April 2005 Activities
Now Playing: (Events 19-23)
Topic: d - April 2005


EVENT #19 - CHICAGO BICYCLE ADVENTURE - FREE
April 2, 2005

We drove to Chicago and parked along Lake Michigan. Unloading our bicycles we began the day by driving to the Lincoln Park Zoo. We toured the zoo seeing all the usual animals and enjoying the primate house, cat house, etc., etc. From there we biked along the Lakefront Trail south to Navy Pier. Here we toured Navy Pier and enjoyed some lunch at Billy Goat's Tavern (dutch treat). Next we continued biking south along the Lakefront Trail, past the Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Field Museum, Soldier Field, McCormick Place, and along beautiful parks. The view of the lake and the Chicago skyline is awe inspiring. We flew along the trail propelled by a gusty spring wind. As time grew later we decided to turn around and head back north to our vehicle. Here is where the real adventure began. A stiff 25-mph of chilling wind greeted us and mocked our progress. The cold was biting and in the upper 30's creating a wind chill effect far below that. It was a struggle to keep going. Biking against the wind was so tough that at one point I was actually passed by a jogger. We finally made it back and returned to DeKalb.


EVENT #20 - ROCKFORD QUEST - $15
April 9, 2005

This was my 51st birthday celebration. We traveled north to Rockford and the Laser Quest facility. A very intense two games of laser tag was played on a multi-level maze of corriders, ramps, passageways, mirrors, and smoke. We didn't have teams but rather alliances were built and dissolved throughout the game. It is like a high tech version of flashlight tag with a computer keeping score of who tagged who. No running, strict rules are enforced by referees. It is all played in good fun.


EVENT #21 - KISHWAUKEE SPRING CAMPOREE - $20
April 15-17, 2005

Held at the 500-acre Three Fires Scout Ranch near Rochelle, Illinois we had two patrol competing in a giant district-wide geo-caching event. While seraching for the 100 caches spread across the 500 acres, we also picked up trash. One of our patrols won the overall for most caches found. The other patrol picked up the most trash including 1 car seat, 2 tires, 5 garbage bags full of trash and some misc. junk. So in addition to this being our 6th overnight event, it was also our 3rd service project of the year.


EVENT #22 - GALENA ADVENTURE WEEKEND - $30
April 23-24, 2005

This great road trip started with a visit to Apple River Fort in Elizabeth, Illinois. This log stockade was built during the Blackhawk War of 1832. It is a great western style fort to visit. Next we stopped at the annual U.S. Grant Pilgrimage in Galena, Illinois. We divided into three patrols to hike the Paths of History Trail taking you to historic sites and events throughout Galena. There is also a large parade where thousands of Scouts march past. We next drove to Bellevue, Iowa for a pizza party and our campsite along the Mississippi River at Spruce Creek Park, a beautiful park with campsites and marina, which is operated by Jackson County. The next day we drove to Maquoketa Caves State Park to do some caving. The largest cave is Dancehall Cave, there are 13 small caves to explore in the park, and some great hiking trails too. Tired but happy, we returned to DeKalb.


EVENT #23 - PANCAKE BREAKFAST - FREE
April 30, 2005

This was our first fundraiser of the year. Scouts earn a 50% commission toward their Scout accounts based on their ticket sales. They also earn a flat amount for working at the pancake breakfast. We netted $2,500 which helps boys pay for their Scouting activities. The boys working also eat free at our breakfast. All-you-can-eat pancakes, pork sausage, apple sauce, orange drink, milk, or coffee. Mmmmmmmm good!