2017 Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Ah Bowie...

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

(Turn and face the strange)

Ch-ch-changes

Don't tell them to grow up and out of it

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

(Turn and face the strange)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes"

A new partnership and new adventures; this was a year of changes indeed! Mr. Arsenault came back on board, now as trip co-leader, and we added the Seattle Museum of Popular Culture to our itinerary. Coming along with us again was Ms. Vicki Petrie and sadly Ms. Monique Wilford, who was scheduled to join us, was unable to join us (next year!). We took 38 students with us this year which we were quite happy with given the dip in numbers in 2016. With all of the changes things went as smoothly as possible.

One issue that arose this year was crossing the border. Now this hasn't really been an issue for us in the past as we've followed the guidelines established in the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative..."U.S. and Canadian citizen children under the age of 16 (or under 19, if traveling with a school, religious group, or other youth group) need only present a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. The birth certificate can be original, photocopy, or certified copy". We told all of our students to carry a passport with them and our international students were told to have a Visa for entry into the United States. The big issue was not necessarily about the border but more about the change in district policy regarding the potential for students being denied entry due to executive orders or alterations to customs and border procedures. We've NEVER had a problem, and I did not anticipate one, but just to ensure that we had a policy in place we had to make changes to our trip requirements to meet our District's health and safety needs. Yeah I know get to the stories and pictures, but bureaucratic changes...remember Bowie? Turn and face the strange.

Once again on the way down we took the I-5 through Seattle on a Thursday rush hour (more changes to come but that's for next year) staying in Olympia on the first night. Friday saw us travel to the Ape Caves and the day was stellar. This year the JRO booked us in for Saturday and not both days (like they usually do) so our itinerary was not flexible. Of course my fear was that Friday's weather would not hold for Saturday but more on that later. The caves were in great shape this year, despite the huge volume of snow that we received this past winter. Most of the students took the opportunity to hike half way through the upper caves and we learned a lesson about securing cell phones. These wonderful little devices are great for taking pictures but if you don't secure them they can find their way in though cracks to almost unreachable locations. Alas this happened for one of our students but a group effort with much squeezing and reaching found the fingertips of one saviour on the edge of a wayward cellphone. Heroes abound.

We also stopped at the Trail of Two Forests for a quick stop. This area has some wonderful lava casts of trees that the fluid eruption created (about 2000 years ago). The night saw us stay in Kelso again. Before I've mentioned about the unintentional cultural discovery students take part in. Although there are many similarities between the United States and Canada there are just some things we don't have in our home community...like Red Lobster; it was funny to see how much of a draw it was.

Saturday saw the morning start grey and overcast. Because we had to make Seattle by 3 in the afternoon we started earlier than normal this time...set for a 10 am arrival at the JRO. I know how mountain weather goes and sunlight is hugely important to burn off a cloud deck. The views we had of the south side (see below) on Friday were amazing but that was at three o'clock in the afternoon. Once again I had that hollow pitted feeling in my stomach. There were no views of the mountain on state route 504 on the way up. When we got into the JRO we had the students go through the exhibits and watch the movie and I hung around outside. This time the weather co-operated and we had about half an hour of clear to partially clear views of the volcano. Cue the huge sigh of relief.

The rest of the afternoon saw a quick (ha...remember Seattle traffic?) trip to Seattle for the Museum of Popular Culture. Of course there was lots to see and do and our time was limited as the museum closed at five so it was all about make a plan and divide and conquer. Mr. A, Young, and Ms. Petrie bee-lined it straight to the Jim Henson exhibit to rediscover their respective youth and Mr. A. nearly lost it altogether in the Star Trek exhibit, but everyone seemed to have fun. The last night saw us make our way to Lynwood where our hotel did not set aside rooms for our reservation. Some quick negotiations and hard work saw us able to stay where we were supposed to and in the end all was well.

Happy Chaperons!