Day 71 10/26/09
It another amazing morning in the desert. The mountains to the east have blocked the sunrise again but have allowed for enough sunlight to get through so we can get the day started. Its a 6 a.m. chow circle again, not because we are climing today but because we are heading to the local marine base to learn how important it is to have recreation for today’s soldier.
When we first got there Jeff went into the security gate to get a visitor pass for the vans. It seemed like a very long time and led Matt to think they took Jeff hostage and that our now objective was to break him out. Then Jeff showed up and our worries went away.
The first person we met was a friend of Jeff’s named Skip. Right away he was very friendly and generous. Our meeting with him went very well and he even brought in the rest of his staff to answer any questions that we had. After all the questions, he brought in a bunch of sweat shirts that he raffled off to our group. The lucky winners were Kim, Grant, Jeff and I think Pete but I’m not sure. Then they started handing out shirts to us from previous years and most had different sports on it. Then he showed us his equipment rooms and storage rooms.The next moments were pretty surprising because they just started pulling things out of boxes and handing it to us. Then we wnet to another part of the recreation side of the base. The next building was similar to a store but really just rented out great and supplies to the soldiers and their families. The system that they have lets them rent out a lot of gear for very cheap so they can use the free time to relax and take a small break from the life of a soldier.
One of the nicest things Skip did for us was allow us to take a shower at the rec. center. Then we headed back to camp for lunch and lessons. The lessons are obviously getting better which is a good thing because we did so many today. One of the lessons had us exploring for what lives in a small area of this desert. This was my favorite because I found a baby mojave rattlesnake. After the lessons were over with we headed into town for pizza and the football game. When we got there we found out the pizza joint was closed but luckly right next door was a mexican restaurant with the game on. This meal was especially good because a generous man named Clyde paid for all our meals. Today was a very good day, we learned, we showered, we got some free stuff. Time for bed.
Nathan Barr
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