Ana and Isa’s blog

5/20/08
Tonight I am by myself in this romantic room at gorgeous Leland House/ Rochester Hotel near Main Street. My bed is adorned with a handmade red, white and blue star-covered quilt and the walls are decorated with Western images. Outside my room are homemade cookies, coffee and tea in the cozy lobby where a gourmet breakfast is served each morning. I am writing from beautiful Durango, a quaint city tucked in a valley in the San Juan Mountains, in southwestern Colorado. Ana is in another room with Trent, who flew in today to join our Southwest vacation. It feels nice to be alone and have quiet time to reflect on where I am.

Ana and I arrived in Durango last night after a long drive on highway 160 from Colorado Springs. My stay in Colorado is overflowing with love from new friends, both present and absent.

I will continue Ana’s post by starting off where she stopped two days ago. We actually arrived in Colorado Springs around 7pm Mountain Town, after driving 12 hours from Omaha. Ana and I wanted to go to the red rock Garden of the Gods, but we read that it had closed at 5pm. Instead, we listened to our tired bodies and tried to find dinner. We roamed through downtown and came across Cowboys, a country dance club. While an old man on a microphone instructed about 8 couples on the dance floor the fine details of country dancing, Ana and I chowed down on a $7 steak, mashed potatoes and green bean dinner served in a classic gold-mining pans. This man’s drone of 1-2-3, 1-2-3. 1-2-3 kept in sync with the chewing of our hard steak. It was fun to watch the couples really figure out how to step the right way with their partners.

After dinner, we found our way to Elaine’s home, where she welcomed us in her absence to stay at her beautiful home. Elaine is the mother of our friend Laurie from CTDN, and we have never met her before. This hospitality is another example of grace and giving that we’ve been blessed with on our book tour road trip. Elaine filled her home with loving notes and plenty of tourist brochures. We made ourselves at home at Elaine’s home, doing laundry in the sink and boiling nebulizer parts in my hot pot. Ana and I slept together in a cozy bed to spare Elaine from washing extra sheets! I crashed quickly and slept deeply for 10 hours. My body is feeling the effects of go-go-go touring.

We woke early on 5/19, Monday morning, to make it to the Cog Railway in Manitou Springs, outside of Colorado Springs. This railway climbed 8000 feet with unique powerful diesel engines, sometimes climbing a 25% grade. If you just did the math, Colorado Springs is around 6000 feet and we head up to 14,110 feet! We were a bit nervous, with my lung infection and Ana’s 80% lung function, but we’d never know how this high elevation affected us unless we tried! We boarded the train at 9:20am and enjoyed the 1 ½ hour drive up. We passed shallow dry canyons, pine trees, a historic broken down log home, a hydroelectric plant, lots of marmots, and plenty of miles of hiking trails that led to the summit. I wish I could’ve hiked up! But I knew I wasn’t in the condition… I gazed out the open train window, with its gush of warm air. The higher we got, the more refreshing and crisper the air. Around 11,000 we passed the timberline and came to snow fields and inhospitable rocky terrain. We could see the deep valley and lake below. To the east we could see miles and miles of golden prairie- where we had driven from the day before. To the southwest, I drooled as I saw the snow-peaked Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Northern New Mexico, where I still yearn to hike for miles and miles at end. To the southeast were the San Juan Mountains and to the north were more Rocky Mountain ranges. No wonder the lyrics, “Purple mountain majesty, above the fruitful plains,” from America the Beautiful, were derived here! I couldn’t get the smile off my face, even as my anxiety increased when my pulse raced and breathing grew faster as we climbed higher. The sky was blue with speckled clouds high up in the sky. There are nothing like the northern New Mexican/Southern Colorado clouds- I’ve never seen these in California. The sun reflects from the billowy tops of these patchy cumulous clouds. The stark whiteness on top is contrasted by the silver gray lining on the bottom of the clouds. These clouds are dotting the sky and make it look like we are looking at a fake backdrop. I could gaze at them forever.

The highest railroad in the United States brought us to the top of Pikes Peak by 10:30am. We arrived at the summit and walked around taking photos. I was breathless but could walk comfortably. We brought a DONATE LIFE sign and took lots of pictures for our friends at CTDN and our medical team. We have never been at this altitude in our lives, and could never have IMAGINED being here either. The closest I’ve been, post-transplant of course, was last summer at Mammoth Mountain at 11,000 feet. Today we were nearly at half of Mt Everest, and who could ever have imagined we could breathe here????? Ana said she was more breathless one year ago walking down her driveway than walking up here at 14110 ft. We wandered the summit, muttering, “Oh my God, Oh my God,” over and over. We soaked in the views that words and pictures can never fully describe. It was a perfectly clear day and we could’ve seen hundreds of miles in all distances. Ana and I were just kids in a candy store, skipping around in the snow (Ana getting her cast wet again), laughing and praising God for this moment. Good thing our cell phones didn’t work or else I would’ve spent the time calling my doctors and donor family and thanking them. I was closer to Heaven than I’ve ever been, literally and figuratively. I constantly asked God, why, why, why are we so lucky to be able to do this??? We will never understand why we got this chance to do this while so many others could not.

We rushed down the mountain by 1pm and made a quick driving detour of Garden of the Gods. We didn’t have time to see it because we had to make it to Durango by 6pm. Besides, on this road trip, Ana and I made a deal never to repeat anything either of us has done. I had come to Garden of the Gods way back in 1994 after college graduation to visit Andrew, whose parents lived in Pueblo. It was our most romantic time together. Yet I remember how hard the altitude was for me and I had panic attacks at night. I didn’t really sleep the entire time we were here (and that wasn’t because Andrew and I had just started dating!). Now, down at 6,000, I could hardly notice it compared to 14,110!

We rushed down the Interstate 25, passing rolling ranchland and the town of Pueblo, where Andrew’s parents lived in 1994. I reflected on all the time that has passed since then. We’ve grown as a couple and have been through so much together! Yet he is not here with me. I believe the most mature thing Andrew and I can do as a married couple is respect our independent lives and give each other freedom. Though I miss him, I am fine, free, and know that he’s waiting for me at home. Besides, Ana says we’re still codependent because we talk several times a day.

We soon made it west on Highway 160. We passed the detour to Taos and WISHED we could drive 78 miles to see this famous place. We passed the Great Sand Dunes National Park and moaned with regret that we couldn’t get yet another stamp in our national park passport. Oh, there’s so much to see! We stopped briefly at Alamosa and collected water from the Rio Grande, which starts in these southern Rockies as a small creek. This time of year, though, this small creek was tumbling down rigorously!

I have been on inhaled colistin, an antibiotic that comes in glass vials. I remove the tops with pliers and I save the bottles to collect water from each historical location. So far we have water from the Tennessee River, Buffalo River, Mississippi River, Beaver Lake in AR, and now from the RIO GRANDE!!!

We passed more small mountain towns with rolling green pastures and roaming cattle and horses. Large signs speckled the highway screaming, “Lots for Sale.” I wondered who had the right to own this land, and why would one person profit from a portion of this earth? This is the million dollar question of the native Ute people who lived here and roamed freely until Europeans came to conquer and own the land. It still doesn’t feel fair. I thought of the buffalo roaming the prairie and the freedom of spirit that the old Native Americans must’ve felt without a finite sense of ownership. The hills were indeed spiritual and no wonder Native cultures value the land so deeply.

That being said, our drive through the Rockies made my imagination wander. I wondered what my life would be like if I lived here- or in remote Tennessee, or Arkansas, or Nebraska? How would my attitudes towards life and people change? Would I be calmer with fewer demands and pressing things to do? Would I be a cowgirl, a farm girl, a meth addict? Would people be my friend if I didn’t look like them? Would I be alive? I imagine Andrew and I leaving the insane Bay Area culture and moving out here to this simpler life. We would live in a small cabin with internet access that gave us jobs. There’d be lots of open space in our yard where Rupie would run. We’d see the view of the Rockies from our bathroom window. We’d shovel snow in the winter and cross country ski to town. Would I survive if I lived 5 hours from the nearest transplant center? Could I handle the altitude if I ever got rejection? Would I be healthier because of the emphasis on outdoor activity? For once, I just like to not think of the medical details and dream of another life that could’ve been. It’s called freedom of spirit… And, yes, I know I’m romanticizing the country life.

We made our way from rolling hills to higher mountains, driving along the growing and fast running Rio Grande. We came to lakes and meadows, and snow patches. We stopped for more photos and breathtaking gasps at the land. We played “Rocky Mountain High” the entire time. The road passed gushing waterfalls along the steep rocks next to the highway. We passed Wolf Creek ski area that had closed for the season, and was around 9000 feet altitude. Our little Honda rev’d at 5 RPMs and 40 mph. Soon we passed Pagosa Springs, and then finally to Durango. Our first sign of this mountain resort was a massive Home Depot and WalMart, and we felt disappointed at the ugly takeover of greedy corporate America.

We made our way to historic downtown, with its western style brick buildings. We saw steak houses, t-shirt shops, Indian jewelry stores, and the first Rocky Mountain chocolate factory, as well as the usual Starbucks (ugh). Just a few blocks from downtown, we arrived at the home of our new friend Denise S. Denise had emailed us two months ago, saying that she learned about our book from the People Magazine in December and read it, and absolutely LOVED it. She was a former genetic counselor who taught at Fort Lewis College here in Durango. She emailed that she related to our story as a mom, as a woman, as a human being. We told her we’d be driving through Colorado this week and she arranged a lecture for us at Mercy Hospital. First, she warmly invited us to have dinner at her home with her family. Denise lives in a quaint home built in 1920 with her husband Kevin, 15 year old Dylan, 13 year old Matt, and her in-laws Don and Kate. We admired the remodeling that Grandpa Don had done ten years earlier. The home was immaculate and uncluttered, and decorated in my favorite cabin-in-the-woods theme. We also met her best friend Jackie. Everyone greeted us with open arms and loving smiles. Don grilled chicken and ribs and we enjoyed a fabulous healthy meal outside on the patio. We learned about each others’ lives. Dylan and Matt were the most precocious and mature teen boys I’ve ever encountered. They talked openly about their school, plans, activities and philosophies. While we enjoyed fabulous chocolate cake baked by Jackie, we saw Matt do a few magic tricks. He does magic on the side, at parties as a hobby. He was really good, and I couldn’t figure out how he did the tricks! Ana and I felt so incredibly loved and welcomed by these strangers, who were simply moved by our book. There is something extraordinary about Denise, for going above and beyond in her kindness to invite us to her home for a meal as well as organize and plan a lecture for us! This is another miracle of my post-transplant life- to witness that there is more good in people than bad; that grace and generosity land in our laps from no where, that I learn how I want to be towards other people because of the kindness I’ve received from others.

We checked into the Rochester Hotel that night. The owner of the hotel, Kirk, with Denise’s inquiry, offered us two complimentary rooms just because we were coming into town for our book tour. I settled into my own room and enjoyed some private space to fall asleep on my own time. Ana always stays up later and gets up earlier.

The following morning, Tuesday, 5/20, Ana and I were treated to a gorgeous pancake breakfast with homemade coffee cake, granola and cut fruit in the lobby of our hotel. We ate with our hearts’ content. We highly recommend the Rochester Hotel in Durango! The staff was extremely polite and all details were attended to. Lauri and Kurt were to kind to offer us this fabulous hotel stay.

Ana and I took care of a few errands and then called Denise up. Together with Kevin, we took a short hike up through the hills and above to Fort Lewis College. We passed dense sage and blooming lupine, monkeyflower, paintbrush, and other wildflowers. We could see the snow-capped San Juan Mountains in the distance, and the sprawl of Durango below. We saw the brown muddy water of the Animus River that ran through town, and the biking/walking path that ran parallel to it. Down below, we saw a few adventurous rafters braving the waters. In the north we saw more Rocky Mountains and deep canyons leading into Silverton and Ouray. Ana left with Kevin so she could meet Trent, who was flying in that day. Denise and I continued our hike up to Lion’s Den, a gorgeous lookout point at the end of the college. We chatted the entire time about her job, kids, life, attitudes, etc. It is amazing how quickly strangers become friends! Denise and I then walked to a local pizza joint for a quick lunch. I bid farewell, and walked back to my hotel for a quick shower. On the way I went by downtown and peeked into a few shops. I bought a caramel apple (my favorite) from the original Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory! I then showered and prepared for our 4pm talk at Mercy Hospital.

Denise picked Ana, Trent who had arrived in Durango, and me up at the Rochester Hotel at 3:30pm and drove us to Grandview, the next town, to Mercy Hospital. We are so blessed that Denise exerted a great deal of effort in recruiting attendees. Maria’s Bookstores ordered and sold books at the event, with Denise’s help. Myung at Mercy Hospital helped to organize the event as well.

There were about four CF families at the event, about 4 other health care providers, and the rest were colleagues, friends and students of Denise. Jen and Courtney, CF parents who were unable to attend the event but helped organize it, were very much in our thoughts. A 13 year old boy with CF named Tavis was there, and he was in yesterday’s Durango newspaper with us in two articles about cystic fibrosis. He was so brave to be so public! He is fortunately very healthy but has to drive 7 hours to go to the CF center in Denver! In sum there were about 60 people present. We gave a one hour talk with our usual powerpoint. We had at least 8 great questions and overall, enjoyed this receptive crowd. We sold 12 books and signed them afterwards.

This was our last book event of 12 that we had during our 40 day road trip. What an adventure we’ve had! I’d say this last event ended with a bang. Denise’s energy, love, compassion, commitment, dedication and hospitality sure made this the best event ever! How special for a stranger to go out of her way to move a whole small town to pay attention to our little book. We ended this wonderful day with a beautiful dinner outside on a patio of a lovely Mediterranean restaurant. Ana, Trent, Denise, Kate and Don and I raised our glasses to give thanks for our special union, for a successful end to our book tour, and to continued health and friendship between all of us. We bid farewell to these lovely people and returned to the hotel to fall fast asleep. I sighed a deep sigh of relief that despite my cold and cough, I had survived my book tour. Hallelujah!

Wednesday, 5/21/08
We woke early again and ate to our hearts’ content at the Rochester Hotel breakfast. I enjoyed homemade hot chocolate, coffee cake and muffins, and an asparagus and cheese omelet with potatoes and toast. It was fabulous and a much-needed change from styrofoam waffles at our cheap motels. I enjoyed to watch Trent and Ana have this romantic time together, like Andrew and I did when we were newly dating…. Except I was here… We packed up and head out bidding farewell to the kind Rochester staff, around 10am. We made a quick trip to the gas station, post office and supermarket and then head west on 160 to Mesa Verde National Park. It was about 70 miles away and we passed more rolling pastureland accented by high mountain peaks, with more snowy peaks in the distance. The sky held ominous clouds but it remained warm enough to don only tanktops and shorts. We finally arrived at Mesa Verde and I used my National Parks pass to get in free (best purchase of my life)! Like the name implies, this was a massive flat mesa of land covered in low green brush, with harsh red sandstone cliffs around the edges.

We spent a good amount of time roaming the campground for the ideal campground. By 12pm we rushed to Far View Visitor Center to stamp our passports and read the information. This land was occupied by Ancient Puebloans, formerly called Anasazi (which means ancient enemy, so modern Puebloans requested the name change). The park was 50000 acres large and home to some of the best preserved cliff dwellings. These dwellings were studied by archeologists who dated them back to 1200-1300. Ana, Trent and I bought tickets to the 2:30 Cliff Palace tour, and I bought a ticket for the challenging Balcony House tour. I left Trent and Ana to go at their own pace, while I rushed ahead to run down the trail to see Spruce Tree House, the best preserved cliff dwelling in the park. I only had a short time, so I ran down the trail, snapped a few photos, and ran back up. Later I learned that I missed the petroglyphs on the walls and the only preserved kiva, a ceremonial home dug into the cliff dwelling floor, covered with soil where one enters through a ladder through a small hole in the middle. Bummer! Quantity versus quality! I tried to pack so much in, I missed the details.

I got back into the car and rushed down the road to Cliff Palace. A ranger named David gave an excellent history of the ancient Puebloans. The early arrivers from Mexico (they are descendants of Mayans/Incas, not Eskimos from the north) built primitive holes in the ground where they lived, around 600AD. The next group built one story homes, partially underground, made of rocks and adobe/clay. These homes were dated around 700AD. The next generation built two story homes around 900-1100 AD. The cliff dwellings were the latest architecture. There were around 900 cliff dwellings within the park boundaries, but nearly 40000 documented in the Southwest region. He speculated on why the dwellings were built and suddenly abandoned- drought, defense, enemies, spirituality, etc., but the exact reason remains unknown. Some of the circular towers used extremely advanced architecture to ensure stability and perfect sloping of the cone-towers. Many of the towers of separate cliff dwellings had windows that faced each other, indicating some communication strategy among towers on distant cliffs.

The modern Puebloan tradition helped to shape some understanding of the ancient traditions of the cliff dwellers. They farmed on the mesa top in the rich soil, planting corn, beans and squash. They depended on the rainfall (average 18 inches/year), so they often suffered from drought. Many of the windows of the cliff dwellings and towers faced the sun to exactly angle the equinoxes and solstices, probably for farming. The towers and walls were finely masoned with skill. The ancient Puebloans used a lunar calendar of 18 days each, and they were skilled astronomers. They also excelled at farming, using a variety of corn from South America that was human engineered- corn did not exist in nature. It seemed they traded because stone axes were found in this region but that type of stone never existed here. With these tools, they carved foot and hand holds into the softer sandstone rock so many of the people climbed in and out of the steep dwellings before and after tending to the crops. They hunted large animals during good years and rodents during bad years. They had domesticated turkeys (whose feathers they used to make blankets) and dogs. The ancient Puebloans knew hundreds of medicinal uses for the local plants, like the juniper berries, which could be boiled and used to treat lung infections. Also, the yucca was revered because the fibers were used for clothes, rope and baskets, and the roots for food and medicine. Each clan, or family, had their own kiva, a spiritual chamber dug into the floor of the dwelling. There was a middle fireplace and a well-designed ventilation system. They had a mano and metate, or mortar and pestle device to grind corn. The ranger said most people had terrible teeth so the corn had to be ground down into a soft powder to make edible bread. This was a hard life and the average life expectancy was around 25 years.

Overall, I gained a tremendous amount of respect for people who lived in these harsh climates. I felt their spirits everywhere I went. I appreciated the ranger’s expansive knowledge, and I could sense his respect as well. At 3:30 I separated from Ana and Trent and rushed to my next tour of Balcony House. I passed the Ute reservation entrance; unfortunately, this is not native Ute land, but the Ute were just put here by the federal government. Go figure!

Balcony House was a ‘strenuous’ ¼ mile tour which involved climbing up a 30 foot ladder (That’s why Ana didn’t sign up for it). I also had to crawl through a space tunnel, 12 inches wide and 30 inches high. It was quite adventurous, and I felt good to be independent. This was a less well preserved cliff dwelling but it had wooden stakes coming out of the adobe dating to 1200. There were two more open kivas, large (10 foot diameter) pits used for ceremonies. The ranger Denise gave background about the ancient Puebloan’s belief systems. I saw a little bit of wall painting still preserved after all these years. Denise explained that there was an enclosed wall that may have been used for ceremonial dances (or to keep children from falling off the cliff). There were two small rooms with windows facing the sun during equinox, so it is guessed that this cliff dwelling was used primarily for spiritual ceremonies.

I finished this tour and drove myself to more remains of ancient villages, on the 6 mile “Mesa Top Loop”. It is guessed that nearly 50000 people once lived in the Mesa Verde region called Chapin Mesa, because of all the evidence of villages. Now what mostly remains are rock layers or short rock walls in the shape of houses and walls and kivas. I stopped at many different sites to examine more ancient ruins. The sun was setting and it was a race against time to see as much as possible. My last stop was the Sun Temple, a large, well-preserved structure of many rooms and compartments, with no evidence of living quarters. It is dated to 1250AD. The windows faced the sun at important astronomical dates and it was believed that this building was used for worship. Nearly 30 rooms remained unfinished, indicating that people left before it was completed. No one knows why.

I drove twice the speed limit to get back to the campground in time. I passed the setting sun and glorious red and yellow clouds. I witnessed sun rays beaming to earth through breaks in the sky- I call these “highways to Heaven,” and I thought of my friends who had died, making their way to Heaven or coming down to visit. I felt saddened that I had heard most recently that Kari had died, my CF friend who was transplanted 6 weeks before me. She suffered to much post-transplant. I don’t know why I have this health that she never had. I wished she could see this glorious earth. I told myself she could, but I really don’t know. Maybe where she is is ever more beautiful. I was moved to tears by the intense beauty of the land. That has never happened to me before, to cry in the car because of the scenery. I felt fully alive, present, aware of all the life force around me.

I met Ana and Trent late to set up camp. While Trent and I put up our tents next to each other, Ana prepared charcoal. We cut up chicken, potatoes, carrots and onions and put them into foil pouches, and placed them on the charcoal. I washed and made salad while Ana baked beans with her gas stove. We enjoyed a romantic beautiful meal as the sun set over Mesa Verde. It was nice to see Trent adjust to the dominant Stenzel ways. It was cold, around 45 degrees and we all bundled in our down jackets. The stars were spectacular, almost unreal in their clarity. Stars shine every night yet we take them for granted in light-polluted cities. I could gaze into the dark sky forever. There are bright stars and clusters of dim stars faint in the distance. Surely, I think, there are others looking up in the sky, millions of light years away, wondering if there are others like them. Stars beckoning, my tired body forced me to ignore them and I settled into my tent and slept deeply. Trent and Ana slept in their own tent a foot away. I guess I snored and heard about that the next morning.

The next morning, Wednesday, 5/22, we woke early and had toasted bagels, instant oatmeal, and tea for breakfast. I packed sandwiches for everyone. We packed up our camp and made one more visit to Mesa Verde. I went on my own while Ana and Trent went to Spruce Tree House and the museum. I went on the 2.5 mile Spruce Trail down the canyon, and then up the 2.5 mile Petroglyph Trail. I jogged/walked because I had to meet Ana and Trent at 12pm. Again, I rushed through the trails, staring at the ground to watch my step. In this way, I deprived myself from paying close attention to the land. If I looked up the canyon, I could see small caves and colored canyon walls. Black streaks down the rock (magnesium/iron oxide) called desert varnish looked like wallpaper. I saw sparrows darting in and out of canyons. Twisted junipers with their gnarled black bark shot out of the rock. Large ravens swooped through the canyon. Indian paintbrush and penstemon speckled the hills with red. The air was clear. I passed two people on the trail. I often stopped to catch my breath and looked up, surrounded by hundreds of feet of rock wall. There were sporadic wildflowers all over, red, yellow and white blossoms hidden in the brush. It felt good to move at my own pace, to test my body at this altitude. I felt strong and proud to hike by myself. I could soak in the land, more than if I was distracted by others hiking with me. I gasped at the towering rocks that I passed. My isolation allowed me to reflect on how I was falling in love with this land. Much like falling in love with a man, this land makes me want to gaze at it indefinitely. I gain a better sense of myself in his presence. I want to touch the soil, the rock, the trees, and never let go. It feels so good to be this close to this natural land. I want to breathe in its scent. I could talk to it forever, and listen to its gentle rhythm of its music, as the wind blew and birds chirped. And I never want to leave its side.

Unfortunately, I rushed and didn’t have a guide to find the Petroglyphs, so I didn’t see any paintings on the rock. Instead I imagined myself alone, some 800 years earlier, on this trail, bumping into my friends who lived in the villages above. I would be barefoot and naked instead of wearing plastic clothes made in China. I’d have died at 25 instead of being artificially sustained at 36, breathing through someone else’s lungs. I’d still worry about the people in my life, who needs or wants me, and how I can be helpful to others. I’d still be me.

I met Ana and Trent relatively on time. Trent took a nap in the back of the car. Ana and I drove back through the park towards the exit. We stopped at Far View village, another ancient Puebloan site from 1200. It was an extensive collection of many buildings, and probably was the center of village life centuries ago. On our drive to the park exit, where my car was parked, Ana swerved suddenly because a coyote darted out from the bushes. We slowed to watch it. A motorcyclist stopped to take pictures. We stopped to just watch the coyote approach the motorcyclist, wavering and just curious. Then it made its way back into the bushes. Trent freaked out in the back seat, thinking we almost killed ourselves over a coyote. But we believe these animal visitors are spirits and it was imperative to protect it. An argument ensued in the car.

Anyway, I picked up my car at the campground and Ana and Trent separately while I followed to Arches National Park, about 2 ½ hours away near Moab. We entered Utah between Cortez and Monticello on highway 491. God forgive, I made a quick stop at Walmart- which I never do- because my camera disk was full, so I bought a new one. North and westward we went, and we passed more rolling pasture land and cows mounting each other. This was spring! All of the animal kingdom was in love! I saw turkey vultures and myna birds flying quickly away from the road kill on the highway as my car approached. I saw deer and antelope in the distant hillsides. I saw darkened streaks on the highway, the only remains of a deer, a rodent or something that was killed by a car and whose organic remains were consumed by sunlight and tires. Nothing remained except a faint stain on the road. That is how fleeting our lives are!

Of course, I slowed down to take a photo through the car window at the “Welcome to Utah” sign. This was our 23rd state! We entered the park at about 4:30pm and made it to the Visitor Center for a fascinating introductory film and some interpretive displays (with of course a trip to the gift shop). The days end too quickly and we rushed through the park to see some of the sites. The road cut through magnificent red rocks spires, fins (fish fin-shaped rocks protruding through the land in rows). We stopped many times to take pictures, and ooh and aah at the land. It was absolutely closer to Heaven than we’ve ever been. No words and photos can do justice to describe the spectacular scenery. With rare cell phone reception, Ana frantically called hotels, the day before Memorial Day weekend, to book rooms. We couldn’t afford the time to camp when we wanted to see Arches as much as possible. We made our way past the Courthouse Towers, vast huge red stone rock towers with names like the “Three Gossips”, “The Organ” and “Tower of Babel.” We went to Balanced Rock, which, as the name implies, is a massive tower 130 feet high with a gigantic boulder (a different type of rock) balancing on top. We took a short hike to the North and South Window arches. These arches are created when salt deposits from ancient oceans get covered by layers of heavier sediments. The salt underneath buckled by its weight, causing these unusual rock formations. Over millions of years, the harder Entrada sandstone on top layered over softer Windgate or Navajo sandstone, so rain/snow/wind eroded out the softer sandstone under the heavier sandstone, and arches are created.

Trent and Ana were so happy to enjoy this adventure together, after all they’ve been through. I watched them be lovey-dovey, and tried to keep a distance so they could cherish this moment together. It seemed unreal to be walking through this country with Ana, who could hardly walk a year earlier! How fortunate we are! Trent scrambled up the rocks with me, and we were kids in a candy store! Ana limped behind us, slower but just as determined to take in the land. We were all sponges, soaking up the life-affirming beauty of our earth. We stood under towering rock arches, gasping at the architect of rain and wind and snow that created this unusual landscape. We tested fate as we stood under the arches, imagining that if they broke right then and there, our lives would be over. This beauty was so extremely, that if I died right then and there, it would be ok. Luckily, that didn’t happen.

Oddly, we spent a lot of time with our faces behind a lens rather than focusing on the beauty before us! We wanted to grasp these moments forever to show our friends and family back home in photos. This is the life of the modern tourist… We felt so small, in time and space, compared to these rocks that were millions of years old. I felt like my life, my book, my time is so insignificant in the grand scheme of nature.

As usual, the clouds were just as magnificent as the land. Each time the sun shone through the clouds, the red/brown/green/grey colors of the rocks would change, and we would gasp in amazement. Trent and I pushed the limits of light, and scampered up double arch as the sun set. The breeze through the arch was made our eyes water. Thank goodness sandstone has good grip, because we climbed up 70 degree walls!

The sun was setting and we were exhausted from a poor camping nights’ sleep. On the drive back to Moab, Ana ordered a pizza and we picked it up, only to eat at 9pm in the overpriced Days Inn hotel room.

We are pushing our energy and time limits and trying to see as much as possible. Ana and Trent are getting along very well, and I am giving them space to enjoy a romantic time together. I settled into my own hotel room for privacy and reflection.

This is a super long entry. There is so much to say, and this is truly for my memory. I apologize if it’s overwhelming. That is how I feel! But I wish you were here and we pray everyone can appreciate our planet’s glorious lands, fortunately, saved in National parks for all to enjoy.

Please take care, and best wishes, Isa

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 at 6:59 pm and is filed under Life Status. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.