SUNDAY:

I was the first person to arrive, so I got to wave signs for everyone else. We had dinner at the airport and we all got sopapillas, which are like pillows made of fried bread. Dinner was kind of quiet, as was the ride to the hotel. When we finally got to the hotel, we were viciously attcked by kamikaze moths. When I heard them flying around the parking lot, I thought they were bats! Our rooms are spread out, and Katie and I are very isolated. But our room is obviously the best. J

The first thing we did was jump on the beds and find a good radio station. Then we got out our junk food and magazines and free condiment kit from the hotel and build a shrine to fun by our microwave and fridge. We had our first art session and illutrated our journals.

MOONDAY:

Today we had to get be ready to go at 7 (brutal!). we went straight to the badge office and while we were waiting, Katie fainted! EMTs came and took her to the hospital, so we got our badges and then ate breakfast right away. We picked up Katie and while she and Scott got badges, Pia and I rescued the huge beetle that was climbing on Michael's back. Then we all went to the Bradbury Science Museum and saw a movie about los alamos and the Manhattan project. We had some lectures at the Canyon school and we learned how to use the telescopes and ccd cameras.

We actually got to go up to Fenton Hill last night. It was incredible! It is so high up and you can see so much sky! We set up the Meade telescopes and found some objects. The surface of the moon was the first thing I saw. It was so clear! We could see craters and bumps and everything! Then we were looking for jupiter and I found it! We could see three moons and the stripes on the planet. We also saw Venus , which was as bright as the moon and was going through a phase. Then we saw Saturn. Saturn is now my favorite planet. It was so tiny and perfect and you could see the rings and the space between the rings and the planet. I didn't know it would be so clear and that it actually looked so perfect!

MARSDAY:

Today was a good bonding day. Before we were really quiet during all of our meals, but now we are actually talking. After breakfast, Katie, Michael, Steven and I played Mao in our room. Mao is this crazy card game where "the only rule is there are no rules." It was really confusing, but really funny. Cathy gave us a lecture on the solar system and Metis 9, the asteroid we're going to be tracking. We ate lunch (unbelievably greasy Mexican food) in the park by Ashley Pond's Pond. Frank gave us a lecture on time and geocentrisc models of the universe. Then we started this journal (I;m writing this entry on Wed.).

We drove up to the elementary school where Scott works to get a soccer ball and we played on the playground. On the way back we drove to the end of the mesa and walked to the edge. The view was incredible! Andrew quoted the movie Contact, which I still have to see, and said"They should have sent a poet." It was like a postcard or a computer desktop. We could see mountains and plateaus and canyons, and I saw a cool cactus.

Then we went back to the hotel and played Mao with everybody. Dinner wasn't so great (my pad thai tasted like spaghetti and bad tomato sauce) but it was fun and we did some riddles. Oh my goodness, between the meals and the van rides, we have done a ridiculous amount of mind games and riddles! Tonight on the way up to Fenton Hill, we saw a ton of elk, even some babies. We have actually seen a lot of wildlife. There was a little bear, bunnies, deer and elk, birds, moths, grasshoppers, and on the way home, Scott yelled "Bobcat!" it turned out mountain lion was running out in front of the van. I was half-asleep and I didn't realize what was going on until it was too late.

At Fenton Hill, we finally got our telescope aligned, after several unsuccessful attempts. We looked at Saturn ( my favorite) and tried to find our asteroid, but we weren't sure if we could actually see it. When we got back (at 11:45) katie and I had to draw pictures and catch up on our journals, so we stayed up til 2. Not smart considering we had to get up at 7 for our geology tour

MERCURYDAY:

Today we had to get up at the crack of dawn (aka 7:00) to go on our geology tour. The tour was really cool, and I learned a lot about the geography of Fenton Hill and the area around it because I hadn't really seen it in daylight before. We went up to a lookout with another spectacular view and learned about the fire in Los Alamos about 7 years ago. We also had a talk above the Valle Caldera. The part we could see was a huge field and I really wanted to run down the hill and across the field singing the Sound of Music. Sadly, I refrained because Carol Hogsett, our teacher/guide, said the field was 3 miles across. It was so bizarre because the other side looked way closer than that, but it would have taken me an hour to run there and back. (pathetic for an XC runner, I know, but I have shin splints!) Anyway, then we went and collected fossils. We found brachiopods and some other cool things. We collected pumice as well, which is cool because it is the only rock that floats and you can use it to exfoliate your skin.

Our last morning stop was at Soda Dam. It's this really cool natural dam that we got to climb on. We climbed into the cave where the water comes out and I tasted one of the drops from the ceiling. The cave was the highlight of my day. I think I want to become a hermit and live in a cave and put little trinkets in all the crevices. Cathy said someone who worked at the lab actually did live in a cave for years without anyone finding out. He had a solar panel for his TV and everything! We went to lunch in Jemez Springs, a coll little hidden-away town in one of the most beautiful places I've ever been in. We got to go up to Fenton Hill and talk to the people who run Milagro, which is pretty cool, but will stop running soon.

Dinner was pizza at the Canyon school and more lectures. We got back to the hotel at 8:00 and had a lot of free time. We were anxious about our SAT scores, and obsessive people (me) kept checking to see if they were up early(they weren't). We played Mao and Set and hung out in the rooms.

The only problem with the hotel is the bugs. Katie and I are on the first floor, and there are tons of giant moths and hug grasshoppers, as well as beetles and other assorted wildlife. Katie is not a bug person at all, so I had to be the exterminator and rid our room of the bugs that were trying to take over the world. We spent half an hour trying to capture the moths while they were dive-bombing us. They kept getting caught in Katie's hair and we were freaking out and being really loud. It was quite the battle.

JUPITERDAY:

Today we got up early (checked our scores asap) and left for Bandelier. We went on an amazing hike. We got to go inside all sorts of caves the people of Frijoles lived in and see their kivas. At one point, we got to climb 140 feet of ladders and narrow trails to the ceremonial cave. The view was great (basically there is a great view every 5 ft in New Mexico). I know being here is supposed to make me want to be an astrophysicist or something similar, but right now I want to become an archaeologist and an astronomer on the side. I love caves!

We then came back to the Canyon school and John O'Donnell helped us analyze our data. We couldn't figure out where the stars we drew were on his starmap, but we eventually made it work. Identifying our field of view was confusing at first, but I think our sketches and accuracy will improve with time.

We blogged and had free time before our dinner of sandwiches, marshmallow fluff, rice crispy treats, and tortilla chips in the classroom. Then Frank talked about starlight and atoms. We then went over to Cathy's house for the evening. We brought ice cream and played a giant game of Mao. I won the first 3 times! My favorite rule was that whenever anyone touched their face, they had to say "I wanna boogie all night long." We also played Set, and we met Cathy's boyfriend Vic, who's going to give us a lecture later in the week. We had been planning to go up to Fenton Hill, to listen to Jupiter, but it was raining and there was thunder and lightning, so we decided it wasn't worth the trip.

VENUSDAY:

This morning Don gave us an introduction to radio astronomy. We hung out until a woman came to talk about the summer program at the lab. After she left, the room was really quiet until Pia said, "that lady was weird!" Then we blogged and went to lunch at China Moon, a yummy buffet. My fortune cookie was weird: it said "ignore previous cookie", but I couldn't remember my previous cookie, so that was kind of taken care of. We went back to the hotel and enjoyed some intense rounds of boggle before going to the laundromat to do our laundry (duh) and it smelled really good . We played frisbee and hackysack in the park across the street and then went back and put 3 sheets of bounce in the dryer. I keep sniffing my shirt because it smells so clean! Then we had a couple of hours of free time, so we walked to radio shack and got speakers and then stopped at Baskin Robbins. We went back and got our warm clothes and then headed over to the Bradbury for a really interesting lecture on "the Era of Cosmological Reionization" which had more cool videos and computer simulations. Then we went to Ashley Pond for a concert. A band called the Nomads was playing, and people were dancing and there were kids running everywhere! We played hackysack and peoplewatched. Then I got bored and persuaded Michael to roll down the hill with me. Then Andrew, Michael and I all somersaulted down. We finally left for Fenton Hill, and since we had all watched the harry Potter Puppet Pals video earlier, we used the song from the new one, but put in our own names. We practiced the whole way up and even got Scott to sing the Voldemort part!

When we got to Fenton Hill, it was really cloudy, so we didn't bother getting out the telescopes. While Don, Scott and Cathy set up the radio antenna, we all stood around the back of the van and listened to music on our new speakers and made sandwiches. We listened to really sad songs that would be better for the last night, but it was good bonding anyway. I laid on the ground and took in the experience. Then we helped set up the antenna and listened to the amateur radio band and heard some guy who was upset about turbotax and the IRS. We tried to hear Jupiter, and heard some chirps that might have been what we were looking for, but there wasn't enough to be sure. Just as I thought we were getting ready to leave, they told us the clouds were gone enough that we should get out the telescopes! We set up and found our alignment more precisely this time, and made our sketches. We hung out in the ops. building and played president until we could go make our second sketches. We had a lot of confusion about the starfield, but we just drew it as best we could. We'll find out how it is today when we "analyze the data". We slept on the way home, and we didn't get back to the hotel until 5am, which is when some people wake up! I was so tired I slept really soundly, although I had weird dreams and apparently yelled in the night.

SATURNDAY:

Today we got to sleep til noon. We had breakfast at a diner and then watched a movie called Cosmic Voyage at the Canyon school. We also listened to Frank's "yammering" and blogged. Then we went over to Don's house for a social. There was a lot of good, normal food, like pesto and quesadillas and a ton of fruit, which I especially appreciated because I was starting to worry about scurvy. We played telephone for a while, then everyone went out and played charades. It was boys against girls, and we completely won! It wasn't even close. We were getting things so fast, it was our psychic waves helping us. After dinner we played some intense rounds of president and spoons and then we watched Contact. I had never seen it, but people have been quoting the movie the entire trip, and it's now one of my favorite movies. We were planning to go to Fenton Hill, but it was cloudy and really late so we went back to the hotel and played cards until 4 a.m. Then Katie and I had a water fight before bed, which I did NOT start, but finished quite well J.

SUNDAY:

We slept til noon again and got breakfast at Quizno's. It was the best sub I've ever had that I didn't make myself. Today we went to another part of bandelier for a short hike. It was really hot and dry, but it was cool because the area hasn't been excavated and developed like the other site. There were more ladders and caves, and we were following the actual paths worn down by the Indians who used to live there. There were also some awesome petroglyphs and pottery shards and another stunning view.

After showers and a lecture by Frank, we all went to dinner at the diner by the turnoff to Fenton Hill. We set up the telescopes before dark and then waited around and learned how to play Canasta. We held our cameras up to the telescopes and took pictures of the moon, and you could see all the details and craters and everything. Katie and I were up til 6 a.m. and it was already light out by the time we went to sleep.

MOONDAY:

We got breakfast at noon and ate in the park. (I had a delicious raspberry lemonade smoothie!) Then we went to Canyon school and John O'Donnell helped us analyze our data. We finally had enough accurate sketches to do the math and we figured out our approximation of the radius of 9 Metis' orbit. Then we went to Scott's house for another party. We tried to teach Don and Frank how to play Mao, but Frank was extremely uncooperative! We saw the ISS pass and an incredible sunset. I love Scott's house! After dinner we went inside and got everyone to play Mafia and Canasta and a fun game called Pit. When we got back, we watched internet videos on Andrew's laptop.

MARSDAY:

We got up at 7:30 to go to the VLA, a 4-hr. drive away. We played cards and slept in the van. The VLA was fun--we had to drive down this --> --really bumpy dirt road and then we got to climb up into one of the dishes. I had no idea how big they were! (I guess I should have figured it out from the name: Very Large Array?) Going up in the dish was beat, but really hot. Then we got a tour of the control building and we walked through the same door as Jodie Foster did in Contact. We got back early enough to go to the grocery store and picked up ice cream and a balloon for Scott ( a giant butterfly) and then we surprised him with his gift. Today (Mercuryday) he called us his little caterpillars. We went back to the hotel and played Canasta ad watched internet videos.

MERCURYDAY:

Today we woke up early again and went to Santa Fe. We drove through the city and saw the train station, Museum Hill, and Canyon Road. It is such a cool city and I love all the buildings. We went shopping and explored the Plaza and had lunch. I decided that I am going to retire to Santa Fe and have a brilliant garden and a courtyard and do art all day.

We sadly did not get to spend nearly enough time there, because we had to come back to Canyon School and work on our presentation for Friday. We had a lecture at Brad. And then got pizza back at the school. The weather was bad, so no observing, but we spent the evening at the hotel eating caramels and playing canasta. Pia and I worked on our drawing skills and drew each other, but eventually I gave up and went back to drawing my familiar stars, swirls, and dots.

JUPITERDAY:

Today we woke up relatively early (8 a.m.). We went to the Black Hole, which is a really awesome store/museum run by Ed Grothus. It was his 84^th birthday, so we all got birthday hugs and he was in a chatty mood. The Black Hole really is like a black hole, and Ed has a motto that everything that goes into the lab must come out. He has tons of old equipment and parts that were used by the lab, and he is the only individual with a weapon of mass destruction. He used to work in the lab, but he is now a peace activist and has turned some of his pieces into art. He was so friendly and gave us an extensive tour of his enormous collection. I bought a piece of rainbow ribbon wire to turn into a belt. Then we came back to do laundry and go shopping we ate lucnh at Ruby K's, aka our second home, and then went back to the Canyon school complex to practice our talk and blog. We had dinner at the Hill Diner again ad then watched Zoolander on the projection at Canyon school. Then we went back to the hotel to rest up and get ready for our adventure.

We rendez-voused at 1a.m. at the Riddle Rider, our unmarked white van, in our sneaky black clothes and face paint. We played spy music on the drive to White Rock, where there is a huge rock that people paint and we arrived without any supplies (or so we thought). Then Mama Scott produced spray paint from his bag and when Steven whipped out his surgical masks we were all set. I drew 9 Metis and Jupiter and we also added Saturn and the moon and we used some stars that were already there. We wrote our names, and then headed off to Mission RSF: part 2. We "borrowed" some for-sale signs and got 500 forks and then paid a visit to the yard of a friend of Scott's. We crept around the motion-sensing lights and forked the yard, adding the signs as cherries on top of a mud pie sundae. We got back at 2:15 and basked in the glory of our escapades.

VENUSDAY:

Today we spent the day working on our talk. We had free time in the afternoon and wandered around town and went to Starbucks (it was weird because it was exactly like the ones at home. I don't like chains). When we actually did our presentation, it went really well! Ed and his wife came! Then we went to a concert on the ski hill and hiked up hill. We actually danced too and it was really un. Then we all drove up to Fenton Hill, but we just hung out in the ops building because it was too cloudy to observe.

SATURNDAY:

Today we got up and went right up to Fenton Hill to do a radio broadcast. We were advertised as a special event on the amateur band, and we actually got to transmit ourselves and talk to people in other states. It was so cool!!!!! We came back for a last bit of wild fun at the church, and now we're at the canyon school blogging. We're off to dinner and our everybody's birthday party! It's going to be a late night?

SUNDAY:

Early morning! Going home?.

73s!!!!!!!!!!!!