Hello again little world inside a computer (or a phone!). So I’ve heard from some people who were asking where last week’s post was… and honestly last week was really rough and I didn’t have much anything positive to say. I reflected on the saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”. I will talk about some of it here, but I figured I should hold off a week so an entire post was full of negativity.

Last week seemed to be full of misfortune (especially when it came to animals). We had issues with skunks, raccoons, and ticks. There was a skunk that hung around my tent for the first few weeks, thankful it never attempted to spray any of us, but it did make it reek every once in a while. Our raccoon problem was the most interesting part of the week though, let me set the stage. So we had a raccoon that frequented our camp for forgotten snacks and wrappers. We did our best to combat his efforts, but he always availed. the event that was the cherry on the top though was when he ATE parts of TWO BOOKS and then stole AN ENTIRE BAG of dice. We literally followed a trail of dice into the woods and could not find the bag. It vanished. Finally we realized that this problem needed a more sophisticated solution. We finally called the Park Ranger and he set up traps (don’t worry, we asked and no they do not kill the animals, they just relocate them) but with his help, our two menaces were caught!!! Our moral was boosted yet again and we collectively felt less in the dumps.

Now, back to the positive stuff! This week I think was my favorite so far! We had a lot productive work days and went on a lot of sight-seeing trips! Fasten your seatbelts!

On Monday, we were told that we were going to be finished with the first section of causeway before the end of the week! Finally! A light at the end of the tunnel! There was a new burst of energy from everyone, because it seemed like our work was paying off. Everyone in the group is starting to get to know each other pretty well, so we are more comfortable opening up to one another. For example with me, so every day when I pack my lunch, I have what I call my enrichment snack (hear me out please). So you know, when you have the same snack over and over, you get bored of it easily, what I do to combat that is combine multiple snacks into one bowl. Animal crackers, chips, goldfish, raisins, nuts, you name it! Okay, so I opened up to the group that I do that, and I always get strange comments and looks (probably for good reason). Tell me, what do you think about my new horrendous tradition!

Tuesday was the first day of construction on the new section of causeway! Which meant digging, lots and lots of digging. An exciting thing that comes with digging is the discovery of animals! Our favorites were an underground crawdad and a spotted salamander! And I finally convinced the whole crew to take a group photo! In my opinion, they’re really nice photos, so I’m glad that I’ll always have them to reflect on.

Wednesday was the best day of the work week! Since the National Park people had July 4th off, they had only a half day to work on Wednesday! They had a goal in mind and were efficient in carrying it out. They wanted a section of causeway built in 3 hours, and we did it! Now was it probably a bit unsafe how close we were working in proximity to each other, maybe, but no one got hurt! After we finished the section, we took a group hike to an old mill that was restored! We were scouting out the trail to see what needs to be done to fix it up (it won’t be our crew working on it, it will be whoever in here in the Spring). It was one and a half miles each way and it ended at several buildings and a swimming hole! Sadly, none of us knew that and we didn’t want to get our work clothes wet (Trash Can and Mutt braved the waters though). It was really refreshing getting to really see parts of West Virginia that aren’t known to the public, so it felt like a private tour!

Today (Thursday) we only had to “work” a half-day because of the holiday. We didn’t have to go to the job site to work, so instead we went on an education day! We went to… the bridge… What bridge you may ask? Let me tell you. The New River Gorge Bridge is one of the highest bridges in the entire United States and it is the longest single-span arch bridge in the western hemisphere! It’s 3,030 feet long and 876 feet tall! Pictures don’t really do it justice, it’s massive.

But for now, I’m sitting in a laundromat typing this out, enjoying my bi-weekly McDonald’s fries, while watching a thunderstorm roll through. Until next time, thank you for all the prayers! I would not have gotten this far without them! And sorry that there’s no photos! My laptop was not wanting to download any of them! But if you ask me in person, I’ll gladly show you my adventures!