GTG Summer Quest 2013

Anyone who has been following along for a few years knows that I am a big fan of Maryland Park Quest. I have written about it several times in the past.

(In fact, to do any tripping down the GTG memory lane, click here for past Park Quest posts.)

With the annual motto being "Where a family becomes a team," Park Quest promotes fun-filled outdoor adventure--a concept that is great in our over-teched world. It is a great way to keep "No Child Left Inside." Richard Louv would love it!!


This year is our family's 4th year of taking part in Maryland Park Quests. Of the 24 annual quests of the 24 participating Maryland State Parks, every year prior to this, we have met the 10 park minimum to take part in the "Park Quest Rendezvous," typically at the end of September. This year stands out in a notable way that has been quite different than previous years: this year, in a way, we failed miserably. This year, we completed only 2 of the minimum 10.

But even while I say that we failed, I've gotta say, I don't truly believe it. Yes, we only participated in/ completed 2 quests this year. Rain got in the way of a few, canceling out plans. But I think the real reason we fell short was BECAUSE of all our "a family becomes a team" adventures that fell outside of our Park Quest passport:

• Our daughter graduated from 5th grade which brought about festivities, fêtes, and out-of-town family.

• We replaced our defunct and rusted backyard pool with a bright shiny new one, and we spent time near-daily out there, splashing about.

• We bought bikes this summer and went romping about a number of places.

• We read boatloads of "Magic Treehouse" books with our 2nd grader, and even more books by ourselves, yet together.

• We camped with friends at the start of the summer and had a number of backyard bonfires at home.

• We had multiple day trips with old friends we haven't seen since last summer, and even more good old-fashioned chatty phone calls with other long time pals.

• My 6th grader and I spent a week working through Jeff Kinney's online writing camp over at Boomwriter.com.

• My kids and I drove 13 hours to IL to visit my original homeland and far-away family.

• We had our own family vacation which landed us on the beach in Atlantic City...then later found us on hiking trails, biking routes, swimming holes, and the back yard of a team of 18 sled dogs in Massachusetts. Essentially, during that week, we created our own virtual "Massachusetts Park Quest."

• We wrapped up the summer in St. Mary's City, at water's edge--romping through the 4th oldest English settlement (seeing archaeology at work) and kayaking in the Patuxent River.

These were just the biggies.  (Not to mention, the puppy!)

So although we may not have triumphed in the Maryland Park Quest arena, I think we had a pretty full and adventurous summer. In looking at the overall end goal (= to turn our family into a team), I think we accomplished our mission. Yes, sometimes we hit some bumps along the way (sometimes multiple bumps in the same day)... but that's all part of the adventure too.

So while we may wind up missing the fun, culminating extravaganza at the wrap up PQ Rendezvous (which I whole-heartedly support and love), this year, I have to say that we are going forward richer based on our summer experiences. We may not have completed Maryland's Park Quest, but I do believe we successfully completed our own "Dabrowka 2013 Summer Quest" after all.

Pictures from our summer family adventures.

A-Park Questing We Did Go

A-questing we will go!

These were the opening words for my first GTG post on MD Park Quest back on June 1, 2010.  It was then that I embarked on sharing some of the Park Quest adventures of "Team Dabrowka" (which during the next 2 seasons morphed into a better-named "Team Green Gators").  Season 3 was our first year of Park Questing. 

That was two years ago, and now yesterday Park Quest wrapped up it's fifth season, bigger and better than ever! Each year, the grand finale--the annual "Rendezvous"--is a special day o'quests for those families who completed at least 10 of the 24 quests. It is a day for the serious outdoorsy folks to shine. 

 

And boy oh boy, did we all shine, as bright and wonderfully as yesterday's sun!  Patapsco State Park hosted the day-long event of 20 mini-quests, including bike riding, fishing-rod casting, leaf rubbing, geo-caching, letter-boxing, tree-identifying, animal sighting, fact-finding, game playing, learning, and laughing.  All of us embracing the PQ motto:  "Where a family becomes a team!"
 

Maryland Park Superintendent Nita Settina, in her opening remarks, quoted the recent study about how "awe-inspiring moments in nature reduce stress."  Park Quest most certainly worked to weave in a multitude of those moments into this year's Rendezvous! Richard Louv, author of "The Last Child in the Woods" and "The Nature Principle" would delight in so many families taking aim against "Nature Deficit Disorder." 

In fact, during the ceremony, we learned some pretty fascinating facts as to just how many people were defying nature deficit disorder!

• Combined this summer, over 4,000 quests were completed;
• This year's Rendezvous was by far the largest of all five years;
• 235 teams qualified for the rendezvous;
• Over 1,100 people joined in the yesterday's fun;
• Of the 1000 teams, approximately 2 dozen qualified as "Super Questers," completing all 24 quests (making our Team Green Gator's 10 quests feel kind of meager!!) 

With the sponsors numerous and well-known (REI, Diamondback Bicycles, and Deep Creek's WISP Resort, just to name a few), everyone was waiting excitedly to see if their lucky raffle ticket would be drawn. The prizes were many--from adventure trips, bikes, camping gear, and more.  It was made even extra exciting as former Baltimore Sun Outdoors writer Candy Thomson was pulling out tickets.  Piped as Park Quest's unofficial sponsor, Candy has written many times in the past about the beauty and glory of Park Quest.  Some of her most-treasured writings occurred during Season 3 and 4 when she wrote about her 24/7 experiences of hitting all 24 quest parks in a 7 day experience!  Candy also has written in the past from various Olympics, but her 24/7 feat alone makes her a true Park Quest Olympian!!

We all got the opportunity to be Olympians in our own ways, both during this year's Park Quest season and yesterday's Park Quest Rendezvous.  We faced challenges.  We battled the great outdoors.  We sometimes roughed the elements, meaning it wasn't always pretty. But, it always left you with a sense of great accomplishment.  Families came together, tackling a common goal by way of riddling through the quest questions and grabbing hold of new experiences.  Yes indeed:  Park Quest is where a family becomes a team!  That, right there, makes champions of us all!

Squirrel-shaped word cloud from Tagxedo, using text from my GTG 6/1/2010 Park Quest post, pics from the sights and scenes at 9/29/2012's Park Quest Rendezvous.  Park Quest T-shirt from Team Bay Boughey's PQ shirt they designed for this season!

Back in the Business of Being at School

We have been in school a whopping 9 days here in the post-Labor Day 2012 era. (Yes, I do consider myself luckier than most in that I know a number teaching-buddies nationwide who have had very early August start dates.)

At day #9, we are still newbies this year.  We have barely scratched the surface.  Yet, on behalf of seasoned-teachers, I know that in only 9 days, we know a lot.  We can see a lot of academic, social, and behavior strengths, and we already have the wheels a-turning on how to shape or polish anything we might see cropping up.

I look at my own personal 9 days, at my own li'l "green" school... and I'm a bit amazed at the items we've both tackled and accomplished here in this "4-day-week-topped-with-a-5-dayer."  In addition to getting into the groove, figuring out class routines and expectations, and building stamina (the teacher's!!), we're already hitting the academic regime with gusto!

I am proud to say, that in these first 9 days, I've already done a nice job of hitting both the #edtech and the #eco side of life.  My 3rd graders have learned the difference between asking if they can "play" on the iPads or "learn" on them. (There IS only ONE right answer!)  They've used the iPads for building their math facts, and building a motivational poster (using the Motivational Poster app--which I love) for our school-wide first quarter theme of "Kindness."  They've been busy on the computer taking the Scholastic Reading Inventory to discover their Lexile.  They've created both a "word tapestry" using Wordle and a personal Timeline using "Teach-nology." They've watched (and begged for more) the animated video of the Bayeux Tapestry on YouTube.  I've given learning style assessments and reading assessments.  We've counted classroom collections of Capri Suns as part of our weekly upcycling program with Terracycle. We've sent our class compost to the 5th graders who weigh and carry it to our campus compost heap.  We've gone outside more than just recess--we've gone on outdoor scavenger hunts (or "Campus Quests," similar to the many Maryland Park Quests my family has done throughout the years) to work on team-building.  And, we've taken part as a school for the 4th year in a row to haul oyster spat to our neighboring Magothy River as a future pick-up spot for the Marylanders Grow Oysters project. 

Not to mention, my daughter accompanied her 4th and 5th grade peers to Echo Hill Outdoor School for a 3-day outdoor education/community building annual field trip.  Tonight, she couldn't wait to show us how she had learned to build a fire, all on her own!!  Not a "fake fire" (as she called it, with lighter fluid), but a "real fire" (with "timber, kindling, and true fuel.") And what a "real fire" it was!!

Day 9?!  In some ways, it's hard to believe, when you look at all we've done. Yet, I think that is the beauty as a 21st Century Teacher.  Even more so, when you are given the autonomy to do what you need to do with your class of visual/hands-on learners, who are largely "Nature Smart" (as determined on a Multiple Intelligence inventory that I have the kids do during their first week of homework). 

As teachers, every year we are reminded that our students come to us from many different places, at many different levels, with many different sets of expertise, and many different needs.  It is up to us to take that ball and to run with it.  Teaching through the environment, and teaching through technology are two great ways to capture that momentum, and show our students what a true love of learning is all about!!

 

 

All photos from my camera.

Camping & Contemplating

Camping on Memorial Day weekend, an annual tradition, greets the summer nicely.

Especially as it dovetails and overlaps the end of the school year.

With camping you get the opposite of "The Perfect Storm;" you get a collision which ultimately results in calm.  Exhaustion meets with a slower pace, and the removal of the home energy-zappers of laundry, yard work, home tidying, dishes, and couch potato-ing mindlessly in front of the TV or some other mindless piece of electronics.

Instead, you can "couch potato" on a foldable chair, breathing fresh air, feeling the warmth of the sun through dappled vivid green leaves, do nothing, and call it "camping." You get to sit back and watch a li'l wildlife--some romping chipmunks, newby baby scampering squirrels, nectar-sipping butterflies as they glide from flower to flower, and birds you might just be able to match up in that bird watching book.

Opportunities for fireside chats with the group are married with opportunities to escape in solitude.  Time for hiking, canoeing, and Maryland Park Questing segue nicely in between nap times as the energy ebbs and flows. Loving how my kids always get an opportunity to try something new...and to feel safe in the cabin [even if we're a cabin or two (or a community fire) down the way].  Time.  Ahh.  Time to laugh with friends.  Time to sleep when tired.
Time for growth in the stillness and in the remoteness of the woods. 

“Change is often rejuvenating, invigoration, fun... and necessary.”

~ Lynn Povich

Looking back on my camping weekend, it was most certainly needed. I personally was coming off a week of extreme activity paired with an odd tummy bug, so I was not up to par.  Yet interestingly, that actually served as a double blessing of relaxation.  Sleep and "just being" called louder than homework. There are still report cards to write, final tests to score, but they'll still be there on the flip side. The time away in the wilderness (even if it is only "cabin camping," with our group camp cooks, and "partial unplugging" from the world all still count for the "weekend wilderness") might just be what this girl needed.

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.”  ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Out With The Old, Hike in With the New

Out With The Old, Hike in With the New... Year, that is!

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources (same ones who have brought us Maryland Park Quest, which we love so!), are at it again to get us up and outside.  This time, with their "First Day Hikes" program.  However, Maryland can't take all the credit alone.  For the first time, in coordination with the American States Park organization, all 50 states are participating in the First Day Hike Program.

The point of the program--to offer up free opportunities in State Parks for folks and families to start the year on the right foot--in the great outdoors, enjoying nature.  Unplugging, exercising, embracing beauty that nature offers, and tackling nature-deficit disorder.

So mark your calendar for New Year's Day, and make some time to get out and be one with nature.  Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,  

and The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the End of Nature-Deficit Disorder would raise his New Year's glass, and toast you and your gameplan to participate!

To find a state park near you, click here and put in your location to find outdoor fun nearby! 

Cheers to you, 2012, and all outdoor adventures ahead!!

Picture from http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/firstdayhikes.asp

Farewell to the 2011 Park Quest Season

Ah...Another season of  Maryland Park Quest draws to a close here today, Labor Day. 

Our crew, Team Green Gators with our ultra-busy travel summer, just squeaked by.  We got in right under the line, just making the qualification of 10 completed quests by Labor Day.  In doing so, we have earned the right to participate with the September 24th Park Quest Rendezvous grand finale. Yay Us.

We're in awe of our buddies, Team Bay Bougheys, who completed 19 quests.  Many teams, as indicated on the Park Quest Leader Board, did the whole 24.  Knowing how tricky it was to get 10 of them into our schedule, hats off to anyone with 11 or more!!

Here's a great tribute to Park Quest which really gives you a feel for the wealth of activities that MD's Park Quest has to offer.  Special thanks to Team Bay Boughey for sharing their movie with us!




Park Quest Logo from http://www.facebook.com/pages/Park-Quest-Maryland/129931197022579?sk=app_2373072738

Trash-Free Parks: Friend or Foe?

Just last week I went on a Maryland Park Quest over at Sandy Point State Park.  Given I wrote about the Park Quests of Maryland left, right, and then some last summer, it's been a virtual drought this summer.  With multiple road trips, training for my Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk, and this-that-and-the-other, this summer I am severely behind schedule with my Park Quests!

But Sandy Point was a very delightful Park Quest, and it was there that I was struck with a new concept...just as I was struck at Deep Creek State Park a few weeks ago.  The "Trash Free Park."  Apparently, Maryland's State Forests and Parks are making the shift to being "Trash Free," which means they have removed their trash cans in favor of promoting waste reduction and park aesthetics .  Supposedly this will "improve the appearance of the park and...ensure a more enjoyable experience for you."  It is following the "Leave No Trace" policy, meaning you are going to leave nature the way Mother Nature intended it, with no evidence that you've been there.

From the Maryland Department of Natural Resources page:

"Maryland's Parks Are Trash-Free:  In order to promote and encourage recycling, reduction of waste and reuse of our resources, all trash barrels, receptacles and dumpsters have been removed from picnic and beach areas. Visitors to day-use areas are provided with bags when they enter parks and are asked to take home their own refuse. Please pack your picnic in reusable containers and help us keep our parks clean."

Ohhhh-kay.....good on paper, but in my little belief system I ponder the rationale from a consumer point of view. Especially since no bags were distributed upon my entrance at either park (though, Deep Creek did have a board near the concession stand with biodegradable bags posted. Yet, what if you don't happen upon this board and bag location?) 

Yes, Trash-Free Parks stresses the importance of taking trash/recycling with you when you leave.

Yes, it encourages us all to do our part.

Yes, by providing trash bags, there is a built in layer of stepping up, taking responsibility.

Yes, it gets rid of the "grody-groderton" bee-attracting trash bins.

BUT...

What about me, who saw a bag of crud, tied to and suspended from a bush at the park.  I now no longer have anywhere to deposit it? 

What about the wayward granola bar wrappers, Capri Sun straw plastics, and left over cups that are lying on picnic benches?

What about the dog owners who bring their pups to the park, scoop the proverbial poop, then are left with a full baggie with no where else for it to go?!!?  Most people are NOT going to want to put that in their car for the 20-60 mile ride home from the day trip to the state park.

I can and will tend to all my stuff.  But what are the odds that "Joe Park-Goer" has the same level of eco-warrior-ism in him as I have in me?  How do we know that by doing this, it ultimately doesn't make things worse?!

This plan assumes the best in citizens, which is an optimistic, whole-hearted, fantastic approach.  Perhaps I'm now becoming too jaded in my old age, and I'm not feeling like people innately recycle and tend to their trash. To me, it feels a little bit like "throwing the baby out with the bathwater."

My hope: That I'm wrong. That people will step up, and do the right thing!  But, perhaps until that's a guarantee, perhaps Maryland might want to return one or so of those trash bins!  While we're at it, let's throw in a recycling bin or two!


Trash free sign from my camera Aug. 19, 2011, "Trash Free Maryland" pic from http://www.trashfreemaryland.org/

Sad, But True ~ "The Baltimore Sun" Ousts "Outdoors Girl"

This weekend I learned some very sad, unfortunate news on the environmental front for the state of Maryland.  The Baltimore Sun--Maryland's 175 year old newspaper and the one that has the largest circulation in the state--has decided to completely eliminate their Outdoors Section.  This decision was publicized this past Friday, July 15th...and it has met with some distinct public outcry.

"So what?" you ask.  "Why does that matter?" you ask.

It matters plenty.  Some would say (and have said so on the newly-formed "Save the Outdoor Sun" Facebook Page) that this is a "travesty."

The reasons are numerous...especially for a state like Maryland.  Maryland has 4,300 miles of shoreline with both the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  With mountains to the west, beaches to the east, and state parks galore in between, Maryland is a state for outdoor enthusiasts.  Activities like hiking, fishing, boating, crabbing, biking, canoeing, kayaking, camping, and hunting all create an outdoorsy person's dreamland.

Of course, if the Outdoors Section of The Baltimore Sun goes away, that means: away goes Candus Thomson...and her expertise of the Bay (as she IS The Baltimore Sun's chief "Outdoors Girl."  The void becomes a chasm.

For the past dozen+ years, Candus Thomson has written about, advocated for, and shared stories of adventures (not to mention an exposé or two) of the Chesapeake Bay. Over here at Green Team Gazette, we've been fans for multiple reasons. I've followed her "Park Quest 24/7" the past two years and celebrated her triumphs.  I've heard her tell whoppers of fish tales to my daughter's second grade classroom at Eagle Cove School as a guest speaker (not to mention, inspire them to be writers).  I've followed her "Outdoors Girl" blog from The Sun.  Plus, on a few rare occasions, my family has even been lucky enough to camp, fish, and Park Quest, a time or two with her.  I've seen my daughter and her best gal pal watch Candy in an "I am woman hear me roar" kind of awe as Candy has succeeded swiftly in a traditionally male-centric, outdoorsy world.

Word on the street (or rather the Save The Outdoor Sun Facebook Page) is that The Sun's publisher Tim Ryan has stated that Candus' writing talents will be picked up by The Sun's Metro section. Consolation prize, if you ask me....or anyone who has read her column and seen her forté.

Why is The Sun doing this?  Rumors run the gamut.  It could be that it's from a dwindling readership so this is an economic decision.  Another thought is that The Sun would rather have more column space for the upcoming football season.  Perhaps we'll never know.

My question is:  How is any of this responsible journalism?  The syndicated news feeds will only cover so much.  So, if the problem is that economic times are tough & newspapers are becoming the latest extinct dinosaur, there still will always be a need for local stories..and more than just the crime report.  Maryland has a Governor that promotes environmental education and legislation. Case and point: Maryland's month-old decree that our high schoolers will be the first in our nation to have an environmental literacy requirement that must be met upon graduation.  Additionally, there is a strong statewide theme of "No Child Left Inside" as a way of countering "nature deficit disorder" & our growing disconnect with the great outdoors. There is the continued environmental education push of Maryland's Association of Environmental and Outdoor Educators ( MAEOE) and their "MD Green School Certification" program.  (At this writing, there are nearly 400 Maryland "Green Schools" listed on MAEOE's site!) 

So in this state that leads the nation with its environmental advocacy, this is where The Sun, our leading state newspaper, is taking us?  They are loudly stating that our state and its natural resources are not important.  No, this is not responsible journalism; not in the least.

From the FB page, I think Heather Burton Boughey (daughter of The Sun's former Outdoor Writer of 30+ years and Chesapeake Bay Champion, Bill Burton) said it best: 

"Maryland needs someone to keep a watch over the bay and let us know what is going on.  Candy was that someone. She did an excellent job of it.... Who is going to be the voice of the Chesapeake?"

Reminds me a little bit of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax:

"I am the Lorax, and I'll yell and I'll shout for the fine things on Earth that are on their way out....  I am the Lorax.  I speak for the trees.  I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues."

Of course, when thinking of The Lorax, it reminds me of the other words of wisdom in this same book:  "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing's going to get better. It's not."

So here we have The Sun, taking away from us that "someone who speaks for the trees" and the whole of the Chesapeake Bay...."someone who cares a whole awful lot,"and makes all of us care with her humor, wit, wisdom, and pointed truth.  That "someone" who is named Candus Thomson and her Outdoors Section.

And we will be left with what?  Not what we need, at least not what we need to be the environmental leading state that we could be.

Responsible journalistic decisions?  No, Baltimore Sun, this is not.  Please reconsider this grave error.

Clearly The Sun is being shortsighted and needs to hear about it.  You can take action and share your views in many ways:

--Contact the Sun and firmly request that they reinstate the Outdoors Section ("cc" all of four with your email):

• Sun Publisher, Tim Ryan: tim.ryan@baltsun.com
• Content Manager, Mary Corey: mary.corey@baltsun.com
• Head of Digital Media, Trif Alatzas: trif.alatzas@baltsun.com
• Sports Editor, Ron Fritz: ron.fritz@baltsun.com

--Write a "Readers Response" letter to the sun:  Write a Letter to the Editor including your name and address, along with day and evening telephone numbers to:

Talk Back
The Sun, P.O. Box 1377
Baltimore, MD 21278-0001

--Join the Facebook group "Save the Outdoor Sun

--"Tweet" your thoughts on Twitter--direct it @baltimoresun, #baltimoresun &/or #candythomson

--Enlist the help of your friends by sharing these avenues and encouraging them to do he same.

Images from:  header = http://www.baltimoresun.com; Picture of Candus Thomson Outdoors Girl header from http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/blog/; in the classroom--a visit to Eagle Cove School highlighted in 4-1-2010's GTG:  http://greenteamgazette.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html, Lorax picture from http://thebattricycle.tumblr.com

The Art of Chillin' Out and the "Great Outdoors Month"

At halfway into the month of June, it's a good time for a reality check.  Where are you with following up on the Presidential Proclamation of May 31st to make June 2011 the "Great Outdoors" Month? 

For me, it always takes a little getting used to...going from the teacher-mode of 110% end-of-the-school-year "Busy-ness Blast" to the relaxation brain of "Woo Hoo, Summer Vacation." 

Mentally, I do get there pretty quickly. Even sleep-wise, I can easily fall into that "sleeping-in" mode.  But, logistically, I think there is something about my growing "To Do" list that starts sometimes Mid-March.  From then on, about everything through May winds up in world's biggest dump pile in my garage, basement, closets, scary bedroom corners, etc.  Along the "domestic goddess side," I have so many home-improvement plans ahead, most of which involve the word "organization."  (For me, a degree of of summer structure is good--but I don't want too much; I just want that organized outer world, which ultimately leads to a more organized inner world.)

Then too, I'm faced with the beauty of these 2-3 uninterrupted months, and all these things I want to do, so I become the "Energizer Bunny" on that front, still in "worker bee" mode.

Sunset on a Chesapeake Bay creek.

It's around about here--a week or so into summer--that I drive myself crazy, and try to remember it's summer, for goodness sake!

I forget...or have forgotten...how to chill out.

So enter President Obama and his proclamation for June 2011 to become "Great Outdoors Month."  To see his full proclamation, verbatim, go to http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/31/presidential-proclamation.  The gist...get outside, get away from the TV, go have fun, and work to continue our national legacy of conserving land for everyone's future.  As a follow up to The First Lady's "Let's Move" program, the new dietary guidelines of the Daily Plate (as opposed to the Food Pyramid), and February's report "America's Great Outdoors: A Promise to Future Generations,"June and the onset of summer is the right time for all of this. 

Check out the "America's Great Outdoors" video: 



Geocaching at MD's
Patapsco Valley
State Park

I know for me, going out for a hike in the neighborhood park or a splash in our li'l above-ground, backyard pool helps me to bask in the glorious weather we've had this week.  It helps get me out of my house, out from in front of my computer (to which I tend to find myself glued). 

Likewise, a jettison out in a friend's boat at sunset to skim across the water on the innertube helps me feel that summer fun freedom. Along those same lines, a trek to a state park (today, to Maryland's Patapsco Valley State Park to partake in our 3rd MD Park Quest) gives me quality time with my kids, the rocks, the salamanders, and the geocaching quest which taps into each of our critical thinking skills. 



Rock Climbing & Crayfish Searching.

 All of these things drag me away from the looming laundry, the daunting dishes, or the compelling urge to clean that garbage heap of a garage.  All of these chores tend to pull at me sometimes when I'm home, making me forget what the lazy, hazy days of summer should be.   

 

So, on behalf of Green Team Gazette, spend a hunk of the rest of the month of June outside.  Do it for your president; but more importantly, do it for you.  June 2011 only will come around once--make the most of it!

For more info on any of the above info, go to:

Salamander Finds.



--The White House Proclamation for June 2011:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/31/presidential-proclamation-great-outdoors-month



--America's Great Outdoors:  http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/ or http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/2011/02/16/a-promise-to-future-generations/

--USDA's My Plate: http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

--Let's Move:  http://www.letsmove.gov/ or http://www.letsmove.gov/get-active

--Maryland Park Quest:  http://www.dnr.state.md.us/parkquest/index.asp

June calendar pic from http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=june+calendar+2011&view=detail&id=770349CE84F37912072DB1143CA4724E98F12F66&first=91&FORM=IDFRIR

All other images from my camera...outside...this June!





Memorial Day Camping Part 4: Park Quest 2011 Inauguration & Camping Conclusion

Part 1:  Decompression

Part 2:  Introspection

Part 3:  Transportation

Part 4:  Park Quest Inauguration ~ Camping Conclusion

Maryland Park Quest 2011 is under way!

For this girl and her family (aka "Team Green Gators"), Western Maryland's New Germany State Park was not only the perfect spot to camp, but also a perfect entry spot to this year's Park Quest (http://www.dnr.state.md.us/parkquest/). 

Straight from the intro of New Germany's "Thinking Outside, the (Letter) Box", it reads:

"This quest allows teams to explore the natural features of New Germany Park.  It also allows questers to discover historic aspects created by the Civilian Conservation Corp...Letterboxing is a hobby that combines problem solving with outdoor adventure."

So trekking across the park, we followed the rhyming couplet clues, and successfully found all 8 letterboxes and stamped our sheet.  We also recorded our own "we were here" in the notepad.

We also had an opportunity this Memorial Day weekend to do our 2nd quest ("Get your Bearings at Herrington") at Herrington Manor State Park.  This one, we learned to get comfy with our compass as we counted & paced from one question to the next. 

For some of the 1000 Marylanders who are participating in Park Quest this year, some are already much further knee-deep in questing than we are (one team has even wrapped up all 24 quests in just a mere 3 weeks of it being open)--at least as indicated on the Leader board and also the letterboxing notebook commentary.  For us, we're just at the cusp... the entrance... the starting block.  And that's okay!  Our game plan is for it to definitely take a bulk of the summer, by way of several weekends worth of day trips to tackle with a leisurely approach.  (For reminders as to how our team fared last year, go to http://greenteamgazette.blogspot.com/search/label/Park%20Quest)

For more Park Quest, check out this girl's camp-mate Candus Thompson (aka Baltimore Sun's "Outdoor Girl"):  http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/outdoors/blog/.  She is currently (as of Wednesday, June 2nd) on her 2nd annual "Park Quest 24-7" where she treks high and low to hit all 24 of Maryland State Park's Park Quests in a mere 7 days.  She's blogging as she goes, and as of the end of day 2, she's already got 8 quests and 8 parks under her belt.  It's a pretty progressive itinerary!!  Quest on, Candy!!  We'll be watching and rooting for you, as you go!

Park Quest #1 & 2 are done,

As is our camping trip--what fun!

Let's give some great cheer,

To Park Quest & the great outdoors this year!

Cheers to MD Park Quest 2011!

Much like horses out of the starting gates, I knew about 5 folks (myself included) who were poised and ready this morning, waiting for the proverbial bell to ring. 

Stalking the computer, hitting refresh, ready to go when the moment is right.

On your mark....Get set....Park Quest!

Last year, "Team Dabrowka's" Park Quest antics were shared here, and shared often.  This year, under the new and creatively-improved name "Team Green Gators," more sharing shall continue.

"Park Quest," you ponder, "what is this?" 

Brainchild of Maryland's Department of Natural Resources and a growing MD phenomenon since 2008, Park Quest invites families to come together to come outside and play in their state parks.  Combining the philosophy of Richard Louv's Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder with the No Child Left Inside Coalition, Maryland challenges all with "Park Quest:  Where A Family Becomes a Team."  Challenges, outdoor adventures, letterboxing, geocaching, history hikes, biking, canoeing, and more all make up the fun called Maryland Park Quest.  From Mother's Day to the finale in September, summer fun awaits...and for free--but only if you're registered!

So, to be fair, there has to be a uniform start to registration because only 1000 spots (up from last year's 750) are open.  This morning, April 25th, around 9 am, the bell rang and the gates opened up.

On your mark....Get set....Park Quest!

[Woo hoo...We were the triumphant Team #330!]

Clearly, more than just my 5 friends were ready and raring with their teams.  The Park Quest Facebook page had equally-ready stalkers and victorious announcements all day long about team names and the number they ranked on the sign up!  By 9:40 pm sign up day (aka, as I write), latest Facebook ranking placed teams up to #896.  Not too shabby for a 12-hour stint.  My guess, if we were to place bets, team #1000 will happen prior to midnight, perhaps with a few beads of sweat on their brow.  My #330 feels like a pretty comfy spot! 

So, mid-May, let the games begin, and the Park Quest stories to follow!  Hats off to Maryland State Parks and another year of fun ahead!

To learn more about Park Quest, check out http://www.dnr.state.md.us/parkquest/.

PQ Image from http://www.dnr.state.md.us/parkquest/
Horses at gate image from http://onwingsofpigs.blogspot.com/2009_08_01_archive.html
MD 330 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland_Route_330