This year 8 of the 12 bridging girls chose to come on this trip. We left home at 2:00 Saturday afternoon, and stopped for McDonalds ice cream - and cheap gas - in Quartzsite, AZ. We pulled into Lake Havsu about 6:00, which meant we had time to cool off and "rest" in our motel rooms.
Denny's was just a block from our motel, so we walked to dinner. Last year the girls automatically began choosing and singing a grace even at restaurants, and I wasn't about to nip that enthusiasm in the bud. They sang the Johnny Appleseed grace, and their voices were so-oooo pretty. Our waiter gave us an extra order of appetizers because we all looked so nice in our full uniforms.
After dinner we walked the half mile to the London Bridge, where we were met by our gondolier. Boat and boatman could well have been lifted straight out of Venice. Four girls at a time were serandaded in five different languages while they cruised the river, and listened to the story of how the London Bridge was taken apart, shipped overseas, and reassembled brick by brick in Arizona. He even points out the pock marks from the bombing blitzes.
The adults, and second group of four girls, were wilting in the nearly 100 degree evening - desert rats though we may be. So we sent a parent and girl to In-and-Out for cold drinks. What a difference.
Just as I was sitting there, wondering what in the world I was sitting there in the heat, the boat pulled in. The girls bounded off, wide smiles on their faces, exclaiming, "That was way cool!" The gondolier was cute, funny, and friendly. He even sang a Hanna Montana song for them. They loved the sparkling cider, cheese, crackers, and chocolates - and were full of historical facts to tell us. I'll be darned, they listened!
Full of cool drinks, the second hour passed by quickly. We finished with group photos just in time to begin our walk across the bridge at 11:45 pm. We strolled too fast, and had to take a lengthy look-at-the-sights break halfway across the bridge. We didn't want to reach the other side until it was Sunday.
So, we reached the far side of the bridge at 12:10 am. I exchanged Girl Scout handshakes with the girls (photo op) and wished them well in Cadettes. They walked the six steps to my husband, who gave them their Cadette vest and another Girl Scout handshake. Voila! New Cadettes! New members (crew) of M.S.S. CONCHILLA, The Ship of the Little Shell. We stopped and sang the CONCHILLA Fight Song (words written by our Mariners to the tune of Popeye the Sailor Man), and Mariner Taps for the first time.
After we walked the mile back to our motel, we all gathered in our motel for the traditional "Rap-Up" meeting. The girls' Good Things ranged from the gondola ride to finally being Cadettes. Some girls didn't have a Bad Thing, and some listed the heat. One of the girls thanked us for bringing her in her Just Because sentence.
You would think they would want to sleep late, what with a 2:00 AM bedtime. No. They voted to get up at 7:30 for the free continental breakfast at the motel - which was a total bust. Thank heavens we had string cheese, granola bars, and plenty of cold water in the ice chest. The motel extended the check out time by an hour, so we could swim and take showers before leaving.
We shopped at a few of the stores tucked under the bridged, buying a London Bridge patch and pin for each girl. Lunch was at Kentuck Fried Chicken (chosen by the girls). We bought their chocolate cake to celebrate. Warning, their cake is good - but it serves twice as many people as they say it does. We brought an entire, uncut cake home. \
Before we left the girls played "Riki-tiki-bear" (also known as the rock game). This is another CONCHILLA tradition that the girls look forward to being able to do. We play the game with tootsi rolls, empty cups, cup lids, even catsup packets. Often throughout the year, we will hold what we call a "Bear Night" - eat out and play the Bear Game in public. The girls receive a 1 1/2" patch with an embroidered bear on it each time they attend a Bear Night - so they wind up with a line of little red bear patches across the bottom of their vest or patch jacket.
We were home in time for dinner. The girls gushed most of the way home - until sleep took over. Even the adults felt it had been an enjoyable and exciting event. The girl paid $65, and the troop paid an equal amount per girl out of Cookie Sale profits. We're very careful to remind them during each event that they chose the trip and raised the money themselves.
It should be an interesting year in our Cadette/Senior Mariner troop. We've just doubled the number of active members. I'll tell you all about it as it unfolds!
Yours in Scouting,
"Patches" (Ann)
First Mate, M.S.S. CONCHILLA
Troop Leader Daisy/Brownie/Junior Troop #414
Wasn't it fun to go to London Bridge in the desert? We went to see it many years ago -- with my little sis and her husband. Had a great time! Thanks for the memories!
Boom boom boom ~suzy
posted by suzy
2 months ago
