BluEyedHyper

The Email... STS-134 OMG!!!!

2011-03-29T18:33:00.000-07:00

Two miles directly west of the Gilchrist (Oregon) mill lies an old log cabin. Family owned, it sports a loft, a wood burning cook stove, a fireplace, and an unattached outhouse with a perfect view of the meadow. This cabin is located exactly 42 miles south of the middle of nowhere.(According to candidate Neil Goldschmidt, "in his hard-fought campaign for governor against Republican Norma Paulus in 1986, when he famously declined a proposed debate in Bend, calling it "the middle of nowhere."...taken from http://www.bakercityherald.com/Local-News/SPECIAL-REPORT-Ten-influential-Oregonians)

On March 21, at 1:20 pm, this is where I was, *(43°30'30.12"N 121°44'0.14"W ) when I received the most amazing email. It was spring break and we were attempting to get into the cabin despite being advised to do otherwise by my father.

We had a jeep, a large dodge 4x, a great adventurous friend, a teenage boy, myself, and three dogs. We had managed to get both vehicles stuck repeatedly in the deep snow, and were in the process of digging them out again, when I received an email from NASA.

“Dear Sarah Williver,

Congratulations, your registration has been selected to attend the NASA Tweetup at space shuttle Endeavour's targeted launch April 18-19 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida! The event will provide you the opportunity to speak with shuttle technicians, engineers, astronauts, and managers, and to experience the launch of space shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station....”

We weren’t lost. We weren’t in any real danger. (Although, my dad had advised me to call someone with a bigger truck than his, in the event we did get stuck...) We were close to the cabin and had cross country skied in the night before. We had food, cell phones (with data), sleeping bags, food, water... but we were stuck. And we had been stuck, and shoveling for the better part of the day. We would drive 100 yards, sink, dig, repeat.....We were tired, sore, and still stuck. But I was going to Kennedy Space Center!

And so my journey to watch the Endeavor (STS-134) launch with 150 0ther lucky members of the Twitter community began. The launch is scheduled for April 19th. More information on the #NASATweetup is here: http://134tweetup.com/ . I will be blogging about the community, the people, and the incredible journey I am about to embark on. You can follow my tweet stream at twitter.com/SkierSarah or @SkierSarah.

If Tent Caterpillars are endangered, I am going to Caterpillar Hell…. (Escape to Shevlin Park)

2010-05-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Shevlin Park directly west of Bend is a young scientists delight this time of year. And it is not a bad place for the scientist’s parent as well.

The park is only 4.4 miles directly west of Bend and offers a plethora of walking, biking, and wading opportunities.

View Larger Map

With our goal of two solid hours of exercise a day, Shevlin seemed like a logical place on this rainy, cloudy Saturday. It was close to town, it would be a quick trip home if we got soaked to the undies. (There is nothing worse than an hour car trip home with two cold, soaked kids.)

We biked the road in. It is about two miles, fairly flat. It is an easy ride that even the youngest kids could accomplish. No traffic even though the gate was opened! It is suitable for most kids, even kids with training wheels if they are willing to pedal hard.

We stopped at the top end to boulder.

There are rocks and boulders all along the road that are fun for clambering. Don’t let the kids loose unless you have time to wait. The boulders are tall, but not THAT tall.

From the far end of the park, we took the trail that heads directly south. It is an easy, flat trail that is ridable by almost anyone on two wheels. At the first junction, we headed North back to the car. This is an easy ride, with small ups and downs that is about two miles long. It is fast (more down that up) and winds itself along the ride back to the car.

(There is a map of the Shevlin Park Trails available here: http://www.bendparksandrec.org/Park_List_Hidden/Shevlin_Park/shevlin.html )

The biking portion took only about an hour so we decided to walk along the east rim. We found wild strawberries, and caterpillars. Hence, my going to tent caterpillar hell.
Nestled among the bitter brush are thousands of tent caterpillars. We have an aquarium just waiting for bugs at home…so we selected a few (okay ten or twenty tents) and kyped them. Yes, we plucked them off the bushes, and took them home. We’ll let you know if they turn into anything interesting. I am betting some sort of hideous moth….

The trail to the east was just a little over a mile, with some steep switchbacks at the beginning. Suitable for walking at almost any age, it takes a pretty fair set of legs to be able to ride up the switchbacks.

If your time is short, or if you have younger youth that need an excellent adventure, Shevlin Park is a remarkable park with lots of diversity. For older youth, bouldering and biking in Shevlin provide a close outdoor experience.

#FAIL (aka no marathon in Sarah’s future)

2010-05-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

Life is just too fast, or I am just too slow. I will not make the marathon in June. In fact, I haven’t seriously tried to train. Call me lazy!!!

My fantastic sister, Darcy, however is well on her way! She and her husband, Chad will compete in the San Diego Marathon in June. I am so proud of them. Their daughter, Holly, meanwhile is continuing to battle leukemia. She is amazingly resilient. Follow her story here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/hollyrosedavis

The Resurrection of a Blog.

2010-02-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

Since our grand summer adventure, life has gotten in the way of my writing. Two active homeschooled boys, job changes, life changes, and moving (twice) seemed to limit the amount of time I had to pontificate. No worries…I am back.

And back with a cause. My niece, Holly was diagnosed with Leukemia just a year ago. She was just two years old! Earth shattering! Those are the only words I can use to describe what she and her family have been through in the past year. As far as being diagnosed with cancer, the leukemia she has is the best one to get. The cure rate for childhood leukemia is high, and she is responding with amazing progress!

Last week, my sister (and Steve, the pastor from my mom’s church) came up with the idea that they should run a marathon in support of leukemia research and cures. Darcy (my sister) is an amazing girl: three kids under six, and walking/running nearly daily. She is in good shape, although not quite up to running 26 miles. Me on the other hand, well…. I walk the butte (slowly, to see the sunset at the top). I am one step above couch potato, but not because I am “athletic”.

This story really starts the year Darcy and I entered our Master’s degree program at Eastern Oregon. Darcy, who is a year younger than I, decided she needed to run a marathon. Being the supportive older sister that I am, I couldn’t let her do it alone. (Or perhaps my motives were a bit competitive.) At any rate, she trained. I pretended to train. I ran three or four miles a couple of times a week. Needless to say, I was the slowest marathon runner ever, but I did manage to finish. I didn’t cause myself any permanent harm. Darcy managed to finish way before me (like an hour or two) and seemed fine at the end. My feet, on the other hand, hurt so bad I couldn’t walk for a week, and limped for two.

So, timewarp ten years later, and we are doing it again? What is it with me and saying yes to insane requests?

Please note, not only am I just above couch potato in endurance and speed, but I also dislocated my elbow three weeks ago snowboarding. Darcy is planning on the San Diego Marathon June 6th. Can I manage to go from busted, slothlike persona to marathon runner in fifteen weeks? I am going to need all the help I can get!!!!

A Brand New Adventure

2008-08-10T09:38:00.001-07:00

4-H EquipoGIS has been invited to go to Santiago, Chile from September 22 - October 4th, 2008! 4-H EquipoGIS is the brain child of myself, and Thomas Ray of North Carolina.

We are excited to be working with Gustavo from Chile and Juan from ESRI! This opportunity for the youth to both participate in the professionals conference, and to work with other youth to promote GIS skills, and community projects is a tremendous opportunity!

We have to find sponsors in order to make this trip happen. We are looking for business or individuals who share our vision, and are willing to sponsor a youth! Whether it is a cash donation, or airline miles donated to a specific youth, we NEED your help!

Please contact me at sarah.cofer@oregonstate.edu if you can help sponsor, if you know someone who can!We cannot make this trip without community help!

A brief overview of what 4-H EquipoGIS is, and what we are attempting to accomplish follows:

4-H EquipoGIS is a partnership that is creating international collaboration for youth using GIS.

We focus on creating opportunities for youth: 1)to participate in coordinated community projects home and abroad, 2)to connect with youth and adults in other countries, and 3) and to participate in International ESRI conferences.

Our goal is to use GIS to create lasting leadership skills by connecting youth with other communities and countries, enabling them to affect change not only their own communities but communities around the world

About the Micro Blog from Twitter

2008-08-10T09:32:00.001-07:00

The Micro Blog at the end of the postings is done using a service called Twitter. (www.twitter.com)

I can update my "status" or what I am currently doing from my cell phone, thus enabling people to follow what I am doing throughout the day!

Each bullet point (ACK! I haven't figured out how to change that yet!) is a separate posting from my cell. If a posting has @ in front of it, it is directed to a particular posting, perhaps asking a question, or replying to a question.

So, if you want to follow my daily work, check out the listing on the bottom...

My apologies!!!!

2008-08-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

In planning this wonderful summer adventure, one neglected to realize that there would be very little time to blog, or to be by herself!

I apologize to all of you who were following my blog and got left in Arizona wondering if we would ever get home! We made it to the East Coast, and back. The adventures we had along the way were well worth telling, but the activity level of my two energetic boys, left no time to tell!

So we are home, adjusting to having room to get away from each other, and job demands. (OH MY! :) )

Where we have gone so far!

2008-06-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Pricked by sarahcofer with Nomao

June 4 – Honeyville Utah to Moab Utah ….and yes…it is still raining.

2008-06-05T08:39:00.001-07:00

The drive itself was gorgeous today! North and Eastern Utah is mountainous country with hills and mountains! Gorgeous! But, it is raining, and raining hard. I am beginning to think it might be following us! So we didn’t stop at the Water Park in Salt Lake.

We stopped at a town called Helper, and visited their mining museum. We found that youth as young as 8 were helping in the mine with their fathers! (Where do I sign up the kids?) The most interesting aspect were the signs in different languages…..This was a diverse area in the late 1800s and early 1900s!

Next we motored on to Arches National Park. Their campground was full, so we drove the rest of the way in to Moab! Moab is definitely a destination resort town. BUT, the water park is permanently closed! This is three water parks that we have NOT been able to visit! So, the alternative was to go looking for legos. (We can play legos in the rain!) Moab Utah has NO legos in the entire town! Sorry, folks, but as a town, it just lost major points for us!

As we passed the top of Arches National Park, Mac saw a Bar M Chuckwagon with live music. We decided to go back there for dinner, and stay at Dead Horse campground.

We drove all the way in to Dead Horse Campground (22 miles) and witnessed an amazing thunderstorm coming across the rocks. The visitors information center was closed so we headed back to the Chuck Wagon!

The Bar M Chuck wagon is A MUST for anyone to visit that is in the area. The dinner was splendid, there was a “real” gunfight complete with a chicken falling out of the sky, and the actors arguing about who got to be “sheriff” next time, AND live music at the end. (Check out my tweet roll at the bottom) It was a fantastic experience. We decided to stay at the Private RV place just up the road from the Chuck Wagon. (And it has free wireless…WOOT!)

Tomorrow we are heading into Canyonlands, and Arches, and then on to Hole in the Rock and Hovencamp! Rain is predicted! I am certain it is following us at this point!

June 3 Fruitland, Idaho to Honeyville, Utah and rain!

2008-06-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

As we were passing through Nampa, Idaho a sign to the “Warhawk Air Museum” on the freeway beckoned us! My eldest child is into all things aeronautical and World Military conflicts of any kind! We followed the signs to the museum, and made a mad dash through the rain for the entrance. http://www.warhawkairmuseum.org/

It was a stunning air museum with a large collection of World War exhibits, but perhaps the most intriguing part of our visit was a talk with James Briggs. (A retired WW2 air force gunner.) He spent over an hour talking to us about his experiences, and observations! He had harrowing stories of limping a plane back to England, and hospital stays. He was a delight, and I think speaking with him made an incredible impact on Mac (Sir Takzalot)

We left Nampa, and drove right by the water park we were set on visiting. It was raining AND an entire 53 degrees…The water park hadn’t even bothered to unlock their parking lot! 

We drove through Southern Idaho, and drove, and drove. It rained, and rained, and rained! I began to realize that Southern Idaho is pretty much farms, and sagebrush.

The Welcome to Utah sign through the rain!

North Eastern Utah is gorgeous! (Mountains and hills, and green fields.) Much of it reminds me of Eastern Oregon, but far greener! I found myself wondering how much of the green was because of the recent rain, and if it usually is dry like Eastern Oregon? As well as wondering how much snow they get in the winter!

We were trying to make Salt Lake City but 320 miles occurred about Tremonton! Tired of the driving, and the rain, we began to look for camping spots when we saw the Crystal Hot Springs sign!

Located in Honeyville, Utah, Crystal Hot Springs is a rustic hot springs with two pools one that is fresh water and one that is SALT water! I have never been in a hot springs that is salt water! Interesting feeling…I am wondering what it is reputed to cure. The pool was a bit murky, and some of the tiles were in need of repair. They also had a 1980’s water slide. (You know the ones that first came out that were all the rage, until people started getting fiberglass splinters in unnamed places!) The people sliding were doing so on mats, they appeared to be having fun! We arrived at ten o’clock at night, so the kids didn’t get a chance to play on the slide, but we did swim in the salt water. (Reaction to the salt water by both kids was “Yuck, don’t put your head under!”)

Somewhere Between Juntura and Vale....

2008-06-03T08:19:00.001-07:00

We managed to pull out of Bend at about 3:00 on Monday. Food purchased at Costco, not put away however, just stacked in the RV, clothes packed….younguns refused to travel Naked….imagine that!?!

It never ceases to amaze me how geographically diverse the state of Oregon is. If we take in to account my travels on Sunday, within 24 hours, I drove from a coastal setting, through a temperate rain forest, through grass lands, over four (maybe five…Coastal Range, Cascade Range, Stinking Water Pass, Drinking Water Pass, and Stinking Water Pass, unnamed pass between Juntura and Vale ) mountain passes, through a high desert, and a high plateau.

As we were passing table top rocks out of Burns, we were discussing Native Americans and how hard it would have been to survive in such a climate. Dusty let me know that those cliffs would have been perfect for Indians. (He is a glass half full person.) I was listing the reasons why it would be incredibly hard to survive amongst the sage brush with now water, and he stopped me…

Native Americans ran buffalo off cliffs like that! Those were “perfect” cliffs! Not too tall, but tall enough to do deadly damage to the buffalo, but not to wide either, so it wouldn’t take the Native Americans all day to get to the bottom to work on the dead buffalo. Also, according to Dusty, Native Americans used all parts of the animal, including the teeth and bones, but other animals (got ya…you thought it was going to be Caucasians) like chipmunks and squirrels tend to leave the bones and teeth alone!

The child was a fountain of buffalo, and Native American information! I inquired as to where he had gotten all this knowledge, and he said with a shrug “Mrs. Jordan.” Thank you, Mrs. Jordan! You see, he was paying attention. 

Now, does anyone know if there were herds of buffalo in Eastern Oregon?

Between Bend and Ontario is desolate. We didn’t see much traffic, in fact, the entire 310 miles; we didn’t see more than 20 semi trucks!! Perhaps gas prices are slowing traffic! (This is good because I am a bit out of practice driving the RV, so the more I have the road to myself, the better!!)

Somewhere between Juntura and Vale, driving an incredibly straight highway for miles and miles and miles, and seeing sage brush and grasses, but not much else, I had an overwhelming urge to turn the RV around and head for home. (This must have been when the fatigue started setting in!!) If I was bored in Eastern Oregon…how the heck will I get across Kansas????? Oh, that’s why we are NOT going through Kansas…I just hope the Albuquerque – Amarillo – Oklahoma City leg has something to look at!

The plan was to stop in Meridian at a water park and then try to make Salt Lake City tonight, but the weather gods are not paying attention! (Or messing with us!) It is overcast, and windy in Fruitland, and the weather forecast in Meridian is not much better! So, we will push on down 84 and see if we can make Salt Lake City today.

I am off to make coffee, and feed the mantids!

And we are traveling NAKED!

2008-05-31T17:06:00.001-07:00

For those of you that are following our pre journey, you know that I am in helping with a Lego Robotics training this weekend in Coos Bay, Oregon. It is collaboration with ORTOP (www.ortop.org ) and 4-H to teach adults how to lead Lego Robotics Teams.

For our 4-H SET outreach we are working with 4-H Clubs across the state to set up LEGO Robotics Clubs, teams, and after school programs. Here is where we currently have robotics, or interests! Please contact me if you would like to partner with 4-H in Oregon!

A fun map of LEGO robotics 4-H in Oregon

Pricked by sarahcofer with Nomao

First, a plug for ORTOP! They are a fabulous organization that promotes robotics through FIRST programs. (www.firstlegoleague.org )

JFLL – Lego competitions for youth 6 – 9 years old
FLL – Lego Robotics competitions for youth 9 – 14 years old
FTC – First Tech Challenge for youth 13 – 18 years

If you have a lingering (ya know ya do!) interest in LEGO and youth that are any of the above ages, please check out the site, and think about encouraging your youth to participate!

If you don’t have that lingering interest, but know a GREAT program when you see one, please consider donating money to ORTOP so they can fund scholarship teams.

So are you wondering how this applies to us traveling NAKED? I am six hours away from home. We have no food in the RV and our clothes aren’t packed! Panic is beginning to set in! How am I going to get food, clothes, and leave on Monday? The only logical answer is to cut out something…therefore all clothes are getting left at home. We are going south any way…it won’t matter much….will it?

At which point, We take a moment to Acknowledge our sponsors!!

2008-05-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

As I am frantically trying to pack and work, and plan the trip, I thought it right to mention those who have made this trip possible! (Thanks Mom, for the reminder.)

It is important to note that my folks have graciously lent me their RV. We could have made the trip in the car, and motels along the way, but is sure to be a greater adventure in the RV.

My husband, Greg, who although he will be joining us for part of our journey, could not take eight consecutive weeks off! He will be holding down the house, keeping the dog company, and manning the phone, in case we get in a pickle.

My boys, who will be blogging along the way at http://theredrebel.blogspot.com/ and http://sirtakzalot.blogspot.com/ , they always are up for adventure! Without them, life would be dull!

My work, who doesn’t seem to have a problem with me taking so many weeks off in a row! It really will make for a wonderful adventure.

Our friends who are scattered across the country! It is for you all that we are taking this wild trip back East!. The swimming holes and national monuments are secondary to seeing good friends that have been gone too long!

And as always, if you have ideas of what we should see while we are in YOUR neck of woods, drop me a note!

The Tentative Itinerary

2008-05-27T14:06:00.001-07:00

Pricked by sarahcofer with Nomao

This is the map of our plans for going east. As you can see there are some gaps the further east we go! If you have ideas for between Crater of Diamonds and St Loius, or St Louis to Washington DC we would love to hear them!

Count Down! One week until Departure

2008-05-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Grand Vacation! Two kids, one mom, eight praying mantids, and one RV traveling around the US for eight weeks! We will be leaving the middle of nowhere (AKA Powell Butte, Oregon ~ near Bend, Oregon) June 2 to travel to Washington DC, and NY, and back home.

I am Sarah, author, writer, and creator of this blog. My day job is working as an extension faculty for a university, and I have a large amount of caction time to spend. So spend it we will!

On this grand vacation my two active, energetic boys will join me.

Mac, true age 12, but considers himself about 35.... my eldest, lives by the book, and follows the rules. Has a sarcastic, dry wit, and loves to torment his brother. He is mainly always interested in aeronautics, anthropology, world history, ham radios, and Legos.

Dusty, age (almost) 1o, is my red haired rebel...has a heart of gold and thinks he can communicate with animals, and hear the wind. He is incredibly intuitive and is creative in the ways he manages to push his brother's buttons. He is mainly interested in animals, bugs, flowers (as in gardening), swimming, Greek history, and Bionicles.

At this point, departure is set for June 2, if I make it home from Coos Bay, OR in time! (I have a Lego Robotics training to teach in Coos Bay which is exactly 6 1/2 hours from the middle of nowhere....) We plan to leave in the afternoon on June 2 and head for Boise, ID or actually, Meridian to a water park! Roaring Waters http://www.roaringsprings.com/

We plan to go southerly on the way east, and more northerly on the way back. Any ideas, thoughts, things you think we should see would be welcome!