June Wonders of Nature Campers Participate in Peace Pole Dedication

The second day of this year’s June Wonders of Nature Camp was a special day as the campers had the opportunity to participate in the Peace Pole dedication ceremony!

The Peace Pole is a pole carved with the word Peace on all sides in different languages (even animal tracks!) and was placed near the lodge. Dave Van Manen played “I’ve got Peace Like a River” on his guitar and many joined in to sing along. Helene Van Manen brought out the drums and led the group in a drumming and singing celebration.

A time capsule was placed underneath it and the campers all had an opportunity to place an object or a wish or a picture having to do with peace inside the time capsule along with items and sentiments from other staff members and members of the local community.

As several campers reported that they had been pretty tired from the hike the day before and so we focused mainly on games, hiking from one area a short ways to the next game spot and then again to another and so on. The games were great ways for the kids to be physically active, have fun, get to know each other better as well as stimulating the mind with a bit of mystery and guessing.

This was a great second day which kept the hiking to short stints between gaming areas and resulted in a much closer bond between the campers as they had more relaxed fun together laughing and playing together. There were a few bumps and scrapes now and then, but it was taken in stride as part of the fun outdoors.

A relatively quiet fall day at MPEC!

A delightfully cool mid-November Saturday in Pueblo Mountain Park saw the labyrinth be brought very close to completion. A small but dedicated group of volunteers completed, but for a few finishing touches, the final outer paths by laying the last few hundred stones while I cemented in four beautiful wildlife stones carved by Beulah artist John Clay. Meanwhile, the pond appears to be on its way to putting on its winter cover of ice...if the chilly nights persist, that is. Time will tell. The changing leaves are losing most of their color as fall grows older. A great day in the park. ~Ranger Dave

It's hot out there!

Summer is happily spreading its hot wings these days. Sitting here in my office, a slight breeze offers a bit of relief to this toasty afternoon. The outdoor thermometer reads 93F at 2pm today, not unlike many recent days and what's predicted for then next several days. This is my 35th summer as a Beulah resident, and my recollection is that the thermometer seldom climbed much above 90 in those earlier summers. Not any more! It's still usually about 10 degrees cooler than Pueblo up here in these ponderosa hills, but it's still pretty hot, for Beulah. I spent some time this morning doing just what this hot day calls for - sitting under a shady tree and listening to the birds (I was merrily enjoying this with about 15 toddlers and their folks at our Nature Toddlers group).

I am off for a few days along the CO Trail - where, hopefully it will be a bit cooler...more details at www.rangerdavehikes.blogspot.com

Stay cool,

Ranger Dave

Ranger Dave hikes the CO Trail for Nature Education!

Ranger Dave has hiked 117 miles for Nature Education so far (here's one of the many great mountain scenes from along the trail). Check out Ranger Dave's CO Trail Hike blog at http://www.rangerdavehikes.blogspot.com/ and read all about about Dave's fund-raising effort for Nature Education!!!