I'd headed over to the Welcome Center (literally just steps from the house) at 2:00 yesterday, but it turned out the kids were running late and the program wasn't going to start until 2:30.  I took a few photos , then headed back to the house for half an hour.

Marla's dog Kellan is on Meet & Greet duty 

A well-deserved award!

Some informational posters

The ranch garden offers a variety of  "field to fork" food to visitors.  

Doug's hydro-electric presentation yesterday afternoon was quite interesting, and I certainly learned a lot.  Not sure when he moved here, but he and his family were already here 40 years ago when I first visited.  Doug helped Neil build the plant (and everything else) here at the hot springs, and currently is at the head of OLT (though forget his actual title.) 

Abe (Rosie's son) brought the kids to the Welcome Center, where Doug started things off.

Great sentiment on Abe's shirt

There was a wide range of ages, from lower elementary through high school.

This is the original turbine.  In the early 90s the plant got up-graded.

For much of its 2-mile trip from below the springs down to the plant, 

the water runs through a 12-inch pipe (and drops 540 vertical feet.)

The plant provides a constant 60 kilowatts of power, 

and comes back up to power Valley View via wire like this.

Doug used a garden hose to demo how forcing the water from the 12-inch pipe through a small nozzle increases the pressure to power the turbine -

and the kids had fun with the pressured hose.  Abe was a good sport, 

and despite the cool afternoon let the kids spray him.

Next stop was the collection box, which filters out debris 

before funneling water through the 12-inch pipe on the other side.

This boy mentioned how he caught a snake at this spot during camp last summer - and moments later found this bull snake.  (Reminded me of all the snakes Alex used to find.)  Normally the snakes here are quite mellow, but this one was so freaked out it shit big time all over his shirt.

Even kids who had never been "up close and personal" with a snake were willing to touch it - but not this rather large bug that Abe picked up.  It elicited a lot of screams and running away.

After a walk down to the creek to check out one of the valves

it was over to the distribution box outside the laundry room below the bathhouse.

I never knew that there was a back room with some electrical equipment.

At the end of the hour the kids piled back into the bus for a trip down to the actual plant, though I passed on that.  Maybe next week.   And while I had been standing for the entire hour, my back was not complaining at all.

Of course just a couple of years ago that would NOT have been the case.  It's a crystal clear  reminder of how going to the gym has seriously improved my quality of life - and why I continue to drag myself there even though I have never learned to enjoy it.

Later in the afternoon I spent another hour on Hilda's toenails.  While there's still a lot left to do, Terry and I can both see substantial progress - and Hilda is loving how much better her feet feel.  I probably should have taken a "before" picture of her onychogryposis, but never did.

Also known as ram's horn or claw nails, it's an enlargement of the fingernails or toenails with an increased thickening and curvature.

We experienced INTENSE thunder late in the late afternoon, though for all that 'sound and fury' only received a few sprinkles.