[Originally Published 07.24.2013]
Greetings from Colorado! I’m here for the “Key Issues Institute,” hosted by Keystone Science School. I am extremely grateful to Alcoa for sponsoring me and giving me the opportunity to attend this conference.
Getting here yesterday wasn’t without incident. The plan was to fly out of John Wayne Airport at 7:11am, arrive at Denver International Airport at 10:45am, relax at DIA, and finally catch the charter bus to Silverthorne at 1:30pm. Unfortunately, my flight was delayed for 3 1/2 hours giving me a new arrival time of 2:14pm. I was afraid I was going to miss my bus. Thankfully, my contacts at Keystone Science School had a contingency plan… not an ideal situation, but it would work.
I took the delay in stride and enjoyed some breakfast at the airport.
The flight finally took off. The landing was a little rough for my taste but we touched down at 1:45pm. I texted the contact person and she said they would hold the bus for me! Thank God! I finally joined the group at 2:15 and boarded the bus. After a scenic 1 1/2 hours ride, we arrived at our hotel.
So altogether, there are 41 teachers in attendance from all over the country in this session. There is even a teacher from Jamaica!
Our accommodations are pretty nice and I was assigned a pretty cool roommate for the week.
The only thing on last night’s agenda was dinner and introductions. Dinner was pretty good. I opted for the gluten free, vegan lasagna. Delicious!
After dinner, I went on a walk with a small group to get acquainted with our surroundings. Being at an elevation of about 9,000 sure takes some adjustment. Last night I felt a little light headed at times but I made sure to stay hydrated. Otherwise, adjusting to the elevation hasn’t been too bad.
Next post: A recap of Key Issues Institute, Day 2
