Big lake

My kids go to an “expeditionary learning school” they have frequent opportunities to learn outside the classroom through fieldwork, overnights and multi-day trips. In this last adventure the class went to Big Lake next to HooDoo for 3 days. The snow at Big Lake was out of control!!! The staff at the campground said this was more snow then they have had in many years. I have never seen so much snow in my life. The kids snow shoed into camp 3 miles, some of us parents had gone ahead and had hot homemade soup and bread waiting for them at the lodge. The kids Sled down the lodge roof, built snow caves, and had snow ball fights with the teachers. They did fieldwork also; one class they had a workshop on hypothermia, held outside of course. But I must admit the CAT pulled tube ride out of camp was extra super fun for me!! It turned out the parents that drove up to camp had to stay an extra night; the parking lot was 5 feet deep with snow /snow drifts and ODOT (Oregon department of transportation) had not plowed, and no one knew when they would again. I road up with Mo the chef and decided to hitch a ride on the school bus instead of staying the night at camp. That’s when the real fun started. The director of the school had called the bus shack ahead of time and warned them not to try to come to the parking lot. I guess he did not get the message. The school bus was stuck in snow for 4 hours! 45 middle school kids, parents ,teachers, random snow mobilers, good Samaritans, the bus shack supervisor, two trucks pulling and a CAT pushing could not unstuck the bus. What was left to do? Call a “wrecker” just when the wrecker showed an ODOT plow-er came to our rescue and pulled us out in less then a minute.
The kids sang super loud "we are champions" when we finally got free. What an adventure!
I can not wait for next year :)