AmeriVan

So I haven't mentioned this before, but whenever the teams go anywhere, it is in a giant 15-passenger van. That means that as many people as possible on each team should become certified to drive it. You're not allowed to drive more than two hours at a time, and the person in the passenger seat is the Assistant to the Driver. The AD helps look for cars in your blind spot and since the driver isn't allowed to ever mess with the radio or AC or anything, the AD does it. A driver can't be an AD right after finishing a driving shift, and vice versa. So if we drive from Denver to Missouri or something, having a lot of drivers would be helpful. Also, anytime the driver needs to back up, someone needs to get out and be the Ground Guide and use some fabulous arm signals so they don't hit anything.

So needless to say, I volunteered to be a driver. There was a 2.5 hour driving safety class thing that everyone had to take even if they didn't have a driver's license. In 2.5 hours, I learned that the vans are top-heavy (therefore easy to roll), they take longer to stop, and you need to make wider turns. Then there was a multiple-choice test with questions like "If you are driving in the rain, what should you do?"
A. Drive faster
B. Slow down and keep a longer following distance
C. Turn the radio up
D. Stop watching where you're going

Then it was time to drive. I was randomly chosen to go first. It's not nearly as scary as I though it would be. I mostly just drove around residential areas around campus. The instructor said I did really well. Other people had to drive on the highway, or in the downtown area, or in the mountains, so I guess I got off easy.

Frustration of the day: As I was getting ready to leave my room this morning and loading up my giant BDU cargo pockets with necessary things like my room key, phone, license, Burt's Bees, and pen, I thought to myself, "Hmm. Should I bring my camera? No, we're just driving around all day. Nothing exciting about that." EPIC FAIL. We drove up into the mountains to Red Rocks to eat the lunches we had packed. Don't know what Red Rocks is? It's this amazing amphitheater set between two giant red rocks. Sitting in the audience and looking past the stage, you can see miles and miles. Here's what Google Images provides:

These don't even begin to do it justice. After eating lunch and watching several hardcore exercisers running up and down the hundreds of super tall steps of the amphitheater, we got back in the van and drove to Lookout Mountain. You can probably assume how beautiful that was. Oh, hey, thanks Google Images!

I can't find a good picture of the snow-capped mountains you can see from there, but you get the idea. And NO ONE in my van had a camera.

In case you were wondering, the new $6 pillow I got from Family Dollar yesterday is MUCH better than the bottom-of-the-pile one that I had borrowed.

Up for tomorrow morning: Physicals and drug testing! Woo! And also, I won't have to be anywhere until 9:50, instead of 7:50 like it was the last two days. Then after that exciting morning, we have Unit Time. Which is, you know, time with our unit. Yay for physicals and bonding!