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| Congratulations to Kelly, AKA That Certain '14 |
It was a hectic, if wonderful weekend for a newly minted graduate who absolutely loved her entire Dartmouth experience, and made the most of it. (She will be the first in line to tell you that while Dartmouth -- like every school -- has its challenges, the frenzy of unfortunate stories in the past few months is not representative of a school she loves. As I've said to her, no one ever writes about planes that land safely.)
So what's next? Between now and next week, this electronic precinct isn't going radio silent but it could be on the quiet side for a very good reason.
That Certain '14, who graduated with a degree in Earth Science (think Geology) and a minor in Education, will be spending the summer as a park ranger at Colorado National Monument in the western part of that beautiful state. She will be leading hikes, giving campfire talks, explaining the geology of the area and working in the information center. For someone who was a Junior Ranger at national parks across the country, it is a dream posting and I am not afraid to say she will be great at it.
Because she needs a car in Colorado, A Certain Blogger will be leaving with her Tuesday morning at (wait for it) O-Dark-30 to make the 34-hour drive west over three-plus days. You absolutely cannot imagine how excited I am for us to have that quality time together. We'll be camping three nights on the way out, listening to several Nevada Barr books on CD (from the author's national park ranger series) and simply enjoying being together.
On Saturday morning I will hop on the California Zephyr and ride the winding rails through the Rockies back to Denver before catching a red-eye flight back to Manchester. (And if the train happens to be too late to make the connection -- I've got a six-hour window -- it won't be the first time I ever slept in an airport. It's all part of the adventure ;-)
As for That Certain '14, she will return to New Hampshire in late summer, with Mrs. BGA flying out to Colorado and enjoying quality time driving back with her. She'll begin student teaching through Dartmouth's Teacher Education Program when the local schools open and do that through the fall term. Fingers crossed, she'll have a special educational experience in December (stay tuned on that one) and then move to Madison, Wis., in January to start a position as a project manager at a quickly growing national corporation.
It's all good. No, it's all great!
I'm going to try to get something posted here each day, but I can't make any promises because those are going to be some long, hard days on the road. For what it's worth, our first night will be spent near Columbus, Ohio, the second near Kansas City and the third just west of Denver. We'll be up and on the road around sunrise each day and pitching our tent sometime before sunset. Look for the red 2005 Subaru with the "Dartmouth Alumni" decal on the back!
(As an aside, A Certain Blogger has been teased by his kids for many years about having been to 49 states and not finishing the complete "set." There are two recommended routes for our trip. I couldn't help but notice that the one going through Kansas adds just one hour. Wanna guess which state I've been missing, and which way That Certain '14 is more than happy for us to go?)
Sorry for going on for a bit but there's lots to be thankful for. Congratulations to all the graduates and their families!
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And without further ado . . . read about Dartmouth's graduation here.
