March 23, 2009 -- On Saturday, March 21 the Kingsbridge crew met early in the Bronx and organized a small but dedicated group of kids, volunteers and Certified Leader Ray Greenwell for a day of urban scavenger hunting in Central Park. 

Moving as one group, we hit 15 key spots in Central Park, figuring out the best routes to take, discovering each clue on the map, and taking photos at each spot. We deciphered Hieroglyphics at the Egyptian "Cleopatra's Needle" behind The Met,  we watched turtles sunbathing from the tower of Belvedere Castle, we counted the creatures at the Alice In Wonderland statue, we found the topiary animals near Tavern On The Green, and the little nursery song on a post near the Carousel. Not being able to resist the ride, we all piled onto horses in the carousel and had a moment of pure childhood silliness. Passing through the zoo we happened to hit feeding time for the sea lions and caught a glimpse of the polar bear swimming.  We had lunch at the Bethesda fountain and trekked around to the Daniel Webster statue and the Balto statue. Using Ray's vintage 1960's compass we also did a bit of orienteering by Sheep's Meadow.

One of the highlights of the trip, or at least standout moments, was spotting a lady carrying around a taxidermied grey dog, placing it in various positions, and photographing it. One can only imagine what she was up to but the kids were thoroughly amused.   

Finishing up our scavenger hunt at the duckpond at the south east corner of the park, we put together all of our clues to discover the key to the whole puzzle "Olmstead was cool!" The kids learned a lot on Saturday and I think we all have a new found confidence in navigating the park. A small group, but a great time!

Submitted by ICO Voluntter Elisabeth Harris