Bonjour!

This blog post is about my first PLP field study! I was on trip 1 and over the course of a week we went to Warrenton and Newport in Oregon and Tenino in Washington. This blog post is mostly about what I learned, but there are details about the specific things we did in the book at the bottom.

On the first day, we went to where two explorers, Lewis and Clark, set up camp. Since the weather was damp and cold when they came here, the place was named Dismal Nitch. 

We also went to the Astoria column and climbed the 164 steps to the top. The column is covered in friezes, which I learned is a type of artwork in a long horizontal form. 

At Fort Stevens State Park Historic Area we got a tour of the fort and learned a lot about how things worked and what each room was. One technique they used was to use a weight to keep the guns out of view from attackers: when the weight went down, the gun went up, then the power of the shot would make it go back down again. There were also reenactors there who knew a lot about the war and had items from the war too. I thought the medics were really interesting because they told us about their roles and equipment (since I also wrote about this in my book, I won’t get too detailed here too). Office worker reenactors showed us some of the equipment that the soldiers had, like a container that could be a dish or a pan with cutlery that could be attached on to be stored more compactly. They had breakfast and other meal kits, which included different foods that were usually heated up and eaten. The soldiers were also given chewing gum, to give them a bit of happiness.

Our first stop on day three was the Columbia River Maritime Museum, where we looked at several exhibits. I learned about the dangerous crossing of the (Columbia River) Bar and  Yosegaki Hinomaru (Japanese flags covered in names and messages from their loved ones). The most interesting things for me were about the Chinook peoples and their value of Western Red cedar, and a display about the Titanic, including images of some of the rooms and a newspaper written about the Titanic. 

At Yaquina Head, I learned a lot from Ms. Kadi about the sea animals in the tide pools. One of my favourite animals was the Gumboot Chiton, also known as the Wandering Meatloaf. There were also seals with their babies or giving birth. At the Interpretation Center, I learned about the history of the lighthouse built in 1871 and first lit in 1873. Eventually the light’s power source changed from oil to electricity.

We went to Hatfield Marine Science Center twice. First we looked at the visitor center and then did an experiment with racing crabs. My group did an experiment to see if male or female crabs are faster (more about this in the book). I learned about how to create an experiment and the steps involved. The next day we went back to Hatfield Marine Science Center, where we did two more activities. First, we used a pump to collect shrimp out of the sand. Then we measured their carapace, identified their gender, if they were pregnant and if they had a parasite. For the second activity, we built a R.O.V. I’m not really into engineering, but it was a fun activity and I learned the parts needed and how to design an R.O.V.

Finally, (my second favourite place) Wolf Haven. I learned how to be able to guess the animal based off of its skull, like size, eye sockets and teeth. By looking at teeth, it’s possible to tell if an animal is a carnivore, omnivore or herbivore. Sharp teeth and big canines means they are a carnivore and the opposite for herbivores.

I also learned important skills like being more independent, because I didn’t have family to help or remind me of things. I had to be organized and keep track of all my stuff. By interviewing my company I worked on getting better at speaking to people I’m not familiar with, especially adults. I also improved on this when I was buying stuff, which also relates to money management, making sure it was a reasonable and good purchase and thinking ahead so that my money lasted for the whole trip.

My favourite part of the trip was Highlife Adventures, where we went zip lining. We went on 8 courses through the forest, some over a lake. At first I thought that it would be out of my comfort zone a bit, but the lines gradually got longer or higher and the lines were built in a secure way with a good braking system, so I was easily able to trust it. I ended up having a lot of fun and was only scared once, when a Sasquatch came out of the bush and stood behind me.

We stayed at Camp Kiwanilong in cabins for 2 nights. I was in the large cabin (with Sunny), which was by the edge of the forest and only the PLP group was staying at the camp, so it had a really creepy vibe. Then we stayed in yurts at South Beach State Park, where it wasn’t as creepy. On the last night we went to Fairfield Hotel and got to go swimming.

Overall, it was an amazing trip! We did a lot of fun activities and I learned a lot. It was good to become closer with my friends and also get to know others better too. I also managed to survive the long drives by listening to my Taylor Swift playlist (well, and taking my motion-sickness medication) and more Taylor Swift in the van with Ms.Kadi too. I got some cute souvenirs, like little gemstone mushrooms and my favourite, the mini-cheesegrater. And I have a lot of memories too!

Here is the book that we filled out during our trip:

Kaia out ♥︎