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Rain has stopped, very humid, our Scouts gone , but others are still leaving!
2010
08.04
08.04
a little excitement on the last night…
2010
08.04
08.04
started to rain at 4 am and we mobilized to a big staff canopy with several other troops. waiting for the buses now — its a heavy rain now — and working to figure out how to best get buses boys and gear all to the right spot.
we’re ready yo go
2010
08.03
08.03
so weve packed the truck except for a few things to throw on in the morning. now we’re just trying to settle down and stay clean with a massive game of ultimate frisbee. i hope theyll get showers…
we’re ready yo go
2010
08.03
08.03
so weve packed the truck except for a few things to throw on in the morning. now we’re just trying to settle down and stay clean with a massive game of ultimate frisbee. i hope theyll get showers…
2142 Waiting for the Truck
2010
08.03
08.03
Tents are packed, cots are folded, most tables are down………just waiting for the truck to show up. A few guys are out finishing up odds and ends, but most are just kind of hanging out.
Technology Quest – These Scouts are our future!
2010
08.03
08.03
Technology has become so much a part of our lives – it’s surprising that we aren’t close cousins to The Borg! :-O
Here at Jamboree one of the main attractions was an area called Technology Quest. There are students from Michigan Tech University who call themselves “Mindbenders” who were taking science and making it both fun and real for our Scouts!
Hey! Who put this balloon in my spaghetti??
When a rubber balloon filled with air is submerged in liquid nitrogen it shrinks the molecules and air because they move closer together when they’re SUPER-cold. So–the balloon shrinks. However, as its taken out and heats back up in normal air–the balloon rapidly re-inflates…. “Like magic!”
Also, they were taking graham crackers and dipping them into liquid nitrogen for a few seconds and then draining them. When the Scouts put the crackers in their mouth the crackers are still so cold that smoke comes out of their mouth and nostrils. So they were making “Dragon Breath!”
All I need is a pair of num-chucks and a Gi and I'm set to be in a kung-fu movie!!
Oobleck – is a “non-newtonian fluid.” Which in lay-terms means that it’s a liquid, but when it is met with force it becomes solid. The pictures below are of Oobleck made by combining 1o pounds of cornstarch with 1 gallon of water (hope I have the proportions right).
So, Scouts got the opportunity to “walk on water”….that is if they were quick enough…! (stand still & you sink!)
Why does this make me crave pancakes?
...what happens if I think of Buddah and not Jesus....?
Also, Scouts got the chance to drive a “robotic car.” Each Scout could drive in a circle until they struck the orange cone in the middle of the circle of hay-bails. (The average drive/ride time was about 42 seconds!)
This is a lot harder than video games!
There were also displays by NASA, Lego-with a $30,000 robotic chess set that the boys could help with a game, displays on solar power and much more!
Merit Badge Midway
2010
08.03
08.03
The Merit Badge Midway here at the Jamboree is MASSIVE!! There are many, many, many merit badges and subjects the Scouts can learn about. Here are pics from three of them that were “hot” merit badges – with one being much hotter than the others…. 
In Metalworking Merit Badge Scouts took about 4 hours to complete it. They got to learn about metal forging, heating shaping and bending metal, and also working with sheet-metal. One leader told me his Scout brought back a shovel that looked like one “he would have bought at a store.”
Okay, who's got the smores?
If only this was my little sister, if only this was my little sister...
The Scout below is working on a “Texas steak turner” which is a long thick metal stick that has a “j-like” hook on the end that can be used to hook a piece of meat on a grill and flip it over.
Okay, I've already branded my hat, boots, belt, backpack, flip-flops....what else can I burn??
Railroading was also a very popular merit badge. The Scouts got to learn about all aspects of railroading from the full-sized big cars as well as model railroading and how it compares to how the real things work.
Will you sing "Conjunction Junction" for me? It'll help me connect the cars better...
*BOOM!* - I don't care about the merit badge, I just like banging the cars together!
Engineering was also a very popular merit badge. Since there was about a 45 minute wait the staff had set up both fun and educational displays and activities to keep the Scouts busy while they were waiting!
I wonder if I could fit a small hamster in one of those balls on there...
Ya know, it *really* aggravates me that this robot can solve the Rubik's Cube, and I can't!
Above, Staff Member Ryan Carmain is working on a project to get the robotic arms to hold and turn the cube…
2142 Monday
2010
08.02
08.02
Not too much to report today. The tone has changed as we wind down. The visitors are pretty much gone and the roads, venues and buses are not nearly as busy. We had another nice weather day that was partly cloudy and around 83 degrees.
Today was the last full day to get anything done that the boys might have missed over the past week. Most went out with a plan. Some came back to camp during the day just wanting to chill. Normally, we run them out of camp during the day, but they have been going so hard that they are wearing out and thinking of home.
We’ve been working a phased camp breakdown since yesterday evening by cleaning and packing what we don’t need. The boys will come back to camp tomorrow at 1:00 PM so we can do our final breakdown. The bus is scheduled to arrive at around 4:00 PM and has to be loaded and off the base before sundown. We’ll enjoy a cool evening under the stars.
The bus should be in before 6:00 AM on Wednesday and we will be winging our way home to you. As of right now, we still have the same 36 we left OKC with and we will do our best to keep it that way.
I apologize for not posting any pictures. I ended up at the medical tent last night with I nice blister and was ordered out of my boots and into my crocs. They are comfy, but not made for walking on gravel roads or across open fields.
