Friday, 7/26/13
Friday was our last day at Raquette Lake and as Adirondack Classroom explorers. We worked extremely hard on our big projects and then presented our ideas to the class. We had very inventive ideas that could be applied to many different areas of life.
It was sad leaving Friday afternoon. Before we truly departed though, Beth, Karl, and all the girls rode the ski lift to top of McCauly Mountain. The view of Old Forge and the lake was beautiful. It was nice doing this before we said goodbye to each other. Whenever you do things such as this where you go away for a week, it is exciting to go home and return to what we were doing before, but this was truly a remarkable trip. We learned so much about education, the environment, history, and life in general. We focused on what is going on in the world and what our role in the world is. Sometimes I think we are just 1 single person and how much difference can 1 person make, but the world is worth every effort we put forth.
I am fortunate for the opportunity to have taken this class and think everyone should be required to take it. It is an experience I will never forget or take for granted what I have. Thank you Beth and Karl for this opportunity and the fight to keep this class in the SUNY Cortland curriculum.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Thursday, Day 4
Thursday, 7/25/13
Today is Thursday and our fourth full day here at Antler's being outdoorsmen/women to the max. As part of our schedule, we were allowed to choose what we wanted to do today!! Being the explorers we are, (I like to think of us as Magellan's in the making), the 6 of us in the Adirondack Classroom group ventured over to the Sagamore Camp. This is one of the great camps built here in the Adirondack's and it surly lives up to that. First we watched a video that gave us the background to the camp and the area. This set the stage for our tour of the buildings. The houses and other buildings built at Sagamore are very large and done it great detail. The siding for some of the houses is white cedar tree bark or shingles made of wood for some other buildings. The buildings are even more beautiful inside and the non-profit organization in ownership of the camp now takes great care of it! Even the bowling alley is in pristine condition! After the tour, we studied hard and made substantial progress on our big projects. John Slade is coming for dinner and discussions tonight as well.
Black Bear Mountain (taken yesterday 7/24)
Today is Thursday and our fourth full day here at Antler's being outdoorsmen/women to the max. As part of our schedule, we were allowed to choose what we wanted to do today!! Being the explorers we are, (I like to think of us as Magellan's in the making), the 6 of us in the Adirondack Classroom group ventured over to the Sagamore Camp. This is one of the great camps built here in the Adirondack's and it surly lives up to that. First we watched a video that gave us the background to the camp and the area. This set the stage for our tour of the buildings. The houses and other buildings built at Sagamore are very large and done it great detail. The siding for some of the houses is white cedar tree bark or shingles made of wood for some other buildings. The buildings are even more beautiful inside and the non-profit organization in ownership of the camp now takes great care of it! Even the bowling alley is in pristine condition! After the tour, we studied hard and made substantial progress on our big projects. John Slade is coming for dinner and discussions tonight as well.
Black Bear Mountain (taken yesterday 7/24)Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Day 3, Wednesday
Wednesday, 7/24/13
Day 3 of our adventure trip was very eventful. For today's exploring, we fought off black bear, spiders, moose, and many other scary, big things! In reality, we did not need to fight off anything tough because we are the toughest people to come along yet and all the animals can sense this.
We began our day by traveling to Ferg's Bog that was not too far from our Antler's campsite. This was an interesting learning experience because it was the first time I have been out on a bog. I ventured about 3 feet off of the dock-type path that had been made for visitors like us. A spider quickly chased me back to the walkway and the exploring was left up my fellow classmates/adventurists. On the way, we saw lots of neat things such as sun dew plants, blueberries, and wintergreen!
After the bog, we, explorers of the Adirondack Park, headed off to climb to the summit of Black Bear Mountain. It was about a 2.5 mile hike to the top. Easy as pie for adventurers like us! We took fascinating pictures from the top and even ate lunch up there, sharing the cool air with the clouds and birds. On the way back from climbing Black Bear Mountain, we stopped to taste-test the ice cream stand in Inlet, NY. The beauty that the Adirondacks offer is amazing and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
Day 3 of our adventure trip was very eventful. For today's exploring, we fought off black bear, spiders, moose, and many other scary, big things! In reality, we did not need to fight off anything tough because we are the toughest people to come along yet and all the animals can sense this.
We began our day by traveling to Ferg's Bog that was not too far from our Antler's campsite. This was an interesting learning experience because it was the first time I have been out on a bog. I ventured about 3 feet off of the dock-type path that had been made for visitors like us. A spider quickly chased me back to the walkway and the exploring was left up my fellow classmates/adventurists. On the way, we saw lots of neat things such as sun dew plants, blueberries, and wintergreen!
After the bog, we, explorers of the Adirondack Park, headed off to climb to the summit of Black Bear Mountain. It was about a 2.5 mile hike to the top. Easy as pie for adventurers like us! We took fascinating pictures from the top and even ate lunch up there, sharing the cool air with the clouds and birds. On the way back from climbing Black Bear Mountain, we stopped to taste-test the ice cream stand in Inlet, NY. The beauty that the Adirondacks offer is amazing and I feel blessed to be a part of it.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Day 2 Pictures with Comments!!
Day 2
Tuesday, 7/23/13
Today was the second full day here at Raquette Lake. The day started off so well with rain that brought out a little duck family! That was all before we even ate breakfast. After eating, it was to 2 museums for us. The first museum at Tupper Lake, The Wild Center, was fascinating. There were river otters swimming and showing off to the crowd, lots of large fish, rare spotted turtles, and many other interesting animals. The best part about the whole museum was that the fish tanks were eye level allowing children and adults to view in awe.
Before we made it to the second museum on the way back, we stopped to get pictures with bears, dogs, and deer that were along side of the road. These animals were very kind to let us photograph them with us. They, of course, were not real but made out of tree stumps, branches, etc. Next, we stopped at a beautiful area along the side of the road to take breathtaking pictures. Then we stopped at a bookstore, got delicious ice cream, and headed on our way to the Adirondack Museum. At the Adirondack Museum we explored the different buildings in depth and got another glimpse of what the area was like in the past. The most interesting thing I saw was the roller apparatus that would attach to the horses in the winter time to flatten out the snow. I though this was a great idea to handle a large snow fall before plows came around. The clouds left early afternoon to let us sneak in a kayak ride! To those not with us, It may seem as though we are doing way too much exploring and not getting in enough book time, but that is the complete opposite. We have learned so much history in the past 2 days to keep our school students busy for a whole quarter! As we see different parts of the area and learn something new, it always spurs a new idea that can be taught to students.
Today was the second full day here at Raquette Lake. The day started off so well with rain that brought out a little duck family! That was all before we even ate breakfast. After eating, it was to 2 museums for us. The first museum at Tupper Lake, The Wild Center, was fascinating. There were river otters swimming and showing off to the crowd, lots of large fish, rare spotted turtles, and many other interesting animals. The best part about the whole museum was that the fish tanks were eye level allowing children and adults to view in awe.
Before we made it to the second museum on the way back, we stopped to get pictures with bears, dogs, and deer that were along side of the road. These animals were very kind to let us photograph them with us. They, of course, were not real but made out of tree stumps, branches, etc. Next, we stopped at a beautiful area along the side of the road to take breathtaking pictures. Then we stopped at a bookstore, got delicious ice cream, and headed on our way to the Adirondack Museum. At the Adirondack Museum we explored the different buildings in depth and got another glimpse of what the area was like in the past. The most interesting thing I saw was the roller apparatus that would attach to the horses in the winter time to flatten out the snow. I though this was a great idea to handle a large snow fall before plows came around. The clouds left early afternoon to let us sneak in a kayak ride! To those not with us, It may seem as though we are doing way too much exploring and not getting in enough book time, but that is the complete opposite. We have learned so much history in the past 2 days to keep our school students busy for a whole quarter! As we see different parts of the area and learn something new, it always spurs a new idea that can be taught to students.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Monday, 7/22/13
Today was Monday and our first full day of the class. There are 6 of us students along for our fun journey. Today's activities included breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just kidding, we actually fit in a bundle. We took a tour of the Antlers facility with Rhonda as we talked again saw the different changes that have been made. We also, discussed the history of the area, how SUNY Cortland got the facility, and talked about our projects that each of us is planning to do.
In the afternoon, we toured the Huntington side of the SUNY Cortland facilities. To reach this side, we kayaked across the lake, feeling the warm, clear water, and smelling the fresh summer air of the Adirnonack Park. There was a great deal of history to accompany the camp. The buildings told stories of generations, friendships among the wealthy and powerful, and debt. It is amazing to look at both the Antlers and Huntington side and see how far everything has come since the beginning of the hotel and the promise that it offers to the SUNY Cortland students today.
Today was Monday and our first full day of the class. There are 6 of us students along for our fun journey. Today's activities included breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Just kidding, we actually fit in a bundle. We took a tour of the Antlers facility with Rhonda as we talked again saw the different changes that have been made. We also, discussed the history of the area, how SUNY Cortland got the facility, and talked about our projects that each of us is planning to do.
In the afternoon, we toured the Huntington side of the SUNY Cortland facilities. To reach this side, we kayaked across the lake, feeling the warm, clear water, and smelling the fresh summer air of the Adirnonack Park. There was a great deal of history to accompany the camp. The buildings told stories of generations, friendships among the wealthy and powerful, and debt. It is amazing to look at both the Antlers and Huntington side and see how far everything has come since the beginning of the hotel and the promise that it offers to the SUNY Cortland students today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)