Camp Keep

Talmage and Elaine's Camp Keep experience was amazing. On the opening day they saw a bobcat. At first, Talmage couldn't believe it because it was in the bushes. He borrowed a friends pair of binoculaurs and saw his first bobcat. It looked like a large house cat with a short tail and pointy ears. They stopped and snapped some photos of the majestic beast. After a while a car came by and scared it away.

That same day they went to the tide pools. They said they were less exciting than the ones at Leo Carrillo but there was a giant slug called a Gombo Kitan. It was cool. The next day Talmage and Elaine went up Valencia Peak Jr. It is named Junior because it is only a stroll in the park compared to it's neighbor, Valencia Peak. Talmge and Elaine thought the hike was really easy and the view from the top was amazing. You could even see a golf course. On the way up they were allowed to stick rocks on themselves by licking them. " It was awesome," said Talmage.

At the end of each day the Keep counselors would have a big campfire and Talmage's cabin got the back row every time. "Most of the songs were funny but if you heard the 'other' lyrics to some of the songs, they weren't so funny," said Talmage. There was one song that touched Talmage's heart. It went like this:

            We will love the Earth wherever we roam
            For this big blue marble is our home
           And we know that everything in it
           And we know that everything in it
          Will always be a part of who we are

It was so beautiful, so Talmage and his close friends started to sway. Suddenly his whole cabin was swaying. Then the whole camp was swaying. It was a great experience.

submitted by Talmage Urmston