Field Trips Continued

Previously, I mentioned the other field trips that I went on with Orv Schlatter and our kids.  In that entry it seemed like we just visited locally and places that were directly related to government.  Those excursions were directly tied to the seniors in our course who were getting credits in government and economics.  We also had juniors who were taking US History.  That class and the others in our block took on some pretty "interesting" trips.

One of the historical trips we took was to Connor's Prairie.  Connor's Prairie is an interactive history site just north of Indianapolis.  Reenactors take the visitors through the daily life of the settlers in this prairie town.  As such, these people are trained to interact with 20th century (that was when we were there) questioning as if they are unaware of new technology and advances.  We explained that to our students and, for the most part, they went along the concept.

Except one boy.  He was determined to catch one of the actors referring to something in the twentieth century.  From the schoolhouse to the candlemaker shop, he tried.  The reenactors were sharp and handled him well.  The best was when we entered a family home.  The woman of the family was making the evening meal.  The boy started in her right away.  "Why not just go the the Marsh down the road and get frozen dinners."  While you are there, go to the KMart and get a stove.  You can plug it in..."  He looked around and continued,"Looks like you need to get I&M to hook up your electricity too."

When he thought that he was totally in control and had her flustered, Orv and I moved toward him.  We weren't fast enough.  The woman was there in an instant, nose to nose with him.  Her voice was commanding but motherly, "If'n you were my boy, I'd take you out and whip some sense into ya.  Ain't too long ago they hanged and stoned folks who said such things."  Without a beat, she continued on with her teaching about her part of the Prairie story.  The boy was dumbfounded, speechless.  It didn't last long, but it was fun to watch.

When Orv found out that I was teaching a play, he suggested that we go to Chicago to see a comedy that he had heard about.  It was a British title that escapes me right now.  The idea was to see the play and tour downtown Chicago.  He drove his van; I drove mine.  We took about 12 students.  What I learned about that trip was that anyone who is following Orv should be prepared for anything.

We were on the Dan Ryan Expressway.  You need to know that I had been to Chicago before, and I knew where we were going.  Still, I followed Orv.  Now, I don't know if he learned to drive in the United States or one of the countries in which he lived earlier in his life.  What I do know is that when you are in the left most lane, it is almost impossible to take the off ramp on the right when the one that you want comes up quickly.  Six lanes he crossed!  Instinctively, I did the same.  Since then, I have seen this scene recreated in many movies, but in those stories there is always someone chasing them.  We made it, but we left some cars spinning and dodging behind us.

The play was way over our students' heads.  At the intermission they wanted to leave, we told them that they needed to give the story a chance.  Truthfully, I had hoped that they would win the argument, but we stayed.  Occasionally, I heard laughter from some of them.  I became impressed that they were starting to understand the humor even though I didn't.  As we were leaving, I heard a girl ask one of the boys, "How many Jujube's did you get to stick on his back before he woke up and shook them off."  The answer was "Two bags full.  It would have been more, but I ran out."

From the theater we went to the Sears Tower.  Thankfully that was uneventful.  Then we went shopping down the Miracle Mile.  The same boy who placed the candy on the sleeping man's back, eyed a black limo ahead.  Immediately, he sprinted ahead, yelling back over his shoulder, "I just know there is someone famous in the limo.  Let's find out."  Though we told him to not do it, he knocked on the rear window and tried to peer through the tinted windows..  Neither Orv or I had to intercede.  Four very large, dark suited men surrounded him instantly.  As we approached the situation, the boy undaunted and seemingly unimpressed by the gravity of his situation asked one of the men, "Can I get an autograph?"  The gentlemen nearest him leaned down to him and simply said, "No!" We never found out who was in the limo.  We were just happy to get out of there.

There was another memorable field trip that I took with Orv.  This trip included my wife.  In passing I mentioned to Orv that Michele was interested in rocks and caves.  Because our science teacher had started a geology unit, Orv set up for the classes to go to southern Indiana to Marengo Cave.  Now, I had never been in a cave in my life, and Michele's experience was a lighted tour of the beautiful Ohio Caverns.  Little did we know what we were in for.

Before that trip, I had never heard the term spelunker.  After we experienced the cave, I not only knew the term, I also became a spelunker.  Michele's previous cave experience had been a little under an hour of walking through a cave.  She and I both were looking forward to a stroll through a cave.  There might have been a few seconds that we strolled.  Most of the time we were crawling through tight openings with bats less than an inch from our heads.  We climbed steep water soaked stone walls.  There were ledges we inched along afraid of falling.  Our trip to the deepest part of the cave took three hours.  All of it terrifying!

When we reached "the room" at the bottom of the cave.  Our guide said that were now going to turn off our lanterns to experience total darkness.  In my head I was screaming, "No!"  I held it back because I was newly married to this beautiful woman and didn't want to seem so cowardly; I also took into account that I might affect the students around me adversely. So, I said nothing.  I don't remember if anyone else did.  When the lanterns were all off, I found out that I would not do well blind.  In just those seconds, it felt like every part of the world was closing in on me, and I feared immediately that we wouldn't be able to get the lanterns back on.

Obviously, the lanterns came back on.  Then we started on our journey back out of the cave.  On the way down, Michele had expressed that this was not what she thought the experience would be like and her displeasure with Orv.  Other than the total darkness thing, my reaction was that I had made it and now I just wanted to get out.  Near the end, that posed a problem.  There was a hole that we were required to drop down through to get out of the cave.  Our guide said that they hadn't had any success getting anyone through that hole who had a chest larger than 42 inches.  Panic set in again.  My chest is 48 inches!  There is no way to suck in a chest!

Even though it was suggested that I try, I envisioned getting stuck in the hole and never getting out.  That is when the guide asked Orv to take us the other way.  Us, meaning Michele wasn't going through the hole either.  So, Orv lead us to the other exit while the guide took the students through the hole and the exit that is supposed to be a part of the journey.  Our exit wasn't far from the hole.  It was simply stairs that had been carved out to climb out easily.

To this day, Michele will not forgive Orv for that experience.  And even though it was terrifying for me, I can look back on the trip and say that I am glad that I went.  But it will never happen again!