Time Flies

So, my team and i have been camping for two weeks now. I am currently living in campers and tents. The week before, my team and I worked on clearing up the Shawnee National Forest in southern IL, from a tornado that hit the area a week before. Last week we stayed in the campers. Monday through Thursday we slept in tents in the middle of the wilderness part of the forest. It was fun sleeping in the tents. On the weekend when I'm in the camper, I go kyaking for PT. It's fun, I'm glad I learned. Last Saturday the team went to St. Louis. I had a blast. Sandy and i went to the top the arch, took some good pictures, and headed back down. The Arch is taller than Space needle, and the stainless steel is like an inch and and a half thick, if that much. It was cool. After the team meeting, Sandy and i went to find a place to eat. The Culinaria was way coil. It is a market, a resteraunt, and a bar. I had so much fun, I got a burger, and a canoli for desert. Yum. These last 5 days the team and i started clearing out brush to construct a new trail, which is what we want. We started building ground for the start of it. It's not a terrible experience, I just wish it were a little cooler. I'm learning how to all sorts of tools. I think most all of us are still unused to the now showering thing for 5 days in a row. When we head back to the trailer for the weekend, that's all we think of. We don't really care about ticks or poison ivy anymore. We are living in a forest. Those two things are inevitable. So is mud, mud is covering the first half of our hike to where we camp in the woods. What is crazy, is that there is like four weeks left of this round. That's really not a lot if time. It goes by so fast, but it feels like it has been such a long time. I feel like I've been living in the camper for longer than two weeks. Time definitly flies by!!!

Round 1

Well, today starts off the next 6 weeks or so. I will be leaving for Spike number one in the morning. I can't wait. We'll be sleeping in tents in the middle of the forest. It will be exciting. Today though me and my team stayed here at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving school. We helped clear out muck from window wells, and picking up other peices of garbage on the grounds. It is 8:11 PM, central time, and i am finally getting to rest for the day. I don't think I will stay up reading tonight. Tomorow the team is headed to Davenpirt Iowa, for three days to help the staff there clear up invasive species. At the end of the week the team is headed for Jonesboro Illinois to help the Shawnee National Forest with trail restoration. We will be camping in Iowa, but I am looking forward to the work and time we'll be spending in the forest. Tonight was packing night. It took me three different times to pack the red bag, only to realize I forgot to put important stuff in it, like medicine and toothpaste. Well, my personal bag is stuffed. I hope I know how to do it better next time!!!!!

Little Spike, Big Spike

Our mini spike has finished, and it was a blast. There were some hard times for me, but the good times were too many to consider this project bad. We worked in a children's museum. Itvwas great, the museum was inside a mall in Coralville IA. On breaks we could stretch out by walking around in the mall. On the last day the snow decided to come down really thick. Some of the team went out to play in it. I stayed in the mall, I don't want to play in the snow when I don't have the right stuff. Our team painted, and made a bunch of different gift bags. I was sad when we had to leave, the museum was way cool. It had flight simulators, and a small train exhibit, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. Our first day back on campus from our mini spike was busy. The team did a debrief, then did some PT to make up for missing yesterday's. After the game of ultimate frisbe, we had disaster training all day. I didn't get any actual rest until 7, because once training was over each team was given clues to figure out where our first spike will be. I had no idea what was going on, I heard one thing, and then everybody in the team started running. I was confused. Then I heard one of my team memberes shout muster spot when i asked where they were going now. They said muster spot. That is where we found out where we will be going. I'm headed to Illinois in a week and a half, and I won't be back till April!! I look forward to it, we will be camping in tents under the stars. That will be awesome!!!