Azorius Herald is played and four lives are gained as the flying deck takes the lead. Unfortunately, a land is cycled and the lightning rifts damage the flying deck for six. What a magical night as the teams gather for Magic the Gathering. It was here on Hitch 12 that the six-crew members learned the rules of the deck. While they spent their nights casting enchantments, sorceries, and attacking with creatures, the crew wished to have such magical powers when it came to their trucks. Good old 9005 had a fatal error that could not be fixed by Jawbone, and mulligans were not an option. As Amelyne, our fearless leader, drove up to our worksite, the truck failed to start just and fell in the same manner as our old comrade, truck 9001. Already accustomed to the protocol for stalled trucks, four of us awaited the arrival of tow truck driver Warren as we finished polygon like champs.
Well, we finished the polygon to the best of our ability. I forgot to mention that we are not only skilled Magic players, but also expert archeologists. With our united powers, we found the lost city underneath Jawbone. It was no big deal for Jawbone to come across such a finding on a warm April afternoon. We found obsidian, chert and a milling stone. Confirmed by our BLM contact, Steve, we skipped some work sites and headed to polygon 9. With hard work and dedication we finished both polygons and started our third polygon of the hitch.
We can’t forget to mention our work in the Rands Management area. We were greeted by the fly NRK, as well as Glenn and Steve from the BLM. Glenn gave us a detailed natural history talk that opened our eyes to some of the historical activity in the area. He was oh so knowledgeable on the flora and fauna of the desert as well as the weather and geological features. As we entered the Rands we realized that the worksite made a great place for creosote training. We figured that in a few years there may be restoration races to build a creosote in the shortest amount of time. After an evening of fun, we left the Rands the next morning with full bellies and a greater appreciation for the mandolin.
So it sounds like the story of Hitch 12 ends here, but let me tell you that this tale continues. We waited for the Great and Magnificent Bart (one of Carly’s friends) to arrive in Jawbone territory and found his presence accompanied by that of the mystical Steve Gomez. As Steve provided us with the new work plans due to our zealous efforts as archeologists, we soon learned that the new rental truck taking the place of 9005 locked automatically. As the keys were unfortunately locked in our flashy red rental, we strategized. Our fearless leader took our only working truck to service as we looked after the rental. Fortunately new keys unlocked the car and we headed to work as a team of 8 people. Boy, were we happy to see that our whitewall survived the high wind speed of the previous afternoon and evening while we were at Rands. We worried as we soon realized that the tent zipper was breaking and were upset to find out that our magical powers only worked for card games. Deep down in our hearts we wished that we could use our seal of cleansing and get rid of the evil and enchanted zipper man/woman. Despite the challenges, I was proud of my crew as we gloriously finished a productive Hitch 12. We completed 2 polygons, started our third, and finished 5 incursions. In total we completed 662 meters squared of restoration, planted 159 vertical mulch, and put up 4 erosion control structures. A job well done!
Can you believe that it is already April 10th? I cannot. Oh, and never forget to respect that rocket box. The flies may get you down, but NEVER lose hope.
- Emily
