Day 2
Act
2 Scene 1:
The cast awakes
this morning to a burst of sunlight and an amazing view of the Purple Mountains
Majesty. After a series of brief monologues, including instructions to wear
sunscreen and keep hydrated, everyone grabbed a bottle of water and bid a fair
Good Morning to Jim and Tumbleweed as they load onto the Gold and Silver
buses.
The Dance begins. A
tour favorite and tradition is the Morning Greeting. Silvia Otieno and Chris Nickerson lead off on
the Gold bus as did Judith Tsoi and Robbie Stevenson on the Silver bus. All
smiles and hugs throughout the bus started everyone off in a good mood.
Additional greetings throughout the day were lead by Annabel Bonnett and Graham
Taylor, Noah Zecher-Freeman and Jennifer Paul as well as Emma Thompson and
Matthew DeHoff.
Our Joker on the
Tour is Tumbleweed. On the Silver Bus morning begins with a Joke of the Day.
The comedy continued when Chloe Lenker, Jack Hembrough and Bryce Taylor
presented to the Silver bus breakfast report.
Although it will never be published and the survey was not officially
controlled, the general consensus is that cream cheese is the preferred spread
for dressing bagels. Also revealed, is
that Bryce Taylor, when left to his own devices, can (and will) consume seven
bowls of Fruit Loops in one sitting. The
Gold bus breakfast report was delivered by Bridget Miller. Bridget told us of the bagel she enjoyed and
then later took the microphone once again to entertain us with her woes of
sleeping on the recliner instead of a bed.
Turns out it was self inflicted punishment that resulting with Bridget
sleeping on the floor for the remainder of the night. Kurt Allen, our Violist from Denver, jumped
right in with his captivating tale of the boat that would not stay on top of
his car. Although quite early in the
trip for Fork Stories, Kurt’s tale so entertained the group that he was awarded
the first Fork of the tour.
Act 2 Scene 2:
After a quick stop
at the Hidden Valley visitor center, the plot thickened as driving to an
altitude of over 12000 feet into the Rocky Mountain National Park we channeled
John Denver as we all truly felt the Rocky Mountain “High”. Disembarking from the bus we took a short but
taxing hike up the path to climb on top of the rock outcrops to view God’s
amazing work. The vegetation and wildlife proved magnificent. Sue Constantinides captured a picture of a
White Tailed Ptarmagin (a snow chicken) and Lichen. In addition a Marmot (looks
like a ground hog sized mouse), a Gos Hawk, Elk and Deer were seen along the
way.
What is an
adventure without overcoming adversity?
Austin Mollard was overcome with altitude sickness on the hike. With assistance of fellow cast members,
Austin was carried to the Gold bus and we quickly drove to the nearest Ranger
station (Alpine Visitor Center, elevation 11,796) where he received immediate
medical attention before an ambulance transported him to a medical center. Julia Bratburd was also seriously affect by
the altitude and received medical attention as well. Both Austin and Julia made remarkable
recoveries and stunned us all with their resolve to sing at the first concert
in Boulder as many of us were affected by the altitude in less severe
ways.
Before departing
the Alpine Visitor Center the troop was treated to a curb side picnic while
taking in the ever present breathtaking sites.
As we began to descend from the Mountain back towards Boulder a sharing
of God moments from the day began. It
was agreed by most that experiencing snow flurries in the middle of June was
one of those moments.
Act 2 Scene 3:
The Ball:
Excitement grew as both buses arrived at the 1st United Methodist
Church, a landmark in Boulder, established in 1862. This beautiful church was one of Boulder’s
first organized communities of faith.
After a short practice this generous congregation treated us to a
delicious Mexican buffet.
With full bellies,
and the return of Austin and Julia, the Orchestra and Choir put on an opening
performance befitting the joy Mary bestows in John Rutter’s Magnificat.
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