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DATE: March 7, 2007

TO: Students, USGS Training Course, "Sediment Data Collection
Techniques"

FROM: John R. Gray, Course Coordinator

SUBJECT: **TRAVEL TO PORTLAND, OR, & CASTLE ROCK, WA, MARCH 18**

This objective of this memorandum is to maximize the potential for your
efficient conveyance from Portland, OR, airport (PDX) on the afternoon
of Sunday, March 18, 2007, to the Mt. St. Helens Motel, Castle Rock, WA,
via USGS-rented and --driven shuttle vans. Making proper connections is
the trickiest part of the course logistics. **Please be familiar with
the contents of this memorandum and carry a paper copy of this
memorandum with you as you travel on March 18 (at least carry a copy of
page 5).** **See:
<http://water.usgs.gov/osw/techniques/sedtraining.html>** **for this
memo and the previously shared course information.**

The theme of this memo is "**communicate, Communicate, COMMUNICATE**."
This includes the planning phase, but, as importantly, the March 18
travel phase.

**IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS AND ADDRESS**

**Kurt Spicer, Field Coordinator, USGS, Cascades Volcano Observatory,
Vancouver, WA:**

**Cell phone 360-798-2903.**

**Ellen Rose, Proprietor, Mt. St. Helens Motel address is 1340 Mt. St.
Helens Way (Washington Route 504), Castle Rock, Washington, 98611; phone
number 360-274-7721.**

**Other Contacts as Needed** - **Doug Glysson/John R. Gray** --
**571-262-9553**

**PLANNING FOR TRANSPORTATION TO CASTLE ROCK, WA**

**Van Drivers** -- **RED TEAM** **GREEN TEAM**

> ***Matt Melchiorsen***, Santa Maria, CA ***Johnny Wheat***, Bay St.
> Louis, MS

Work Phone: 805-928-9539 Work Phone: 228-699/1657

Cell Phone: **805-455-3130** Cell Phone: **228-547-3208**

Email: mattm@usgs.gov Email: jtwheat@usgs.gov

**Tentative Van Assignments -- See pages 4 and 5 of this memo:**

**Red team** driver **Matt** is responsible for meeting and transporting
students from **west of the Mississippi River** (but including Rock
Island, Illinois) accounting for 6 attendees (5 students including Matt
and instructor Larry Freeman).

**Green team** driver ***Johnny*** is responsible for meeting and
transporting students from the **east of the Mississippi River**,
accounting for 6 attendees.

This leaves 14 attendees who we understand and/or assume will provide
their own conveyance to and from the course venues in Castle Rock and
Vancouver, WA. If your name does not appear on the lists on pages 4 and
5 -- or it appears under the wrong heading -- and you need conveyance
from PDX on the afternoon of March 18, contact <jrgray@usgs.gov>
(703.648.5318) immediately.

Changes to the van assignments might be made to place the earliest
arrivers on the first van, and those arriving later in the 2^nd^ van, at
the discretion of the van drivers. All student email communications to
their respective assigned van driver must be cc\'ed to the other driver
and to Kurt and me as well. This will allow the drivers to cross check
arrival information for all students and ensure that everyone is
accounted for when it comes time to depart from the PDX enroute to
Castle Rock WA on Sunday, March 18.

**The two vans will be departing from the PDX en route to Castle Rock,
WA on or before 4:30 P.M. Sunday, March 18.** In the chance that you
have to wait on an hour or more for your van to depart, you might want
to bring something to read.

**Planning with Van Drivers** \-- All students should contact their
assigned van driver *(**Matt or Johnny**)* immediately, ideally by
email. Please do this regardless of whether or not you have previously
provided any or all of this information to **Kurt Spicer or me**. Flight
arrival information should be exchanged informing the assigned driver of
the following for arriving at PDX by mid-afternoon March 18:

-   Airline name and flight number

-   Scheduled time of arrival at PDX

-   Your cell phone number as available

Other than Larry Freeman, the instructors will have their own conveyance
to Castle Rock, so students are encouraged to make astute plans for
meeting their van drivers at PDX. Stated in more direct terms...it is
your and the van drivers' responsibilities to ensure that all relevant
travel information is shared (i.e., at some point it is impossible for
me/the other instructors to manage arrival/pick-up information
efficiently).

I suggest that the van drivers collaborate to share digital mugshots,
and to share these photos electronically with their riders, for more
positive identification.

March 23 departure plans will be shared on March 19.

During the course, most if not all students will be asked to ride in the
vans to field sites for safety and logistical reasons.

**ARRIVAL AT PORTLAND, OR, AIRPORT (PDX)**

**Emergency Communications** \-- In the event your flight is delayed,
cancelled or you are otherwise rendered incapable of arriving at
time/flight you have identified previously, you **[must]{.underline}**
contact **Kurt Spicer at cell 360-798-2903**. Kurt\'s cell phone will be
turned on by 12:00 P.M. Sunday, March 18, and will remain on until his
arrival in Castle Rock, WA at approximately 6:00 P.M. that evening.

If your arrival is significantly delayed and you can\'t talk to Kurt or
leave a message on his cell phone, please call ***Ellen Rose*** at the
***Mt. St. Helens Motel in Castle Rock, WA at 360-274-7721*** and try to
contact ***John Gray, Doug Glysson**,* or one of the other instructors
who might have checked in there. ***Ellen***, who runs the motel, should
be able to answer most questions. At the very least leave a message with
***Ellen*** containing all information concerning your situation,
including what you intend to do relative to gaining transport to Castle
Rock, WA Sunday, March 18. Please make every effort to communicate your
situation!

**Meeting at the Airport on March 18, 2007**: Students and van drivers
should develop specific plans to meet and identify each other at **PDX
by 2:30 P.M. Sunday, March 18**. For now, upon arrival in PDX, students
should proceed to the south end of the baggage claim area, to the right
as you come off the escalators downstairs (see the blue circle on the
map below). Once you have checked in with your assigned driver (who I
hope will wear USGS clothing or hats for easy identification), you can
tend to other things such as gathering your luggage, getting something
to eat at the food court, etc. Drivers will inform students of specific
departure times for Castle Rock and any other pertinent information.

![](media/image2.png){width="3.3229166666666665in"
height="4.229166666666667in"}

**If you arrive PDX on-time, that is, by about 2:30 P.M.** -- Vans will
leave the airport at 4:30 P.M. or as soon as everyone assigned to the
vans have checked in with the van drivers. ***[Van drivers must call
Kurt Spicer]{.underline} at 360*-798-2903 *prior to departing for Castle
Rock.***

**If you arrive after the vans have departed, but by 5:00 P.M. --** Kurt
Spicer will remain in the Portland area until about 5:00 P.M. for the
purpose of transporting stragglers with flight problems resulting in
their arrival up to about 5:00 P.M. In the event circumstances result in
your arrival after the vans have departed and you haven\'t been able to
contact anyone, please follow the \"**Emergency communications**\"
instructions given above. The single most important thing you can do is
to call Kurt Spicer immediately (if possible, of course) when you know
your flight will arrive late.

**If you arrive after about 5:00 P.M. --** For anyone whose flight
schedule changes result in arrival after the vans and Kurt Spicer have
left the airport, make sure you have informed **Kurt Spicer, Ellen, or
another instructor at the Mt. St. Helens Motel as per the \"Emergency
communications**\" instructions, and either **rent a car** from
Enterprise, Budget, Dollar or another GSA contract agency, or use the
**Airporter - Blue Star (503-249-1837) Shuttle at a cost of at \$79.75
for the first passenger and \$3 for each additional passenger on the
half-hour until midnight.**

Those driving from PDX to Castle Rock: From Portland, you want I-5 north
(I-205 North to I-5 north if you're departing PDX; I-205 north merges
with I-5 about a dozen miles north of the Columbia River). After about
40 more miles, take Exit 49 and bear right 300 yards to the Mt. St.
Helens Motel on the right just before the road grade rises
substantially.

**WITHOUT FURTHER ADO...**

Keep an eye out for late-arriving updates to these notes. Make and share
your plans as appropriate quickly. I am looking forward to having a full
contingent of students transported safely to Castle Rock. We appreciate
your cooperation, and will endeavor to make the ensuing training
experience wfully worth the effort traveling to and from Castle Rock.

**[RED TEAM]{.underline}** **Contact Matt Melchiorsen**

####### **Bierl, David Rock Island, IL**

####### **Cannarozzi, Louis Marina, CA**

1.  **Freeman, Larry (instructor) Marina, CA**

2.  **Liddell, Tommy Ventura, CA**

3.  **Melchiorsen, Matt Santa Maria, CA**

4.  **Savage, Brett Mounds View, MN**

###### GREEN TEAM Contact Johnny Wheat

1.  **Hughes, James Oneida, TN**

2.  **League, Donald Nashville, TN**

3.  **Massey, Lieneke (Lee) Ft. Lauderdale, FL**

4.  **Miller, Patrick Urbana, IL**

5.  **Olsen, Leif New Cumberland, PA**

6.  **Wheat, Johnny Bay St. Louis, MS**

**[PROVIDING OWN CONVEYANCE TO/FROM COURSE]{.underline}**

1.  **Damman, Dan**

2.  **Descant, Michael**

3.  **Gallegos, Alan**

4.  **Gilman, Jeremy**

5.  **Holburn, Elaine**

6.  **Hutchins, Olivia**

7.  **Jones, Scott**

8.  **Lee, Stephen**

9.  **Mooney, David**

10. **Novak, Chester**

11. **Scott, Perrien**

12. **Sixta, Michael**

13. **Skrobialowski, Stanley**

14. **Varyu, David**

**CONCISE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PDX-CASTLE ROCK TRANSPORTATION**

**USGS COURSE, "SEDIMENT DATA-COLLECTION TECHNIQUES,"**

**If you don't bring all 5 pages on March 18, bring this page!**

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS AND ADDRESSES

**Kurt Spicer,** Field Coordinator, USGS, Cascades Volcano Observatory,
Vancouver, WA: **Cell phone 360-798-2903.**

**Ellen Rose,** Mt. St. Helens Motel address is 1340 Mt. St. Helens Way
(Washington Route 504), Castle Rock, Washington, 98611; **phone number
360-274-7721.**

Other contact - **Doug Glysson/John R. Gray** -- **571-262-9553**

**SCHEDULE**

-   2:30 pm -- By this time, arrive at PDX and contact Van Driver

-   4:30 pm -- Vans depart earlier if all riders are present.

-   5:15 pm -- Kurt will depart for Castle Rock.

**[RED TEAM]{.underline}** **Contact Matt Melchiorsen Cell Phone
805-455-3130**

####### **Bierl, David Rock Island, IL**

####### **Cannarozzi, Louis Marina, CA**

1.  **Freeman, Larry (instructor) Marina, CA**

2.  **Liddell, Tommy Ventura, CA**

3.  **Melchiorsen, Matt Santa Maria, CA**

4.  **Savage, Brett Mounds View, MN**

###### GREEN TEAM Contact Johnny Wheat Cell Phone: 228-547-3208

####### 

5.  **Hughes, James Oneida, TN**

6.  **League, Donald Nashville, TN**

7.  **Massey, Lieneke (Lee) Ft. Lauderdale, FL**

8.  **Miller, Patrick Urbana, IL**

9.  **Olsen, Leif New Cumberland, PA**

10. **Wheat, Johnny Bay St. Louis, MS**

**Meeting at the Airport on March 18, 2007**: Students and van drivers
will plan to meet and identify each other at **PDX by 2:30 P.M. Sunday,
March 18**. Upon arrival at PDX, students should proceed to the south
end of the baggage claim area, to the right as you come off the
escalators downstairs. Once you have checked in with your assigned
driver, you can tend to other things such as gathering your luggage,
getting something to eat at the food court, etc. Drivers will inform
students of specific departure times for Castle Rock and any other
pertinent information.

**If you arrive after about 5:00 P.M. --** For anyone whose flight
schedule changes result in arrival after the vans and Kurt Spicer have
left the airport, make sure you have informed **Kurt Spicer at cell
360-798-2903, Ellen, or another instructor at the Mt. St. Helens Motel
as per the \"Emergency communications**\" instructions, and either
**rent a car** from Enterprise, Budget, Dollar or another GSA contract
agency, or use the **Airporter - Blue Star (503-249-1837) Shuttle at a
cost of at \$79.75 for the first passenger and \$3 for each additional
passenger on the half-hour until midnight.**