Richmond Science Museum: On January 19-20 of 1991, twelve girls attended the Richmond Science Museum for a Girl Scout "Sleep-In", a campout inside the museum. Arriving in Richmond, we first visited the State Capitol Building and a couple of historical museums. At the Science Museum, we participated in various activities and did several scientific activities. In one activity, we constructed kaleidascopes out of plastic beads, wax paper and toilet paper rolls. In another, we learned about cones and rods in the human eye by staring at an American flag for a few minutes, and then looking at a white wall. Perhaps the most fun was the optical illusions area, where we slept.
Biking: In the April of 1991, our troop conducted a bike safety day, where we brought in our bikes, learned how to check them to make sure they were safe, and were taught the rules of the road. Then we put our knowledge into practice, riding around O'Connell High School, in Arlington, using hand signals for turning and stopping. The next week, we took a 14 mile bike trip from Herndon to Ashburn and back, along the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.
Camp Cole's Trip: May 24-26, 1991, we went to G.S. Camp Cole's Trip. Here, our main objective was to earn the Junior cooking badge. Unfortunately, that weekend it was also 92 degrees F. and much of the cooking was over a hot camp fire. The lunch menu consisted of hot grilled cheese sandwiches cooked over buddy burners, and dinner was made with reflector ovens. It was really hot and we each got about a million mosquito bites, but we laugh when we think about that campout now.
Chincoteague: That October, we camped at Pokomoke State Park, in Maryland, near Chincoteague. We had a rainy start on Friday (pitching tents in the rain for the first but not the last time of our lives). Saturday and Sunday were beautiful, however, and we went bird watching on a nature trail, made sand candles, and built sand castles on the beach of Assateague.
Sky Search Sleep-In: To earn the sky search badge, we had a camp-in at Rock Spring Congregational Church, in Arlington. Unfortunately, the sky was too cloudy so stars and the moon could not be viewed through the telescope. However, we had a great time making diagrams of constellations and doing skits.
Fashion Show: As part of earning the Looking Your Best badge, we studied which colors looked best on each of us and held a fashion show at Walker Chapel.
Planting Trees: In the spring of 1992, we planted oak seedlings as a service project with Arlington Releaf.
Billy Goat Trail: We hiked the Billy Goat Trail
along the C & O Canal in April of 1992. At lunch, as we sat overlooking the Potomac River, a passing kayaker
gave us a demonstration of kayaking skills.
Horse Camp: From May 8-10, 1992 we went to Camp Waradaca. There we spent some time practicing knots, making macrame key chains, and singing cowboy songs, but mainly, we learned about horse care. The highlight our our weekend trip was a two hour ride through the farm.
Old Rag: Our Troop's first of many hikes of Old Rag Mountain was on May 24th, 1992.
Last updated September 27, 1997