vacation time

CANCUN

It’s 6:30AM and we just awoke to another morning of sunshine, bird calls and crashing surf along the Mayan Rivera about an hour from Cancun, MX. Although with a good measure of guilt, Erv and I have enjoyed this week’s resort vacation. Everywhere we’ve been met with warmth which emanates from the people as well as the tropical sun.

It is undeniable that tourism has sustained and improved the lives of many, but the local economy’s dependance upon the decadence of wealth is troubling. Additionally, as the area’s resorts grow, the environment is compromised. Huge swaths of mangrove forests/jungles that secure the coastline have been bulldozed for the towers and beautifully manicured gardens of the resorts which also use immense amounts of water in thousands of rooms, each with Jacuzzi and daily linen changes.

The focus of the week was relaxation and warmth but we enjoyed a few excursions as well. Taking the ferry to Cozumel we were surprised and delighted to find Carnival in progress; snorkeling we discovered colorful fish and corals; and touring an ecological center with a guide who obviously loved the plants, birds, fish, animals and reptiles in his charge we learned several natural remedies derived from plants growing in this part of the Yucatan. All in all, a good week and good preparation for our next stop in frigid Nebraska where we will again serve as Rowe Sanctuary guides for the massive central flyway migration along the Platte River.

“The finest workers in stone are not copper or steel tools, but the gentle touch of air and water working at their leisure with a liberal allowance of time.”

Wise and wonderful words from Henry Thoreau. Words meant for something in his New England landscape, but describing a Grand Canyon he probably never even heard of.

This blog entry, long overdue and with our apoligies, is to hopefully impart upon you the feelings of two small and humbled people who are fortunate enough to experience the magnificence of the Grand Canyon everyday in its infinite moods and timelessness.

So many come to see and are- rightfully so- overwhelmed and lost for words. But they walk away, get back in the car or board the bus and on to the next beautiful spot on their vacation itinerary be it Brice, Zion or even (shudder!) Las Vegas. But this canyon, 277 miles long, 1 mile deep, 10 miles wide, has been a work in progress for 6 million years.

We are reading everything we can and spending most of our work time and a good portion of our free time trying to unravel and understand the spirtual hold that grows on you daily by just being here. But we are trying and in doing so learning to accept that although there is more to know about this place than anyone ever could, the rewards are worth the effort.

For all but the past 100 of the 10,000 years man has lived in and around it, he has seen his time pass not with a clock but with the sunrise and set, the moon phases and the seasons. Now the average visitor spends 4 hours here. 4 hours to see the work that the mighty Colorado River has cut deep into the very core of the earth and in conjunction with the brief but violent summer monsoon rains, washing away the rock, gravel and sand of mountains that once towered a mile or more above the rim and, until less than a blink of the eye in geologic time, deposited its baggage into the Gulf of California.


Now, with Hoover Dam to the west and Glen Canyon to the east, man, in another of his feeble attempts to control the earth seeks to contain the river and, in the process, is altering at least temporarily, the flora and fauna .The canyon is timeless and the river has worn its way through volcanic dams much higher and wider on its journey to the sea and it will again. Humankind, in its headlong race to destroy itself may not be here to see it, but the Grand Canyon will. And the remnants will be little more than the cliff dwellings and petroglyphs of the Anasasi and others who have passed this way.

Enjoy the pictures.

Sorry it’s been so long between posts, but we are both hopping around here with new programs and hikes and... well all kinds of stuff. We purchased a motorhome from our good friend Jan and I drove it up here, but other than that, have not had the chance to use it. Looking forward to a few days at the North Rim in it this week.
Settling back into the life of the Grand Canyon has been easier than I thought it would be after 6 months of long daylight hours in Alaska. My body quickly adjusted to the more “normal” sunrises and sunsets and even though the days are crisp and the nights hovering around freezing this time of year, I’m happy for the sunshine after all those months of rain and overcast skies. Although I experienced the year without summer, I also had the year of 2 autumns since that season begins in early August up around Coldfoot.
The wildlife here is surprisingly more abundant than what we experienced in the far north. I awoke the other day to a tremendous ruckus in the Pinion treetops that turned out to be a flock of maybe 2-300 Pinion Jays scouring the cones for seeds getting ready for the cold times ahead. And the antics of the huge population of Ravens as they squabble amongst themselves investigating every object on the ground could entertain even the non-bird lover for hours. I’ve added 4 new birds to my “Life list” just at the leaky water fountain in front of headquarters. I set my camera up on a tripod and sit and wait for them to come in for a drink. The other morning the water had frozen over, probably for the first time in the season. and it was a hoot watching the little Pygmy Nuthatches trying to figure out what was going on. They would glide in with feet out in front as they always had, and then would slide right off the edge of the fountain to the ground with what could only be described as a quizzical look on their tiny face. After a few more unsuccessful attempts. they succeeded in not skittering off the edge but couldn’t figure why the water was hard. They started pecking at it, tentatively at first, then with the ferocity of a woodpecker. Ice chips were flying all around until finally some liquid water appeared and thirsts were quenched.
Today as I rode my bike home after attending an afternoon California Condor program in the village I had the misfortune or good luck, depending on the outcome, of finding myself in the middle of 16 elk cows and calfs and one very excited Bull elk who was not at all happy to see me there. This is the rutting season when the big males are attempting to keep their harem together and will challenge any man or beast (or automobile!) that comes between him and them. Stories of unfortunate joggers and hikers and plain ignorant tourists trying to get too close for that great photo that end up being charged and many times injured had already spread through the canyon as they do every year at this time. I wanted no part of it. Just my luck, the ladies decided to stop and lay down all around me.
I decided I might have a better chance out pedaling that big boy than attempting to outrun him, neither which was true I later found out. I slowly weaved my way through the curious big eyed beasts while watching him watching me. Made it! Back home over a cold beer, I thought about this encounter and compared it to the Grizzlies up north that worried me so much. I wonder if they make an Elk spray?
In Alaska when I went into the woods there was always a kernel of uneasiness way back in my head that around the next bend I might encounter a Grizzly. I almost wish I had just to put it to rest since most of the time bear encounters are not all they are hyped up to be. But it never happened, so I really don’t know how I would have reacted. I do know that probably because that uncertainty is gone in these woods, I am much more relaxed and able to enjoy my surroundings to a greater degree. Was I being irrational? Probably but....

We’re back!

Sept. 18, and we’re in CO with my sister, Janis, and family. Leaving Fairbanks August 30 we camped (out of touch w no phone or internet connections) all but 3 of the last 20 days. Two of the three motel nights were necessary dry-outs following cold rainy nights in the tent, now-named “river runs through it,” and the third was to enjoy clean-up and sheer luxury before returning to “society” and the family reunion today.

It’s been an excellent 8-month adventure spanning two nations and more than 13,000 miles. Along the way we’ve been privileged to experience a wide range of landscapes and wildlife, to meet a variety of interesting people and to make a few new friends. Still, it’s great to be back home in the southwest! We are proud to have survived the rigors of travel/tent camping and communal living with no major illnesses, accidents or automotive problems. Are we glad we undertook this journey? YES! Will we do it again? No. Our days of tent camping, other than short jaunts, are over. We’ve come to accept that a 60's road trip meant the 1960's rather than in one's 60th decade.

We’ve seen and experienced so much more since leaving Fairbanks, and still have so much of our Alaskan experience to process that we’ll be writing and sharing photos for some time just to catch up. Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta - Canada is a great county! We delighted in the scenic beauty of her national parks, especially Jasper and Banff, followed by Glacier,Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons in Montana and Wyoming. I am grateful for the wisdom and foresight of those who preserved these areas. On that note, Ken Burns of PBS is just completing filming a series on our national parks and how they reflect our society and culture to be aired 2009. Should be great. Stay tuned here as well because we’ll soon share more of our own impressions!

Today’s photos reflect some of the agonies and ecstasies of camping. Our last night in AK was in a state park near Chicken (another off-the-grid hardscrabble village) on a bluff overlooking a lovely pond. We saw more than 20 snowshoe hares in transition from their muted browns to solid white coats. Beautiful evening, frost-covered morning.