So I have about three posts started but today was just too awesome not to share right away.
I had planned to wake up around 7 and start working on organizing my classroom by 8. Well, Kasie lent me "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and I stayed up late reading it, and then stayed in this morning finishing it. As a result, I didn't get into the school until after 10.
That said, I got a lot accomplished and am feeling a lot more confident in my classroom and my teaching plans.
It was a beautiful day so after lunch we decided to take a Honda ride up to the Aniakchak volcano. I still had some work to do but sometimes ya just gotta get out and enjoy the outdoors!
We packed up a bag of supplies, food, and water, and bundled up. It was a warm day, but the wind can be pretty chilly. Thankfully Kirsten, one of the other teachers, lent me her Carhartt overalls and boots.
It was about 3 hours to the volcano, and the first part of our trip took us to the beach. It was so awesome to see the Bering sea. Unfortunately where we needed to cross was too deep so we had to turn around, but I did see a seal swimming near the inlet to the North River (or Reindeer Creek) trying to catch salmon.
I also saw bear tracks, which was totally cool! There must have been a cub too because we saw a set of tiny bear tracks too.
Since the volcano was a no go, we decided to go out to the tundra and pick berries. It was a loooong ride. Super bumpy. We traveled through swamp, plains, and through alder forests. I definitely need some goggled to keep trees from whacking me in my eyes (it didn't happen thankfully but would definitely save my glasses!)
Some of the terrain was pretty bumpy and treacherous, but thankfully Kirsten is an excellent navigator! The scariest part was right before we came to the ravine. We had to go down this huge rocky slope to get to the bottom.
We all made it down alive (just kidding, we were fine!) and got to picking berries. The locals call them blackberries but I think they're actually called crowberries. They're small like a wild blueberry, and very crunchy. They don't have a lot of flavor but I really like them. We also found some salmonberries (they look like a bright red blackberry) but I didn't care for them.
We hung out and picked berries for a while and then headed back. Going back up the rock hill was daunting, so I and the other "passengers" walked up instead.
The trip back was fun, and we were all glad to get back home for a late dinner of spaghetti, biscuits, and I made chocolate chip cookies. (super flat! ha-ha mom!)
Now I'm ready for some sleep to get ready for a long day tomorrow.
I had planned to wake up around 7 and start working on organizing my classroom by 8. Well, Kasie lent me "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and I stayed up late reading it, and then stayed in this morning finishing it. As a result, I didn't get into the school until after 10.
That said, I got a lot accomplished and am feeling a lot more confident in my classroom and my teaching plans.
It was a beautiful day so after lunch we decided to take a Honda ride up to the Aniakchak volcano. I still had some work to do but sometimes ya just gotta get out and enjoy the outdoors!
We packed up a bag of supplies, food, and water, and bundled up. It was a warm day, but the wind can be pretty chilly. Thankfully Kirsten, one of the other teachers, lent me her Carhartt overalls and boots.
It was about 3 hours to the volcano, and the first part of our trip took us to the beach. It was so awesome to see the Bering sea. Unfortunately where we needed to cross was too deep so we had to turn around, but I did see a seal swimming near the inlet to the North River (or Reindeer Creek) trying to catch salmon.
I also saw bear tracks, which was totally cool! There must have been a cub too because we saw a set of tiny bear tracks too.
Since the volcano was a no go, we decided to go out to the tundra and pick berries. It was a loooong ride. Super bumpy. We traveled through swamp, plains, and through alder forests. I definitely need some goggled to keep trees from whacking me in my eyes (it didn't happen thankfully but would definitely save my glasses!)
Some of the terrain was pretty bumpy and treacherous, but thankfully Kirsten is an excellent navigator! The scariest part was right before we came to the ravine. We had to go down this huge rocky slope to get to the bottom.
We all made it down alive (just kidding, we were fine!) and got to picking berries. The locals call them blackberries but I think they're actually called crowberries. They're small like a wild blueberry, and very crunchy. They don't have a lot of flavor but I really like them. We also found some salmonberries (they look like a bright red blackberry) but I didn't care for them.
We hung out and picked berries for a while and then headed back. Going back up the rock hill was daunting, so I and the other "passengers" walked up instead.
The trip back was fun, and we were all glad to get back home for a late dinner of spaghetti, biscuits, and I made chocolate chip cookies. (super flat! ha-ha mom!)
Now I'm ready for some sleep to get ready for a long day tomorrow.
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