Bringin' Home the Silver

Gear turned in, bags packed, housing cleaned, and a last round of golf off of Vista Point. Left at 6pm and we drove back to Denver for our last spike travel by way of the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde National park. It was a long, but incredibly fun trip. We managed to sneak in a viewing of the 7th Harry Potter, part 2. End of an era in so many ways. Weird to think this was the last time all 9 of us would be together, trying to agree on where to stop, what to eat, and who would drive next.

We got back to campus and as our Govies pulled up, we were met by huge hugs from hollering friends and the usual tangle of unloading the luggage and sorting it out. 9 days of paperwork and merriment before we laid to rest our Corps Member year.

It was the same as every other transition week: debrief, portfolio, end of round media closeouts...only this time no briefing of our next task. Even though our next task was going to be more difficult than any of the others; Life after AmeriCorps. It's funny how easy it is to get used to living with 10 others, to enjoy shopping and cooking for an army of boys and girls, to play games and get through team builders. Only thing to do was enjoy our last week together as Sun 3, and so we did it like champs.

The Amerilympics are held every year so that each team can battle it out for pride, glory, or just fun! Sun 3 went in there dressed to intimidate and own each competition. We weren't so hot at "Name That Tune," but when it came to the relays, disc golf, trivia, kickball, ultimate Frisbee, feat of strength, and the foot race, well Sun 3 is a team not easily forgotten. The day long competition yielded us the coveted Silver Medal spot. For our prize we all got silver stickers :)

That night we all cleaned up and made our way downtown for the End-of-Year banquet. Never had our team looked so polished all dressed up and smiling. We've come a long way from our "chicken fat yellow" hair as the Jet Blondesons and "No-Shave November."

 Graduation came and went and our last goodbyes given. For our team, Sun 3 could never be disbanded. We'll keep in touch and somehow we'll learn how to drive without Ground Guides or ATD's, make food for less than 10 people, and act normal in a society that favors those who shower and shave. Harder still will be learning how to live without 8 cheerleaders and constant companions, my best friends who would lie in bed together and "debrief the day."

We can hope to hold on to the love and clarity we've found from living a life of service together. It's funny to know that in a month the cycle will be repeated and across the country thousands of Corps Members and Team Leaders will begin a life changing endeavor. Thank goodness for their compassion, their talents, their able bodies and minds, and the opportunity they will bring to our world.  This country doesn't realize what an asset these new leaders will become. -Lyndsay

"I will carry this commitment this year, and beyond..."

There was great anticipation heading back to Crown King, AZ for Sun 3’s second round to work with the Crown King Fire District.  Heading back to the small ghost town was very comfortable and exciting knowing we would reunite with newly made friends.  The appreciation for our work fourth round was nothing short of what praise we received all of second round, which is continually a great feeling.

Our main assignment consisted of continued fuels reduction in the Crown King area in order to reduce the threat of wildfire.  However, our method of eliminating fuels changed from burning to chipping due to the high forest fire threat.  In addition to fuels reduction, Sun 3 participated in community events.  Such community events were a fuels clean-up day where homeowners could gather brush around their house and the fire department would schedule to have it picked up for free. 

Mopping the Floor

Other community events included cleaning up the town cemetery, participating in the Memorial Day Parade and Fire Department carnival, and planning a Day of Service.  The Day of Service was with the Crown King Road Maintenance Association and consisted of cleaning out culverts so that rain could freely pass through.  Having variety in giving back to the community of Crown King really made this round special. 

Along with our community efforts and fuels reduction, Sun 3 was assigned to be ‘on call’ throughout the week so that if an emergency occurred within the town, members of Sun 3 could be dispatched to respond to the call on their respective assigned apparatus.  I enjoyed this aspect of the project because it gave our team a great deal of responsibility and made our team feel very important.

Lastly, the highlight of the round in my mind was responding to a quarter acre fire with Prescott National Forest Engine – 931.  E-931 requested the assistance of our team to help them suppress a wildfire that started due to a lightning strike.  Getting the experience of responding to a wildfire with a National Forest Fire Crew was an amazing experience and something I enjoyed greatly.  The job of our team was to dig line around the fire and make sure it was contained before returning the next day and dry mopping the fire to make sure it was fully suppressed.  Responding to this fire enhanced my thoughts of continuing with wild land firefighting in the future.

                              -Nicker

Dirty legs after work

Round 4 has now come to an end and I can't believe how fast our 10 months of service have gone by.  It's amazing to think how much our class has done over such a short period of time and how many communities we have helped.  It's been such a pleasure sharing my experience with the other members of Sun Three and I can't imagine the year any other way. We have become quite the little family.

Through the good, the bad, and the ugly we have come a long way since our first journey out to St. Louis, Missouri where our first ever team builder (the dreaded spider web) almost tore our team apart before we even got started.  Looking back on our time together, I am amazed at how fortunate I am to have been a part of such a great team.

Going back to Crown King for a second time had advantages and disadvantages.  It was nice to know what we were getting into and it took no time at all for us to get right back into the swing of things with the Fire Department.  Instead of burning piles to get rid of all of the fuels we were cutting and removing from each property we had to learn how to chip.  We were trained on both the small and large chipper within the first week and then were set loose to chip until the cows came home.  One of the disadvantages of going back to the same project for a second round was that the monotony of the work definitely got to the team by the end of the second round.

There are only so many piles of brush that one can haul up a mountain before they start to go a little crazy (which might explain some of the air band videos that we have of our team mates on the haul line).  Despite the monotony of the work we managed to have tons of fun along the way.  From day trips to Phoenix, Flagstaff, Prescott, and Jerome to tubing on Salt River and jumping over waterfalls at Fossil Creek we filled our weekends with as much fun and adventure as we could find. -Not to mention costume parties and a home made slip-n-slide in the kitchen from the overflowing dishwasher!
This last round was such a blast and a perfect way to finish out our term of service.  Our team got a lot accomplished for the town of Crown King and had tons of fun along the way.

I look forward to returning next year as a Team Leader and I can only hope that my team will be half as amazing as Sun Three has been.  I will certainly miss being a part of such a great group of people but I know we will stay in touch and luckily the majority of our team will be in Colorado for at least another year!  Thank you Sun Three for an unforgettable year!!!  I love you guys!

-Carlo