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I made a mistake when I was blogging and accidentally set up 2 blogs! Please go to my other sport to see all the fun I'm having in Oregon!

http://trekkingteacher.blogspot.com

Thanks!

General Itinerary for the Field Experience

Here is the basic info about what I will be doing while on the field experience. Of course, I will blog daily and include pictures of my adventures as I go.

Sunday, July 12-
Check in to dorm in Bean Complex of University of Oregon. Dinner with the group in Hamilton Dining. Meet and Greet later for introductions, overview, and an intro activity.

Monday, July 13-
Class - volcanism and Oregon geology
Depart for Bend, OR
Stay in Bend at EconoLodge (pray it's better then the ICK-onolodge in Witchita Falls!)

Tuesday, July 14-
Explore volcanic features in Bend region

Wednesday, July 15-
Explore volcanic and Basin and Range features in Bend region
Depart for Crater Lake
Stay at Diamond Lake Resort (wow! sounds fancy!)

Thursday, July 16-
Explore Crater Lake region (will probably have massive amounts of pictures from this day!)
Depart for Eugene

Friday & Saturday, July 17 & 18-
Discuss field explorations, make connections to planetary geology, receive classroom materials, develop dissemination/implementation plan

Sunday, July 19-
Check out and depart for Portland
If I get back to Portland in time, I will go to the Museum of Science and Industry
Stay in Portland somewhere. (probably should make reservations soon!)

Monday, July 20-
Depart for home!

Sometime in the future-
Have friends over for slideshow presentation of my pictures! Don't worry, family, I'll have one for you, too! ;-)

Girlfriends go to Oregon!

Since I was going to be in Oregon anyway, I recruited some of my girlfriends to come with me before I needed to be in Eugene on the 12th, so we could have a fun little vacation together. Elaine and Alice were up for the fun. The specific activities we will enjoy have not been planned. (I know, some of you are shocked!) We will kind of plan as we go. We do have a general itinerary and places to stay, though. We will fly out on Wednesday, July 8 (catch the date? 07-08-09) to Portland. We will arrive in Portland around 6:00pm. We will get to the hotel, check in, and then head back out to play in the city. Thursday, July 9, we will play a bit more in Portland, and then head north to the Columbia River Gorge to take in the sights and do some hiking. As I understand, it is beautiful up there, with LOTS of magnificent waterfalls. We will spend the night in the area. On Friday, July 10, we will head south through the Oregon Wine Country and the Willamette Valley. Then we will scoot west to the coast to Yachats (pronounced ya-HOTS). We will see a bit of the coast, then on Saturday, July 11, maybe heading south to Sea Lion Caves. Next, we travel back inland to Eugene. We will stay at a charming B&B there, and then the girls will head back to Portland and fly home on Sunday, July 12. I will stay in Eugene and wander around until I can check in to my dorm room at 4:00.

The Heat from Within

In January, of 2009, I received an e-mail (along with all the other science teachers in my school) about a field experience in Oregon to study the volcanic regions of the Northwest. Naturally, I was interested, but I wasn't sure what my summer plans would be, so I put off applying. March rolled around, and I started looking more seriously into the possibility of taking part in this trip. When I was ready to apply, I realized I had missed the application deadline... by ONE day. I e-mailed the contact person to see if they had received the number of applicants they were looking for. I knew there was a limit of like 30 people. A few days later, I heard back from her that they were reopening the site to receive more applications. Woohoo! What a break! I filled out my forms and sent them that same day. I also figured I'd try for the scholarship that was available for some of the participants. Within 2 days, I got the news. I had been accepted into the program AND been given a scholarship! Wow! God is sooooo good! The experience begins in Eugen, Oregon on Sunday, July 12 and runs through Sunday, July 19.

Just What Am I doing?

As a 2007 recipient of a grant from Fund for Teachers, I am trekking to Italy to explore all her active volcanoes! I will be visiting: Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Campi Flegrei, Stromboli (not just a folded pizza, but a VERY active volcano!), Vulcano, Lipari, Panarea, Sicily, Mt. Etna, Taormina, and Catania. I will also spend time in Agrigento to visit the ruins of several Greek Temples built in 400 BC. Then I will meet up with a friend to comlete my Italian experience in Rome, Vatican City, Villa d'Este, Florence, and Venice. I will round out my travels with a final stop in London.