A friend checked in from Jambo

[Narraticong]

Packing car and leaving this morning from beautiful Detroit. Figures, it seems like the severe heat has finally broken here. I'm sure it will be lovely at Jambo.

 

Will try to post on my adventure. I'll be on-site Wednesday and Thursday. Looking forward to a short visit with my son who is with the Great Lakes Council contingent.

 

See you at the Hill!

 

Ken

[GKlose]

My number one son loaded onto one of three buses for the Yankee Clipper Council contingent last night, and probably would have arrived in the last hour or so.

[Eagledad]

>>I also hear that the staff barracks have AC and the ticks are really bad. Already issues with dehydration, so tell all your Scouts to start drinking water NOW and don't wait until they arrive Monday.

[hotair36]

A/C in the barracks - Only if you are sleeping at Wilcox. No A/C at Longstreet or in any of the tents.

The participants have begun to arrive and the Sub Camps are beginning to look a lot like a Jamboree.

Ticks have always been an issue at Ft. A.P. Hill so what else would someone expect? Please don't take the Tick Habitate signs as mementos.

[emb021]

Someone already noted about the ac in barracks.

 

Wifi has been spotty. Its been unreliable so far, and my tent in longstreet doesn't get very good reception. Our booth gets good reception, but we've seen the hotspots go down here.

 

The Trading Post- well, this is why you should buy stuff in advance!!! I did, as it means less stuff to bring back. Only stuff I'm getting is new stuff they didn't have in the catalog. As to it being open early for the staff, keep in mind that the staff paid to be here, and we work hard and many of us won't get a lot of free time during the Jamboree.

 

 

[prairie]

I have no problem with staff getting first shot, but hoarding would be unscout like.

[Ohio_Scouter]

I'm in Wilcox, and the A/C is wonderful--especially after the weekend's 100+ temperatures.

 

A big thank you to the U.S. Army staff at Fort A.P. Hill. You guys rock! And a special thank you to the commander and staff of the National Scout Jamboree Joint Task Force. You guys got a lot of class. And yet another special thank you to my Merit Badge Commissioners. You both deserve a big raise. Keep up the good work, and we'll all keep an eye on the boys. We've already counseled several scouts today who passed by our Merit Badge stations without water bottles or head cover.(This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

[trogers17]

I stopped in as a Visitor on Tuesday and was quite impressed with how smooth everything went. The check in at the base (car inspections by MP's, etc.) was quick and orderly and the TP's seemed well stocked (Both TP 2 and the one in the Visitor's parking lot). My iPhone had great 3G connectivity throughout the base, even in the stretch by the upper parts of Travis Lake. The WiFi was pretty good around the AT&T hotspots. Lots of youth and adults taking advantage of the Wireless charging and AT&T areas. I was quite impressed with the focus on hydration. Lots of water available, most of it cold even! I liked that Dunkin Donuts had a Semi Trailer there selling coffee and donuts out of the side. Lots of advertising from commercial entities and businesses that I hope brings revenue into BSA's coffers.

 

I heard from some staff that the 05 Jamboree financials were in the Red hence the $10 per person fee. They went over big time on the hospital trips and infrastructure stuff (like port-o-potties). The $10 fee goes to support those types of costs as well as the clean up after the fact.

 

I was highly impressed with all the folks that I got to talk to down there. Met an 81 year old leader from Connecticut in line at the TP who just impressed the hell out of me with stories and experiences. Might have been the highlight of the day for me to meet someone who has been at it so long with so much vigor, energy and enthusiasm. Every Staff person I met was wonderful. The info services folks earned my respect for being so personable answering the same questions over and over and over again. :-) I enjoying catching up with some old friends from home that I haven't seen much in the last 12 years since I moved away. The scouts in attendance are certainly in for a treat, they've gone all out to ensure an packed, diverse schedule of activities they can take advantage of. It's amazing how different the Jamboree is now from when I attended as a youth in 1993 and yet, it's so much the same.

 

Thankfully the tick issues that people are mentioning seem to be confined mostly to the staff areas. Most of the youth are complaining about more mundane things like not getting the patches they want, the heat/humidity, the lack of good looking girls, etc.

[prairie]

Thank you for your report, I head out tomorrow morning to attend Monday.

[theysawyoucomin']

Arrived today at 4:50pm did not try to get in, just reconned gates and got a parking pass . Parking was a bit of a mess but what can you expect. Me and Mrs Uz are going to arrive at 5 am to insure we get in. I'll let you know what happens.

There sure are a lot of red traffic lights in Va. and every one is red!!!

 

Two kinds of drivers here the slow and gentle type and then the kind that have seen how us native New Yawkers drive and they are trying to copy it.

[theysawyoucomin']

Arrived today at 4:50pm did not try to get in, just reconned gates and got a parking pass . Parking was a bit of a mess but what can you expect. Me and Mrs Uz are going to arrive at 5 am to insure we get in. I'll let you know what happens.

There sure are a lot of red traffic lights in Va. and every one is red!!!

 

Two kinds of drivers here the slow and gentle type and then the kind that have seen how us native New Yawkers drive and they are trying to copy it.

[CubScoutJo]

From what I've been reading from others posts on FB, it's kind of hit or miss as far as going earlier than the gates open. If you go too early, they make you drive around some loop (which I have yet to find out the roads this loop takes you) until the gates open. So it is possible that if you arrive at 5:00am you may have to drive around this infinite loop until 9:00am and then depending on where you are in this loop, when they open the gate, you may still have to wait until after 9 to get in.

 

If anyone has more information as to what "driving around" means (which roads must you drive around if gate is closed), please post.

 

Jo

[theysawyoucomin']

I'll tell you about what happened getting it but right now I can't keep my eyes open.

[CubScoutJo]

I hope you won't leave us hanging after you get some sleep! We are leaving now for DC and then Tommorrow (Monday) Jamboree.

 

Thanks,

Jo

[theysawyoucomin']

At 1700 on Friday we did our recon. Some Army Sgt MP told us we should be there at 0500.

At that time we got our vehicle inspected. The inspection went fast and was really kind of useless, if anybody wants to know why just ask.

 

Next morning up and at 'em at 0345 do the three S's and on the road. Get to main gate at 0520, we are told nobody will enter until 0900. The PFC Mp was the soul of tact and bearing. I explained what I had been told but no dice. Again the soul of tact and bearing. We used to say a Marine on duty has no friends, I'm sure the 'corps still does and I'd imagine the Army says something similar.

 

Turn the car around to leave and park 50 away from the gate area. Tell wife what our status is and ,"Wait here". I walk back to the PFC's and tell them I want to see their Sgt or NCOIC. They ask what for. I tell them," You are doing your job,I have no problem with you, now please go get your SGT.

 

A SSGT finally comes from someplace(SSGT's are busy people, I used to be one). I calmly discuss the fact the an MP Sgt suggested I get here at 0500. He asked, "Sir are you sure he did not say 0900 and you made a mistake?" I told him that I was a SSGT and clearly know the operational difference between 05 and 09.

I told i'm was so angry that i could start yelling and screaming like an idiot and cause a big scene. I told him that would probably not help my case. He said, "You're right". Remember these folks have guns and mace.

 

After telling him I would write a letter to the CG about the SGT from yesterday I left.

 

Wife is livid at this time and it is 0545. MP's suggest we wait in Bowling Green which is 4 miles away.

 

Not knowing what to do but ruling out Bowling Green we finally park at a restaurant with some other dejected souls. The restaurant had NEW YORK in the name. A small crowd of vehicles gathers and we see a green Subaru of Venture aged young men making the loop down 301 to the gate and coming back. We begin to recognize other vehicles as the crowd of 20 swells and we see the "kayak car"(car simply has a kayak mounted) take a few laps. I told my wife," I will take a lawn chair and sit down there while you all stage here and call you and let you know when the traffic starts to flow." Wife does not wish to be left with strangers.

 

Wife and go down and have another look after cell ph # were exchanged to alert the folks staged at the restaurant.

A line of cars is beginning to form on the far side. We go get in said line knowing we could be told to move by Va. State police at anytime.

 

After 30 tense minutes they start letting cars go thru and the folks back at the staging area(restaurant) are alerted and start piling into their vehicles like young British fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain.

 

This is not the most epic story of the day, but it was frustrating and stressful to be told to get there at a certain time by a person with some knowledge only to be told you will not even be allowed to get in line for 3 1/2 hours.