"She's a Butte!" (Sedona Sun & Phoenix Fun)

The rains stopped overnight, and this morning the sun peaked out through the clouds. We started our day at Chapel Trail, named such because the trailhead begins just across the street from a stunning modern church that juts out of the landscape like a modern reinterpretation of the natural buttes. The trail greeted us with red clay, dense cacti, and even a few hummingbirds. The further we hiked, the more spectacular the views became. Given the severe rain and flooding the day before, we were extra grateful for the beautiful and safe hiking conditions. 

Group shot at the chapel (where our hike began)

  

Obligatory jumping pic

Hikes & spikes 🌵

Chicken Point Overlook: a close-up

After a picnic lunch at Montezuma's Castle, we continued on to the Phoenix Indian School Visitor's Center. Upon our arrival, we met Elena, the Visitor Center Specialist, who descends from four different tribes (including Navajo, Hopi and Zuni). She treated us to a compelling and informative tour about the history and legacy of the Indian School Visitor's Center. Our students were thoroughly engaged in the exhibits and asked outstanding questions; in fact, Elena said that we were the first group she has ever had in which every single student was already familiar with the Native American residential school history. Most interestingly, Elena told us that her grandmother actually attended this same school, and she only found out this fact after taking the position. She concluded the tour with a powerful enjoinder to learn about this period of history and talk to others about it, so that we can prevent it from happening again.

Immediately after the tour concluded, Walker pulled me aside and whispered, "Now that's a tour!" After an unsatisfying experience at the Museum of Northern Arizona on Wednesday, we realized that this was what we had been waiting for. Elena discussed difficult topics with empathy, humor, and wisdom. When she did not know an answer, she was honest and expressed a genuine interest in further research. She even shared some personal details about her life that made that the tour feel intimate and connected. There was a collective sense of excitement and inspiration as we looked ahead to the rest of our evening together.

Learning about the evolution of Native residential schools from Elena

Elena fielding a Q&A session from the students

Next, we headed into the second portion of the evening: our meeting with the F.I.N.A.L. (Future Inspire Native American Leaders) Youth Council. Led by Trevor Foster, this organization is comprised of 23 Native high school students from the greater Phoenix region. They meet twice a month on Thursday evenings, and they opted to devote one of those evenings to spending time with us!  After scrambling seats so that Watkinson students were intermingled with students from the youth council, our hosts treated us to a potluck, featuring a traditional Navajo taco and an assortment of drinks. 

  

A potluck featuring Navajo/Indian tacos 

During dinner, I had a chance to connect with another leader from the organization, a woman named Melanie. While her tribe originates in Washington State, she grew up in Waterford, Connecticut! After serving in the military, her grandfather was sent to Groton to work on the submarine base, where he started a family. Two generations removed from her tribe, Melanie did not grow up speaking her tribal language. In fact, there are only about five or six fluent speakers remaining. Fortunately, she has been able to start learning basic elements of that language, thanks to an app similar to Duolingo that is enabling her language to be preserved and shared. 

Melanie sharing the traditional attire of her tribe

Next, Trevor gave us a brief Powerpoint presentation about the F.I.N.A.L. Youth Council to illustrate the function and structure of the organization. He discussed their college counseling program, recent service opportunities, leadership conferences, and more with an absolutely infectious sense of humor. With a seamless transition, he asked us to push all the tables away to begin a few ice breaker games. These games got the students moving, interacting, and sometimes even colliding with one another. In no time, the games (and Trevor's hysterical commentary) had the group in stitches. Olivia said her mouth hurt because she's never laughed so hard and for so long before.

(Left) "Sweep the Teepee" game and (Right) "Musical Chairs"

We closed out with a circle of formal introductions. Students passed around the microphone and introduced themselves. Those from the council introduced themselves first in their Native language and then in English. Trevor then asked all Native students to come up and grab a gift bag to give to one of our students... as if our gift of a potluck dinner (and their company!) weren't generous enough! As we began to close out our time together, Trevor told us, "You're all Native now!" and "See you all next year!" Students began to exchange contact information, and I had to almost drag our students away so that we wouldn't miss our flight. After our final goodbyes, our students literally skipped arm-and-arm into the vans. The feeling of connection, joy, and possibility was palpable. 

 

Our final shared moment of an unforgettable evening

This trip was incredible from start to finish, but I think there's something extra special about the best being saved for last. Our final day was full of stunning scenery, meaningful learning, authentic connection, and so much laughter. We cannot believe how fortunate we were to connect with the Phoenix Indian Center, and all we can say is thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Sedona (ft. Guest Blogger: Trip Director Courtney!)

Today's blog is brought to you by Courtney, our fabulous Trip Director through TFT.  Not only is she a great trip leader and van driver, she is also a wonderful writer! With that, I pass the baton to Courtney:

Travel is all about experiencing new things, finding new perspectives, and learning how to be flexible. Today ticked all of those boxes.

First we made our way to the Museum of Northern Arizona where we were led through on a tour discussing the indigenous cultures of Arizona and the greater Colorado Plateau. As we walked through the exhibits, we all found ourselves wanting more in depth conversation about what we were seeing, and left with many discussion points to go over (a discussion the group had later once back at the hotel).

Easily the coolest part of our museum tour:
A guest demonstration of an atlatl (a prehistoric weapon).
Fun fact: Valley of Fire State Park is home to annual atlatl competitions!   

For lunch the chaperones and counselors had a special surprise in store for the group: Denny’s! Maybe you’ve heard the excitement from your student about how there has been a Denny’s near every hotel and the jokes about a 2am Denny’s run. Well, we *really* wanted to make it happen for them! We trekked over to the nearest Denny’s, only to sadly be turned away due to not being able to accommodate such a large group. The next nearest Denny’s offered the same result. The group was heart-broken. Until we were able to be accommodated at one of Denny’s rival breakfast diners, IHOP - and from that point on the boycott of Denny’s began.

 

 

Post-lunch table games led by Mr. Thomas

As we made our way to Sedona we observed the effects of the drastic rain that has been pummeling Flagstaff down the mountain towards lower elevations. Our winding drive took us alongside what once was a small stream, now raging with rapids. This incoming storm system and flood warning had us redirect to a more indoor day, spending more time enjoying each other’s company and focusing on group connection. We got to check out a vista point overlooking the city before checking into our new hotel.

 

Sedona vista point

Tonight was our fancy final dinner, the last dinner of the last official night of the trip. We ate at Soundbites, an American-style eatery with beautiful views of the famous red rocks right out the window. Dessert was a must tonight, and most decided on the flourless chocolate cake, although some opted to devour the tiramisu or the ice cream. Finally, we went back to the hotel, very full and very eager to debrief the day. 

 

More fancy dinner photos coming soon!

The storm continued to rage on outside, but that didn’t stop these teens from one last hurrah of the day, opting for a little polar plunge into the non-heated outdoor pool! What’s a little rain if you’re already submerged, anyway? Don’t worry, it was all captured on video.

 

Impromptu pool plunge

There are mixed emotions with our last day together being tomorrow! Here’s to hoping it ends even better than it started!

Many things today did not go according to plan, but I could not be more proud of our students. They focused on what was in their control and made the best of each situation. When Denny's didn't work out (twice), they rerouted to IHOP with genuine enthusiasm. When the incessant rain forced us to head back to the hotel early, they geared up for a hilarious polar bear plunge in the hotel's (unheated) pool. Most impressive of all was our students' response to the museum tour, which covered only a small fragment of the content that our students hoped to learn. Students remained fully engaged for the entire two hour tour, and they continued to ask our docent outstanding questions. In our subsequent debrief, students reflected on the tour with both a critical mind and a generous heart, which made for a cathartic and informative experience for the whole group. As writer Gretchen Rubin says about travel, "The things that go wrong often make the best memories."

"The Big Ditch"

Today was the day we had been waiting for: our visit to the Grand Canyon!  We met our guides at the Bright Angel Lodge and split into two groups: one half with Madeline and the other half with Moshe.  Each group walked along the Rim Trail, which provided outstanding views of the canyon every few feet. 

Here are some fun facts that we learned:

•  Locals affectionately refer to the Grand Canyon as the "big ditch."

• The green colored rocks is actually a result of oxidized iron -- in other words, the rocks are actually rusting.

• The oldest layer of rock is almost 2 billion years old. The layers of the Grand Canyon are so old that many of them were not even formed where they are now; plate tectonics shifted them hundreds of miles from their origination point. 

•  There is evidence of people inhabiting the greater Grand Canyon region for over 13,000 years. Eleven different tribes can trace their ancestry there.

• Once nearly extinct, the condor (largest bird in North America) is now well populated in the Grand Canyon-- so much so that the park has hired "condor-scarers" whose job it is to ward off condors who get too close to people!

 

Finn H., Walker, Jamison, Millie, Reid, Isabelle & Olivia

A raven (picture by Reid)

After the Rim Trail, each group chose their own adventure. One group hiked into the canyon -- The Bright Angel Trail is about ten miles long, and we covered about one tenth of a mile. Our guide led the way to ensure that the trail conditions were manageable, but we had to very careful navigating the slush and snow.  We hiked as far as the first tunnel and then turned back. Nevertheless, in just about a half hour, were able to get a sense of the scale, diversity, and majesty of the canyon. 

A short hike into the canyon

Meanwhile, the other group was able to get a personal tour of mules getting shoed. What is getting shoed, you ask? Garret the farrier explained that mules, like humans, need to protect their feet, especially the ones who carry cargo and people in and out of the canyon. He demonstrated how he shoes the mules, and compared the process to that of getting your nails clipped and adding an acrylic nail on top, so the mule doesn't feel any discomfort.

Shoe-ing mules

After a short lunch & smoothie at a cafe, we exited the Grand Canyon to head back to Flagstaff.  During a routine gas stop, one bus noticed a familiar face at an adjacent fuel pump: Will Ferrell, who appeared to be shooting a scene for a movie. The group was, understandably, starstruck-- and after a few minutes of staring, he not only acknowledged our presence but waved! 

Celeb sighting

 

We returned to the hotel for some brief down time before setting off for downtown Flagstaff, just a ten minute walk from our hotel. On our way, we stopped at the Code Talkers Monument, which bore much more significance to us after our visit to Tuba City yesterday. Once in Flagstaff, we gave students about an hour of free time to explore the shops. This city is so cute, walkable, and uncrowded!

Discovering the Code Talkers Monument just a few hundred feet from our hotel!

At the bookstore in downtown flagstaff, one of the staff us a great recommendation for dinner: Cornish Pasty. She taught us how to pronounce the name (pasty, with an a as in apple) and said the meals were filling and seating with plentiful. How right she was! The pasty is something like a Calzone that originates from Cornwall, England. With tons of creative menu options and cool medeival ambience, this restaurant was perhaps the best one we've been to yet!

"Pilgrim" Pasty

After dinner, we headed to a gelato/chocolate shop, where Courtney treated us all to scorpion-lollipops. In other words, these are lollipops which contained an embalmed scorpion. In a spirit of bravery, curiosity, and openness to new things, nearly everyone in the group decided to try it. Nothing worthwhile happens until we step outside our comfort zone!

Tomorrow, we head to Sedona, famous for its red rocks. We're hoping the weather holds, but no matter what - this group has proven themselves to be flexible and resilient.  Cheers to a great day together, and cheers to another one tomorrow!

Donuts, Horseshoes, Hogans & Frisbees: A "Round" Up of Day 4

After our first few days of packed itineraries, last night's sleep was luxurious. We awoke in Page this morning refreshed and excited for the day. Our first stop was a donut shop, recommended by our trip coordinator, Emma. The donuts were delicious, but the customer service was the real treat. The guy pictured below was energetic, efficient, and wildly entertaining. I cannot recommend "Hot n Sweet" enough! We capped off our visit with a short yoga session led by Willoughby. 

 

Next, we were off to Horseshoe Bend, a five-minute drive from the donut shop. We hiked for about 3/4 of a mile to the iconic viewpoint. We then continued along the rim on an unmarked trail. Chaperones led the way to make sure we could explore the varied terrain safely, and we found many awesome viewpoints that allowed for firm footing. Fun fact: the two pictures below were taken almost simultaneously! (The one on the left was taken by Mr. Thomas and the one on the right by me.)

      

We retraced our steps and headed back to the parking lot, where we set up a picnic. Lunch included croissant sandwiches with hummus, grapes, honeydew, dried mango, clementines, and more. We ate quickly to get on the road to our next stop about a little over an hour south: Tuba City Trading Post.

Upon our arrival, we watched a short video about the Navajo creation story. In the main room, we were able to enter a re-creation of a hogan, which is the Navajo traditional dwelling structure. Often hexagonal or octagonal, the roof gives it a round shape, and the door always faces East to the sun.  Next, we headed to the Code Talkers Exhibit, where we learned about the Navajo contribution to the Allied victory in World War II. An original group of 29 Navajo men devised a code based on word-association that utilized their knowledge of Navajo and English languages. The code was virtually unbreakable thanks to the Navajo language being passed down orally, and it made possible the famous victory at Iwo Jima.

 

After Tuba City, we enjoyed a one hour drive to Flagstaff.  The scenery was stunning (as usual), and my bus passed the time with a boisterous game of "Contact." We arrived in Flagstaff with about an hour and a half left of daylight, so we decided to check out Buffalo Park and play a little frisbee.

       

 

    

As the sun began to set, one final, fateful throw led the frisbee into the precise center of a pond-sized puddle. The water was freezing cold, and there was no easy way to rescue the disc. Fortunately, Elise procured a giant stick that Willoughby used to fish out the frisbee -- saving both the frisbee and the day!

     

With the sun nearly gone, we headed to the hotel. A delivery order of hot pizza awaited us, and we enjoyed some free fountain drinks from the lobby area. When dinner was over, we gathered one last time to do some pre-learning for our community day on Thursday. We read this ten-page article about the history of residential schools for Native Americans, and we generated some questions for our visit to the Phoenix Indian School Visitor's Center on Thursday.  Students were attentive, thoughtful, and perceptive in the usual Watkinson way. And with that, we retired for the evening so we can prepare for tomorrow's big adventure: The Grand Canyon!

3 States & 4 Times Changes

Today, we said goodbye to Las Vegas at 8:30am -- which felt more like 7:30am because of Daylight Savings. We drove through an eerily quiet Las Vegas strip and headed north on I-15. Almost immediately, the backdrop of casinos and billboards gave way to stunning mountain ranges and desert vegetation. 

We drove for about 2 hours to St. George, Utah, where we enjoyed lunch at Gaia's Garden Cafe. The food was so aesthetically pleasing and tasted even better -- huge shoutout to our TFT guide Courtney for that restaurant recommendation! After some yummy eats, students took advantage of the sunny skies with a walk around the block and a casual game of frisbee.

Next, we headed to Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. From St. George, we crossed into Arizona, then crossed back to Utah, and then back to Arizona again. Keep in mind that Utah observes Daylight Savings but Arizona does not-- and so each border crossing meant a change in the clock. All in all, we time travelled four times today! Toward the end of our drive, some ominous clouds loomed overhead and threatened our tour of Antelope Canyon, but fortunately the weather held out. 

Here are Isabelle & Olivia to tell you more about what they learned on their tour:

"Today we went to the Antelope Canyon and learned about the geological history and structure of the rocks along with the general history of the canyon itself. This canyon sits on Navajo land, and the tour is exclusively operated by Navajo guides. Our guide told us that every little line marks 100 years of time, and every inch represents 1000 years. The jagged lines of the canyon were formed by wind, whereas the smooth curves were formed by flash floods. At one point in history, the whole canyon was underwater!

A highlight of the tour was viewing the naturally formed sculptures in the canyon walls, some of which included bears, rose petals and the infamous lion from the lion's den. Our knowledgeable tour guides led us through the mile long trek and pointed out the best places to take pictures which featured the classic backgrounds of Microsoft and Dell devices."

Photos by Reid 

Photo by Olivia                                        Photo by Finn M.

After the tour, we ate generous portions of Mexican food at a local restaurant, and we headed back to our hotel for some rest. While we have had some amazing adventures, it is time to prioritize rest, so that we have enough energy for all of the exciting activities ahead. And with that, good night!

Hoover Dam & Valley of Fire

At 8am, the wheels were rolling! We were en route to the Hoover Dam, located about 50 minutes from our hotel in Las Vegas. We were so excited for our tour... only to arrive early and discover that the tours were not operating due to elevator maintenance.  (How dare they maintain their infrastructure?!) 

So, as all good travelers do, we pivoted. In the visitor's center, we enjoyed short films, presentations, and exhibits about the Hoover Dam. We then went for a short walk along the dam, only to see two very familiar faces (Mrs. Escalante & her husband) waving to us from their car.  This was completely unplanned and such a welcome surprise! After a quick hello & photo (see below), we rounded out our Hoover Dam experience with a supremely retro light-up-diorama exhibit about the Colorado River.

 

Stunning view from the side of the dam 

Jamison photographs; Olivia appreciates

Running into Mrs. Escalante at the Hoover Dam 

Next, we were off to Valley of Fire State Park, which was about a 1.5 hour drive from the Hoover Dam along the coast of Lake Mead. First, we enjoyed a picnic lunch behind the Visitor's Center and then were off to the Fire Wave Trailhead. We hiked about 3/4 of a mile to the iconic rainbow formations. We spent a long time just sitting and appreciating the beauty around us before continuing on to the Seven Wonders Loop (not well marked, but we were expert navigators and problem solvers). The final part of the hike was a slot canyon that opened out into vast towers of rock formations. The trail contained so much variety in such a short distance, and we couldn't have asked for a better day of exploring.  

Mountain Climbers: Reid, Elise, Jamison, Walker, Millie & Finn H.

The whole gang at Fire Wave

Cave Dwellers: Olivia, Reid, Eva, Millie, Walker, Isabelle, Finn M., Forest & Finn H. 

Eva, Mr. Thomas, and Jack coming out of the slot canyon

We completed our hike just after 5pm as the sun was beginning to set. We drove about an hour and a half back to Vegas and had dinner at Peppermill -- a glam diner with Vegas-sized portions. Last but not least, we were off to the strip for some late night Ben and Jerry's. The strip was bursting with lights and activity, but it didn't take long before the unrelenting crowds took their toll on us. And so, ice cream in hand, we headed back to the hotel.

Today was such a busy day, but every moment was full of joy, adventure, and camaraderie. Next stop, Arizona!