Ho! Explorers!

Planning for 2026 is well under way, and we’re excited by all the possibilities. We also have our first exploration under our belt, with a big thanks to Captain Lark.

Captain’s Report: Magic of the Promenade

After all the rain in December and early January I was feeling uneasy in the days leading up to our Magic of the Promenade expedition. But lo, the clouds parted and granted us with a magically beautiful day to stroll along JFK drive and discover evidence of magical creatures. We met under the decorated branches of Uncle John’s Tree. This magnificent Monterey Cyprus is San Francisco’s official city Christmas tree. The Christmas train was gone, but the lights were still up, and we admired them as we enjoyed the shade and greeted explorers. And greet them we did! Over 40 explorers arrived by the time we embarked, and a few more joined us along the way. For the first time, we ran out of field guides!

Emboldened by an impassioned reading of our “Line in the Sand” we set out to walk down the middle of the road and soon encountered our first trial. A geometric solid formed by sun-discs claimed to be public art but we quickly ascertained it was evidence of the 24 suns that used to populate Golden Gate Park. But wait, were there 24? 36? 28? Several intrepid counters began the task of correctly identifying the number of suns present. On the count of three they all shouted out the one true answer:

To that we added one, because there was one more sun painted on the ground. But wait! That sun was an explorb we had unwittingly stumbled into, drawn in by the shining suns. Fortunately, we ascertained that to escape this explorb we would need to join hands and exit through the planters single file. Given our large numbers, this was quite the feat!

After documenting evidence of giants and human/animal hybrids, we encountered a bridge. Knowing the close relationship the Explorer’s Guild has with trolls, we sent some redshirts beneath the bridge to see what there was to see. We waved, and watched them descend one side of the bridge. We all leaned over the edge of the other side, eagerly awaiting their appearance. We heard their echoed cries, but after many minutes of waiting, we feared our compatriots had been consumed by the trolls. More investigation was needed, so we sent some more redshirts down this side of the bridge, and they found an empty tunnel blocked by a locked gate but no friends! Turning around, we discovered our scouts had returned the way they had come to report no sightings, but much evidence, of small, shy, square, bridge trolls.

Making our way slightly off the promenade, we headed to the DeYoung museum for a few exercises in perspective shifting. First, we intended to go up very high for a bird’s (or giant’s) eye view of our surroundings. Between the museum’s prohibition of four legged friends, their enticing bathrooms, and elevators that only carried 6-8 people at a time, we came close to losing several explorers. But fear not! After some hurried searching, flag waving, taking extra time to learn about how much bees love art, and hanging about fairy doors, it turned out everyone had been with a safe grown up the whole time, even the other grown-ups. And we all reunited!

A highlight for me was our visit to James Turrell’s Skyspace. If you haven’t visited, it’s a concrete dome with benches lining the inside, and a round viewing-hole directed up towards the sky. It invites the viewer to gaze at a patch of sky as if the sky is a painting. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if we squeezed 40 explorers inside a perfect dome with interesting acoustic effects, you’re not alone. I was so curious about it I tried it! It turns out explorers respond to dome shaped containment by spontaneously humming harmonies and then falling into reverent silence.

After leaving a few little gifts at a fairy-door we forged on towards our final goal. We only made one wrong turn, and found ourselves face to face with Naga, the great sea serpent of Rainbow Falls. He was lit from within by rainbow lights, but disappointingly  no bubbles on this occasion. After admiring his colors, we read our final words of Semper Explorandum and in small groups joyfully drifted off through the park.

Personally, I had a lovely time sharing some of my favorite parts of the Golden Mile with so many delightful friends new and old. I hope our study of the creatures there leads to many more discoveries and stronger relations between the guild and other whimsical species.

With Joy,
Captain Lark

Big thank you to all the Explorers who joined us and stuck through to the end. Our next event is going to be Stuffed Animal Taxidermy on February 22nd though there is also discussions of a Valentine Curio too.

Semper Explorandum Explorers!