By 6:30am, Team CASA was up and getting ready for our day. Since we are staying at the First United Methodist Church in Huntsville, we needed to be out of the building by 8am (the first worship time for the church on Sundays). So, we donned our Alternative Break tank tops and were out the door--headed for Monte Sano State Park, which is located on one of the "foot hills" of the Appalachian Mountains, which surround the city of Huntsville. It was absolutely beautiful! We first stopped by a breathtaking view of the valley and the city from the side of the mountain before beginning our trek around a three mile loop trail. It was the first time I had been 'officially' hiking in more than a year and it felt great to be out on a trail again. The views were gorgeous, though most of the time we were simply walking through the forest, trying to avoid anything that looked remotely poisonous. (None of us were positive what poison Oak or Ivy looked like, so we just decided as a group to avoid contact with all vegetation altogether.) By the time 9:30am rolled around and we were finished with the trail, we were all famished and our legs were very tired. So, since this is our one glorious day off, we headed back to the church to quietly rest and wait till lunch time. We spent the rest of our morning napping, eating, and bonding by watching silly youtube videos on Kassy's cell phone. Nothing says 'special moment' like watching Jenna Marbles demonstrate what she would have done if she could have gone to Cancun. Finally, around 2pm, we headed out for the Botanical Gardens, which we had been invited to tour for free via the Gardens' CEO, who we met at the CASA Garden Party fundraiser. Let me just say, the Botanical Gardens are So. Cool. Spread out over something around 250 acres of land, the gardens are comprised of several different themed gardens, including flowers, water, rocks, and even a 'Hope Garden' dedicated to Cancer victims and survivors, and some really cool children's play areas. My favorite, however, was the butterfly garden, which was not only awe-striking with the hundreds of butterflies flying around, but beautiful in its set-up and its displays. The exhibit hold a mini waterfall and a small pond where the cutest little turtles were sunning themselves, and all around the walk way the butterflies float around you and the caterpillars feast on the plant leaves.
When we were finally finished touring the gardens, some of the ladies picked up some souvenirs from the gift shop and the very kind lady behind the counter even offered us some suggestions for good places to eat dinner (being another example of Southern hospitality, she even offered to get a reservation set up for us at one of the restaurants, but we weren't sure what we wanted yet, so we respectfully declined).
Now, as we have yet another Starbucks/internet date, we are preparing to explore Bridge Street, which, as we have heard (and can see from the Barnes and Noble that we are relaxing in) is some what similar to the Plaza in downtown Kansas City. I think we are all looking forward to a little taste of home and being able to unwind after a hard and rewarding week and an eventful day off. I don't think I can stress enough just how awesome this trip has been, and how much we have been able to learn and experience. It has been so great getting to know these people and the area, and we are looking forward to another two days of service before we have to depart!
-Tasha Cerny, CASA Summer Alternative Break, 2012
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