I can’t believe that it’s been a little over 3 weeks since we left home headed for Camp Hosting in Moab, Utah. Why does it seem everything goes by so fast sometimes ? I clearly remember sitting in our neighbor’s hammock on a hot sunny day in July. I had a slice of cold sweet watermelon that I was thoroughly enjoying. All the adults around me were talking about my upcoming birthday- I was just days away from turning 12. All I could think about was being 21 ! Those 9 years seemed so far away , I thought I would never get there. And here I am 60 years later, sometimes wishing I could slow down t ..read more

Moab, Utah It’s been almost a year since my last post. I don’t know what to say , except for some reason this past year I got lost. I felt like I had misplaced my creativity along with my spirit.And rather than confront the WHY, I sat in the middle of that lost feeling and let it surround me. It was never a good feeling, I knew I should shake it off but instead I watched it creep into my life, little by little, day by day. I put a smile on my face and kept reminding myself of what I had to be grateful for. And grateful I was , but my gratitude didn’t get me over that mountain . I kept trying t ..read more

One of the top advantages to camp hosting at one location for an extended period is that you can usually experience at least one change of season. In Yellowstone, we experienced three. Summer, Fall and Winter. Fall was probably my favorite. But the starkness of Winter and its beauty was breathtaking. Prior to camp hosting in Yellowstone, the majority of our time camping there has been in the dead of Winter -usually February. Mammoth Hot Springs Campground is open year round. The north entrance at Gardner is the only entrance open to the public. And the road from Mammoth to the Lamar Valley is ..read more

I’m dedicating today’s blog to my sweet fly fisherman-Happy Birthday my love! “More than half the intense enjoyment of fly-fishing is derived from the beautiful surroundings, the satisfaction felt from being in the open air, the new lease of life secured thereby, and the many, many pleasant recollections of all one has seen, heard and done.” Charles F. Orvis Given the amount of time I spent at the Madison River with my sweetie I should have learned to fly fish. But I didn’t. Instead I learned about everything that draws him to the river and why he loves to fly fish. Fly fishing connects him ..read more

Nature’s Call I heard it one morning, the long and lonesome howl of an endangered species I knew was on the prowl; It’s cry touched my heart as I froze to the call, my hands shook a little, my legs began to stall. The call echoed down the canyon as the silence was broken; every part of my soul is forever awoken. 2012 by 7th grade student-Kayla Smith at Sinagua Middle School Flagstaff AZ A pack of wolves howl during the evening while near an elk kill at Soda Butte. A Black-billed magpie flies by (1:00). Credit / Author:NPS & MSU Acoustic Atlas/Jennifer Jerrett Date Created:2020-10-14 00:00 ..read more

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” – John Muir Those of you who know me well know that I’m an Ocean spirit.  The ocean brings me joy and peace and makes my spirit and soul happy.  When my toes are in the sand and the ocean waves are splashing against my legs, I know I’ve found the place I belong.  That doesn’t mean I don’t love the forests and the mountains and the deserts-I do.  The mountains make me feel like a child again, full of wonderment and excited t ..read more

I,believe, as do so many of my fellow Americans, that the wild horse is an irreplaceable national treasure. It would be a tragic mistake to allow this noble creature to disappear from our western landscape.”– Robert Redford I can’t begin to explain the feeling in my heart when we discovered the herd of wild horses near McCullough Peak. It was a dream come true. Watching them all day long, keeping my distance while respecting their freedom. My heart was filled with such joy to see them roaming the land and yet my spirit while it soared was also filled with sadness for those wild horses all ove ..read more

Just a hint of what awaits at Yellowstone I’m about 2 blogs behind, but I had to tell you about our arrival and how happy we are at Lewis Lake Campground ! We arrived on July 12th at noon, set up our temporary site and then went in search of our co-hosts trainers, Allene and Charlene, sisters from Austin and Kansas. We introduced ourselves and made arrangements for meeting with them on Tuesday for our first training session. As it turns out only Jim attended the first training session. Why ? Let me tell you what happened to me while we were camping at Slide Lake outside of Jackson Hole. Sc ..read more

Remember my last rambling blog? I’m done tumbling through the world like a tumbleweed. I have found my voice again. It took several days of reading the Dalai Lama’s book, “How to Practice, The Way to a Meaningful Life” . And several late nights reading poems by Mary Oliver. Of course I’ve known all along that I’ve allowed some people who entered my life , for just moments, to divert me away from my striving to ‘be in the moment’, to live the moment as positively and joyously as I can. But I’m back . And I’m back to stay. Now let me share with you an amazing place we discovered on our days of ..read more

“Travel is not reward for working it’s education for living .” Anthony Bourdain I have no idea of why the ghost town of Cisco, outside of Moab , brought back thoughts of Anthony Bourdain. There is no incredible restaurant here. Just a little store called Buzzards Belly that sells microwaved chicken sandwiches and beverages. Maybe it’s because of Anne , one of the owners, behind the counter. Only a woman with imagination and spunk would open a store in a ghost town off the beaten path. And yet if you build it they will come and they do. It’s quirky enough to be talked about in conversations an ..read more