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South by Southwest - Week 5: Awe and wonder

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It's been a week (and a few days) of awe and wonder in the Szakos household. We started the week at the Grand Canyon. We'd been there before, when the girls were in middle school. We had camped on the North Rim, and it should have been amazing, but there were forest fires to the west of us, and the entire canyon had filled with smoke. In three days, we never saw anything below the rim. This year, the North Rim campground was closed - for fires, again - so we went to the more visited South. We'd been experiencing a bit of canyon fatigue after all the national parks we'd been visiting. Majestic towers carved from the earth by time - amazing, yes, but we'd seen a lot of them. But now we know why this canyon is called Grand. Wow! Up to 18 miles across and a mile deep, stretching for 277 miles, it really is awesome. Pictures can't begin to do it justice, and mine certainly don't. We ended up staying for three days, hiking the various parts of the rim and camping ...
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South by Southwest - Week 4: Trees and thoughts of home

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When we planned this trip, I admit I was unprepared for how deeply our government would have decended into authoritarianism. Although I don't overestimate the impact of the individual impact of my resistance in Charlottesville, I still felt guilty for checking out for almost two months as federal troops began brutal operations in American cities and ICE continued arresting and disappearing people. Shouldn't I stay home and support those fighting for democracy and standing up for vulnerable neigbors? Possibly. But this trip has been an opportunity to visit little-known parts of this country and be reminded of its diverse cultures and history. Traveling to National Parks during the federal government shutdown has reinforced the importance of the work the federal government can do when it isn't busy terrorizing its people. Visiting the grave of farmworker organizer César Chavez reminds us of those who have fought long and successfully before us. Someone said that opposing auth...
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South by Southwest - Week 3: Utah - More Utah, Nevada (and California)

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 Nash lived in Tennessee, first as a hungry stray and then as Maria's beloved first dog, moved to Virginia with Maria and then moved in with us, and now he is on the road like a true American nomad. It's hard to tell how these changes register. Nash seems to feeel at home wherever his people are. He doesn't seem to mind changes in climate (it was 33° when we woke up on Friday), in elevation (as high as 10,000 feet), in activity (strenuous hiking through Little Wild Horse Canyon or long days in the van); as long as we are with him and his dinner is on time, he's a happy guy.  Joe has been training for this trip since 2022 when he started driving the Habitat Store truck and picking up construction materials and furniture. So far, he's driven 5,000 miles on this trip, minus the 100 or so miles I drove one day. He says he enjoys it, and he's got mad skills. Plus, we both agree that I am the better navigator (and camp cook). He's also in great shape for the hikin...
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