On our road trip up here, we stopped at the St. Louis arch! This is the view of St. Louis from the top of the arch.

 The road trip to New Mexico may have been long, but we saw some amazing scenery along the road. It was well worth the road trip time!

 On Sunday evening, we went on a hike with Mike & Gail De Young in their back yard along with Cindy and Jack Ippel. It's hard to believe that this is actually literally in their backyard.


This semester is a once in a lifetime experience for us all. I am personally very excited for all of the experiential learning that we will be participating in. I'm looking forward to the new experiences which we will encounter. This is my first time West of the Mississippi River, and the views are unlike anything I have ever seen before. It all looks so beautiful and I am learning how to really appreciate nature for what it is.

 Being exposed to the Native American culture has been very eye opening as well. We have gone to a few museums/cultural centers, participated in a sweat lodge, listened to books on tape, and began tutoring Navajo students at Church Rock Elementary School. The culture is so different than what I am used to in my everyday culture, that it is refreshing to learn and be a part of something so unique.