[Originally Published 08.05.2013] Our final Dawn Patrol Hike at Key Issues Institute took place on Saturday, July 27. My friends and I had been looking forward to it all week. At 5 am we boarded the bus to Loveland Pass on the Continental Divide. We were thankful for beautiful weather and clear skies at 12,000 … More Key Issues Institute, Dawn Patrol on Day 5
[Originally Published 08.03.2013] Friday, at the Institute, was data collection day. Three groups were sent out to three different locations to test water quality. At each location we had three stations where different measurements had to be taken: 1. biodiversity 2. depth & surface velocity 3. dissolved oxygen, zinc, & pH So on went the … More Key Issues Institute, Day 4
[Originally Published 07.31.2013] We got up even earlier for Friday’s hike. We left the hotel at 5:30 am for the Ptarmigan Trail to ensure that we actually make it to the knoll at the top of the hill before sunrise. The view and the time bonding with friends well outweighed having to get up early! … More Key Issues Institute Day 4: Dawn Patrol Hike
[Originally Published 07.31.2013] Thursday morning a group of us left the hotel at 6 am to walk the Ptarmigan Trail behind the La Quinta Inn. The fresh air and spectacular views made this walk a great start to the day here at the Institute. In today’s first session the focus was on sustainability– more specifically … More Key Issues Institute, Day 3
[Originally Published 07.25.2013] Wow! Yesterday was a full, busy, but fun day! Once again, thank you to my sponsor Alcoa for making this trip to “Key Issues Institute” possible. My day started at 6 am. I opted to go for a morning walk along the Blue River Trail in Silverthorne led by Mary, one of … More Key Issues Institute, Day 2
[Originally Published 07.24.2013] Greetings from Colorado! I’m here for the “Key Issues Institute,” hosted by Keystone Science School. I am extremely grateful to Alcoa for sponsoring me and giving me the opportunity to attend this conference. Getting here yesterday wasn’t without incident. The plan was to fly out of John Wayne Airport at 7:11am, arrive … More Key Issues Institute, Day 1
[Originally Published 07.23.2013] Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Science Olympiad Summer Institute in Phoenix, Arizona. This was my fifth time attending this conference but it was easily my favorite, mainly because my family tagged along for the trip so they could enjoy the resort while I attended the various sessions at … More Balancing Work and Play
[Originally Published 07.16.2013] Wow. Just like that, my summer vacation is over. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not whining or complaining. I’m just letting reality sink in. I started summer vacation knowing that it would be shorter by about three weeks since my school district announced that we would be starting school in early August … More Vacation Interrupted
[Originally Published 07.09.2013] Wow… Three weeks of summer vacation have already expired! It’s been a pretty eventful three weeks, too! Here’s a recap of the second week of break. After we returned from camping, I checked my family into a local hotel for a couple of days. My home was randomly selected by the Homeowners … More Invasive Inspection
[Originally Published 06.24.2013] I always overpack. I guess I fear that I might need something on a trip so I’ll pack it just in case. Most of the time, I’m guilty of taking “everything but the kitchen sink.” This time, however, I did bring the kitchen sink. My buddy let me borrow his Teardrop Trailer … More Camping with the Teardrop
Me In The Balance 