Livin' it Up

We we're high rolling from the start when Mandalay Bay upgraded us to a sneak preview of their new hotel wing - The Delano, wow! After prying the Super Seniors away from the exquisite rooms, we took in the Vegas Strip and Guy Fieri's new restaurant. On the way back we got to see the Bellagio fountain show and other events as we toured through the different hotels in all their themed glitz and glamour.
 

After climbing, biking, hiking, and rafting, a day of relaxation was in order! We spent the day at the Mandalay Beach, including wave pool, lazy river, hot tubs, and tried out each of the pools. After soaking in the sun, House of Blues served up a fantastic dinner before we experienced Cirque du Soleil: KA at the MGM. The seats were so close we felt the heat from the flames, the performers over head and either side, it was amazing!

 

The glitz and glamour cranked up a few notches as we arrived in Hollywood. The wax museum was our first stop, just 2 blocks from our hotel on Hollywood Blvd. Surprise! We ran into Jordan Frechtman, a Southwoods' alum, at dinner! The next day at Universal Studios included driving by the metro set that Parenthood was filming on Live, thrills on the Transformers ride, laughter on the Minions' ride, frights and screams in the Haunted House, and more! Straight from Universal we sought more celebrity run-ins on the TMZ tour. Then headed to The Grove from a late night dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, yum! Full and tired we headed back to our hotel ready for Santa Monica in the morning.

         

 

Reaching New Heights

The first week of the West Coast swing has rapidly passed. The Super Seniors have risen to the occasion everyday by conquering elements of hiking, climbing, rafting, and biking.


First up, Grand Junction and the all encompassing 2 day experience of rappelling, hiking, climbing, canyoneering through squeezes, and rock scrambling in two phenomenal locations; Colorado National Monument and beautiful Unaweep Canyon. One piece that everyone will remember is excelling at the most difficult challenge, an elevation climb of roughly 100 feet and an opening of only a foot wide, teamwork was displayed at a maximum level. Also witnessed throughout the two days was great determination in rock climbing on various surfaces, using the guide's tips to eventually find a successful route to the top. So many fears smashed, so many goals met, so many with more confidence. More confidence to try new things, more confidence to believe in themselves, more confidence to succeed.

Down to the river we went. A boatload of fascinating memories were made from the two day Colorado River rafting overnight excursion. We observed three bald eagles, a golden eagle, several blue heron, a couple turkeys, and a plethora of other wildlife along the river. Water fights between rafts, floating through some class one rapids, amazing meals, campsite games and stories, sleeping outside under the brightest full moon ever, and guides that added to the fun made this one of the favorite parts of the trip for many.

How bout we head to the biking capitol Moab, Utah and continue a wicked week of activities? After a night of shopping, an early morning bike ride awaited all. We shredded up the slickrock like nobody's business, impressing the guides throughout the ride. Arches National Park on one side, Canyonlands on the other, the scenery was breath-taking. Everyone adding skills with each passing turn.

Can this get any better? Climbing in some of the rarest places, rafting through Westwater Canyon, biking in the coolest place in the USA!

We headed west, driving through majestic Utah and several national parks, each with its own personality.

Fishlake National Forest, Capitol Reef National Park, Escalante Grand Staircase, and the mesmerizing Bryce Canyon.

Wet n Wild

The first few days of our Super Seniors voyage have flooded by so quickly. It has been a wet and wild start to the best summer yet!


First port of call was Maid of the Mist, where the wind swept the falls in the perfect...or not so perfect direction, depending on who you were. Nonetheless, it was a direct hit! Ready for more, we climbed alongside Niagara Falls and experienced a hurricane of wind and water - in seconds the Super Seniors were saturated. A night walk down to the other side of the falls led not only to fascinating views, but a moment questioning whether or not rain or the falls' mist led to another bout of being waterlogged. But, give everyone credit, it just added to the fun and we soaked it all up!

After a sensational early morning run along the falls we headed to our second destination, Lewiston, home to a wicked jet boat excursion! Just as we boarded the boat, a storm came out of nowhere and drenched us before we even hit the rapids! Once we did get underway, we slammed class 5 whitewater on the Niagara River every which way possible. We had water coming from all directions! One approach cleansed our nasal cavities with a tsunami wave like no other. A few spins in the whirlpool and a 60mph sprint down the river dried us off...kinda. Off to Ohio!

We followed the edge of Lake Erie all the way to our next point of interest, the "roller coast", Cedar Point. The wild rides kept the Super Seniors in loops all day long. Some chose the extreme 120mph, 420 foot rides of craziness. Others blasted through the midway rides, bumping, flying, and swinging to their hearts content. Serious fun all around!









The wild adventures in Ohio continued when we rocked out the five floors of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. We grooved to 'Let it Be' with the Beatles, sung 'Sweet Caroline' with Neil Diamond, and jammed with Aerosmith to 'Dream On'. The music continued to play in the vans as our travels continue in Pennsylvania. What a Wet n Wild start to a memorable summer.
- Lennon's guitar

 - the glove

Super Seniors Rising

The Super Seniors arrived in Denver this past Wednesday in grand fashion. Compliments came from far and wide, the lady at the flight check-in counter, multiple passengers on the airplane, and our first night's hotel manager. Well done - this would be the first of many times this group would rise to the occasion and impress so many. 

Thursday, we journeyed to Grand Junction. As we headed West, we gazed out the window as the breath-taking scenery continuously awed  us with each passing mile. Upon arriving, we took on the task of rock-climbing and rappelling at some unparalleled sites. Deep along the Unaweep Canyon, multiple ascents were setup for us by our top-notch guides. Each Super Senior challenged themselves on various levels and the guides were so impressed they added a couple additional paths for the group to enjoy!

                                                                                                                                     At the other site, Colorado National Monument, the group had the chance to experience a few different elements. A rappel, canyoneering features, scrambling, various squeezes, additional climbing, and more at this location was a quite remarkable day! "Best day of my life" per one Super Senior. Again the rock climbing guides were throurughly impressed, but better yet the Super Seniors impressed themselves with not only how much they enjoyed the challenging activities, but how well they completed them. Super Seniors were rising.

How do you compete with rock climbing? Let's try whitewater rafting through Westwater Canyon on Level 4 rapids at a premium time with perfect conditions! Throw in epic water battles on the raft, amazingly delicious meals cooked up by our river guides, camping under the stars along an unimaginable canyon wall with rapids as background music, songs and stories, exploring and relaxing, and you get an experience no one will forget. Wow. Super Seniors rode the rapids, including a particularly wet one called Sock-it-to-me. It lived up to its name for sure...and the Super Seniors continued to rise as well.

Now, let's go biking!

24 Hours of a Lifetime

      The words of Ellis Jones, Super Senior:

          My experience visiting Morry's Camp was incredibly enlightening. After swimming and running laps for six years, finally being able to see where the money goes was a very enticing idea. And it was exactly and the exact opposite of what I had expected. First off the unbelievably welcoming and warm feel of the camp threw me for a loop. Whether it was a "Hello Southwoods!!" while walking through the soccer field, a friendly wave while touring the camp or even just a simple dance battle during dinner when the Super Senior Boys showed off an intense display of Baritone in a spectacular rendition of Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time". Everyone welcomed us with open arms and never before at a visiting camp have I felt so at home.

           Secondly at Morry's there is an incredible sense of community. Everybody knows everyone, everyone helps everyone, and most importantly everyone includes everyone. It is a real home to everyone there and everyone is grateful for it. Also I noticed a wide sense of diversity at Morry's between both the counselors and campers. There are people from different backgrounds and different places all with a desire to enjoy the camp experience.

             
   However it also had many things that I had anticipated such as basketball, a lake, fun counselors and passionate campers. The BBQ dinner was delicious and the campfire that followed had all the makings of a Southwoods party; fun songs, warm smores, and a safe distance between boys and girls. I also loved how Morrys offered learning options to its campers and offered the resources to learn that many of them don't have at home.

           Lastly, and most importantly my visit to Morry's reignited my love for camp. To the kids there its more than just a place to spend the summer, its a place to grow, to learn, to break out of your shell and to most valuably of all call home. As someone who has been given this gift for now seven years its easy to forget how valuable it truly is and how much the camp experience changes you. But it was these kids that simply loved that they get to go to camp that reminded me how much my seven years of camp helped me become the kid I am today.

Top Thrills All Day Everyday

     Early morning run? Questionable. Early morning run along the trails of Niagara Falls? Most Definitely! A large group started off our second day with a jog, it soon picked up speed aboard the Whirlpool jetboats! Dunk tank tsunami describes our morning fun the best as we conquered Class 5 rapids multiple times. All aboard the vans for our next destination...OHIO!

The van rides have been quite a whole other experience upon themselves so far. We've had singing video battles between the vans, jam sessions, the now infamous license plate scavenger hunt, hysterical improv games, and sooooo much more! Often we hear statements such as, "We're there already?", "Before a 3 hour ride was painful, now it's so much fun and is nothing!", "The van rides have been far better than expected!" We can guarantee many more memories are to be had in van rides ahead.

Ohio brought us thrills of gigantic proportions. Riding a 420 foot, 120 mph roller coaster at one moment, winning oversized animals from the midway games another, and visiting the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame on July Fourth the next. It has been non stop and we're just getting started. As one Super Senior put it - "The first five days of the trip have been amazing. Possibly the most fun I have ever had!"

The Mist - The Deluge - The Canadian Surprise

      And we're off! Super Seniors 2014 assembled on Sunday upon arrival at camp and never looked back. What a way to start off the summer on Monday than enjoying Early Morning Ski followed by the Giant Swing. We continued to swing into summer in style with an evening excursion to Lake George. The stories and laughter at dinner spilled over into the multi-floor Laser Tag battle and the wild Go-Kart tracks. The excitement for the next day's departure to Niagara was palpable, the energy was high, it wasn't contagious because everyone was already infected with Super Senior Syndrome.

     One of the 8 Wonders of the World lived up to the hype, and the timing of our trip turned out to reap huge results. We treated the epidemic of Super Senior Syndrome with a cool down in none other than the Niagara Falls themselves. Riding the Maid of the Mist we powered our way against the current, witnessed rainbows rise and fall amongst the waterfalls and succumbed to the mist itself. Off the boat and up the stairs into the deluge as the strong winds swept the falls into us as we struggled both to maintain balance and soak up the beauty that was pelting us. This phenomenal experience just increased the symptoms of the syndrome...too much fun!

 

      After dinner the group strolled down to the Falls once more as they were lit up at night. We heard the roar of the river as it rushed over the cliffs. Amazing as it was, we were in for a surprise. It was Canada Day, so our friends over the border decided to put on a show for us as we arrived on our night walk. The fireworks were unreal and put a perfect cap on the first day of Trip One. Wow.