Please enjoy the artful keystrokes of Colton on this post...
So, the morning started off on quite an exciting note. Jerome had said he would move his car to let us get out, as he was parked behind my trusty Hyundai Tucson. He did not. However, Casey and I are totally radical so we put her in 4 wheel drive and reversed over a massive pile of snow to circumvent the red truck blocking our escape route. Quite an epic start to the day.
From there we stopped back at Sustainable Settings to say goodbye to the good folks there, and to our good fortune arrived the very moment a calf was entering the world! What a once in a life time treat to see a newly born calf being licked to life by its loving mother. Truly a magical moment, but it made us late for our next appointment. Oops.
The mountainous drive around Mt. Sopris was full of beautiful views, elk, rams, and cold mountain water, and eventually brought us through the lovely town of Paonia. We didn’t have much time to stop there, but Paonia is a major organic producer, particularly for fruits. Due to the recent closure of the nearby coal mine, which brought in a large portion of the towns income, land is dirt cheap (pun intended). For those of you interested in growing organic food, Paonia could be a good option for organic farmland at top-notch prices.
The next stop was in Montrose to meet up with Russell Evans, the founder of Transition Lab. Transition Lab is a revolutionary approach to education where enrolled students are matched with host families in Montrose and earn their rent by providing their skilled services to the household, whatever those skills might be. Through the program they learn about the necessary skills for “transitioning” out of a global economy. They are taught how to grow their own food, construction skills such as welding, tiny house construction, and even personal development practices such as vision quests and meditation. The icing on top is that they address conflict resolution and communication skills. The reason for this is that, according to Russell’s philosophy, no amount of practical skill is going to be helpful if you don’t have the basic competencies of working with and relating to the other people in your life; particularly if you are sharing living space with other people. This also promotes responsibility for one’s own actions, a skill not so well-taught in colleges today (or anywhere for that matter).
Russell is particularly keen on the concept of skilled residency, where people with talents who are looking for housing can offer those talents to people with extra space in their homes in exchange for rent. For instance, Russell had a resident in his home who was an organic cook and gardener, so the resident established a garden in the backyard and cooked meals for 15 hours a week in exchange for his rent. This system of skilled residency is an effective means of addressing the debt slavery so many in our country face today. By having a skilled resident, the hosts can reduce the amount of “around the house” work they are required to do in order to focus their efforts on their jobs or other pursuits. Similarly, the skilled resident can earn their living expenses in significantly less hours per week and devote the remainder of their time to tasks that help them pay off debt, build savings, promote self-growth, or generally make the world a better place. Especially for those with low-income, rent can be a crippling expense, but this model allows people to cover their basic needs doing things they are already good at.
We set out once again on the road for arguably the most scenic portion of the trip thus far. We caught the mountains of Telluride as the sun set for some breathtaking views of Aspen groves, frozen waterfalls, and snow-capped peaks. We then passed through four corners, completing a dream of Casey’s, and pushed on through Arizona to the Grand Canyon. It was dark and we couldn’t see much so we pulled over to the side of the road and spent a mildly chilly night in sleeping bags in the car. We’re so cool...
We had nothing to guide us the previous night except the stars and a sliver of moon, so we woke to find, to our grand surprise, the Grand Canyon a mere football field away from our makeshift campsite. We scrambled over to the edge of the gorge for a breathtaking view of the sun peaking over the horizon of the Arizona desert. Healing, chanting, and echo-locating occupied us as the sun warmed the desert night out of the land. It was a magical time, and the best part was that we never actually even entered the park, thereby avoiding the steep entrance price of $25 and all the tourists. So thrifty!
A quick jaunt through the Coconino Mountains brought us into the beautiful land of Sedona, an energetic hotspot brimming with aquamarine rivers, manzanita trees, red rock cliffs, and darn good vibes. The town itself was not quite our style; more of a tourist trap, but the surrounding land offered us good hikes, healing, and inspirational views.
We are now back in the city, and what a different environment it is. It’s a bit of a culture shock coming from the beautiful, untamed wilds of the Rocky Mountains and the open road to the socio-economic disparity of Phoenix. It’s sad to see an environment where when you say hello to a Hispanic man simply sitting on the bench in a grocery store, he automatically assumes you are a security guard (true story).
We have a real house to stay in tonight, for those of you who might be worried about our relative state of homelessness, and we will keep you posted on the adventures to come.
CnC
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