Adventure Week

It's Adventure Week at RMV!! The sub-theme for the week is "topsy turvey" and what a wild week it's been!
The week began on sunday with check-in and activity planning before concluding with introductory cabin skits around the campfire. Activities kicked off Monday at 9:30 a.m. amidst clear skies. For the first activity, campers went with their cabin groups to various program areas. Ponderosa cabin was led on a hike throughout camp by Outdoor Living Skills (OLS) while Aspen and Alpine cabin took a morning dip in the pool. Meadowbrook cabin saddled up with horses while rainbow cabin dropped their lines and tried their luck at the fishing pond. Frontier cabin seized the "topsy turvey" theme by beginning their day with a dance party with Music and Drama (M&D) on the stage. Close by, Sunshine was busy making crazy tye die in Arts and Crafts(A&C). A free activity followed before lunch at 12:00.
Following lunch, rest and snack afternoon activities resumed with two,back-to-back, cabin activities. Ponderosa cabin particpated in "mural madness" at A&C while Aspen and Meadowbrook cabin polished their tennis serves at Sports and Recreation. Alpine cabin could be heard echoing throughout camp as they rocked the stage at M&D in recreating a rock band performance. All the while, Sunshine and Rainbow cabins seized the gorgeous afternoon and joined together for a pool party. The final cabin program activity began at 4:45. After the horses were returned to the stable for evening, tractor rides began while fishing and swimming remained popular destinations. Ponderosa cabin created their own "puppet theatre" on stage while Aspen, Sunshine and Rainbow cabins panned for gold and particiapted in parachute games. Zip line saw a steady stream of eager campers all day. Those scheduled to have zip lined Monday include the following: Remmi L., Oliver O., Eddie A., Christian V., Julie T., Lena M., Carson C., Sam R., Alex., Chris M., Hunter S., and Chandler.Following dinner, an All Camp began at 7:00 p.m. The theme surrounding Monday's All Camp was "The Land Before Time." For the all camp, program staff were dressed and painted to resemble raptors and stationed at different areas throughout camp. Each station had its own cache of "star leaves" and "golden flowers" which the campers needed to gather, as a cabin, from the raptors (program staff) to compete against other cabins that were also gathering the same leaves and flowers. At the end of the All Camp, each cabin was recognized for the total star leaves and golden flowers acquired and each camper received a prize.

"Hoorahs" are announced each day at dinner to recognize a notable camper exploits. Monday's Hoorahs included the following:
Remmi for doing the zip line as well as petting and feeding the horses.
Erik D. for hiking to outcamp.
Chris M. for trying the zip line and for being the the greatest cleaner.
Alex J. for getting into the pool.
Evert (To Eddie) for going down the zip line.

*A list with with camper-cabin assignment as well as Tuesday's activities will be posted later today, check back! More pictures are also being posted!

Camp MDA2: June 23 and 24

Sorry for the delay! I was at the camp out all night and there's no internet access in the woods.

On Wednesday we got to paintball! The crazy part was that we got to shoot our counselors. It was a very fun loving ordeal. In the afternoon the fire department came and we got to play with the fire hoses, and staff got it again because they were the ones we tested our fire hose spraying skills on. We also had another camp out Wednesday night because there were too many people to just have one night. Thursday we had a huge luau themed all-camp activity. There was a pool party (which was perfect because it was a very hot day), mocktails, sand art, a human piñata, a photo shoot, and a fish fry. In the evening we had a dance in the sports court. It was wonderful to just let loose after such a full week!

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv193/theduke1204/MDA2/?action=postupload

Camp MDA2: Tuesday, June 22

Today Arts for All came and we got to make an incredible mural! We created our own paint stamps and those with wheelchairs got to pull their stamps across the ground using rollers. For dinner Harley motorcyclists came and we got a taste of motorcycling in a sidecar. We also had a drum circle and a camp out for those who chose to do that. Tomorrow we look forward to the fire department coming to visit!

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv193/theduke1204/MDA2/

Camp MDA2: Monday, June 21

In typical RMV camp style the pranks and cabin challenges are on! Starting first thing in the morning Aspen woke up to see toilet paper all over the tree in front of their cabin and at breakfast time challenges were presented and fulfilled, and throughout the day and into the night campers and staff everywhere whispered prank ideas and strategized. It was another gorgeous day so we got to enjoy many activities outside. In the evening Safeway hosted a BBQ in the pavilion and handed out awesome backpacks and Phat Daddy came to play music for us. We sure danced the evening away! At night we got the telescope out and a bunch of us hung out outside and looked at the stars.

Camp MDA2: Sunday, June 20

Wow, it has been a boisterous start to the week! We sang and danced all afternoon and dressed up in wild costumes and put on face paint for our skits. We can all tell that it will be a very exciting and busy week and we can’t wait to get to know everyone. There a lot of super cool people up here this week.

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv193/theduke1204/MDA2/

Camp MDA1: Day 4, June 17

Today was the last full day at RMV camp MDA1 so we all tried to get the most we could out of it. Many people signed up for and got the chance to do the activities they weren’t able to do earlier in the week. Lowe’s came to visit today and they brought bird house making kits and ate lunch outside with us. After dinner we spent time in the Tranquility Garden reflecting on our time at camp and singing together. To finish off the night we had a dance! We got to dance with all our new friends and discover exciting new ways of moving with our legs or wheelchair. Some people were doing fast-paced jigs while others got on some slow twirls, and one group of boys where even breakdancing on the floor. We’re going to be sad to have to say bye to everyone tomorrow.

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv193/theduke1204/Camp%20MDA1/

Camp MDA1: Day 3, June 16

Today was a very busy day! We had a lot of visitors come who help sponsor MDA. It was fun meeting them and giving them tours of camp. We had a delicious lunch catered by Olive Garden and then preformed a talent show where we amazed all our visitors with our various hidden talents and addressed the issue of going green. For dinner each cabin got to choose where to eat and what activities they wanted to do in the evening. A few cabins had a pool party, others set up a human piñata, and one group had a dance party. Some of us also went to Push Camp to spend the night outdoors.

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv193/theduke1204/Camp%20MDA1/?start=all

Camp MDA1: Day 2, June 15

Today the Denver Zoo came to RMV! We learned a lot about different kinds of reptiles and got to show off our knowledge when the zoo keeper asked us questions. What made it such a cool experience was that we got to touch live reptiles! We felt a tortoise, a lizard, and a blue tongued snake, as well as look at snake skin and some tiny bones. It was super cool. A nice change from the dreary rainy weather yesterday, it was sunny and gorgeous outside today! We did a lot of things outside. In the evening we had Harley night! A lot of cool people with their motorcycles came to hang with us and give us rides on their motorcycles.

New photos on Photobucket!

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv193/theduke1204/Camp%20MDA1/

Camp MDA1: Day 1, June 14

Wow, what a start to the week! After a calm weekend up at RMV camp has burst to life again! Everyone is so enthusiastic about camp this week. Cabin pride is high, at each meal we sing songs about our cabin and compete to see who can sing the loudest, and we’ve completed a lot of complicated tasks through strong teamwork. Today’s theme was “a bug’s life” so many of us scurried around to our various activities with pipe cleaner antennas. In the evening we had an all-camp activity in which we broke up into groups and had to build model birds, dress up and perform skits, and solve a word game in order to get ingredients to make s’mores! It was a play off of the movie A Bug’s Life in which there’s a search for lost food. Even at the end of the day energy was running high… can’t wait for tomorrow!

Rendezvous Day 3: June, 9

We are halfway through the week! In the morning we continued with our various camp activities and in the afternoon we had a drum circle outside. We all got to participate in many different ways. For dinner we all had pizza with our cabins at various locations throughout camp. It was a beautiful day to eat outside. Like always, campers continue to amaze. Lysa helped a ton with the slideshow that will be shown at the end of the week, Chaurice, Danielle, Dana and Catherine burst out of their shells during a fashion photo shoot, many fish were caught and many successfully confronted the zipline and horseback riding! This evening a small group went camping to sing and shoot some paintballs, while the rest of us chilled out and watched the movie Grease.

Rendezvous Day 2: June, 8

Today at RMV we continued to work on the Punk’d event, pranking each other, and in the evening we watched all the pranks on video! It was hilarious. In the afternoon Meadowbrook and Alpine cabins had a pool party and Meadowbrook hosted snack too. Meadowbrook has excellent camp spirit! So many people wanted to do the Tuesday night camp-out that we had to split it up into two days, so half of us camped out tonight and the other half will camp tomorrow. Tonight at the camp-out it drizzled a couple times, but we had delicious taco soup, told lots of silly jokes, and danced and sang a bunch!

Photobucket

Check out regularly updated photos on Photobucket!

Camper interviews

Interviewer: Lysa
Interviewee: Alexis
L: How many years have you come to camp?
A: 4.
L: What are your favorite activities at camp?
A: Arts and crafts.
L: Do you like the food at camp?
A: It’s amazing, I especially like dinner.
L: Do you like the cabins where you stay for many years?
A: Sometimes, they can be cold.
L: Where are you from Alexis?
A: Longmont, I lived there my whole life.

Interviewer: Jenni
Interviewee: Beth
J: How old are you?
B: 26 years old.
J: Where are you from?
B: Dumont.
J: How many years have you come to camp?
B: 3 years.
J: What do you like to do for fun?
B: Relaxing.
J: What do you like to do at camp?
B: Making s’mores.
J: What do you like to do in your free time at home?
B: Watching movies.
J: Do you have a job?
Beth works at Quiznos-it’s fun for her, she cleans tables and makes her own sandwiches.
J: Where did you go to school?
B: Clear Creek.
J: What is your favorite color?
B: Purple.

Interviewer: Alexis
Interviewee: Lysa
A: What is your most favorite activities?
L: Zipline.
A: What is your favorite thing to do at camp?
L: Rest time.
A: What is your favorite canceller at camp?
L: Courtney.
A: Where are you from?
L: Loveland Lousivle
A: What is your favorite thing to do for free time at home?
L: Talking with friends on the phone.
A: Do you have a job?
Lysa work at a Day time program at Gateway.

Interviewer: Beth
Interviewee: Jenni
B: How old are you?
Jenni is in her 30s.
B: Where do you live?
Jenni lives with family.
B: Why do you like camp?
J: Fun!
B: What is your favorite activity at camp?
J: Horseback riding.
B: What do you like to do in your free time?
J: Watching TV.
B: Where do you work?
J: VSA.
B: Where did you go to school?
J: Metro.
B: What is your favorite color?
J: Blue.

Interview with Kelly, the camp director!
Beth: Do you like your job?
K: Yes, I get to work with and meet so many cool people.
Lysa: How many years work at camp?
Kelly has lived and worked at camp for 35 years, she spent only 6 years not at camp!
Jenny: What season do you like best?
K: Fall.
Lysa: Why?
K: The colors and the weather, the summer is too hot.
Alexis: Where are you from?
K: Philadelphia, but I’ve spent the last few years in Wisconsin and after college I was all over the country.

Camp Rendezvous: Day 1, Monday, June 7

http://s683.photobucket.com/albums/vv193/theduke1204/Camp%20Rendezvous%202010/

This week's theme is music mayhem! Today each cabin dressed up like different musicals. In the morning we all headed off to different activities and we all had a great time in the cozy sun outside. One of our big activiteies for the week is playing pranks on staff and filming it, like the TV show Punk'd. Throughout the day Monday and Tuesday we will be working on these pranks. It's been pretty sneaky fun so far! In the evening we did a station all-camp where we acted out songs from famous musicals, like Grease, Beauty and the Beast, and The Sound of Music! It was a great start to our musically themed week!

My times at camp

I've been coming for over thirty years. Over the years I've always tried to have a goal or challenge myself. One year I pushed my manual chair up every hill at camp. Several years ago Colorado Homebuilders Association and my mother, who was a part of the committee of the Homebuilder's Association of Colorado, designed the out-camp trail which is a wood path that goes for a quarter of a mile up the side of a mountain and I have pushed my manual chair up it 16 times and in the year 2000 I crawled up that very same path for the first time and only time so far. Other things that I have done is that I've started enjoying horseback riding, I used to be very scared of horses; the heights of them and the movement scared me because my balance was not so good. I have also been 50 feet up a tree using pulleys and I really enjoyed the view from up top, I had never been up a tree before. One year I swam 132 laps in the pool which is one mile. The next year I dobled that: 264 laps, which is two miles and to this day no one else has beaten that. Last year I painted my first oil painting, this year I am painting another picture. I decided I enjoy painting.
The first day at camp this year I went on the zip line. It was very fun, they put me in a sling like thing. I had been on the zip line before but this was the best of all. I also went horseback riding and fishing but I didn't fish, instead I fed the fish.

-Kristin L. Brooks