Small town life

Getting used to the pace of small town life is definitely an adjustment from Washington D.C. Page doesn't really have places to have bakery cafes to hang out in, a farmer's market or a diverse newsstand. As much as I miss those things, there are a lot of things to like. I run into people I know almost everywhere I go--at the grocery store, at the ATM, in the post office. So over my lunch hour when I realize the post office doesn't sell tape and debate whether I have time to run the store and back, I run into a friend from work who has a roll of tape in her car. I coach a middle school running program and run into people I know from church. On my first big trip to the grocery store, people kept asking me if I needed help finding things.

In this town, most stores are closed on Sunday and people place importance on family. Sometimes I like escaping the endless political debates that seem to go nowhere and 24-hour repetitive news cycle. Most people who live here would never live in D.C.

I like both places. I like the city, and public transportation and evening events and millions of choices. I also like this place--stark and beautiful, peaceful. I love that it truly gets dark at night, I worry less about locking my doors, it feels friendly, running into people around town. And I think there is a value in understanding both places and how they work.

Feeling part of the resources team

This week I went from on edge at work, to being part of the team. I took responsibility for my program by talking about it with the resources staff and leading a meeting of the paleo advisory committee. I also spent the earlier part of the week out in the field with the park's archaeology team. Both of us found new sites, and I started to get a feel for some of the rock units. It was hiking over scree slopes and through river channels full of tamarisk coupled with swimming breaks in the lake and quiet evenings. Feeling the horror of fresh graffiti over rock art thousands of years old. Solving mysteries reported by the rangers. Learning how to tie proper knots, which side of the buoy we should be on and recognizing more landmarks on the lake.

Sunday afternoon adventures

I escaped Page today and discovered several new favorite places. I drove through a mountain pass and then through a broad valley to Marble Canyon, where the Colorado River cuts through white limestone. This is also the site of a famous bridge.

I continued along the Vermillion Cliffs, stopping to look at roadside stands with jewelry for sale and admiring the balanced rocks. The rain that morning left everything feeling fresh, but also curtailed my original plan of going hiking.

I drove on, up into the Kaibab National Forest and was in awe of the trees and lovely wildflowers. Such a change from my new red rock home. I stopped in at the lodge, discovered that this was a squirrel wilderness area (awesome) and bought fresh bread and cookies (!!) and a non-Arizona newspaper. It was like a cool drink after emerging from a day in the desert.

As the sun set, I continued on through the forest, getting my first glimpses of the Grand Staircase as the fading light painted the scene. This was one of those goofy geologist moments--when all of the maps and textbooks become alarmingly clear. All in all, a very successful evening drive!