Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Chuck Waggin' Tails - Day 1 & 2
Dave n' Koichi here... after 2 days of being incommunicado, we're back on the road and back online. A typical day for the chuck wagon has been to wake up at 5am..., coffee on at 5:30 for the big kids, feed the kids, shop for food, cook for the kids, feed the kids, put 'em to sleep and then clean up and plan for the next day.
Another daily ritual has become the unpacking and packing of the 9 coolers, 12 plastic bins, 2 burners and 10 tents. Thanks to Julie (Gadget-Gurl) McCann's miraculous and meticulous labeling we have been able to find stuff, but it seems to never fail that when you need something in particular it's always on the bottom of the stack.
The initial feel is that we over-prepared ourselves for this trip by stocking up on what we thought were the "essentials"...pots, pans, stoves and lots of food from costco. What we learned on Day 1 was that we could shop along the way and be more efficient. Especially, if it's some of the fresh produce, dairy and eggs we've seen being grown along the way.
Anyways back to work...after we send the bus off, Dave and I are left behind to do breakfast clean up, sweep the area for lost items, pack up the van (9 coolers and 12 bins) and check out. It's a little tasking and I would not recommend the job to anyone, but we do get help along the way (big hands and little hands), but knowing that the kids are being cared for while in camp is all that matters....and is rewarding.
I'm tryin' to upload video...but coverage on i-90 on our way out to Vnatage is still spotty....maybe later...
That's all for now...I'll have more tonight...
Another daily ritual has become the unpacking and packing of the 9 coolers, 12 plastic bins, 2 burners and 10 tents. Thanks to Julie (Gadget-Gurl) McCann's miraculous and meticulous labeling we have been able to find stuff, but it seems to never fail that when you need something in particular it's always on the bottom of the stack.
The initial feel is that we over-prepared ourselves for this trip by stocking up on what we thought were the "essentials"...pots, pans, stoves and lots of food from costco. What we learned on Day 1 was that we could shop along the way and be more efficient. Especially, if it's some of the fresh produce, dairy and eggs we've seen being grown along the way.
Anyways back to work...after we send the bus off, Dave and I are left behind to do breakfast clean up, sweep the area for lost items, pack up the van (9 coolers and 12 bins) and check out. It's a little tasking and I would not recommend the job to anyone, but we do get help along the way (big hands and little hands), but knowing that the kids are being cared for while in camp is all that matters....and is rewarding.
I'm tryin' to upload video...but coverage on i-90 on our way out to Vnatage is still spotty....maybe later...
That's all for now...I'll have more tonight...
Comments from the kids:
Gabriel says he misses Garfield (the cow he befriended).
Bird at the Elwha Dam: I saw a dam waterfall.
Sibleigh: I liked the Dungeness School because she got to see what education was like for kids in the 1800s.
Lila: There were a million things I could have changed about last night but those were the million things that made the night special.
Meena: The dam was really boring.
Elisha: The dam was a pretty sight.
Gabriel says he misses Garfield (the cow he befriended).
Bird at the Elwha Dam: I saw a dam waterfall.
Sibleigh: I liked the Dungeness School because she got to see what education was like for kids in the 1800s.
Lila: There were a million things I could have changed about last night but those were the million things that made the night special.
Meena: The dam was really boring.
Elisha: The dam was a pretty sight.
Last Dam Summer
Many thanks to Ranger Butterworth for telling us the story of the Elwha Dam... its history, the controversy, and how it will be deconstructed to restore the wild fish habitat in the Elwha River... Opening access to 70 miles of open river for salmon. The project will cost less than it takes to launch one space shuttle. His final comment: sometimes we make choices based on the information we have at the time. But it's okay to reassess as we receive new information and change our choices.
We just finished getting a most excellent and informative presentation about the restoration of the Elwha River after the dams are removed. All of the tours have been consistently good. Equally impressive are the quality of questions the kids are asking. The various presenters have all commented on the knowledge level of the kids. All are well here and having a great time. Someone has whipped out a guitar on the bus here. I think we're about to have a sing-along.
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