2007 Camp Dos Cabezas Blog
Camp Dos Cabezas young scholars, who are 10 to 12 years of age, will keep a daily journal of their activities while at Camp Dos Cabezas. Please note: Due to the remote setting, entries may not be updated each day, but updates should occur about five times during the full camp.
Entries for Camp Dos Cabezas, May 26 - June 3, 2007
Sat. May 26
Travel
John - I saw some cows and horses that were eating plants. I saw a big forest, and Alex, Frank and I had a funny feeling that my parents were crying right now at home as I write. We were all homesick on the way to Pecos, Texas. When we went to Pecos, Texas, there were a lot of mosquitoes. One night we stayed in a hotel. We ate breakfast then headed for the road to New Mexico. We got to New Mexico then we went to Carlsbad Caverns and we saw some awesome things that were down there. We had lunch outside Carlsbad Caverns. Then we went on the road to a Super 8 motel. When we got there, we all were excited to get in the pool. We got to go then we went to take a bath so we could eat dinner. We ate hamburgers for dinner then in the morning we ate breakfast and headed for the road. We saw some mountains that were really big and we took pictures of them.
Sun. May 27
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Frank - We went to a big cave that was so big we had to walk so long. We thought we were in there for like about six hours. It was dark and we thought we were going to see some bats, but guess what? We cannot see them unless we stay there at night. We were at the car and we were thinking that the canyon that we saw was the biggest canyon I ever saw on earth, and guess what? That was the only canyon that I've ever seen, so what am I thinking about!
Mon. May 28
Chiricahua National Monument Visitor Center
Frank - We saw a beautiful view outside. There were some trains that were as tall as a mountain. We also saw lots and lots of mountains that almost look like a forest because they had trees. We were on the road to Arizona. Arizona is a desert that has sand storms. It is where the Grand Canyon is, but the teacher said we were not going there. They said that we were going to sleep in the tent and were going to go hiking in a mountain for like about two miles and it would take like two hours.
Sugar Loaf Mountain Hike
Jocelyn - Today, Monday, we went hiking on one of the mountains in Arizona. It was really fun hiking up and down. I really felt tired when we were hiking up, but at the same time it was interesting because we got to see a lot of kinds of mountains. We even saw rocks balancing, but the most important thing is that, it really is a great experience to go hiking.
Alex - Today was one of the coolest days ever. We went hiking on Sugarloaf Mountain. It was 7,310 feet high. When going uphill, it was very hard to hike, but going down hill was easier and faster. In the campground, we got a chance to set up our tents. After that, we put all our stuff inside the tent. Wildlife and plants are everywhere! There are different types of trees around our campground and around the monument. We can hear many types of birds chirping and trees looking like another animal's property.
Tues. May 29
Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum
Walking Tour of Bisbee
Queen Mine Tour
Guadalupe - We went to the Bisbee [Museum]. In there, we learned about the history of George Warn and also we went to the mine and in there, it was so cold it was 47° F and I was so cold in the mine. We got to see the rocks that were in the mine too. When we got out of the mine, I was so happy because it was not cold at all.
John - Today Ms. Mags woke us up so we could go eat breakfast. Then we went to the road to Bisbee. When we got there we went to the museum of Bisbee. We saw some good antiques, and then we went to a mine to see the work of the miners.
Alex - Today we went to Bisbee, Arizona. The town is known for its mining tunnels. If you put the tunnels in a line, you can reach New York! We went inside a tunnel called Queen Mine. We also went to the Bisbee Historical Mining Museum. There were very old antiques and newspaper articles. We also went on a city hike. There were strange plants and they smelled really good. We saw a really big open mine. The miners had to blow up huge mountains only to do that. It was a very tired day. I'm glad we didn't have to walk the entire town!
Wed. May 30
Amerind Foundation
Echo Canyon Hike
Guadalupe - Today we went to a museum that shows us about a lot of people that used things 1,000 years ago, and then we went to hike. When we went to hike we took pictures of the rocks and different types of trees. I saw balanced rocks when we were hiking in the mountain. I also saw a telescope when we were hiking. In the telescope I saw different kinds of mountains. It was so fun when we saw the different kinds of mountains.
John - Today we woke up and ate breakfast. Then we went to Amerind and we learned how to throw a spear so we could have lunch. Then we went to an art gallery and we made our own baskets that were made of Yucca. Then we ate lunch and went to go hike Echo Canyon and it took us like 2 to 3 hours to climb Echo Canyon.
Frank - Today we went to a museum that was about the Apache. Amerind Foundation was the name of the museum. Later we went to Echo Canyon and it was three miles long and bigger that Sugarloaf Mountain, but at the beginning some people got lost (Ms. Mags and Ms. Kate). While we were waiting, we were singing songs and then Mr. Mark went to find them.
Alex - Today we went to Echo Canyon. They call it "Echo Canyon" because you can really hear your echo. The trail was three miles long. By the time we were at two miles, I was really tired. At the beginning, Ms. Kate and Ms. Mags got lost and Mr. Mark had to go find them and get them back on track. It was really fun and interesting. We also went to the Amerind Foundation Museum. We got to weave a basket and learned how to use a spear like the Apache Indians did. During lunch, we got to go rock climbing. This day was a very fun one.
Kimberly - Today where we went was a museum. It was fun especially when we had to make our own food and then we went and made something to sit on. Then we were catching our pray which was an elephant [Wooly Mammoth]. I had the worst shot but the last one was ok. Although my friend, Jocelyn got it, I had fun. Then we went hiking and it was very long but we went around so we didn't have to go back. Then we headed back to camp.
Erika - Today we went to an awesome museum and we did some things that the Indians did for getting food. First I thought it was going to be boring but it wasn't. We went hiking on the "Something Canyon Mountain." I was scared because Mr. David was falling down too much, but it was still worth going there.
Thurs. May 31
Saguaro National Park
San Xavier del Bac Mission
Tubac Presidio State Historic Park
Tumacacori National Historical Park
Alex - We went to San Xavier de Bac. It is a very big mission. It is 200 years old and has very awesome pictures and very strange sculptures. The second place we went to is Tumacacori mission. It is even older than San Xavier de Bac! The church is a ruin. It doesn’t have any color and the walls look like they could tumble down any moment. There is a graveyard and there are homes for the Indians. They had a lot of things for water and food. It was an amazing day to see history this old. I wish I could live nearby.
Jocelyn - Today we had to wake up earlier than other mornings. When we were on the road, we were singing and doing funny things. The first activity we did was to visit a church named San Xavier del Bac. It was really fun because we go to see [a statue of] San Francisco. When we go to the time to get some lunch, we got to taste Indian food. When we finished eating, we went to a museum where you can see the church of Tumacacori. It is a really good experience to travel or even to go visit and hiking in some places you have not known.
Frank - San Xavier del Bac is where we went today and there was lots of stuff and it was colorful. Saguaro National Park is where we saw a lot of cactus and some of it was prickly pear. We went to Tumacacori and we saw a cat that was afraid because John was taking flash pictures and that hurt its eyes. Then we came back to the campsite.
Fri. June 1
Heart of Rocks Hike
Jocelyn - Today we went hiking 8.8 miles or 9.9 miles. The good thing was that we saw some balancing rocks, "Kissing Rocks," "Duck," "Camel," and [some rocks that looked like a] body or faces. When we were hiking to the Visitor's Center, we were the first group to get there. We were tired, sad and hot. Guess what happened, we all got wet except for some teachers. Trust me, it was really fun seeing all kinds of things like visiting, learning and even tasted Indian food. So, you can come anytime you want, but make sure you have fun.
Frank - We went climbing a rock mountain that was named Heart of Rocks and that is all we're going to do is climb that mountain. Soon we were up the mountain and that is where we went to eat up there and my water bottle fell down and we went down the mountain but it looked like the trail was never going to end.
Alex - Today we went to the Heart of Rocks. The whole hike was 9 miles. The trails were Big Balanced Rock Trail, Heart of Rocks Loop, Ed Riggs Trail, and Lower Rhylite Canyon Trail. We saw many interesting rock formations like Duck on a Rock, Camel's Head, Mushroom Rock, Big Balanced Rock, and Kissing Rocks. It was very hard to hike Heart of Rocks Loop because it had natural stairs, the trail went up and down, and it was very narrow. Everybody got tired at the last trail. When we finished and arrived at the Visitors Center, everybody got tired. I was so happy that the hike was over. I will never hike so much in my life again.
Sat. June 2
Travel
Sun. June 3
Mi Tierra Restaurant
San Antonio River Walk
Kimberly - Thanks to Ms. Kate and Ms. Margarita for making me laugh and having fun and teaching me lots of fun things, Ms. Lee for loving us and taking care of us, Mr. David for being a great person and helping us with anything we needed. Thanks to Mr. Mark for making this camp and letting us borrow the cameras and Mr. Art for showing us about rocks and teaching me things I didn't know. Thank you.
Guadalupe - Thank you Camp Dos Cabezas and the volunteers for letting me borrow a camera and teaching me a lot of things, like people and the mountains too. I really liked hiking in the Echo Canyon and the Chiricahua Mountains too. Thank you because I really had too much fun.
Erika - Hello, I want to thank you for all your help. Thank you for all the fun that I had with you people. When I was with you, I felt comfortable talking with all of you. Thanks for all things you gave us like the cameras, that we barrowed, the food, and other things that we wanted. Thank you!
Jocelyn – Thanks to Camp Dos Cabezas for letting us have a great time camping in Chiricagua, Arizona. And thank you to all the volunteers like Ms. Mags, Ms. Kate, Ms. Lee, Mr. Mark, Mr. Art, and Mr. David. Why? Because they took care of our self and let us have fun during the trip. But the best thing was that in Camp Dos Cabezas we were able to breathe one of the cleanest air in the United States and to explore the mountains. So, that the good thing is that I am so thankful for them.
Frank - Mr. Art, thank you for teaching us about the rocks and the wild animals. If you were not there we would not know what we were looking at. Mr. Mark, thank you for making this trip. If we would not have made it, we would be watching TV at home and not having fun. Ms. Lee, thank you for that hug you gave me even though I don't like getting hugs. And for helping the boys in the campsite so we could eat. Ms. Kate, thank you for helping us be organized because if you would not have told us the tent would have been dirty. Ms. Mags, thank you for helping us with our behavior because if you weren't we would just be bad. Mr. David, thank you for helping us laugh because if you were not here we would not have any fun!
John - Thank you: Mr. Mark, Mr. Art, Mr. David, Ms. Kate, Ms. Lee, and Ms. Mags for inviting me to the Camp Dos Cabezas. I had a great time in camp. I liked when we went hiking the Heart of Rocks. I liked when we stayed inside in the tents. We all had fun when we roasted marshmallows and when Frank had fire on his marshmallow. Mine melted because it was hearing Jocelyn talk and it melted. I had a lot of fun.
Alex - Thank you Mr. Mark for taking us to the Chiricahua National Monument. It was a very interesting trip and a life-changing one also. It was a very tiring one, because of all the hikes and walking, but I really enjoyed the beautiful outdoors. I wished I could stay there forever and never stop visiting the place, but we had to leave and go where we live. I should also thank everyone that volunteered to help me and us with the trip. Mr. Art, Ms. Lee, Ms. Kate, Ms. Mags and Mr. David, were a big help with the hikes, trips and photography. Thank you for all the trips to the towns and historical places. Thank the people that work in the monument for accepting us and making us feel at home. I really enjoy all the museums and might recommend this trip to my younger brother when he is my age. My parents said to watch for the way we traveled so we may also go to the Chiricahua National Monument.
Several camp publications that may be useful are on line as PDFs.
Camp Dos Cabezas Program Description
Camp Dos Cabezas Volunteer Description
Camp Dos Cabezas Sponsorship Booklet
Camp Dos Cabezas
Cultural Crossroads Youth Education Program
Presented by Houston Institute for Culture
Contact: HOUSTON INSTITUTE FOR CULTURE at info@houstonculture.org.
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