Delta del Ebro or Cal-Wood?

I recently returned from ASB’s annual 5th grade trip to the Delta del Ebro. Having been the coordinator for Crawford’s annual trip to Cal-Wood for three years, I was so excited to go! I was very curious to see what would be the same and what might be different. It was definitely an experience!

One of the main differences between this trip and the ones I was used to is that this trip was a full week. It was an amazing time, but 5 days and 4 nights is a long time! However, we did get paid 300 euros for chaperoning, which is quite a nice addition that didn’t exist in APS!

At the Delta, we were able to take advantage of our location near the water – we went to the beach, kayaking on the Ebro River, and biking near the sea. It was beautiful! However, we had to take a bus everywhere we went, which was a big change for me. At Cal-Wood, once you were there, you were there. Everything you did was in walking distance, which sometimes could be up to nine miles round trip. In addition, everything we did was in the mountains. Completely different scenery, but equally beautiful.

We spent a fantastic day biking along the Ebro River!

I have to say, nothing at Cal-Wood compared to the

rice planting/mud fight at the Delta!

Another difference was the food. At Cal-Wood, the food was amazing! We had a healthy lunch of sandwiches, hummus and vegetables, and fresh-baked cookies for dessert. Breakfast and dinner were always delicious and balanced. The food at the Delta left a bit to be desired. Although the café con leches were perfect and we could have wine and beer with every meal (a nice perk of life in Spain!), the food was awful. We only had fresh fruit and vegetables twice and the fact we had French fries with every meal became a running joke. For our vegetarians, one meal consisted of white rice, potato chips, and ice cream. Not exactly the best when doing active things all day.

Finally, the accommodations were quite different as well. At Cal-Wood, the kids slept in actual log cabins. This meant that ideally an adult would need to be in each one to prevent any trouble, but they were lovely. At the Delta, we were basically in a dorm. The teachers had their own room, but the walls were paper thin and at times we didn’t even have enough water to shower.

At Cal-Wood, our guides were trained in outdoor education – the kids (and me!) learned SO much while there about history, nature, and survival. Although our guides were great at the Delta, it wasn’t the same.

Clearly, these trips were very different. Each had their positives and their negatives. However, I have to say going to the Delta definitely put Cal-Wood in a new perspective for me. I appreciate the quality and level of teaching even more than I did before. Is it possible that ASB’s 5^th grade trip could move to a new destination? Well, that would mean breaking with 20+ years of tradition . . . an ASB battle I’m not prepared to fight quite yet.