March 19- 20th 2011- Big Shindig

Big Shindig is an event YD Adventures hosts as a kick off for our volunteer guides and support staff. It is a weekend where the full time, summer and volunteer staff come to reconnect and be refreshed.

This year we also were able to accomplish a whole list of tasks down at the Adventure Center which was a huge blessing for me as many of the tasks were on my to do list but were so much easier to do with help then doing them by myself, and just way more fun to do them as a team.

We took advantage of a short break in the weekend and BEAUTIFUL weather to go for a Cross Country Ski. We were all decked out for typical snow weather but as you can see we started ditching layers. Nothing like skiing in a tank top

 Doesn't everyone wear their PFD inside while looking at gear catalogs.

 It was also a full moon so we busted out the raft and went raft toboganning. Beyond Malibu was at Stonewater doing their WFR training so a few of them came out and joined us.

Deflating a raft is a group project.

 Cassandra out did herself on the food for the weekend.

March 15, 2011- Newsletter Time

It is the 15th of March so that means it is time to produce a ministry newsletter to keep everyone informed of what is happening and how they are impacting students through Stonewater Ranch. I have thought about posting it up here because I know their are some peoples blogs I follow and I appreciate reading their newsletters. But I am not going to. Why you might ask... because it is really encouraging to know that people are receiving a newsletter a couple times a year and I know that everyone loves receiving actual snail mail. Where as the blog is totally annonymous. The people who's newsletter I read online have no idea that I am reading their newsletter, am interested in what they are doing, and that I am praying for them. I have the visit counter on the side that shows how many people visit but it isn't about the number of people it is about who they are and how we can be involved in each others lives. Thus I won't be posting my newsletter. However, I would love to send you a paper copy (or e-copy if you prefer)  all you have to do is email me your address. jbay2210@live.com If you are thinking I don't even know this gal. Well I have only met the people I mentioned once so I don't feel I know them but I still want to be a part of what they are doing. So feel free to email me.

March 12th & 13th, 2011 - Raft Training Tech II

It's SPRING! Well it is spring for all of us a YD Adventures whether the weather agrees or not.  In order for all of our volunteer guides/staff/and summer staff to be ready to run trips as soon as the weather changes we have to prepare before the climate has decided it is spring. Thus how we end up snow rafting. This last weekend was our first weekend on the river for 2011 and my first weekend EVER as more than a participant. It was a wonderful weekend with lots of learning. Shane (River Mgr.) had warned me that it would be like drinking from a fire hose and he was correct. It has been a couple days since the training and all of the boat angles/rocks/obstacles/pour overs/ hydrolics/strainers/sweepers/swimmers/hypothermia/ current/ferrying/driving/j stroke/back/forward/sweep/draw/river booty are racing through my head. I have even been dreaming about rafting!  Overall it was a great training and I know that as I get more skilled and confident guiding it wont' be quite as stressful. There were a couple times when I was on the guide stick that I just had to say "I don't know" and shane would call the paddle commands because I couldn't process fast enough the current/angle of the boat/which way I need my paddlers to go/ Which way the guide stick needed to go as we were rushing towards and obstacle of some kind (normally a rock) It is a great humbling experience. While it might sound scary/dangerous. It wasn't because the boat was full of guides not people who don't know what they are doing (that was only me.) 

Practicing the pre trip Safety Talk

There were so many highlights I can' t even list them. One point that stood out to me was when one of the trainers took away the guide stick so I had to steer the raft just using voice commands to my paddlers which was super scary at first and confusing but another lesson in teamwork and I came out much more confident of the vocal commands. What else... well I went for a swim... unintentionally but another good learning experience.  I stayed suprisingly warm for having gone swimming but thankfully I had some dry layers to switch into at lunch before our second run.  What else... that about sums up a great weekend of "spring" rafting. I don't have a waterproof camera yet so most of the pictures will have to wait until I get them from Kady but here are a few that Cassandra put on FB.

March 9,2011- Snowing Again...

While I am still loving the beauty of the snow the fact that is continually snowing and thus means I continually have to be shoveling my driveway is starting to make me look forward to spring. That and we will be on the river rafting in 3 days.... and it is still snowing/raining... lots.  Snow rafting is kind of a rite of passage here at YD so I guess I just get to put my time in.  Whether it is nasty whether or not (though according to the forcast it will be) I am sure there will be lots of photos to share.

March 7, 2011- Snowmobiling to SnoCone

Because we had raft training all day Saturday we took Monday as our Saturday. We (Shane, Kady and I ) started the day out early with a trip to Wenatchee. I needed a ride to pick up my car. It is a real hassel to have your car be in the shop in general but then to have the nearest shop be an hour away makes things more creative for sure.

For the afternoon we joined up with Jason and Cassandra for a little snowmobiling!

Kady pointing to snocone where we are going. It is the snowy peak to the left of the tree on the right hand side.

For YD staff snow tackles are a sign of affection... at least that is what they keep telling me :)

Cassandra, Kady and I.
It was a gorgeous day to be outside on snow machines as our friend from Alaska refer to them.

This view overlooks my house. I live in those trees at the end of the lake.

March 6,2010 - Ski

Right out my back door are miles and miles of cross country ski/snowshoe/skate ski groomed trails. Shane and Kady came out for an afternoon ski.

March 5, 2011- River Training Tech I

This is a wrapped boat... wrapped boats are very bad! Photo taken from http://www.riverrescue.eu/

Saturday was the official start to our River Guide Training. I spent all day in the "classroom" learning about hydrology, river safety, YD policies... you get the picture. We also went out to the creek and did some scenarious with a little raft. I didn't take any pictures becuase I was to busy learning about holes, waves, strainers yet again you get the picture.

February 21, 2011 - Lots of Snow!

While I valued Woosters grounds crew and appreciated them while I was there I now REALLY appreciate them! It dumped like 18 inches in 24 hours.... and then continued to snow on and off for days.

This is after I had already cleared it a couple times.

February 19, 2011- Portland, Oregon

Andrew and Kristina flew in for a few days to visit. Jessica had to go to Portland for a LAX clinic so we decided to spend the day in Portland since Kristina had never been. We just wandered around for a good part of the day, went to Powells, and one of the best things of the day was this vintage clothes double decker bus. It really made me want to find a double decker bus to convert into a house... So if you see a bus for sale let me know.

February 12, 2011 - Cousins Weekend

I found the gum icicles pretty gross!

We had a cousins weekend in Seattle. The main activity for Saturday was visiting local tourist places that you normally don't go if you live in the city and we did a photo shoot. The weather wasn't exactly our friend but we made the best of it.  We ended the day with a family birthday gathering to celebrate Jessica and my birthday.

Neat! Only in Seattle.

January 28-30, 2011- Winter Training

 

My first official guide training with YD was the winter training to get our staff prepared for the Polar Bear Trip. 
It was my first winter camping experience and it went really well I don't know if it is something I want to do regularly but it was a good time and I can see how it would be a great trip to take students on.