Reminder for Race - Turn at First Entrance

Just a quick reminder for folks coming to this weekend’s Adventure Race (Scouts and Webelos) to turn at the first entrance to Peaceful Valley, also known as the North Entrance. 

You’ll then make one right and one left, then wind around into Adventure Valley.  This is also the new Shooting Sports/Sporting Clays area.  Click Here for a Map of the way in.  Remember Peaceful Valley is about 10 miles south of Kiowa, near Elbert.

Parking will be tricky with all the folks who are coming, so try and keep down the number of vehicles you are bringing and know that we will probably park you in a fairly undeveloped field (don’t bring that sports car).  See you there.

Survivorman Changes

Welcome to High Adventure - weekends like this are why Troop 16 Scouts and Scouters are considered significantly tougher than regular Scouts.

Elbert County recieved a number of inches of snow last night - perhaps as much as 8″.  Fortunately, it is expected to be clear and sunny for Fri, Sat, and Sunday.  However, to account for the unusual weather (snowy and muddy), we are making the following changes to the Survivorman Challenge.  Please account for them in your packing and preparations.

• All participants - Treat this campout as if it were winter.  Bring good hats, gloves, and water proof hiking boots (you will be allowed to take them into the challenge)
• All Levels are encouraged to bring snow pants/shell pants and good upper body raingear.
• You may wish to bring snow boots if they fit and won’t prevent you hiking around.
• Level 2 may bring daypacks and sleeping pads into the challenge.
• Level 3 are either allowed to bring a sleeping bag or a sleeping pad.  

We may change these provisions if conditions improve substantially, but you should have them for Friday night at the minimum.

Astronomy Links

If it wasn’t enough for Dennis and Cheryl Ward to come down from Erie and give a presentation on Astronomy and Citizen Science, they’ve sent along links for some of the software and information they used.  A number of the Scouts were asking for where they could get this kind of info and where they can find the planetarium software the Wards used.  Here it is.  And, thanks again to them for coming.

Planetarium software Dennis used during the presentation:

• http://www.stellarium.org/

Web sites that allow you to be part of astronomical science and discoveries:

• http://www.zooniverse.org/ - galaxies, moon, planets, etc..
• http://www.windows2universe.org/citizen_science/starcount/
• http://www.darkskiesawareness.org/gan.php
• http://setiathome.berkeley.edu/index.php
• http://stardustathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

Virtual tours of Astronomical Observatories:

• http://tdc-www.harvard.edu/mthopkins/obstours.html

Watch live imagery through professional scale telescopes:

• http://www.slooh.com/

Flames-One, Indian Patrols take Cups

It was a hard fought battle, but for the first time ever, a First Year Patrol defeated the Bunny before any of the older Scouts were even nearby.

With 19 Battle Power, the Flying Flames-One arrived at an almost empty castle and commenced battle.  The Bunny could do nothing and he was defeated almost immediately.  A full 15 minutes later, the regular patrols arrived at the Castle and paced around the perimeter waiting to see who would challenge the Bunny first.  The Indian’s Patrol triumphed after allowing another Patrol to attack the Bunny first. After six rounds of loss by the Bunny, the Indians played the Temporal Warp card, allowing them to cut in line. It looked grim, though, when another Patrol played a different cut-in-front card. But, the Indians whipped out the Amulet card, which warded off the attempt and allowed them cruise on to victory.

The remaining Patrols did battle against each other for second and third place. Our friends from Troop 280, seemed to have a great time and ended up taking 3rd. In an interesting and surprising pre-finale upset, one Patrol never made it to battle the Bunny. They chose to go all-in attacking the Black Knight, and their gamble did not pay-off. The Black Knight claimed all their lives and left them defeated.

The feast was a tremendous success. Mr. Jimerson and Mr. Brainard, along with tons of help from the Patrols (who made the side dishes) and many others including Mr. Hardy, prepared 23 turkeys and fed well over 110 families and Scouts.

The Bunny and the Black Knight vow, however, that they will never be fully defeated and will return to wreck havoc on the poor Scouts of Colorado again next year.

Info on Holy Grail Race for Webelos

Word of the Quest for the Holy Grail Race on November 20th is getting out.  Lots of Webelos are planning on being there.

And we’re getting great questions.  So in an effort to get answers out, we’ll keep this post updated with current info.

• Where is the race?       Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch
• When does it start?      8am to 1pm on Nov. 20th
• What should we bring?     The race goes much of the day, so all Scouts and Webelos should have good clothing for any kind of weather.  It could be cold or even damp, so prepare.  It also goes across a long distance as the guys travel from challenge area to challenge area.  Good footwear is a good idea.  If its damp, shoes/boots that won’t get soggy are a great idea.  Always bring a full water bottle.  Water spigots will be shut off, so act like you are in the wilderness and bring at least one full canteen.  A daypack is often a good idea to carry extra clothes and water.
• What about food?       Eat breakfast before you come.  The event goes through lunch and so bring a sack lunch or snacks.  If you are staying for dinner, you may want some snacks to hold you over.  The guys will burn alot of calories at the race.
• Anything we shouldnt bring?       Electronics are not a good idea.  Ipod and cell phones for boys are out.  No signal for the phones anyway.  We have all the swords, medieval weapons, and sheath knives we need, so please dont bring them even if they are plastic.
• Should the Webelos be in costume?  No, not really.  Some of the race staff will be in costume, but we’d rather the boys have clothing that is prepared for being outdoors.
• What if it rains or snows?   That will depend on how much and whether it is actively doing it.  If we can, we’ll do the race in the snow.  But some elements, like the rope bridges get less safe when it is wet, so we will have to play it by ear.  If it does snow, come as though you are going sledding for the day - if the boys have shells and snow pants they will be much happier.
• Are Webelos welcome for dinner?:  Absolutely!  We would appreciate knowing how many will be coming, including family members, so we can plan for you.
• Should we bring a dish?:  No need.  We’ll be cooking more than a dozen turkeys in a big cooker and the Troop 16 Scouts will be making side dishes.  There should be plenty of food for everyone.
• How do Webelos fit into the Race?  When you arrive, your boys will be assembled into teams.  Generally, we keep boys who know each other together.  These teams are led by Troop 16  Scouts who we’ve handpicked for their Scouting ability and skill working with younger Scouts.  They will lead the team around the course, teaching, coaching, and encouraging.  These Webelos teams will be collecting treasures throughout the day as they complete challenges.  They’ll work map skills, Scout skills, and lots of just goofy fun stuff.   Parents are welcome to go along with them and enjoy the day.  Your sons will be in good hands.
• What do Parents do during the race?  Great question.  Parents are welcome to go around the course with their boys or hang out at Castle Arghh with a good book.  If you need to, you certainly can leave the Ranch (for errands or whatever), but we’d like to be sure there is at least one adult your boy knows on-site (e.g. fellow Den parent, Den Leader, Assistant Den Leader).   Bring a camera and a water bottle and sack lunch for yourself as well.
• More as other questions are asked and answered…..

Mr. Coleman

Map to Holy Grail Race

The weather is looking nice, the Black Knight and Bunny are getting ready, and we’re likely to have more than 100 people involved for this weekend’s Holy Grail Adventure Race.  It’s gonna be great.

Click this link or the picture for a map to the camp and the race location, within Peaceful Valley Scout Ranch.  To get to the Scout Ranch, travel to Elizabeth on Hwy 86 then go on to just before Kiowa.  Turn right at the sign for Peaceful Valley and travel around 11 miles south past the small town of Elbert.  There are two entrances to the Ranch.  Participants will want to turn left into the second entrance. 

On the attached map, follow the green marked road to the Raton Campsite.  We will camp and feast at this camp.  To reach the start for the Race, at Castle Arghhh, follow the blue marked road.

The Quest is coming!

All Troop 16′ers, remember to tell your Webelos friends that the annual Quest for the Holy Grail race is coming in November… and they are invited to participate!

This year’s race, Dark Lands, will incorporate new terrain, new challenges, and some new surprises.  It will also have some old favorites like Rubber Tipped Archery, Tennis Ball Ballistas, and Paint Ball Slingshots.  Make sure you let them know that the race starts at 8am and runs until 1pm at Peaceful Valley on Saturday November 20th.  We’ll have flags up to direct folks to the start at Castle Arghhh.

And, of course, make sure they plan to stay for the Medieval Feast.  Last year we roasted a whole pig and this year we’ll likely have over twenty turkeys. 

A flier with information and details can be downloaded by Clicking Here.

Timing change for Colorado River Trip

Please note that the leave time for the Colorado River Mini-High Adventure Trip has changed.

We will be leaving early on Friday morning, September 24th.  Meet at the Church at 6:30am.  We will drive to Grand Junction/Fuita and hopefully put in the water right after lunch time.  This will also push our return time on Sunday a bit later.  We will be targeting a 4-5pm return, but Sunday traffic on I-70 can be tricky.  So plan for later, just in case.

Sign-up is still possible until Sept 7th at  - http://bsa16.org/v3/camping-activites/high-adventure-camps/canoeing-the-colorado-river-sept-2010/

Please direct questions and possible sources for more Canoes to Mr. Coleman at prescottcoleman@live.com.

Mr. Coleman

We Need Canoes

We’re putting the call out to all Troop 16′ers.  We need canoes for the September trip down the Colorado River!  We can also use recreational kayaks, but they aren’t quite as desirable.  We had about 12 of them at last year’s Canoe Day event, so I’m hoping they won’t be hard to find.  The Colorado River is wide and sandy, so they should be taken good care of. 

At this point, we need 3 to 4 more. 

Please let Mr. Coleman know at prescottcoleman@live.com right away if you can help.  Renting canoes is very expensive.

Thanks.

Colorado River Canoeing Info Posted

The September High Adventure is canoeing Ruby-Horsethief Canyon on the Colorado River, starting from around Fruita and going into Utah.  This is a Class I-II run with only a couple of wave trains.  However, the scenery is stunning.  It’s like you are in the Grand Canyon.  This is a three-day weekend trip.  We will camp on Thursday night near Grand Junction and spend two nights on the river.  Here is a link to a well known Paddling Website with details of the location.

Click Here for the Camping & Activities Page on this website for more details of the trip.

Right now we are targeting 12 participants, ideally 4 adults and 8 boys, but we have some flexibility.  So sign-up right away.  All participants must be tested swimmers and all Scouts must have or have completed the in-water portions of Swimming Merit Badge.

We will leave Thursday, September 23rd and return Sunday September 26th, 2010.   Costs are probably about $30 per person, but mostly we will be spreading the cost of food, fuel, and anything else among those participating.

The sign-up page is now online and functioning, so sign up now.

Mr. Coleman