Week 11: Carbon Ranching

1-800-RV4rent...that's what we did the 2nd week in November.  The theory was that we'd be doing quite a bit of driving, it'd be cold and dark early and that it'd be a fun way to travel for Grant.  We also envisioned that Gregg would be able to get some work done at the kitchen table while I drove.  I spent a whole day getting the RV stocked with food, bed, bath and kitchen stuff.  Our destination was the Quivera Coalition conference in Albuquerque, NM.  We left Park City in the dark in a snow storm, which thankfully turned to rain 1/2 way down Provo Canyon.  The first thing we noticed about the RV is that it's really loud!  Lot's of rattling and wind.  I'm not sure if this style of RV is louder than others but it definitely changed our expectation of making the 'getting there' as enjoyable as the 'being there'.  First stop was Goblin Valley where we pulled into the vacant trailhead for Little Wild Horse, made sandwiches and ate in the RV (that was fun!) and then headed up the slot canyon.  Blustery skies and cool weather may have been one reason we had the canyon to ourselves...

 

After leaving Goblin Valley we headed to Natural Bridges Nat'l Monument.  It was raining by the time we got there so we just drove the loop and checked out every scenic overlook then pulled right in to a campsite.  This was the great part of RV-ing.  Parked, pushed a button, had power and heat, made dinner, read, did an art lesson and went to bed.  The next morning we rose early, hiked down to Sipapu Bridge and then hit the road while having breakfast.

Next destination was Chaco Canyon.  Once again we had the 'beat the crowd' experience. We wandered around Pueblo Bonito and Pueblo Arroyo, using the walking tour guide pamphlets while enjoying the whole place to ourselves!   

Our final destination was the Quivera Coalition Conference in Albuquerque.  The Quivera Coalition is an organization founded in 1997 by a rancher and two conservationists to 'promote economical, ecological and social health on western landscapes.'  As you can imagine, it is supported by a wonderfully diverse group of people--where hippies and cowboys come together for the common goal of land health.  This year's conference was titled, "The Carbon Ranch: Using Food and Stewardship to Build Soil and Fight Climate Change."  Soil and water scientists, environmentalists, ranchers, farmers and philosophers all gave presentations that left me feeling very hopeful.  After 3 days of listening to these folks Grant decided he might like to be a rancher when he grows up.  Grant was one of the youngest attendees but there were quite a few relatively young people--the 20-30 somethings--so vital since the vast majority of people in agriculture are over 60.  Next year's conference will feature these Young Agrarians.