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In January, Troop 221 went back to the Dade Ranch. Click the image to see the whole gallery.
We traveled to Gober, Texas to spend a weekend at the Dade Ranch. The weather couldn't have been any better; highs in the 70's and lows in the 40's.
Saturday morning, the boys got up and unpacked the new camp stoves and griddles and got to work. One patrol made french toast and the other patrol made eggs and bacon. We're pretty excited about the cooking possibilities with these new stoves and the first weekend was definitely a sign of things to come. The adults got a new stove as well and we loaded ours with pancakes and sausage.
After breakfast and morning flags, the boys went to work on Wilderness Survival. They cut down several hundred reeds and spent the majority of the day building shelters. After several collapsed structures, they learned what the reeds could handle and adapted their designs.
While the boys were working on their structures, the adults finished building the remaining patrol tables. We now have 5 patrol tables built. They are ready to be sanded, primed and painted. Each of the patrols will decide what color their table will be. It's my hope that these tables will provide the patrols a place to eat, get together for card games or just hang out after a long day of scouting.
In the spirit of more challenging meals, the boys again raised the bar for dinner. One patrol grilled cheeseburgers and onions and the other group made chicken quesadillas. The adults had chili and au gratin potatoes cooked in the dutch oven. It was a great meal followed by a Scout dessert contest. The chocolate cake and the apple cobbler were both great; no one could decide who the clear winner was. Mr. Buercklin finished the evening off with a homemade apple pie. Nothing says camping like seeing a circle of dutch ovens going with a pile of smoldering charcoal in the middle.
The boys went to their shelters around 9:30 and settled in for the night. It was great to walk over Sunday morning and find all of them sleeping soundly in the shelters that they spent so much time on. As I told them Sunday morning, I'm 100% sure that none of their classmates will have experienced anything like that this weekend.
I'd like to thank the Dade's for being so generous and sharing their place with us. There are so many things that we can get into out there and the boys (and adults) always have a memorable time at the Dade Ranch.
If you're not camping; you're missing out.
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