Exploring

I've really enjoyed exploring the nearby trails. Here's some pictures from today's hike:

Rehoboth from a cliff

We know no bounds.

Chaco Canyon

On Saturday, we took a field trip to Chaco Canyon, the home of ancient ruins and petroglyphs. It was amazing to me that these buildings have been around for nearly a thousand years. An ancient people, who we would assume weren't advanced, had built something that could last that long. How many structures have we built today that could be this durable? And it's not like they were little mud huts. This was a massive community. Here are some pictures:

This is pueblo bonito. These were the largest ruins.

The inside of a kiva. 

Petroglyphs.

These last pictures are taken inside Pueblo Bonito.

Before we even began this trip we knew we would see some amazing things and I can safely say we were not disappointed. The area around our dorms is beautiful and we are sure to see much more on our weekend trips. But even though we knew about most of the things we would be doing over this semester it's so much different actually being here. There is always so much more to see then you ever expect. I was looking through all my pictures and come across all the things I didn't expect to see yet made me laugh, curious, or just confused. One of the best parts of traveling is all the surprises along the way.

 In the bathrooms.

 Robotic sign waver. Brilliant.

 Car covered in corks, because, why not?

 Outside the Springfield building.

At the New Mexico welcome center. 

 We found a snake!

Halfway Home

Here are some pics taken in and around Dani's hometown....

We were so grateful when Dani's parents offered to let us spend the night. After a few days of driving and sleeping in tents, there's nothing better than delicious food, kind people, and a good night's sleep.

St. Louis

We ate lunch under a bridge in St. Louis. The Gateway Arch is just barely visible....

St. Louis sprawls out in miniature from the top of the Gateway Arch.  The domed building is the Old Courthouse; infamous as the site where the Dred Scott case was overturned.

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.

Orientation Road Trip!

To launch this blog, I am posting some of the pictures from the (Dis-)Orientation Road Trip from Calvin to Rehoboth, with stops at the St. Louis Arch, Museum of Westward Expansion, Cherokee Trail of Tears Museum, Chickasaw Nation Cultural Center and Chocolate factory (yum!).

The purpose of the stops on the road trip were to provide some orientation to the pre-history of Native American nations, and exposure to current experiences and issues. As we now encounter the Navajo, Zuni, and other Native American cultures here in New Mexico, we can begin to develop an richer understanding of the tapestry of cultures that make up the 500 sovereign nations within the borders of the United States.

First stop, Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Powwow in Dowagiac, MI.

Second stop: St. Louis Arch & Museum of Westward Expansion. The word of the day was "perspective." How is history viewed from the different perspectives -- the European explorers, the peoples who were already living here, and now -- us. How was the history of westward expansion taught to you?

 "Night at the City Museum" -- you'll have to ask them about this! The City Museum in St. Louis was closed, but they let us in anyway....totally cool.

Next stop: Cherokee Heritage Center & Trail of Tears Museum. The pictures below are from the tour of the ancient village. Our tour guide, Danny, was a fantastic ambassador for the Cherokee culture. We came away with a rich introduction to the historical ways of life.

The final stop on the orientation trip was a tour of the Bedre chocolate factory. This factory is owned by the Chickasaw nation (a tribe in Oklahoma) and sells its gourmet chocolate to stores such as Neiman-Marcus. 

And -- Now the adventure begins. Here the group is around a pinon fire at the home of Mike and Gail De Young in Rehoboth. They provided a rich, warm welcome to us and got the semester started off in a good way. An added bonus was to have dinner next to the majestic wolves that belong to their next door neighbors. How interesting!