Home School Stuff

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Pretty sweet car-camping spot

Pics are from this week’s field trip to Huron Peak, one of my favorite parts of our state.

One of the benefits of COVID (wiping out my travel schedule) is the motivation to undertake challenging drives.

Huron Peak had a 1:1 drive:hike ratio.

Chalk that up to another thing I wouldn’t have expected to enjoy.

Probably took the Volvo a little past its design specifications for the final two miles of the drive. However, we made it (just) and the views from our campsite were pretty awesome.

Today is the end of Week 17 and I feel like I’m in the home stretch for lockdown/summer school.

We are 5.5 weeks away from getting real school back. Our district is going full speed towards a reopening on August 19th. Same with our local university.

The reopening has me feeling nervous for what’s in store => September / October. I wonder if I’ll be COVID-free by Halloween.

I’d feel a whole lot better if there was more info on therapeutic options => even if I was using g-medicine to fool myself.

A Frogg Toggs rain suit turns any outfit into cold weather gear.

Kids spent this week testing out of their next grade math. Our tutor, who is a district math teacher, wanted to have proof so the kids can jump a year when they return.

I had to come up with something to keep our oldest engaged on Wednesday morning, so I promoted her to the manager of the Kirkland Apple Sauce factory. As factory manager, she had to do production calculations for packaging and apple sauce.

My wife’s birthday is coming up so we’re transitioning from 4th of July decorations to Birthday Week Celebrations!

“Have you made your mother a birthday card?”

“Well, make her another one. She does a lot for you.”

Special event preparation helps fill our days.

Sunrise around 12,000 ft.

Home School Science Fair – Round Two

First, the wire for the homopolar motor project was too thin.

Then the wire was too thick!

I’m hoping for “just right” with the third round.

I also got a blank stare when I asked, “Hey, what’s a homopolar motor, anyway?”

We’re chipping away.

We forgot my son’s shoes in Boulder and found a pair for $3.25 at Dollar General in Leadville, CO. The shoes were heavier than my trekking boots but they made it!

Our tutors are gearing up for a return to school so we will be getting less support in August. The kids were bummed. I appreciated the notice so I could give some thought to more outdoor education options.

By the way, my kids’ reaction was a reminder that humans love predictability and routine. You can use this knowledge to drive positive change in your own life.

Start each day by doing a little bit of what needs to be done.

Train for me => read for them.

The comfort is real. Axel forgot his shoes but he remembered his book.

~13,900 feet. Flowers are popping above treeline.
This is Liam the Summit Goat. I’m guessing someone made the mistake of feeding him, once. Please don’t feed the animals, or the trolls!
You can mail order 14’er patches from The Trailhead. I hid this one in his pack. Huron was his 10th 14er.
Some legit lines over his shoulder. Those are The Three Apostles. The middle one is also called Ice Mountain. Teaching my kids about cycling, climbing, hiking, ocean swimming is a double-edged sword. I remember my close calls, there were many. My view => Prepared is better than sheltered.
My masked hike was fine until I sneezed, the (too) rapid inhale scared the crap out of me. This time, my partner saved the Clone Wars discussion until the descent.
Coleman makes a six-person instant cabin – it takes one minute to set up, excluding fly. Two camping beds and we had chairs going as well. The tent isn’t recommended for a windy day but awesome for car camping. They are 6’x9′ => I’d want two if I had the full family (two adults, three kids).

Masking is spreading across the state, even in the parts with an individual, rather than collective, spirit.

Mask use is minimal on the trails. This made me want to confine my 14er trips to weekdays.

Why?

Well, I was trying to calculate in my head walking down Huron Peak. However, I can’t calculate the probability of a recurring series of events without a calculator.

Frankly, I struggle to believe the numbers even when I check the formula.

3,000 encounters… what’s the expected chance to stay healthy?

Chance of infection 1:1,000,000 => (0.999999)^(3,000) = 99.7% healthy

Slide up the risk curve 1:100,000 risk => (0.99999)^(3,000) = 97.0% healthy

Your state blows up and your activity has 1:10,000 infection chance, repeat 3,000x => (0.9999)^(3,000) = 74.1% healthy

Low chances, repeated, result in material chances.

Minimizing repeated exposure + reducing the nature of exposure = get sick later