The majority of our first day was driving down to VA, getting groceries, and checking out our place. Let me tell you, none of us expected what was to come:
We met at the Rutgers Student Center at 7 AM but we didn't leave right away. The reason? The majority of us were hungry and felt dead. I got only about an hour or two sleep while others had none or a few hours like myself. But don't worry! It was all out of sheer excitement and nervousness for this trip! For me especially, I was restless because I knew no one intimately, nor was I going to be near anyone of that caliber. In addition, none of us knew what exactly we were going to be doing besides building osprey nests and one night dedicated to owl calls. So when Tim (our staff partner) and Ruby drove up to the curb with really nice, high-tech Dodge Caravans, I was particularly excited even though I didn't know how to work anything in that car. It was awesome because my insecurities fled. When it came down to it, I decided to ride with Ruby, and the car was filled with ladies with no knowledge on the inner workings of this car. Speaking from experience, it is better to have at least one person who knows how to function the little things of such a magnanimously high-tech vehicle. There were several times where we were trying to figure out what was going on with it and eventually just gave up. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out what the little things were though (before we had enough I mean =p)! Not to mention, having the radio stations change in the background as we crossed several different states was a lot of fun!
We had a pit stop in MD and it was interesting because it was my first time being in such a group that was so outrageous in public WITH me! What I mean is, I did not expect us to do our planet protector insignia (as displayed to your right). When we actually did it as a group in a circle, I thought to myself, "YES! Fellow crazies!" This was when I personally felt like we finally became a
group rather than the small factions we had previously. THEN, Tim, Phil, and Ally started stretching outside. Why? Of course to wake those muscles up,
but I'll let you on in a little secret...it was actually meant for practice to see what would work for the yoga-truck stop we're planning on creating! Don't you think that'd be a great idea?! Just think about it, truckers can take a rejuvenated break that's healthy and with minimal costs!
In any case, we finally reached our destination: Mason Neck State Park. I was so nervous watching the signs go by indicating we're at the right place...we were here man! Well,
technically! We kind of got lost finding our house...but it's all good! We went to the cliff and saw all these amazing trees, bones scattered on the ground, and a dead raccoon. Later we found out that the area is being rejuvenated AND one of our osprey nests was placed there! In any case, it was such a beautiful sight looking out into the water! If my memory serves right, to our right was W. VA and to our left was MD. Imagine being in one state and being able to see two others right beside you. It was such an experience! After taking a few commemorative photos, we went back into our Caravans and finally found our house. Let me tell you: the house was NOT a cabin! What it was was a mansion! It was awesome! We went in and everything was just newly renovated. There was a porch with rockers, a wonderful backyard where we found an eagle nest nearby, many rooms, beds and bathrooms, and a BEAUTIFUL kitchen! Both the dining area and porch had beautiful views of the sunset. After thoroughly examining the mansion, we went food shopping! This was my favorite part of the day. Why you ask? Well, while a handful of us were convening about the list, a cute, little, elderly woman approached us thinking we were in high school and asked what our purpose/ initiative was in VA. When we told her, she brightened up and complimented us about the work we're doing, even though we had not begun yet, and was so open with us. She was the fresh air that I definitely needed for the day and set an "accomplishment bar" for me to accomplish or exceed for the trip. I think that my fellow ASBers definitely exceeded all expectations!
We met at the Rutgers Student Center at 7 AM but we didn't leave right away. The reason? The majority of us were hungry and felt dead. I got only about an hour or two sleep while others had none or a few hours like myself. But don't worry! It was all out of sheer excitement and nervousness for this trip! For me especially, I was restless because I knew no one intimately, nor was I going to be near anyone of that caliber. In addition, none of us knew what exactly we were going to be doing besides building osprey nests and one night dedicated to owl calls. So when Tim (our staff partner) and Ruby drove up to the curb with really nice, high-tech Dodge Caravans, I was particularly excited even though I didn't know how to work anything in that car. It was awesome because my insecurities fled. When it came down to it, I decided to ride with Ruby, and the car was filled with ladies with no knowledge on the inner workings of this car. Speaking from experience, it is better to have at least one person who knows how to function the little things of such a magnanimously high-tech vehicle. There were several times where we were trying to figure out what was going on with it and eventually just gave up. It was a lot of fun trying to figure out what the little things were though (before we had enough I mean =p)! Not to mention, having the radio stations change in the background as we crossed several different states was a lot of fun!
We had a pit stop in MD and it was interesting because it was my first time being in such a group that was so outrageous in public WITH me! What I mean is, I did not expect us to do our planet protector insignia (as displayed to your right). When we actually did it as a group in a circle, I thought to myself, "YES! Fellow crazies!" This was when I personally felt like we finally became a group rather than the small factions we had previously. THEN, Tim, Phil, and Ally started stretching outside. Why? Of course to wake those muscles up, but I'll let you on in a little secret...it was actually meant for practice to see what would work for the yoga-truck stop we're planning on creating! Don't you think that'd be a great idea?! Just think about it, truckers can take a rejuvenated break that's healthy and with minimal costs!
In any case, we finally reached our destination: Mason Neck State Park. I was so nervous watching the signs go by indicating we're at the right place...we were here man! Well, technically! We kind of got lost finding our house...but it's all good! We went to the cliff and saw all these amazing trees, bones scattered on the ground, and a dead raccoon. Later we found out that the area is being rejuvenated AND one of our osprey nests was placed there! In any case, it was such a beautiful sight looking out into the water! If my memory serves right, to our right was W. VA and to our left was MD. Imagine being in one state and being able to see two others right beside you. It was such an experience! After taking a few commemorative photos, we went back into our Caravans and finally found our house. Let me tell you: the house was NOT a cabin! What it was was a mansion! It was awesome! We went in and everything was just newly renovated. There was a porch with rockers, a wonderful backyard where we found an eagle nest nearby, many rooms, beds and bathrooms, and a BEAUTIFUL kitchen! Both the dining area and porch had beautiful views of the sunset. After thoroughly examining the mansion, we went food shopping! This was my favorite part of the day. Why you ask? Well, while a handful of us were convening about the list, a cute, little, elderly woman approached us thinking we were in high school and asked what our purpose/ initiative was in VA. When we told her, she brightened up and complimented us about the work we're doing, even though we had not begun yet, and was so open with us. She was the fresh air that I definitely needed for the day and set an "accomplishment bar" for me to accomplish or exceed for the trip. I think that my fellow ASBers definitely exceeded all expectations!
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