We’re moving through another adventure! As we get older, we realize more and more just how blessed we are. So we’ve begun to look for ways to “give back” in a thoughtful way. Through a series of fortunate events, my old college friend Charles mentioned Bears Ears. Knowing very little about it, we discovered the Bears Ears Partnership, centered around their education center.
One thing led to another and we are going to volunteer for a month and just see what happens. So follow along if you like, and we’ll see where this road takes us. Post order is latest at the top. Or click here to begin, well, at the beginning…
- It’s the Bears Ears
LAST in the series. Better than the Bees Knees… Our work schedule initially consisted of half shifts each. Normally, this would give each of us time to explore or chill. But I knew this wasn’t going to happen. Patricia was as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs in the beginning. My… Read more: It’s the Bears Ears - “Oh, so you are going west to Denver then.”
#14 in the series. Carolyn responded, noting that our plan to visit friends in Denver was already a pretty long drive. Well, Fry Canyon and the head of Glen Canyon is up that way, how could we not? Besides we’ve been through Moab a few times now and would rather do something a little different. I… Read more: “Oh, so you are going west to Denver then.” - Eddying Out
#13 in the series. This has been such an amazing experience. And a lot of it is due to the fact that we’ve been able to spend significant time here. But also, just about everyone we’ve met has been friendly and engaging. “Are you a long hair?” Leo asked me matter-of-factly when he came through the… Read more: Eddying Out - Mind how you go…
#12 in the series. We’re in our last week. We’ve covered a lot of territory, seen so many things, and talked to so many people. The temperature has climbed considerably in the past few days. Early morning hikes are best, there’s just too much sunshine to do much in the afternoon. The humidity has been… Read more: Mind how you go… - The Comb
#11 in the series. The Comb is sublime. And it is not a museum, something that I am finding that travel bloggers convey as they show you how to find and check off the ruins. In reality it’s an expansive and living land that many tribes still return to as their ancestral home. Like Grandma’s… Read more: The Comb - House on Fire
#10 in the series. We’ve been exploring the backcountry. With 1.3 million acres, we will only see a fraction of the Bears Ears. It has been rainy, cold and quite windy. So we spent some time exploring close to Hwy 95. The overlook for Butler Wash Ruins did not disappoint. These little oases are amazing.… Read more: House on Fire - Therapy Day
#9 in the series. “We’ve got an aggressive schedule and we are already behind!” the lady announced as she and her husband rolled through the door as soon as we opened. “There are several things we want to see, but we absolutely have to see Capitol Reef.” “You do know that Capitol Reef is nearly… Read more: Therapy Day - Moon House
#8 in the series. Our 36th! We really wanted to do Moon House on our 36th anniversary. But 50 mph gusts on top of Cedar Mesa just didn’t sound like a good idea. Carolyn had mentioned the Sutcliffe Vineyard near Cortez, with wine tasting and pizza and it sounded like a great alternative for the… Read more: Moon House - I’ve been through the desert…
#7 in the series. I find sometimes that I have the lyrics wrong on old songs. Back in the day, lyrics weren’t readily available, and sometimes you just had to fill them in to keep the tune going. As I was hiking out of Bluff canyon alone (I’d forgotten my trusty cane hiking staff and… Read more: I’ve been through the desert… - “I love you!”
#6 in the series. “okay,” I squeaked out. Patricia got the biggest laugh out of that feebleness and chuckled until I fell fast asleep. I was sooo tired. I didn’t even hear the coffee grinder the next morning! How is that possible? A full couple of days, working at the BEEC until midafternoon and then… Read more: “I love you!” - Why would you not?
#5 in the series. There’s a thing that seems to happen on adventures of this type. To be sure, I don’t really know what “type” of adventure this is. All I know is that I have certain expectations or ideas about what it will be…and it never is. My logical mind sorts out the logistics,… Read more: Why would you not? - You’re not listening to me…
#4 in the series. On our job shadow day, the first couple in the door came in with a list of questions. Or I should say, the husband did. They had rented an AWD car and he was trying to find out which places he could reach. Kirsten did a great job of explaining in… Read more: You’re not listening to me… - The BEEC and VWR
#3 in the series. Today was our first day at work! Yesterday we “shadowed” and learned the ropes for the Bears Ears Education Center (BEEC). But today our fearless leader Kirsten worked in the back office, always within reach for fielding questions that we couldn’t answer for visitors. We supported (and listened to) an excellent… Read more: The BEEC and VWR - End Avalanche Zone
#2 in the series. Huh? That’s what the road sign said. I mean, where did it begin?! I need to know these things! But more on that later. We finished up the past post at Birch Lake, OK. Possibly the fastest cell coverage I’ve ever experienced in a campground! The Corps of Engineers (CoE) facility… Read more: End Avalanche Zone - We Start West (again!)
#1 in the series. We’ve started working our way west and plan to arrive at the Bears Ears Education Center in Utah on the first of May, about 1,800 miles away. We typically try to avoid interstates, especially I-40, and like to wander the backroads as much as we can. For this first leg, we… Read more: We Start West (again!)