Itβs been over a week since weβve returned from our trip and honestly Iβm still thinking about the amazing opportunities we were lucky enough to experience. Some of you may know and others wonβt but our grade 8 PLP class ventured down to Oregon, many will think that it is a vacation but that is the complete opposite of what it was. Our days were packed, 8 am starts to 8 pm finishes constantly working on whatever lies ahead. This was our first field study and I canβt wait to see what comes further down the road.
Day 1
It all started off at Seycove, we left at 6:15 in the morning and drove for a good 8 hours until we reached our destination, Astoria. We drove up a windy road and got to the top of a hill where the Astoria Column sat. We climbed up to the top and threw wooden planes off to see how far they could glide. After a day full of driving we got to our homes for the next few days, Fort Stevens State Park. We were all super tired and needed rest because we knew that it was an early start tomorrow. 
Day 2
Waking up at 7 didnβt treat us well but we needed to in order to visit the Fort Stevens Historic Park. We got a guided tour around the state park and saw all sorts of war machines, the first mechanism we saw was the disappearing rifle. The tour guide explained that it took 5 seconds to shoot and then it went our of sight, hence the name disappearing rifle. We learnt about the forts history during World War II and how it managed to compete against the other forts.Β At times I didnβt really enjoy myself but I had a growth mindset and managed to make it through. Our tour was over in under 3 hours and from their we went to Highlife Adventures. I had never heard about the zip line park and quite frankly nobody had. This adventure park was the best Iβd ever been too, it consisted of 8 lines and all of them were amazing. Amy, Nate, Keenan and I were in a group to advertise Highlife. We worked interdependently to ask the perfect questions to create an advertisement. We ended our day with a visit to Nisaβs Thai Restaurant, I tried many new food and they were all delicious. 
Day 3
Our day started off at the Coloumbia River Maritime Museum. We received a presentation about ocean safety, we were told what the most important items to have are if you are stranded in the ocean and I didnβt know that I mirror could be so effective. We know had some time to look around the museum, we were put in groups and had tasks to complete. I worked interdependently with my group to explain why we would cross the bar or why not. Our time was up at the museum so we headed to cannon beach. It was miserable, thats why we only stayed there for 15 minutes. After a 2 hour bus ride we found ourselves at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, I donβt like cheese but I have to admit it was a nice building. I was strongly encouraged to try a piece of cheese so I took the advice, I didnβt enjoy that 30 seconds of my life but Iβm sure it was great cheese. Our day ended at South Beach State Park. 
Day 4
This day was all about questing. A quest is very similar to a scavenger hunt but it is much wider scale. My group consisted of Amy, Evelyn, Simon, Nathan and myself. Unfortunately my group struggled, a lot, we could only figure out the first clue. I managed my impulsivity by listening to what my group says and not saying that it is a stupid idea. Even though we didnβt do well it was still enjoyable to see the whole state park and go on a gorgeous walk. Once every group returned we headed to the Hatfield Marine Science Centre and participated in 3 workshops, speedy science, animal adaptations and assemble a whale. In speedy science we got to learn about crabs and race them. It was really cool to see how fast crabs can run. My group came up with a theory. Male crabs fun faster when they are racing another crab because they want to show their dominance. We thought this because when the male crabs raced alone their times were much slower than racing against another male crab. We ended our day with dinner at Chalet and it was needed. Our brains were very tired from focusing all day. 
Day 5
On day 5 we went back to the Science Centre and did 1 more workshop. This time it was build an R.O.V. This was my favourite activity because it made me think a lot and when we got it right it was very pleasing. I was in a group with Ryder, Erin and Sophia. Our group worked interdependently to build an R.O.V with a curved front creating a clean look. The teacher told us we were the first group to ever do that, we felt great especially because we pulled it off. At times it was irritating because we couldnβt quite get it right but I persisted and eventually got there. After the building stage of the R.O.V we got to test them in a large container of water. Before we tested though we need to apply floatation because otherwise it would sink. This process to forever. We kept on trying things, adding and removing pieces to finally achieve neutral buoyancy. We were finished all the workshops so we got to explore the Visitor Centre. There was a really cool tsunami machine and a giant octopus was in a tank just outside the front door. The Hatfield Marine Science Centre was really cool and I definitely gained a lot of knowledge from it. We sat in the bus for about an hour, we drove to Yaquina Head. It was very very interesting. At the beach sat a lighthouse, it was very pretty. We explored the beached for a good hour, we were called in to do another quest. This quest was mulch more fun, probably because we fished it. We worked interdependently to find the clues and made good choices. Our fifth day was sadly over and in my opinion it was our best day.
Day 6
The sixth day was our final full day on our trip. We took a long bus ride to Depoe Bay. We learnt that it is the smallest navigation harbour in the world. We found ourselves in a sock store, there were over 1000 pairs of socks and almost every classmate bought a pair. The possibilities were endless but after long amounts of contemplating I ended up with a pair that had a varsity of goats on them. We got back on the road and drove to Johnβs Incredible Pizza Company, also know as JIPC. JIPC is an all you can eat buffet, specializing in pizza. I loaded my mouth with as much food I could possibly consume and it wasnβt a great idea. Our teachers gave us cards with 20 tokens on them to play arcade games. My technique was to play all of the cheap games so I could play as many as possible. I ended up with 137 tickets, I purchased a bouncy ball and a mini plane that you build yourself. Our card also came with an included ride. I decided to go on a spiny ride with Raymond, Julien and Nate. This is when I was questioning my food decision. When the ride finished I felt sick. Fortunately when we got to our cabins I felt fine and ate 3 sβmores. That concludes day 6. 
Day 7
Our final day on our trip contained the Northwest Trek. We paid for a tram tour around the park and view all the animals. We saw little sheep to massive bison, it was amazing. We then walked around the place reading all the signs about the animals. When I saw the sign about lynxes I got very joyful. In my all about me post I mentioned lynx were my favourite animals but we didnβt see one. We viewed every enclosure, the animal I thought was the coolest was the cougar. There was a red marking on a tree that showed the highest point a cougar has ever jumped from and it was unbelievably high. I was also fascinated by Howe fast river otters can swim but I later read that it was because of their webbed feet and narrow body. Our time was up at the Northwest Trek but it was a good time. We had our last meal together at the Golden Corral Buffet. This was probably the best buffet we visited, I was starving so I ate heaps of food. The main attraction of the restaurant was the chocolate fountain. It was very satisfying to dip a strawberry in it and see it get coated. Our waiter Nolan was a very nice man and gave us tons of cotton candy to take with us. 
That concludes our Oregon trip. It was a fabulous experience and I learnt so much. I persisted as much as I could even if I was bored or tired. I completed my book to the best of my abilities and sometimes I didnβt want to. At times I didnβt want to participate in the activity but I managed my impulsivity by having a growth mindset. This trip was great for me to get to know my new class mates and connect even more with my old ones. If we could go back I would absolutely take the chance. I didnβt realize Oregon is such a nice place with so many things to do and see. I now know much more about Oregon and I canβt wait to see what lies ahead. I am so grateful to the teachers for taking us on this wonderful journey. Thank you!
November 4, 2019 at 4:07 am
Wow. Your trip must have been lots of fun!
November 4, 2019 at 5:20 am
It sure was.