Exploring The PNW For Me!!

SUPER cheesy tourist photo from our visit to the Space Needle. (It was included with admission- we HAD to do it)

The Lunar Rangers Take On The Space Needle

 Zane and I took an extra long weekend and headed on over to spend some time in Seattle and Portland. He had an interview in Seattle, so we started there.

After a little chaos in trying to find a hotel room that was not disgusting or one first born per night we had a pretty great trip. After his interview we took the train into downtown Seattle for lunch and a visit to the Space Needle- so that was pretty neat. We walked around town and along the water- all in all covering about 8 miles on foot! Can't say I'm a huge fan of Seattle though- it's WAY too big for my liking- so I'm glad my "Seattle" job that starts in August is really more Tacoma and even then is further outside of the cities.
The next day we went down to Portland where we met up with some of his family/friends. We rode the train, hit up the Portland Saturday Market (got some elephant ears), visited the Oregon Zoo, and grabbed some drinks with his cousin.
We attempted to visit a waterfall on the drive home but after waiting in line to board the shuttle for at least an hour, we learned that virtually the entire area around the falls is closed, so all we would be able to do was see it from the base. So, rather than wait for another hour or more (who knows!) we decided to just drive by it as it was essentially the same view but without the waiting in line part.

All in all, it was a pretty great weekend- and my first time visiting Washington OR Oregon!
How Neat Is That?!

The Space Needle!!

Big fan of the walrus things on this building

 

The Oregon Zoo has SO many ducks.....they're in enclosures EVERYWHERE!

 

 

 

 

 

Spacing Out For Me!

This post is a bit late, but a few weeks ago, Zane and I spent a weekend out at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. We went camping, hiked almost every trail we could, explored a bunch of caves and lava tunnels, and became Lunar Rangers! (its the only place in the world you can become a lunar ranger!!)
Craters of the Moon is truly other worldly. The lava covered landscapes reminded me (for unknown reasons) of the movie Labyrinth and were nothing short of amazing! Pictures truly do not do this place justice!
Needless to say, my first Idaho camping trip and our first camping trip together was pretty great- despite getting rained on while hiking on the first day and my new Jetboil malfunctioning.

I can't wait to go camping again and explore even more of this incredible state!

How Neat Is That?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discovering Wildlife For America!

Last week were the final days of our Discover Wildlife Journeys Spring field trips! Though the last few weeks have been a bit hectic with so many field trips going on, I can honestly say that they all went really well! With the end of the Spring field trip season comes the essential end of my time leading field trips here at Deer Flat. There will be a few sporadic and brief field trips scattered throughout the summer, but for the most part the rest of my term here will be spent writing lesson plans, revising existing documents, and ensuring that my knowledge and experience is reflected in documents for future AmeriCorps members to use and build off of. I am definitely sad to be back inside and at a desk for the majority of my remaining term, but it has been SUCH a great experience. I have loved my time here and will continue to make the best out of the remaining two months of my term.
In just a few short months I will be off on a new adventure at my next job in Washington where I will get to teach kids about nature and the environment EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK! Needless to say I am extremely excited for this next opportunity.
How Neat Is That?!

Bioblitzing For America!!!

 Yesterday we finished our second and final day of the brand new field trip I wrote for our SEEDS4 Nature Detectives Program. The lesson plan, as a whole, is a bioblitz where we get the kids out exploring the refuge and recording anything and everything that they observe along the way. They rotate through stations throughout the day, each with its own focus to allow for a more diverse and inclusive species list. I lead the "evidence in nature station" where I got the kids thinking about and looking for signs/evidence that an animal was there, even if we couldn't see the animal itself. My station included a visit down to see New Deer (the newest of all the dead deer) where they got to add at least three more species to their bioblitz list (mule deer, coyote, and maggots). The other stations focused on plants (roots and shoots), bugs (buggy bushes), and flying organisms (up in the air). In addition to collecting the species observations, students worked to construct an ecosystem model using the biotic and abiotic obervations they made throughout the field trip. They drew lines to represent connections/interactions between various organisms and their abiotic environment. The model was then used in discussion about what would happen if certain things, such as the object with the most connections, were to be removed from the ecosystem entirely. The kids really seemed to enjoy the field trip, so it was definitely a success all the way from the lesson plan I wrote to the facilitation by myself and our awesome volunteers!
I will say that much of the lesson plan incorporated the existing work of the BEETLES project, which is a really awesome organization that writes some pretty great environmental ed based curriculum. The rest was written by me as either supplement or additions to the BEETLES lesson plan. I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, especially being that I've never written/designed an entire four hour long field trip! That being said, I far prefer facilitating programs to writing them, so I am really looking forward to my next job in Seattle!
How Neat Is That?!

 

 

 

 

 

Hiking Rapid River Trail For Me!

This past Saturday we took a three hour drive North to Riggins to hike the Rapid River Trail (a trail I have been DYING to explore pretty much since I moved here) and boy was it worth the trip!
The drive took us through part of the Payette National Forest and the road followed a pretty little river for a good while. The trail head is right next to a hatchery, but we didn't get the chance to check that out-- though there's always next time!
The trail starts out above the river, surrounded by some beautiful rock formations, full of little caves and other outcroppings. As you continue down the trail, it takes you down alongside the river where the mist from the little rapids made for the perfect temperature. There was SO much green it was crazy to think that just a few hours earlier we were in the desert that is southwestern Idaho. I never would have guessed that Idaho could be this beautiful before moving out here, but what a treat it was. We followed the trail for about four miles or so before deciding to hike out, though I definitely wouldn't mind coming back and backpacking the entire length of the trail- camping along that river would have to be incredible.
On our way back home, we stopped for dinner at a little Huckleberry Café in the middle of nowhere and had the most amazing lemonade ever- Huckleberry Lemonade and some tasty burgers and fries (burgers are my favorite post-hike meal)
I'm definitely starting to get bummed out that my time in Idaho is coming to an end, but I'm excited to fill the rest of my time here with more adventures like this. Before too long I'll be on my way to start a new adventure in Seattle, with SO much more nature to explore!
How Neat Is That?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exploring Box Canyon For Me!

View of the canyon from the headwaters of the spring.

Calm blue waters at the trail's end

This weekend, I ventured out to Box Canyon State Park- home to one of the largest springs in the country!! (the eleventh largest, to be exact)
The trailhead is found just beyond a small parking lot off the side of a farm road. After a short walk, the ground opens up before you to reveal the beautiful blue waters of the spring below. A little further down, there is a cable walk down into the canyon where the trail winds along the river bank, with occasional openings to access the water. Near the middle, there is a decent size waterfall that is partly blue, which was pretty neat. At the end of the trail, there is a wide open spring where the waters are much calmer. It was everything I could do not to dive in right then and there. (I'll definitely have to go back when the weather is a bit warmer). Definitely glad I made the trip out there!
How Neat Is That?!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looking back towards the headwaters from the middle of the cable trail into the canyon