Week 5

Week 5 was little bit different than my other weeks in Kentucky since half of it was in Tennessee as my previous post kinda says.  I loved being in the mountains again!  It definitely made me miss home something fierce tho!  I finished the draft of the Junior Ranger Program for Nolin this week finally!!!  I never thought I was going to finish it.  Really all that is left is for me to show it to some people and figure out how to get the kids to do the booklets. 

While I am having a blast here I can’t wait to go home and head to Europe.  Since I am heading home in two weeks from today I know that I am going to be missing everyone that I have met here!  I really hope that I can come back down for a visit next year depending on what I have for a job.

Gatlinburg!!!!!!

The River at the picnic area for Chimney

Yesterday we got into Gatlinburg and went tubing down the river.  It was a blast! I got just a bit ( maybe a lot) sun burnt and also bashed my knee on a rock but had a great time we spent the entire afternoon there.

View of the river from the first bridge on the trail

View from Chimney Tops

Today we woke up actually fairly early considering the fact that we didn’t actually leave the house until 11am.  Danielle, Natalie, Noah, Joey and I went on a hike up to the Chimney Tops in the National Park.  It’s a four mile round trip hike.  At the bottom it didn’t seem like it would be that bad…. Yeah about that.  The second mile was deathly!  Then once you actually made it to the top of the trail you had to scale your way up a rock face to get to the chimneys.  It was an adventure that for sure.  However, we didn’t even see the chimneys (opps) we were too busy taking pictures of the view.  The way down pretty steep and I managed to only roll my ankle once!!!

Me at the top of the Chimney Tops

Once we got off the trail we went of the road to New Found gap I think it is right at the state line between North Carolina and Tennessee.  Great views but we were all so tired we just sat in the care for like five minutes before we moved :)

Tomorrow we are going to ZORB and WonderWorks. Should be a good day again! 

Week 4

Week 4

Well not much to talk about I guess.  Starting to miss home a bit but also getting really excited for head to Europe!!! Today I am leaving for Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a couple of days with Danielle.  I can’t believe that I have been here for four weeks already and only have another three before I head home and onto my next adventure!!! 

Week 3

      One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.~ Andre Gide

      I graduated college seven weeks ago, not much time in the grand scheme of things but yet my life is completely different than I imagined it less than two months ago.  If anything had gone according to plan right now I would be sight seeing my way back to Vermont from California.  While in some ways I am sad that my trip did happen but in other ways it was the best thing that could have happened to me.  That’s what a lot of people didn’t get when I told them the trip was canceled they thought I should be mad or at the very least sad.  Trust me I was crushed that a trip I had planned for more than six months went up in smoke in a matter of six minutes but when I look back I’m so happy how it worked out.

      Now after having lived in a camper in Bee Spring, Kentucky for the last three weeks.  My first foray into living alone it’s amazing how much I’ve changed.  I only realized this today when I posted a status about how much Rian has changed in my time here.  When I posted this Kathy who among many roles in my life is my best friend Jacki’s Mom and my mom’s best friend as well.  Kathy was always the one telling me to go away, be a kid, get dirty, get lost in the woods.  After a camping trip with what felt like a million pre teen and teenage boys I understood why she told me that. But back to what I’m talking about :)

      Kathy posted that she was thinking the same about how much I’ve grown up too. Until that moment I really hadn’t realized how much I had grown up.   So I thought about it, I’m living alone, having to do my own food shopping and feed myself in a place where I knew no one until I started working here and really still don’t’ know anyone and I’m not running scared.  In fact I’m loving it and seriously considering finding a position with the COE anywhere I can get one.

      Which is in total contradiction anything and everything I have said over the last four years in school.  I bet if any of my professors read this especially Coupe and Grover they are shaking their head right now but I guess this is part of growing up.  I guess I’m finally growing enough to reach the potential so many people thought I had when I wasn’t sure.  I can only imagine how different I will be after the four weeks I have left here and then the five I will be in Europe.

For once in my life I’m not going to fight this change, I have no doubt Laurie, Rachel and Staci will get phone calls from me spazzing that I’m convinced I’m making a huge mistake but I know they will make sure I keep doing what is making me happy. 

July 5th

Like June 16th, March 19th and March 30th July 5th is a date I won't soon forget. The halfway point in the worst year of my life, the day I lost my second grandparent in three months. It sucked still kinda does but at least I know that Grandpa did everything he wanted to his way. <3

Week 2!

Week 2

So It’s been so crazy I haven’t had time to post anything since 

The lake from one of the campgrounds

I’ve been down internet.  I am loving the job, still working on getting to learn some more information about water safety.  I finally went into Bowling Green this week and did some laundry and shopping. It’s a cool town hopefully I will spend some more time there.  Friday I went for a drive with Pat to Green River Lake and got to meet everyone up there.  I had a great time they had a fish fry and I actually ate it.  It wasn’t bad still not totally used to eating fish that isn’t Fluke but I know I have to try it seven times before it actually starts to taste good.  Saturday I made the trip on my own to Green to help with some water safety in the Campgrounds there.  We took Seamoor around the campgrounds talking to kids and giving them Frisbees.  Seamoor is the water safety dragon who rides a jet ski.  I think Staci would like him lol.  Got back late from green so I slept in a bit on Saturday then came into work.  I am working on creating a Jr Ranger program here at Nolin so I did some work on that before Danielle and I went out on the boat for a couple of hours doing patrol. 

      It was lightning out last night I so hoped it would rain but no such luck. I guess it rained at Dog Creek last night… or I think that is where they were talking about still don’t have all of the park attendants tied to their campgrounds.  This week is going to be a little nuts I think.  So far I have worked on the Jr. Ranger program and setting up a schedule for water safety programs in the campgrounds and at Iberia. Still have some holes to fill in but I’m getting the hang of it or at least I hope so. 

Happy 4^th of July to everyone!

~Anna

Week 1 a little late :)

Week 1

It’s been a long week! I’ve learned so much it’s crazy!  After spending the two days driving down here and getting settled in I spent the rest of the week trying not to get lost.  The first day I got to know Jason who is the summer ranger at Nolin. We went around to all of the day use areas as well as the campgrounds.  The rest of the week pretty much consisted of getting ready for summer splash at the state park.  It was a great event a ton of people came out to the event to listen to music and watch the fireworks.

Fireworks from the Summer Splash

I’m still getting used to the heat, I think I am getting there since at like 7 at night I will go out and read when the temp is about down to 85 or 86 degrees. 

I’ve been learning a bunch about the corps and how a dam is constructed.  I am really enjoying the work and trying to figure out if the corps has ranger positions in Vermont or New England for that matter.  I got to go into the tower for the dam today and see what that was like. In the next couple of weeks I will be going inside the dam when they are doing an inspection.

The Boats on the water before the fireworks at summer splash

Where I am living is really close to a National Park named Mammoth Cave.  It is the largest network of caves in the country.  One day while I am here I am going to be going on a tour and maybe even a ride along with one of the national park rangers. I’m really excited for that.  I feel like this internship is helping me more than a lot of my classes did because I am able to get the feel for what I can do with my degree more.

I’m learning how many different jobs can be held with a degree like mine and I’m loving it.  Now if only any of these jobs where near Vermont then my life would be easy. :) That’s something to worry about when I get home in September though.

Until the next time I can get internet.

~ Anna