Weekly Photo Challenge – Free Spirit
This is a tough one for me. I am pretty much the opposite of a free spirit – a homebody.
I guess the most free-spirited thing I ever did was to take part in a teacher program that allowed me to be a seasonal park ranger out at Big Bend National Park in the summers of 2006 and 2008.
Feeling free in Big Bend.
Looking into Mexico from the Chisos Mountains.
Big Bend is bigger than Rhode Island, and in the summer, there are only about 150 people in the whole place. You have to drive 100 miles to get to a grocery store or dentist. Cell phones only work in a couple of spots. I loved living out there for an extended time, and getting to canoe the Rio Grande, and to hike around the mountains and desert.
Hiking on Indian Head Trail in 110 degrees.
Big Bend is the place my spirit feels most free, and most at home at the same time.
Ach, I have *still* never been to Big Bend! And with the husband being so suspicious of nature, it’s not going to happen with him any time soon. One of these days, though – maybe a girlfriend retreat weekend 😉
One of the great things about Big Bend is that you can see lots of nature from just your car or a short walk from the lodge, so maybe you can talk him into it!
I know you’ve been to Colorado, so Big Bend might not hit you as so great, but it was my first view of the real West, and I still love it. You plan a trip when you have nothing else to do – like 30 years from now? and I’ll meet you out there! By then I’ll have to just gesture with my cane to the great views… 🙂