so I can get to the bells and whistles but I need to hold myself back. I need to do the same thing with my students and not let their excitement let me push them too quickly. Like surfing, it is easy to get caught up in the tide but if we don’t know how to get on the surf board, we can easily get swept away and drown.

I can see this new phone being a great tool but if I don’t learn how to use it than it won’t be as effective as I hope it would be. I need to learn how to use it in the most efficient and effective way in order to get the most bang for my buck. But if I get frustrated or discouraged, I won’t use many of the things on the phone that may benefit me. In this same way, I need to help students come to the same realization about their learning.

If you have any suggestions or know of any good free apps for the Droid Incredible, please share. I would love any tips that you can give because I am a firm believer of not trying to reinvent the wheel and would love to learn from your mistakes/learning curve/ or whatever you may call it. Hopefully by modeling my new learning experience, my students will be able to see the importance of taking one step at a time and also asking for help when necessary. We all need to be open to suggestions and ideas from others because we can only benefit from someone else’s experiences.

crossposted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Picture: Droid Incredible by Pat Hensley