Traveling Days Three & Four, Arrival and First Day!

Alright, back to my journey to Kanab.

Saturday, September 8th - Day Three - from plains to mountains
I should probably mention that all along my trip, everyone that I have met has been incredibly friendly and welcoming; it's pretty awesome.
Woke up early to get an early start. I found myself in the Colorado mountains around 10am. They were so pretty! I took it upon myself to take an exit to a mountain lookout that ended up not really being what I thought. Still, I got a cool picture out of it.

 Getting back to the highway was another story. I ended up getting lost on gravel winding mountain roads and Thurston kept telling me to turn where I thought there was no road (there really was, just very...hidden). So what else to do but take more photos.

I like to think of this guy as my spirit guide. He let me follow him for quite a while before dodging off into someone's yard.










I finally made it back to the highway and pressed on. The drive through the mountains was much more exciting and enjoyable than the flat lands I'm used to. I stopped at a gas station to use their bathroom errr outhouse and THIS is what I saw.

At this point in my journey, after only a few days in, I've started to realize how hard it will be to go back to not this. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. Everything is soooo beautiful out here and it absolutely blows my mind. Question: does the appreciation for this scenery go away with time? I really hope not. I got back on the road and was driving, and driving, and driving. I finally got past Grand Junction headed to Green River, Utah where I booked a hotel for the night. The scenery was super incredible and it was very far (~100 miles) between highway exits that had ANY kind of services. It was literally in the middle of nowhere, which I am in no way used to. It was then, of course, that the only mishap I've experienced thus far into my trip occurred. My tire blew out. Well not so much as blew out, as the ENTIRE tread came right off the tire. So. Now I'm in the middle of nowhere, with 40 miles to the nearest gas station, and my tire is out of commission. Naturally I call my dad crying and panicking and he tells me to calm down and flag someone down to help me put my spare on (thank god for dads, right?!). I was fortunate to find a very nice trucker who stopped to make himself a sandwich and was more than willing to help with my tire. THANK GOD for good people like him. I can't get over how helpful and friendly he was. He had a friend that lives in Green River who would be traveling the same highway as I was and would make sure I wasn't broken down on the highway between there and Green River. He also gave me a bit of bad news- another one of my tires looked like it was about to do the same thing. I thanked him numerous times before heading back onto the 75 mph highway going 40 mph. I successfully made it to Green River and found a truck stop that fixed tires conveniently located right behind my hotel. I was really worried no one would be open that late on Saturday and every where would be closed Sunday and I'd be stuck there until Monday, however they were able to change both tires for me that day. I got into my hotel for the night and could only laugh about the days events. What else is there to do at that point?

Sunday, September 9th - Day Four - up high
At this point I'd like to note that I do not like the highways in Colorado and Utah. For the most part they are asphalt. 1.) Asphalt reduces the albedo (reflectivity of light) from the earth making it hotter. 2.) Since these roads absorb all that light, they get very hot and are know to cause certain car issues, which I learned from one of the truckers at the truck stop who also had a blown tire. Anyways, today was my final day of traveling. It was even more beautiful than the previous day which I was unaware was possible. Driving down 89 and seeing the red canyons and mountains and streams made me realized how lucky I am to have had this opportunity. Over and over I asked myself if this trip would be worth it or was I crazy for leaving Wisconsin? Was I sure that this is what I wanted? I like to think that being sure is relative. How can you ever know for certain if something is right? At this point, I won't say I'm sure of it, but I will say I know this trip is worth it, and I haven't even started my internship yet! I've experienced so much in the last few days that I don't know I ever would have had I not taken this chance that was given to me. I arrived in Kanab around 3:00 and was greeted by the people I am staying with: Mary, who works at  the sanctuary; her sister Carol; and the two household dogs, Buddy and Robin. It was pretty easy to settle in and they are super nice people.

  















Monday, September 10th
Mary left for a craft show early this morning so it will just be Carol, the dogs and I this week. Carol showed me around Kanab and took me on a driving tour of Best Friends, where I'll be interning for the next 5 weeks. I'll just let the photos speak for themselves. 

  

Pretty incredible, right? I took a walk through my new neighborhood and this is what I saw. It still feels so surreal to me that I'm actually here. I just survived a 1,600 mile drive to be here and now I get to wake up and see this every day for the next 5 weeks. How lucky am I?

This is Buddy. He's one of my house mates. He's one of the most mellow dogs I have ever met and he enjoys sleeping in my room - bed or floor, doesn't really matter to him.

Today I got a little homesick for the first time. I'm surrounded by some pretty amazing things, but I'm missing the people from home. I know it will get better, just sucks for the moment.


FINALLY I'M CAUGHT UP!
Tuesday, September 11th - my first day as an intern
I didn't sleep too well last night as I was super excited about today. Met up with my fellow interns (there are 7 of us total) and the internship coordinator, Leesa. We started with a video about Best Friends and their missions, followed by a driving tour of The Sanctuary with stops in Dogtown and Cat World. When we got back from that, we went on a tour of Horse Haven where all hoofed animals are housed (sheep, pot-bellied pigs, horses, burros, goats). Inside the main office there they have an office pig named Squeaky. He's a cutie and so sweet. After that we went up to the cafeteria which has an incredible view of the canyon. Today the view was hidden because of the fog and rain, but when it clears up it's fantastic. After lunch we went back to Cat World for a more in-depth tour. There are so many cats! Then we went to see the bunnies and up to the Rescue Center to see all the bunnies that were rescued from a really bad hoarding situation in which one woman had 1,400 bunnies! It was a little sad up there seeing all the sick rabbits but they really do try to make them have the best quality of life possible. We ended the day at the Bunkhouse for our intern orientation where we learned more about what is expected of us during our time at Best Friends. We were also given more information about what our projects should be like and I am super excited about it. Tomorrow I'll be in Dogtown for the first half of the day and then with the horses the second. Can't wait!