Wow!! This was amazing to read. I mean, I was there with you, but i feel like I gained a new perspective from reading this side of it.
I learned something interesting about the water being that funky pink color. I was talking to a professor at my school who does personal research on micro-organisms. I told him about the strange water color and how i thought it might be due to busted spray paint cans that had been disposed in the water. He told me that maybe that was possible, but not likely because the paint particles would have settled to the bottom of the water after a long period in stagnated water like it was. He said it was far more likely that it was due to micro organisns which colonized in the water. He said that organisms as such can live in a wide variety of habitats (cold, warm, dry, humid..) And that the color they take on is due to environmental factors. Cool, right??? Anyways. I loved this blog, you did a great job! I am also glad to have been able to go on this adventure with you and see history.