Mammoth Cave Adventure: Wrap-Up

Looking back on the adventure...it was a long way to drive for the weekend, but the consensus is that it was more than worth it.






Our hosts, the Ferry family, made us feel at home on Thursday night. We caught up on family adventures, school, home, and everything that we could think of. The next morning, we took off--in the rain--for the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.







After checking out what sort of car $42,000 can buy--and by happenstance, what sort of person might buy them--we set off for Rotary Scout Reservation for the first of two nights at camp.







Deep dish pizza on the way...the scouts settled in quickly, and made quick work of our Dutch Oven meals, taking on the multiple roles of chefs, diners, and dishwashers.





Camp Rotary emblem, thanks to Brian Shields of the Camp Rotary Foundation and the B-P Rover Crew.









Nicole, our tour guide--with degrees in political science, geology, and broadcasting. Who would have imagined that that sort of specialization would work so well?






We took the longest standard tour--the Grand Tour. The National Park Service Describes this as "[t]his physically demanding trip will give you an excellent idea of the size and complexity of the Mammoth Cave system. Learn of the natural and cultural history of the cave and how they are interwoven as your journey takes you through some of the most dramatic passages in this “mammoth” cave. Walk through gypsum lined passages, narrow canyons, underground hills, large rooms, and areas with dripstone formations." The tour was four miles long and featured 670 stairsteps.

After we emerged from the tour, we returned to Rotary Scout Reservation for dinner. Brian returned that evening and hosted the Webelos on a late-night Ramble--a cross country, nighttime tour of the camp. He showed us various landmarks--both physical and historical, took time out for an edible wild plant lesson, engaged in a little star study, and a little Leave No Trace discussion. We really appreciate Brian for his commitment to serving others. and his knowledge of the camp, his knowledge of scouting, and his friendship. Our trip could not have been nearly the success it was without his support and friendship.

More pictures are available here.

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I'm looking forward to another trip down south for a repeat of this adventure.

In the short term, I'll see everyone at the pack meeting this week, on the 28th.

Best regards,

Ken

Webelos Den Meeting, October 14

Dear Webelos Den Parents:

Our Webelos Den Meeting will take place starting at 3:00 PM on Tuesday, October 14.

We will meet in the Davis School art room. Mrs. Varga, the art teacher, will be helping the boys with requirements for the artist activity badge.

The Siarny family is scheduled for meeting help. The Wahab family is helping with our treat.

As we will be meeting immediately after school, please encourage your sons to wear their cub scout uniforms to school. If that strikes them as a hardship, please tuck them into their school bags so they can transform themselves into scouts at the end of the school day.

The meeting on Tuesday will be the date to commit to the Mammoth Cave Adventure. Per an earlier posting/email, please order your ticket for the GRAND AVENUE TOUR at 11:30 AM, on Saturday, October 25.

To keep you better informed as to what we will be doing from week to week, I've posted a chart with our month's activities outlined. Participation each week will result in earning the Artist Activity Badge, plus, a bit of fun, too.

Best regards,

Ken

Webelos Den Updates: Den Meeting, Pack Meeting, Webelos Camp-O-Ree, Mammoth Cave Adventure

Dear Webelos Parents:

My messages grow longer and more detailed....find below some short-term and long-term information to get you ready for the next week and beyond.

This week:

• Our den meeting will take place EARLY again this week, due to Davis School being in use for a curriculum night. We will leave the Davis School parking lot at 5:30 and prepare a meal as part of our evening's activities. The Kampen family is helping with the meeting and the Komarek family is providing the treat. I'd suggest for a treat that it consist largely of bottled water (or cups, since water is available at the shelter) and fruit to finish off the meal that we will prepare. As with our previous outdoor meeting, we will meet at Duerr Forest Preserve, and drivers will drop the boys off at their respective homes, rather than returning to the Davis Parking lot.
  

I noted two weeks back that one of our scouts has adopted what he stated was a vegetarian lifestyle, and therefore was not interested in our cheeseburger pie. In the interest of full disclosure, our meal will be made in a dutch oven, a deep-dish, pizza-like concoction, with sausage and pepperoni in it. If anyone has a problem with that--based on anything from an aversion to sausage to a commitment to vegetarianism, I would encouraging a big snack before the meeting. :-)

• Webelos Camp-O-Ree at Camp Big Timber, September 26-27 : Sponsored by the Fox Valley District, there is a $14 fee for each participant (youth and accompanying adult) which covers program materials and food. I sent home information two weeks ago via hard copy, so hopefully you have had a chance to look at it. We had a great time with this last year, and look forward to repeating our fun. Payment is due to me by our den meeting this week, so that I can drop it off at the scout office by their deadline on Wednesday, September 24. Please note that checks should be made out to "Three Fires Council."

Please note among the materials that each scout and attending parent needs to complete a health history form.

I would encourage participation by parent-son pairs. Please arrive in time at Camp Big Timber to have your tent set up by the time the evening program starts at 8:00 PM. Camp Big Timber is located one mile west of the intersection of Randall Road and Big Timber Road in Elgin. The program runs through Saturday afternoon at 4:30.

Next week:

• We will have our first pack meeting next week at Davis School, with awards, recognitions, etc.
• Our first-ever all-pack campout will take place October 3-4 at Tomo-Chi-Ch-Knolls Forest Preserve. As this is a family campout, siblings are welcome and encouraged to attend. Mike and Michelle K. will ask for final commitments to attend at our September 30 pack meeting.

Long-range:

• 13-14 October: Troop 46 has invited our Webelos to an open house campout/campfire. More information is forthcoming, but they are hosting a weekend campout and inviting Webelos to attend to learn about their troop and the program they offer. As a part of the campout, they will host an outdoor potluck feast, campfire, and slide show of their summer adventures (among which were a trip to the Grand Tetons Mountain Range in Wyoming, backpacking at Isle Royale in Lake Superior, and Boy Scout Summer Camp). Boys can attend for the entire weekend or just the dinner/campfire....more details will be forthcoming, but I did want this opportunity on your calendar.

• 23-26 October: Webelos Autumn Adventure at Mammoth Cave. The Webelos put together the agenda and estimated the costs of the Webelos Adventure at Mammoth Cave during our last den meeting. I will have the information assembled in the next week or two, but basic costs are along these lines (gas: $50/person; food: $40/person; camping: $4/person; admission to cave and Corvette Museum ($17/boy, $26/adult). We will leave Thursday after school and spend Thursday evening with the Ferry family (camping in their basement), where we will connect with the Webelos II den from Pack 105, Carmel, IN. Friday morning, we will depart for Bowling Green, KY and the Corvette Museum. We will spend Friday and Saturday night at Rotary Scout Reservation in Temple Hill, KY, as the guests of Brian Shields and the B-P Rover Scout Crew, staying in the upper cabin. Saturday morning, we will leave for the cave, take the tour, and then head back to camp for some other adventures. We will take off first thing Sunday morning, and head back to IL.

IMPORTANT: When the final agenda is published, each family will need to reserve a space in the tour via credit card. This will ensure that we get the tour we want--and are all able to attend together. I will look for your commitment to participate at our first October den meeting.

• November during the District 303 Holiday: Train trip into Chicago. We will take a trip to Chicago as part of our Traveler Activity Badge and our Art Activity Badge. Since the boys will be off from school that week, we can make the day an adventure instead of a day spent in day care.

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The boys are getting more proficient at reciting the scout oath and scout law. If you're looking for something to talk about at dinner, please encourage them to practice it until it becomes memorized. I expect that most of them will complete the requirements for the Arrow of Light award by December.

I think that is more than enough for what was supposed to be a brief note. Have a good weekend, and I will see you and your sons next Tuesday in time for our 5:30 PM departure from Davis.

Best regards,

Ken