On Friday, I spent around six hours on a bus, heading to and from Columbia State Historic Park on the western flank of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This is the annual fourth grade field trip, and Nate asked me along to help chaperon. I jumped at the chance for a couple of reasons. The first, and most important, reason is simply that going on the trip meant that I got to spend the day with Nate. Since I don't live with him any more, and since technically he's my ex-stepkid now (technically - emotionally he'll always be my stepson), I don't get as much time to hang out with him. The second reason is simply that it's hard to turn down any opportunity to go to the mountains.

The park if full of replica buildings, as well as some original buildings from the mid-eighteen hundreds. There is an old schoolhouse next to an old graveyard, as well as a downtown area built in the style of the 1850s. The kids (there were about 70 of them) were divided into groups. There was an auction (Nate was his group's treasurer, and like the other treasurers, he had 60 gold Eagles to spend) during which "gold rush" supplies were bought. The whole object of the experience was to have the students work together to make a journey through the park, trading supplies as they went, to successfully get to the gold fields. At the end of the trek, groups were given points for having certain supplies left (food, equipment, etc.), and docked points for having been suckered into buying faulty maps and questionable items (like gold grease). Chaperons weren't allowed to help, although I have a feeling that many of them did. My fellow chaperon helped on one occasion, getting the group back on track (the navigator misread the map), but I managed to keep my mouth shut (which was hard because I'm used to teaching and talking to groups of students). After reaching the end of the trek, students got to pan for gold using buckets of water and dirt (I had envisioned getting to pan in a real creek somewhere, but sadly this wasn't to be). Still, it was great experience for the kids. Even though he wasn't the captain of our group, Nate is a natural leader. He's got an intensity about him too, and his actions are always very decisive. At the end, while waiting for the last group to arrive, we wandered through the cemetery and out into a nearby meadow. We ended up picking up litter as we wandered, and it's good to see Nate do this without being prompted. I'm so glad he's not one of those kids who argues, "but I didn't drop it - it's not mine!", when asked to pick something up.

The other group finally made it, and then we went into the downtown area. I bought ice cream and coffee (some for right then, and some for later). Nate bought a strange little multi-use tool at the blacksmith's shop. Then, it was back on the bus for the three hour ride home. It passed quickly of course, but then again there is always something to do when one is properly prepared for the journey.