A Long Three Days in Vallecito

I am sorry to say that today's update will be brief. But hey, it is better than nothing.

This week we had a bit of a change of pace and drove four miles down the road Tuesday through Thursday to work at Vallecito County Park. Vallecito is a smaller park than Agua Caliente and not nearly as busy. The place was virtually deserted, with the exception of two married couples who are volunteers and Park Hosts. We were sent there to continue with our Mistletoe work. There had not been any Mistletoe removal in over seven years and so there was plenty of work to do. Unfortunately the endless Mistletoe-ing became rather monotonous by the third day and the days really dragged on.

Two nice aspects of Vallecito...First, there is cell service, which was a nice change, although I must say that not having cell service during the week really does not bother me at all.

Second is the Stage Station. Reconstructed in the 1930s, the Stage Station was originally from the 1850s. It was stopping grounds for travelers riding on the Butterfield stagecoaches. It was only operational for four years from 1857-1861 when the Civil War broke out. Of course I was excited for this little historical landmark! Rumor has it, the place is now haunted. People have reported hearing a stagecoach rumble by and there have been sightings of a Lady in White. The Rangers told us that anytime we want to, they will open it up at night so that we can spend an overnight there. Can't wait!

The Stage Station

Mistletoe-ing at Dusk

A Closer View at the Mistletoe

Just Chilling in a Tree

That is all for now. I will check in again next weekend.

Heat Wave

While there was intense cold and snow days at home, we had a bit of a heat wave in the desert this past week. The "winter" has been so mild this year. All of the rangers have explained to us that this is not normal weather. Where last week we were comfortable working during the day in long sleeved shirts and pants, this week, long sleeves were really not a viable option. Though our forearms were more vulnerable to the prickers of desert plants, we all switched over to short sleeved tops. Where last week I dreaded the time of day when the sun would dip behind the mountains, shading our workspace, this week we all could not wait for 3:30 when the sun ducked away for the day. Breaks from work were spent at the water spigots, dunking our heads under the cool water. We also experimented with various bandana fashions. There was the headband look, the traditional over the face to cover our nose from the intense amount of dirt and dust flying through the air as the chainsaws worked their way through a veritable Tamarisk forest, the wetted bandana around the neck to keep cool, and probably my most striking look of the week, the biker chick. Tuesday I was feeling particularly effected by the heat, so after sitting for a while and rehydrating, I dunked my head and then to keep it cool pulled my wet bandana over my forehead and tied it back just above my pony tail. Adding my sunglasses to the look, I looked ready to get some intense tattoos and head into a biker bar.

As I mentioned with the Tamarisk forest, we had very dirty work this week. In fact, I don't know as if I have ever been as dirty as I was after work this past wednesday. The hot sun left some tan lines, but more intense were the dirt lines that were formed throughout the day. On Wednesday I was wearing a band-aid on my arm. When I took it off, this remained...

After I showered, the difference of tone was considerably less. Ick.

The work was dirty and exhausting, but also very satisfying. It felt great to literally pull branches off of trees and pull roots up from the ground with my bare hands. We cleared a huge chunk of land just off one of the park's trails and will still have some considerable work ahead of us getting all of the stumps out of the ground so that the Tamarisk does not just regenerate where we took it out.

Wednesday afternoon we took a bit of a break from the norm. Tyler, a new staff member at Agua Caliente, discovered a scorpion about to crawl right towards another park attendant, Miles. Luckily they knew how to properly pick up a scorpion without risking being stung, so Jake picked the guy up and Miles put him away in a travel coffee mug to be taken home as a pet. Maya, the animal lover of our team, was eager to hold the scorpion as well, so she took her turn too. The rest of us backed off and looked on curiously.

Miles and Jake with the Scorpion

We have found a lot of other creatures while digging and clearing. Just after discovering the scorpion, this little lizard was discovered too.

Maya: The Animal Whisperer

Yesterday, Friday, on our day off we headed off to do PT (our required physical training) as a hike in the "Canyon Sin Nombre." One of the rangers, Mark had directed us there and man am I glad he did. It was an amazing hike through a narrow canyon.

We also climbed above the canyon and looked down and then out at the desert around us. We were the only people around. Maya, unfortuately got stuck by the Cholla ("Jumping Cactus") and I scraped up my leg pretty fantastically heading back down into the canyon, but these were set backs that made but a small dent in a wonderful afternoon.

That is all for now. We are headed back to the Red Barn tonight (which was a great success last week). Then Ramona tomorrow for groceries. And Monday it is back to the work week.

Leaping and Hopping on a Moonshadow

When we arrived at Agua Caliente two weeks ago, we drove into the park in complete darkness, unaware of the scenery that surrounded us, but awed by the star filled, moonless sky. This past Wednesday, exactly two weeks after our arrival, the nighttime experience was quite the opposite of the first night. The full moon shown over the desert. It was more than I could have ever imagined. I have never seen a night so bright before in my life. The moon light reflects off the sand, so bright that not only can you see the outlines of the surrounding mountains, but you can see details of cacti and rocks, lining the mountainsides. On Wednesday night, my friend Allison and I walked back from a lovely nighttime soak in the hot tub. Without flashlights our path was guided completely by the moon and we marveled at the impression our moon shadows made on the sand. I headed to the tent and listened to the sounds of frogs echo throughout the valley, lulling me to sleep.

(Photo by Taylor Dearman)

A Lifestyle I Can Definitely Get Used To

We have now successfully completed a full week of work and I have realized that this is the first time in my life when my work has been manual labor. It is exhausting. We work ten hour days, four days a week. The work days seem long, but our team has gotten into a good groove with conversation, working games, and music to keep us going throughout the day.

Carly removing Mistletoe from a Mesquite Tree

This first week our primary tasks involved removing of non-native invasive plant species. First was the Mistletoe, a project that seems never ending and will be our go to task throughout the eight weeks that we are here. This mistletoe is not exactly the Christmas kissing plant that we typically think of. Some of the Birds who live here eat berries off of the Mistletoe plants, then they sit in Mesquite trees, poop on the branches, and Mistletoe grows off the trees, eventually killing the tree. Lucky for us, Mistletoe is fairly easy to remove and does not have any prickers on it. Unlucky for us, the Mesquite trees make up for the Mistletoe's lack of prickers. We all have scrapes along our arms and legs from climbing through Mesquite bushes to reach Mistletoe tucked far away. On Wednesday I spent a solid two hours or so moving deep into one Mesquite bush and pulling out tons of Mistletoe, just to later be told that the tree was dead and was going to be taken out with a chainsaw...darn.

Katie Cleaning Up the Fallen Mistletoe

In addition to removing Mistletoe, we have also been taking out another non-native species: a tree called Tamarisk. Taylor, Danny, and Abby our Team Leader are all chainsaw certified and they have been very busy with the chainsaws taking down the Tamarisk. Many of the trees are young and easily removed, but in the four days of this week we took down 14 trees that needed to be dug out and uprooted.

After digging around the roots, one of the rangers or other volunteers comes in with the truck and pulls the stump out.

While digging out the stumps we have come across some crazy desert critters as well. First off, we found some Kangaroo Rats. Rat is really a misleading name because they are cute and look more like mice. We also found a baby Coral Snake, a lizard, and the most dramatic find of them all, a Tarantula! Maya, an animal lover, proceeded to pick up each of the animals we found. I however, did not pick up any of them and backed away at the initial sight of the large hairy spider, which I later got closer too and decided was pretty cool to look at while it was in someone else's hand.

The work days are long and tiring, but I do like the work. I am glad that we get to work so closely as a team, since on our last project we were so spread out throughout the day. And the location really could not be topped. It is warm during the days, brilliantly sunny, and breathtaking to look at the scenery.

And our location is even that much better on our days off. Yesterday we started the day with a hike to fulfill our weekly physical training requirements, then spent the bulk of the afternoon sitting poolside and reading. I am currently reading the book, Tinkers, a gift from the wonderful Lynda Sorenson, and I am really enjoying it. It is nice to read a book that takes place in New England while I am away from home.

The one drawback to the weekends we discovered last night. This weekend is a long holiday weekend, and the state of the campground definitely reflects that. The place is packed and it feels like our peaceful home has been invaded for a few days. We are surrounded by trailers and it was so loud last night and this morning. There is no sleeping in possible in a tent. But if this is the biggest complaint, life certainly can't be all that bad. We escaped the madness today by heading into Julian for some town time and internet time. Maya, Carly, and I discovered a lovely tea shop in town which I will definitely have to revisit at a later date, and all the girls had a lovely lunch at "Soups and Such." This evening it is off to "The Red Barn" for our first taste of something comparable to nightlife. Pizza and live music is the order of the evening and we are all very much looking forward to it.

My internet time has come to a close, so I will have to fill in more later. I hope all is well with everyone. Send along updates of your lives too!

Welcome to the Desert!

I have arrived with my team to Agua Caliente in San Diego County. I must say, I am in awe. We arrived Wednesday Night after about 14 hours on the road. We pitched the tents by our van headlights and headed to bed after a quick dip in the hot springs! Then the next day we finally saw the views. I could not believe what was surrounding me. It is truly a wonder to behold. I am so enthusiastic about this right now. I will report more later, but for now, my internet time has come to a close. Catch you next week when I am back in town!

Green 2 Round 1 Celebration

As part of our project debrief, each team made some form of "celebration" to share with the other teams of their unit. This was my team's Celebration Video for Round One.

The First Ends and the Second Begins

Winter break has come and gone, our last days have passed at FC Joyce Elementary School, and tomorrow we head off down south to the Desert for our next project. My posts have been lacking over the past few weeks and I will not try to compensate by squishing all sorts of details into this post, but to recap:

The last days at FC Joyce were wonderful. The team was faced with some difficulties and drama, but for the most part, attention was focused towards enjoying the little time we had left with the kids. There were holiday parties, thank you notes, a goodbye assembly, and a talent show at the boys and girls club after school. There were tears on the playground as we left on our final day and so many hugs it would not be possible to count them all. I am going to miss my class, but it is certainly a comfort to know that I can visit during transition days between projects, when we are back in Sacramento. It is also comforting to know that another team in following in our footsteps.

While I wonder how much these kids are going to remember about me and how much they are truly going to miss me once new AmeriCorps members are there to take my place, there are certain tangible ways that I was able to see my impact. The most satisfying of these all was with one of my favorite students, Feonna. The first day I was in the classroom, there was a math test for the class. Correcting this test was one of my first tasks as teacher's assistant and I could immediately see how far behind my students were. Feonna was one such student, receiving a failing grade below 50% on this first test. Despite having a grade to match many fellow classmates, Feonna stood out from the rest. She was clearly determined to succeed. At the top of her test paper, she had written "I can do it." She cheered herself on, tried her hardest, and hoped for the best. Over the coming weeks and worked one on one with Feonna a few times both during class and at the after school program. I checked in with her frequently and she was always excited to report successes to me, though for quite some time she continued to struggle making small mistakes that ruined her answers. Then my second to last day in class, the kids took another math test. Just as before, Feonna wrote at the top of her sheet, "I can do it." And she was right! She got a 100% that day and when we showed her the score, she could not have been more excited. It was wonderful to see such success. She is only one out of the thirty students in the class, but I know that whether Feonna remembers me in the long run, that success will stick with her long enough to lead to other, bigger successes.

Each member of my teams has at least one story to rival this one. Having an education project is certainly one of the most rewarding projects I can imagine and doing this work is making me think seriously about becoming a teacher (though I do not want to be an elementary school teacher). Today we got to talk about the project, our classes, and our students, with the team that will be taking our place at FC Joyce. It was great to share our experiences and wonderful to see their faces light up at the prospect of working at the school. In this cross training, we also got to hear all about our next project at Agua Caliente. We are actually switching projects with the team Green 7 which is a fun opportunity to share experiences with other teams. I won't go into detail about what we learned today, because soon enough we will have our own stories and our own pictures to tell about Agua Caliente, but I will say I am very excited for this change of pace and new opportunity to live out of doors!

Tomorrow we drive down 10 hours to San Diego County. We are leaving at 4:30 in the morning so that we can hopefully set up our tents in remaining daylight. Should be quite a day. While I am down there I will have limited cell phone and internet access, but I should be able to keep updating at least as frequently as I did during the first round project (which was not a whole lot unfortunately).

That's all for now. Be in touch soon!