Greetings Explorers!

I hope you’re all doing well. Big apologies for the late postponement of Steeplechase over the weekend; when we realized that two of the four carousels wouldn’t be operating, the decision to put it off became clear. The new date for the event is Saturday, May 25th. More info is below the call to adventure for our next activity: the tour of the EBMUD water treatment plant.

Water Treatment Plant - Saturday, May 18th

I believe most of us take for granted what happens when we use the sink or flush the toilet. Where does that all go? How far does it travel? Once it gets there, how to we make sure it’s ready to be released back into our ecosystems?

For the water, food debris, and bodily excrement, the journey is remarkable and worthy of a closer look (not too close mind you). Our next adventure is to the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s water treatment plant! If you’re daring enough, we invite you to come along.

As this is a sensitive piece of urban infrastructure, we need to send them a full roster in advance, so only those that register will be able to join us. The registration also outlines a few other constraints, but the big ones are:

• Arrive on time

• Must wear comfortable, closed toe shoes

• No pictures are allowed on site

• Bring a photo ID

• You’ll need to sign a liability waiver

We’ll be meeting on Saturday, May 18th, 9:45am at the parking lot for 2020 Wake Avenue. Participants need to be on time as the tour will go on without you. The tour is 1-1/2 to 2 hours, mostly outside without shade (brimmed hats are always a good thing). We won’t be eating lunch together after the event, and I strongly suggest everyone thoroughly wash your hands following our trip.

My last note is that we’re capping our registrations at 30. If we go over that amount we’ll start a waitlist. We’re expecting this to be popular, so if you want to go be sure you sign up sooner rather than later.

Steeplechase (New Date!)

The weather may have shut down our last attempt, but we’re keeping our eyes on the prize. Seventh anniversary frenzy, four carousels, and a whole lot of whimsy. The city needs us and we’re here to ride the majestic steeds.

Same details as before, only now a new date:

Where: Starts at Pier 39 Carousel
When: Saturday, May 25th at 10am. Explorers can come and go throughout the day, for those wanting to do the classic circuit, we’ll likely be wrapping up at Golden Gate Park around 1:30, and those viewing for the quadruple crown we’ll likely be wrapping around 3 at SF Zoo.
What to bring: snacks/lunch, water, Muni transit pass, cash for carousel tickets ($14 per adult for the three carousels, $18 for the four), and zoo admission fee (if you’re aiming for all four). Lastly we ask that you trot out your finest carousel-worthy fashion (those jauntiest of jaunty hats!) for this extraordinary Explorer tradition (though don’t fret too much about this). This will also be a good time to break out your cutest umbrellas/rain jackets (or heck your most practical ones are also great).

Alright, that’s all we have for you for the time being. Fun and adventure are around the corner.

Semper Explorandum Explorers!