Day One

It was an early start this morning but we made it out of Geneva after a quick stop to Dunk'n Doughnuts. Dealva was an awesome driver -pulling through to the very end! We kept a steady pace, with only a few stops for gas ($3.27/gal and $3.50/gal) and lunch at Subway, arriving just at 5:30 pm. Just as we left Geneva a funny thing happened and made me cross my fingers and count my blessings, just hoping it wasn't a jinx--a tow truck was on the shoulder of Rt. 90 rescuing a white, 12-passenger van!

Everyone pretty much slept most the way or sat in solitude with their iPods plugged in being sure to stay distracted from having to converse with someone they didn't know. Kind of interesting to observe my rear view mirror! It amazed me how little they talked, or that they only talked to those people they knew in the van! This went on for 9 hours (I was hoping it wouldn't require a name game!) and then I broke the ice! I asked Nathan - "Nathan! Who is sitting next to you!? (I hadn't seen them converse the entire trip!) - He responded, "Alexandra Lucas!" It was so funny because Alex was stunned to know that he knew her name -her jaw dropped! "I only know because you were the last one this morning to arrive and your name was mentioned." he said. Everyone cracked up and it was a nice beginning to some good conversation about majors, travels, studies, names, etc.

We all arrived safe and sound at 5:30 pm. We walked the campus, stretching our legs and breathing fresh air, trying to find The Legacy Center where I supposed to meet Shanon, of LLW. Students found their rooms while Shanon gave me the low down on tomorrow's plans -meal tickets, agenda, driving directions, etc. I was amazed to learn that SUNY Geneseo has 30 people here! All arriving separately in their own cars.

It seems like a few things will fall into place as we go. LLW is such a resourceful group -confirming lodging, accommodations, boats, work sites, food, trash hauling etc. for our stay! It's a system that Shanon said, "often flies by the seat of her pants." Things constantly changing, looking for flexibility and adaptation. LLW had made arrangements for our team and the SUNY Geneseo team to have dinner together at this great place called, The Captain's Quarters, right on the shores of the Ohio River. It was a great meal after such a long day. Our team, exhausted, headed back to the seminary at around 8:45 pm to settle into our rooms and catch a good night's rest. We are recouping from the trip but looking forward to checking out the city, doing some sightseeing, and of course, cleaning up the river! Tomorrow is a big day!

So the agenda for the week is (in pencil):
Monday -boat safety training; LLW overview and intro. to the Ohio River; sort garbage and do cleanup work at the Falls of the Ohio in the afternoon.
Tuesday- Meet at the Falls of the Ohio for an introduction to the state park's geology lab to learn about the unique fossils found here; cleanup the Falls area in the afternoon.
Wednesday- morning off -We are thinking about going to the zoo! In the afternoon, Chad Pregracke and his staff is going to have us participate in an educational workshop to learn more about the big river system and what they are trying to do to restore their quality.
Thursday -Honeysuckle pulls (two locations); clean up the Falls in the afternoon.
Friday- Clean up at the Falls again!
Saturday -head home early!

I'm having a really good time! These students are great -good humored, enthusiastic, and energetic! You know how hard it is to find people like that these days! And they are giving up there spring break to hang out cleaning up garbage on the Ohio River --- As Nathan put it, "It looks just like Myrtle Beach, except you can see the other side."
goodnight, sarah