Day Seventeen

Wow! What a day! It started with my heading out for a nice, quiet breakfast before the crowd hit....and I notice 200 teenagers waiting outside the cafeteria heading for breakfast (wrestling camp).

THEN...as I get inside and am 20 or so places from the actual food....the fire alarm goes off...we are herded outside...wait 30 minutes to be allowed back in at which time they have virtually no hot breakfast since EVERYONE was outside and no one was inside making it!

At 8:15 we headed out for a 90 mile drive on the Parkway to a mineral museum. You have not experienced life until you have visited a mineral museum. (Note to reader: that is sarcasm.)

After another 45 minutes on the bus we arrived at Mt. Mitchell State Park and had a leisurely lunch in the highest restaurant east of the Mississippi. Nice view, pricey food, but not bad either. Very enjoyable lunch.

We rounded the bend and made the climb to the top of Mt. Mitchell (named after Elisha Mitchell, who may or may not have been the first to measure it). This is the highest mountain east of something. (It used to be called the highest mountain East of the Rockies, but a peak in the Dakotas is higher....It is called the highest East of the Mississippi but there are questions about that as well). Most of the pix came from there.

We then took and hour ride back (with no air in the back of the bus and smoke pouring from the brakes while riding on a highway in the mountains with no guard rails.) and went to the Orchard which had Muscadine Cider, Hershey's Ice Cream, and an old golden retriever. The owner told us numerous stories of people and events in the area (perhaps the best story teller I have ever heard, but I guess you would expect it...he used to work for NASA).

During this long bus ride I realized 2 things....most of the people here are really nice, and really good teachers, and, just like the last workshop, there is one person I can really not stand. Arrogant, teaches in a rich private school, and thinks all public schools, teachers, and administrators are inferior to him.

The truth is....he could not cut it in Tampa....he's not good enough to teach kids who NEED him...only those who would succeed anyway...

All in all a GREAT day...great pictures...and 4 days until Baltimore!