Yosemite 2009

Leaving Amarillo! @ Amarillo, United States

2009-07-10T05:30:58.000Z

Our trip begins early on a Friday morning. Tired scouts and their leaders gather at the scout building. Final gear is loaded and everyone gathers for the pre-trip meeting. The standard "You'll be cooped up with your friends for 10 days so be patient with them" talk is given. Jared Knight gives the group prayer asking for safety on the trip.
6am - Everyone loads into their vehicles. A seating chart eliminates the whole "Where do I sit?" question.
6:20am - The convoy moves out and the trip begins!
7am - We play a National Geographic Yosemite documentary video for the boys only to discover the subject included "failed climbing expeditions and discussions of angry bears."

Donuts in San Jon @ San Jon, United States, New Mexico

2009-07-10T08:00:16.000Z

We pull over in San Jon and serve donuts and milk to the troops. Some of the men work on a persistent heater problem on the bus.
8:20am - We continue on our way.

Rest Stop outside of Clines Corners @ Clines Corners, United States, New Mexico

2009-07-10T09:15:25.000Z

We pull over into a rest stop outside of Clines Corners. A severe oil leak is forcing us to find a mechanic. With a little iPhone help, we discover a shop a mile up the road called Wagon Wheel.

Clines Corners - Waiting on the Bus @ Clines Corners, United States, New Mexico

2009-07-10T13:00:13.000Z

1pm - Sitting in a booth at Clines Corners. Our bus has been taken to Robert's Truck Center in Albuquerque. Another bus will be arriving soon to take us to Albuquerque also.
2:15pm - new bus arrives. We get on and head to Albuquerque. At this point, we've established new sleeping arrangements at Hoffman Town Church in Albuquerque.

Albuquerque - Roberts Truck Center @ Albuquerque, United States, New Mexico

2009-07-10T16:00:09.000Z

We got to Roberts Truck Center and waited while some of the leaders discussed repair options. Found out that the Troop bus cannot be repaired until Wednesday. A decision was made to charter another bus and continue the trip. All items were transferred off of the old bus to the new.
5pm - We head to Hoffman Town.

Hoffman Town Church - Albuquerque @ Albuquerque, United States, New Mexico

2009-07-10T17:45:35.000Z

We arrived at Hoffman Town church. Dave Jarvis, our contact was extremely nice and even offered to let us use the Youth Center - replete with air hockey tables, pool tables, and ping pong! We will have to remember to send a very special thank you to Dave and his church!
9pm - The initial plan was to have rotisserie chicken brought in from a Super Walmart. However, our team discovered the only store not having any bird. So, they went to plan B and brought in burgers from McDonalds. The boys ate well.
Outdoor football, ping pong, and pool tournaments kept the kids busy. Unfortunately, our impromptu facilities did not have showers so we will have to find something tomorrow.
Campfire was led by Reno in the Activities Building. The skits elicited groans (naturally) and the songs were loud and full of hand motions. Campfire ended with a scary story by Mr. Spellmann.
After campfire, everyone hit the hay, looking forward to the "new" bus that would pick them up in the morning.

Waking Up, Disc Golf, Leaving Hoffmantown @ Flagstaff, United States, Arizona

2009-07-11T16:15:05.000Z

We woke up at 8am knowing the new bus wouldn't be here until noon. We had a quick breakfast and lunch. The boys policed the area and left the church cleaner than when we arrived.
The men had a meeting to discuss how the schedule would be adjusted. After all, we were supposed to be in Flagstaff last night. After some deliberation, we decided to get to the Grand Canyon as soon as possible and try to eat on the rim this evening.
John Standish organized a disc golf tournament between the three crews around the church. The new bus arrived around the last hole.
Before I go further, it should be noted that two injuries occurred at Hoffmantown: Paul Haiduk was nailed by an errant frisbee in the arm and Jared Knight walked into a plate glass window. Only Jared's pride was injured.
12:15pm - When the bus arrived, there were a lot of "oohs" and "aahs." It appeared to be the "Lear Jet" version of buses. We're on our way!

Albertsons in Flagstaff @ Flagstaff, United States, Arizona

2009-07-11T19:00:35.000Z

Just got to an Albertsons in Flagstaff, AZ. Jared Knight and David Watson are picking up 200 pieces of chicken. We will then drive to the rim of the Grand Canyon and have a picnic. Looks like we will be sleeping under the stars tonight. Only a 20% chance of rain.

On the way here, the truck pulling the trailer broke down. Bad fuel filter. However it is fixed and they are trying to catch up. They had all the food and cooking equipment. We were supposed to have hamburgers, but they won't make it in time, so we went the "chicken" route.

Along the way, Adam, our bus driver entertained us by pointing out the largest piece of petrified wood, called Geronimo. Of course, it was surrounded by some fake teepees selling tourist items.

Anyway, back at the Albertsons, Casey Fithin noticed a Fry's store next door. He wanted to buy a camera. I (Eric) got excited because for those of you that don't know, Frye's Electronics is the largest electronics superstore in the world. Turns out, however, there is a "Fry's Grocery and Drug." Needless to say, I was deeeeply disappointed.

7:30pm - Got the chicken! However, it looks like it will take an hour to get to the canyon rim and by then, it will be dark, so....we'll go to the campsite and go see the canyon early in the morning.

Camp Raymond - Where We Spent the Night @ Flagstaff, United States, Arizona

2009-07-11T21:00:35.000Z

After we left Albertsons, we went straight to Camp Raymond, a Boy Scout Camp in the Grand Canyon Council. You should have seen the camp ranger when we pulled up in that huge bus.
The camp is full of tall pine trees. A covered gathering area served as our base. We unloaded the chicken, macaroni salad, and fried potatoes. The boys dove in.
Afterward, everyone got their swimming suits on and we had fun in the pool. Of course, the secret reason was to guarantee everyone got a shower.
Next was the campfire. Reno, Braden, and Paden did a stupendous job. Of course, it was dark at this point, so everyone set up their cots and sleeping bags under the stars (no tents).The sky was clear and stayed that way all night.
Interesting note from Doug: Sometime during the night, a skunk entered camp (probably smelled the chicken. He watched it crawl under practically under every cot looking for food. Doug was nervous a scout would wake up and "startle" the beast.

Camp Raymond @ Grand Canyon Village, United States, Arizona

2009-07-12T05:48:30.000Z

5:45am - We all get up and around. Mr. Moats and his crew in the other vehicles showed up sometime during the night and got breakfast started. The boys went on a hike to tour the camp.
9:30am - Everyone packed their gear into the bus and after policing the area for trash, we boarded the bus.
Note: The men have all been handing me their cameras. I'm uploading many more pictures as we come across faster Internet.

The Grand Canyon! @ Grand Canyon Village, United States, Arizona

2009-07-12T10:00:32.000Z

10am - We boarded the bus and headed to the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, because of our schedule setbacks, we've had to scrap the visit to the Hoover Dam. Turns out, due to the events of 9/11, large buses and trucks are no longer allowed to cross the dam. And, from a time standpoint, we wanted the boys to be able to spend as much time at the Grand Canyon as they could.
1pm - We parked the bus and took the boys on the Rim Trail. It was beautiful as you can see from the pictures. We gathered back at a shelter and Mr. Burt led a great church service. Afterwards, we cooked hotdogs. As an added surprise, we celebrated Adison Smothermon's birthday with a huge cake.

Las Vegas Strip @ Las Vegas, United States, Nevada

2009-07-12T17:00:34.000Z

We load up the bus and head to Las Vegas.
8:30pm - The traffic got quite heavy, especially on the Strip. The plan was simple: We had arranged for the bus to park in the employee lot of the Imperial Palace Casino. That hotel is located in the middle of the Las Vegas Strip across from Ceasar's Palace. Once parked, we divided into crews. Each man was in charge of keeping up with 3 boys. The rules were strict: Walk up and down the strip never leaving an adult leader. Don't take anything from anyone. Return to the bus by midnight.
9pm - My crew, (#3) headed out and went straight to Ceasar's. The boys were amazed at the sheer amount of lights and how much money had been spent on these places. We explained very clearly how the casinos accumulated that money: The House Always Wins! Our group grabbed some pizza at Ceasars and then headed out to the Bellagio. We got there in time to see the incredible fountain display. One of our scouts had recent knee surgery, so the men decided the best way to maximize our limited time was to rent a limo for 45 minutes for the boys and see the Strip. The boys were ecstatic! You should have seen the other crews when they saw us pull up in this huge stretch Expedition limo.
7/13 - 12:30am - All the crews were back and we needed to get to camp. But first we had to get the bus bathroom "dumped." We found a luxury RV park and got the deed done. Then we headed to the camp. Took us a while, and most of the boys and men slept during the trip.

Getting to Camp @ Las Vegas, United States, Nevada

2009-07-13T00:30:51.000Z

All the crews were back and we needed to get to camp. But first we had to get the bus bathroom "dumped." We found a luxury RV park and got the deed done.
Then we headed to the camp. Took us a while, and most of the boys and men slept during the trip.
2:30am - We arrive at camp only to learn that the "cabin" we will be sleeping in is at the top of a hill - a hill that the bus cannot climb. So, all of the boys and men grab their sleeping bags and gear and head up the hill. The boys slept in bunk beds and the men chose the ground. The plan was to wake up at 8am the next morning...
8am - Everyone woke up...reluctantly. Our cooking crew made up an incredible breakfast of french toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fried ham. The local camp director offered to haul all of our gear back down to the bus in his pickup.

Boron, California - Home of the Nicest Subway Manager @ Boron, United States, California

2009-07-13T14:30:36.000Z

Boron, CA - 2:30pm - We've entered California and are looking for a place to have some lunch. The temperature is over 100 degrees, so finding shade is important. Problem is, this state doesn't seem to believe in rest areas or parks along the highway. And trees seem to be even fewer than in Amarillo.

So......we stop at a small 76 truck stop. It contains a store and a Subway restaurant. Keep in mind we brought our own sandwich fixins for lunch and are not planning on buying anything. But the only place to eat would be in the parking lot under the hot sun. Not a fun option.

Casey Fithin and I decide to chat with the manager of Subway. We basically, said, "Hey, our troop needs to eat lunch - which we brought. Can they sit in your air conditioned restaurant to do that?"

Instead of laughter, she immediately and enthusiastically says "Yes!" The boys basically fill every booth except for one - which we left open for an actual Subway customer.

As a small way of saying, "Thank you," the troop bought a coke for every kid. In addition, we cleaned every table and swept the entire restaurant. It was actually cleaner than when we arrived. We thanked the kind manager and continued on our way.

Arriving at Bass Lake @ Bass Lake, United States, California

2009-07-13T22:11:14.000Z

Bass Lake - 10pm - We arrive at the campground, and after a chat with the Park Ranger, we find our site and pull out our cots. After a quick hamburger supper and an even quicker Campfire, we hit the hay. Another clear night, but noticeably cooler.

Yosemite @ Yosemite Village, United States, California

2009-07-14T06:00:32.000Z

7/14 - 6am - We get up, have a quick breakfast, police the grounds, set up the circus tent, and load the bus for Yosemite.
7am - The park is more beautiful than we imagined. After a long trip through a tunnel, we emerge into one of the most beautiful panoramas in the entire park. The boys can't stop taking pictures.
9am - Author's note. Some of you may have noticed that the journal entries and photo uploads have not been as frequent as the beginning of the trip.

Internet access has not been as easy to come by as thought. Despite the generous donation by AT&T of a wireless 3G card, access from the campsite has been slow. The only other time I can attempt to upload is while on the road. However, the turns and curves in Yosemite make it difficult to keep a connection. I have MANY pictures that will be forthcoming. Keep watching!
10:30am - Our first main stop is the Bridal Vail Falls. A short hike brings us to the bottom of a beautiful waterfall. The boys have a ball climbing on the rocks at the base. Many of the rocks have been climbed so much, they are worn down and a bit slippery.
Noon - We drive to Yosemite Lodge and set up in a public-benched area for lunch. The boys enjoy feeding the very-tame squirrels and chatting with a gentleman who happened to have a live parrot. After lunch, we load back on the bus and head to the Yosemite Visitor Center. More of a small village of tourist shops, the boys have fun looking around for souveniers.
3:30pm - We load up the bus and head to the Lower Yosemite Falls. This attraction is one of the most popular sites in the park. We take the short trail to the foot of another beautiful waterfall, and once again, the boys start climbing the rocks. Many of us take our shoes off and soak our feet in the frigid water. No injuries to report. Just lots of fun. On an interesting side note, some of the older boys came up with a game at this site. "How many pictures can you get with pretty tourist girls?" This was fascinating to watch, as most of the tourists were foreign. Listening to these young Casanova's attempt to hold a conversation with these girls was hilarious. Some of the quips our boys made:
"So, you're from Rome? Have you met the Pope?"
And to an Israeli girl: "Don't you have that island with the big stone heads on it?" - No idea how the scout connected Israel with Easter Island.
Mr. Tillery WON the game when he convinced a couple of female tourists to join him in a rousing rendention of the "Squirrelee" song. However, you could not wipe the smiles off the faces of those boys who were able to snap some of those contest photos.
We boarded the bus and headed back to camp at Bass Lake.
7:30pm - The cooks had pork chops, green beans, mashed potatoes, and pudding ready. After dinner, the boys moved their camp equipment to a different campsite (the ranger had come by and noted that they were in the wrong area - gotta love rangers).
Then, it was time for campfire. Some of the boys went around and invited other families in the area. Reno ran a good campfire. Everyone sang, including our guests, and much fun was had. After the campfire, the boys finalized their camp setup and everyone hit the hay.

The Big Sequoias @ Yosemite Village, United States, California

2009-07-15T06:00:37.000Z

The boys were wakened to the sounds of Native American drums...well, specifically, the drum of our bus driver, Adam. Turns out he is also a Native American dancer. Breakfast burritos were served and the boys cleaned camp. A number of them were tasked with cleaning the bus. We discovered an extra power extender. Now, we can run the laptop, Internet, and charge up to 10 cell phones (when the bus is running). Believe it or not, I still had a waiting line...
9:45am - We head back to Yosemite to see the big Sequoias! The Mariposa Groves are amazing. Huge redwods all around. The park rangers didn't let us get too close, though. Turns out the roots of these massive trees are very shallow. Too many people walking close to the trees can "harm" the roots. The largest tree is called the Grizzly giant. You'll see numerous pictures of the scouts in front of it. Interesting fact: The largest branch on this 2000 year old tree is thicker than any tree east of the Mississippi!
1:30pm - We have some lunch and then head back to the Yosemite Visitor Center for fsome free time. Some of the scouts choose to hike to the falls again while others shop for sourveniers.
5pm - We load up and head back to camp.
7pm - Some of the men take all the laundry into town to get it washed. The boys went to swim in Bass Lake (right down the road from camp). The boys called it swimming. We called it bathing. Every boy had to use soap.

Leaving Camp @ Modesto, United States, California

2009-07-16T09:00:47.000Z

We load up the bus and start heading toward San Francisco. We'll stop in Modesto for lunch.

In-N-Out Burger @ Modesto, United States, California

2009-07-16T15:31:56.000Z

We stop in Modesto at the In-N-Out Burger joint. Turns out this is a very popular spot, especially to our bus driver's son, Blaze. The burgers are delicious! The boys have fun with the hats. After Mr. Tillery tells them the caps are not official Troop 80 Class B clothing, they proceed to write the number "80" on them and board the bus. The bus driver, Adam, is concerned about an engine light that keeps coming on. We may have to stop and get it checked out. Also turns out the trailer being pulled by Mr. Moats has broken. It is being fixed.

Stuck in San Leandro - Bus Issues @ San Leandro, United States, California

2009-07-16T18:04:42.000Z

So the engine light came on again and the bus driver decided to be safe and stop into Peterson Power Systems in San Leandro. The boys went to a school park while the bus is being checked out...
7:30pm - Turns out it was a bad solenoid. The bus is fixed, we pick up the crew at the High School and head into San Francisco!

San Francisco - An Evening of Exploration @ San Francisco, United States, California

2009-07-16T20:00:10.000Z

We arrive in San Francisco and cross the Bay Bridge. Beautiful city! As we drove in, the fog (and a cool front) moved in. We quickly find the Hostel Internationale. Each room has four bunks. Each floor has two showers and two bathrooms. The boys and men are assigned rooms and we put our stuff away. We divide into crews and head into the city. Our crew heads towards Fishermens Wharf. While some crews ride cable cars, we walk, getting to see, up close, the city at night. The hills were steep! By the time we got to the restaurant, we decided that walking back was not an option. The evening was very cool. All of us were glad we wore jackets. At our restaurant, the boys chose from a variety of entrees. The majority chose to try the clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. Delicious!
10pm - We take a cable car back to the Hostel and turn in for the night.

San Francisco - Pier 39 and Chinatown Visit @ San Francisco, United States, California

2009-07-17T07:00:57.000Z

After a great night's sleep, we meet on the third floor for a light breakfast. While there, we meet a group of British cyclists starting their eight week trek across the USA to New York. Really nice people. We divide into crews again and head to Pier 39. One of the first things we did was buy some fresh fruit from some of the stands. California strawberries and fist-sized peaches were delicious! Lots of great shops and the boys really enjoyed seeing the hundreds of sea lions at the end. A pair of mimes also entertained us. We then caught a bus to Chinatown. The boys were fascinated by the variety of items for sale. And the cooked ducks hanging in windows (with the heads still attached) caused quite a few wide-eyed stares. We saw live fish prepared for customers and looked through numerous stands filled with vegetables we could not identify.
Noon - We return to the Hostel and gather as a troop. Our plan is to go eat lunch in Chinatown, however no restaurant can take our large group. Our crew eats at Blondie's Pizzeria. Afterwards, we visit the Apple store and head back to the Hostel.
2pm - After a great time in San Francisco, we load the bus and head to Bakersfield.

Bakersfield Elks Club @ Bakersfield, United States, California

2009-07-17T19:30:46.000Z

Some bad traffic in San Francisco delayed our departure, but we eventually got up to speed and hit Bakersfield. The Elks Club here is amazing. 40,000 square feet. Two huge social areas, a gym, showers, kitchen. They greet us with open arms, and a large Mexican pile-on dinner. At the end of the great meal, we sing "Happy Birthday" to Noah Friend and share a cake in his honor.

Note about the photos: I probably should have mentioned this earlier, but when the other men hand me their cameras to download the photos, this site (triptracker) uses the "time picture was taken" to arrange them. Some of the mens' cameras internal clocks have never been set, so I have to manually move pictures to the right journal entries. A CD or DVD of ALL pictures will be made available at a later date to the scouts and their parents.

Walter Wolfram Update: Doug had taken Walter to the San Francisco airport so he could fly home. For those of you that may not know, Walter, one of Troop 80's longest supporters, hurt his shoulder in a slip on some rocks in Yosemite. He made it home to Amarillo yesterday.

Having been on another 10 day trip with the troop (Canada), I remember the feeling of Day 9. Everyone is dragging, looking forward to seeing family tomorrow. However, I'm amazed we had NO major incidents of Homesickness. The boys are dealing with the busy schedule very well. No fights. Just a tiny bit of irritability, but nothing major. Amazing.

10pm - Campfire was great. Reno Moats is really good at getting the boys motivated. Silly skits, a scary story by Stan Fithin, and a rousing rendition of the Gilligan's Island Theme Song by the men round out the evening.

Our bus driver just informed me we have traveled over 2029 miles so far. We will have breakfast tomorrow, pack up and head to Flagstaff, our eventual stop for the evening being Camp Raymond once again.

Approximate return time: 9pm @ Gallup, United States, New Mexico

2009-07-19T12:37:03.000Z

Sitting in Gallup, NM eating Walmart chicken. Have to get to Albuquerque, switch buses (to our old bus), but think we will get back by 9pm.

Home @ Amarillo, United States, Texas

2009-07-20T00:58:37.000Z

We made it. 10 days. Great trip!