07 Aug Solar Car Challenge and Saying Goodbye

¡Hola!

This week Homestead National Monument was a pit stop in the American Solar Challenge race! Teams work together to get their solar cars across the country and this year the ASC partnered with the National Park Service for the road race. The cars were traveling through seven states and nine national parks. One of the rules is that the teams have to stop with their cars for at least 45 minutes at a pit stop, so we had a few hours of solar cars stopping. Visitors were able to greet the teams and ask questions about the funny-looking solar cars. People took photos and videos of with each arrival. Solar cars are surprisingly silent! They don’t have engines to make noise the way typical cars do. When visitors weren’t checking out the solar cars, they could check out the environmental fair that was set up under a large tent. Different companies and organizations had booths that were informative and interactive. And there was food in case people became hungry between waiting for the solar cars. At the same time, appraisers were there for the Dempster project. Although we in the museum were busy with that, we would take breaks to see the cars. I was happy to see people that were here to check out the solar cars also going inside and visiting the museum. When a car was about to arrive or take off, it was announced over the speakers inside. This was convenient for me because whenever there was an announcement, we would head out to get a look at the cars and their teams in action. Although the appraisal process is always a lot of work, the American Solar Challenge made the day more fun! This is my last full week at Homestead and I’ve been a little sad. I’ve already had to say goodbye to a couple of people that I won’t be seeing again before I leave. The fact that I’m sad to leave Nebraska tells me I’ve had a fulfilling experience here at Homestead. I told the superintendent that if I had the chance, I would do this all over again. When I expressed to one of the maintenance guys how sad I felt he smiled and said, “Nebraska isn’t that great.” I responded, “Nebraska is fine. It’s the people that make it great.” Thank you Homestead National Monument of America and LHIP for this wonderful opportunity. ….. Now, onto Colorado and onto more wonderful opportunities. See you all there!