Pumpkins And Mudcakes - An Off-road Adventure

     This past Saturday was another new experience for me; in fact, it was an experience and a half. Words cannot fully describe the awesomeness that was the Schmidt's Fourth Biannual Off-road Rally; thus, I have pictures.
     The day started with a shoot-out. Basically target practice, and a chance to play with their coolest guns. And I got to shoot some pretty cool ones!
     My weapons teacher hard at work:

Caleb the sniper. He shot the stem off a pumpkin from.....well, I don't the exact distance, but a really really long way away!

Then there is trap-shooting. Trying to see who can hit that orange disk flying through the air first:

Finally, the Bayonet Charge of the Blue Barrels. The soldiers returning victorious with their fallen enemies behind them:

Next, the off-road part began. Just a few of the vehicles lined up, ready to start:

And we were off! And this was only part of the caravan:

Part one was through the woods. Can't you see the trail? Don't worry, neither could I. But I was assured that there was a specific trail marked through there:

Part two was the small pit. Pretty much a muddy swamp. We made it through most of it, but we got very stuck in the deepest part. Yes, that it was you think it is; the water and mud is almost as high as the door, and no, the door is not at all close to the ground:

As we were waiting to be pulled out, the Beast (a.k.a. the Stump-Stomper Mark I) drove into view.....

.....and promptly stalled.

We did eventually get free, and then there was a picturesque moment with Sally (the car which I rode in). And this was right before I drove Sally, my first attempt at driving a stick-shift:

Part three was the Pit of No Return, and it is very apptly named. The muddiest duo, stuck:

On their first attempt through the pit, it took a train of three vehicles to pull them free. On their second try, it took a train of four to get them unstuck. Only one other vehicle tried to get through, and they, too, got stuck, requiring another train of three. Although not very good for driving through, this mud was perfect for playing with and making mudcakes!

     Part four, which I did not get pictures of, was another trail through the woods; only this time, there were large logs to drive over, and a ravine to stay out of. But it was fun.

     The rest of the evening was spent eating dinner and hanging out around a bonfire. It was quite an enjoyable day!!!

Back To Letchworth

     This past week has been incredible. I played volleyball, danced five times, and went the Genesee Country Museum twice. To top it all off, yesterday I went to Letchworth with some friends. It was tiring, but so much fun!!

Stop #1

 Daisies....my favorite!

Stop #2 - The Big Sycamoure. Can't you see it? It's that big green hump of a tree right in the middle of the picture!

Stop #3 - Lunch! Including squash soup and more laughter than was good for us!

Stop #4 - A quaint little bridge and coin-scavenging.

Caleb and Matthew......

The lovely Arianna.....

The guys.....searching for coins.

Stephen was so determined to get two dimes that he took off his socks and shoes!

Stop #5 - Too much fun with the "panorama" setting on Stephen's camera.....we spent more time playing around with that then looking at the views....thus I have only a few pictures!

I loved the stone walls everywhere!!

Perhaps my favorite picture of the day: vivid red leaves in front of the beloved Roseanne.....

Stop #6 - A momentous hike with too many stairs.

Our destination? That little bridge way off in the distance......

The guys......this time in deep contemplation.

The bridge again......after crossing it.

A caterpiller.....he looks so cute and friendly, but he's not. Apparently something on his yellow fuzz creates horrible itching if touched.

Stop #7 - Middle falls......

An awesome old building which has been converted into a restaraunt...

Stop #8 - Final stop, upper falls.

And that concluded our trip to Letchworth!

The Civil War Visits Hamlin Beach

After arriving home from the Castle on Thursday and resting on Friday, we were gone again on Saturday. This time it was to yet another Civil War reenactment, the one at Hamlin Beach. Can you tell that I've found my place in life? I'm definitely in love with reenacting. This reenactment is smaller than the one at Mumford, but it was still very enjoyable. The Confederates heavily out-numbered the Yankees, and they won the battle. And of course, there was a dance in the evening!

Robert E. Lee in person!

The 34th North Carolina regiment in action:

After the battle, even Rebels and Yankees can be friends.

The camps....the poor reenactors who stayed the night got rained upon!

Looking back to shore from the end of the pier:

Finally, my good friend Stephen and I right before the dance. No, we're not miserable; we really did have fun! But back in the days of the Civil War, you had a serious face when your picture was being taken. Being the fanatics that we are, we had to be authentic.