Today was the teams first day off and first chance to see Palau and all its beauty without the stress of the robot. The day stared at 8am at the dock were we waited for our tour guide Dez. He arrived shortly after 8am and then we were off to Peleliu. The boat ride to the island was around 30-40 minutes, the team was able to get a better look at the rock islands and see more of the island.
Once we arrived at the island we loaded on to a bus to start our tour. Our first stop was an american tank and machine gun. Also there was a small cave we the first spider siting of the day. After we were done with that stop we continued our tour up to Bloody Nose Ridge. Here Dez told us stories about the tactics used here and how it was a vital piece of land to aquire during the battle. On Bloody Nose Ridge there was a USA monument and a Japanese shrine. Dez then parked the car and we started the hiking part of the tour. This part of the tour really showed us the terrain and environment the servicemen had to live in for three months. One of the caves the team went into they got all the way into but then a bunch of cricket/grasshoppers fell from above and they all quickly exited. That was just one of many cave experiences the team had. As we continued the hike we saw many more monuments and shrines to both the Americans and Japanese.
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| Orange Beach |
We stopped a few more times then had lunch at South Pier. After lunch the tour had a few more spots till we got to the 1000 man cave. The 1000 man cave was a main shelter source during the battle. To this day you can still see rem nits of the war in the cave. In the cave u can also see a TON of spiders. Most of the team went through the cave, some even made it to the bat cave. With the team all out of the cave our tour came to an end. We all climbed back aboard the boat and our boat driver took us to two snorkel spots. One with amazing marine life and another one, a tipped over fishing troller boat.
Overall today gave the team a good amount of time to step back and relax. They were able to connect more with our mission and learn about the islands more. The team ended the day with showers and food and then were off to bed.
Tomorrow is an another work day, but two members of the team will be going to the school to help Mr. Nicholas and Mrs. Zemke. Hopefully both the students on the boat with the ROV and the students with the teachers have a good day.
-Karly Kruger
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