Day three was a very interesting day.
After a good nights sleep we all woke up and greeted the day. Again, the Circle of Nations school is so generous, letting us stay there for free. We really are so lucky.
 |
| Greetings from Circle of Nations! |
We ate a breakfast provided by my parents (they rock!) and decided what to do with our morning. The only major point on our itinerary today was that we had dinner reservations at 6:30 in Medora, other than that we were free agents.
I read about a parade happening in Wahpeton for 'Blue Goose Days' and thought that maybe they would want to see a parade (it went over really well the last time we came down). The only downside was that it was chilly and threatening rain. We met as a group and I threw out a couple of options and they said they wanted to go to the parade. YAY!
 |
| Bernie, Mom, and Debbie chit chatting |
We all hopped into the van, and car, and after a few errands we met my Mom and our family friend Deb Tobias to watch the parade. Deb was SO excited to meet all of the students! She also hooked us up with the lady who runs the zoo and she donated t-shirts for the students. Such amazing people!!
 |
| Waiting.... |
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waiting..... |
After being hugged by Debbie we all went to wait for the parade. All of the students really got into grabbing for the candy. Some of them had stuffed pockets by the end of the parade! They got to see firetrucks, vintage cars, a BLUE GOOSE! and my brother, who was helping a classmate who is running for school board. Needless to say they got A LOT of candy from him :D Overall....it could have sucked because of the wind and cool temp BUT we all pulled through and they really did enjoy the experience.
 |
| The Candy Collectors |
 |
| Nick handing out Candy |
 | |
| The Blue Goose |
 |
| ALL THAT CANDY :S |
 |
| A students pocket! |
After the parade Deb had the idea that they should tour St. Johns church. We were right by it so we all took a chance and wandered in. By CHANCE Father Dale happened to be at the church. We got lucky there. He showed the students around and even played the organ so they could hear how it sounded. None of them have ever been in a big church like that. Again, a fun experience that just popped out of nowhere. We did walk in on people setting up for a wedding so the visit was short but they enjoyed it.
 |
| Group shot with Father Dale |
 |
| Father Dale playing the organ |
Finally we were ready for the long road trip to Medora, ND. It's roughly a 6 hour drive from Wahpeton to Medora, so we had to get on the road if we were going to make our dinner reservations. We all 'hugged' Deb and Mom goodbye and headed out. Besides stopping briefly for lunch and gas, we pretty much cruised through North Dakota. The weather started off rainy and cold but by the time we passed Bismark it was sunny and warming up.
Weird Moment of the Day: We were nearing Medora and I wasn't quite sure where our hotel was located. I needed a moment to stop and find directions and we just happened to be near the rest stop that had the 'Painted Canyon' look out. I figured, what the heck! WELL.....it was the best decision ever! We drive in and right in front of us is a mini herd of Buffalo! It was SO cool. The students were so excited. We parked and spent the next little bit getting as close to the buffalo as we dared and took a BUNCH of photos. The lookout is gorgeous as well. It gives a great view of the badlands.
 | |
| A BUFFALO! |
 |
| Painted Canyon |
We arrived in Medora with time to spare. Silly me forgot that Medora is in mountain time so we went backwards a whole hour. We had plenty of time before our reservations.
After checking in to the hotel I forced the crew to walk. I know...I'm a beast. I don't think they realized how little Medora actually is. Plus they had been sitting all day, exercise could only benefit them.
We wandered for a half hour, looking around, taking pictures, and just relaxing into the evening. We ate at Boots Bar and Grill and I have to say it was amazing. They were a tad taken aback with us showing up (I believe a communication error somewhere) but they were flexible and we enjoyed a delicious meal of pizza, french fries, and whatever non-pop beverage of their choice. (We don't allow the students to drink pop or energy drinks on the trip due to the change in climate. We don't want them to dehydrate, etc. We're mean but we accept that.)
Another bonus we encountered was the hotel has a POOL! They get to swim! Now for those of you that are thinking, "Yay...swimming...whoopee" it IS a whoopee! Most of our students rarely if ever get to swim. The village doesn't really provide great swimming holes. Some get to swim at fish camp, others have swam in hotels, but it's all very rare. A few of our students, and chaperones, can't even swim. We worked on learning how to swim and have fun for the rest of the evening.
All in all it was a fantastic day. It truly could have been grueling with the weather and the long road trip but somehow it shaped up into a day full of firsts and fun :D
No comments:
Post a Comment