Virunga

Modern tensions between native people and invasive oil companies are often left a mystery or a poorly covered topic. Virunga has a different approach of spreading the message. Virunga is a documentary type film that offers insight on the tension between the people of Congo and the invasive oil companies as well as a rebel group that helps make it all worse. This film shows the close, private relationships formed between the radical groups and the immoral oil companies while following the people most affected by it: the Park Service. Through the one on one, secretly taped meetings and the false sense of trust between the officials of each group, this film does a great job of informing people of the true happenings of places like the Congo.

This film does little to sugarcoat the malicious tendencies of big companies as well as those who disagree with the government. SOCO, the oil company, and M23, the rebel group, more or less team up in hopes of being able to make the park service give up their rights for the land. SOCO hopes to be able to scare the service out of their land, and be able to drill there. M23 is a group that is seeking control of the country due to their disagreement with the federal government of Congo, but as they team up with SOCO, they insist on getting a cut of the money that the oil company brings in. SOCO sees them as an easy group to use as their puppets to do the dirty work for them. M23, on the other hand, believes that SOCO can not attain the oil without them. This creates a give and take relationship between the two groups.

All the while that the crews follow undercover reporters who are getting the insight on the big groups, the National Park Rangers are also being followed by the cameras. Their biggest goal is to protect the park come Hell or high water. They are currently in charge of injured or orphaned mountain gorillas as well, so they have a drive to protect those animals as well as the rest of their dwindling species. They are a sanctuary for gorillas left harmed and alone due to poachers. One of the main officials of the park service is ex Congo military, so he has even more desire to protect the land that he stands for.

This film does a stand up job of showing the inside dirty work that can be going on behind closed doors. It shows secretly bugged interviews as a way for everyone to see that it isn’t just the problem of one group, but oftentimes two evils will join together and create an even bigger underlying problem. I believe they sought to show that it can be ridiculously hard for organizations and even just civilian people to take care of their homes when there are bigger forces at work. This film shows the beauty of people who care and who are ready to give their lives for the safety of things that big companies see as just another tactical financial move. It also shows the death, pain, heartbreak, and overall cruelty of the situation as well. Many insights can be gained from watching this riveting film.

How To Change The World

Sustaining the place we live can be quite high on people’s list of things that matter to them.  Many ideas as to how we should maintain our planet while continuing to get the most out of it, have been put in place. In order to continue to let future generations use and experience it in full, we must put restrictions on ourselves and our practices. The earth’s state is declining in regards to how much longer it will last us. This being said, let us ask ourselves this: is there a way to ensure balance between keeping our earth high functioning and healthy?

E.O.Wilson, an American biologist, came up with the idea that in order to protect the earth for future generations, we must dedicate half of the earth’s surface to nature reserves. He states that the mass extinction, which he claims the human race is responsible for, is right up on the self-inflicted disaster scale with world war and climate change. Wilson calls us to look at what benefits sectioning off the earth would have for us. He gives examples like increased biodiversity which would result in longer and easier life for the future, and he also talks about the advances that biology, nanotechnology and robotics would gain from the half earth solution. The biologist paints a picture of a futuristic world where we have access to teleconferencing, online medical diagnostics and practices, increased GMO food production, free online education, and even real time access to all of the reserves through cameras. Through his idea, he says humans will have the freest enjoyment ever and still be able to interact with nature.

In Buscher and Fletcher’s opinion, E. O. Wilson has the wrong idea. The two men contend that Wilson’s solution is inhumane and that it has a very Utopian view. They go on to say that his idea is driven by inequality because, contrary to what Wilson says, they believe that people will indeed have to be transported out of their homes, and that it won’t be the wealthy countries that have to find a new place. Rather, it will be the poor who already accept the biggest debts. They state that poor countries have much less to do with the corruption of the earth, yet they are scrutinized the most. They are often blamed for overpopulation and standing in the way of environmental enlightenment due to their religious and moral beliefs. Their final suggestion is to face the worlds inequality and make changes fair to all parties.

There is an undeniable problem with the rate at which we are wearing the earth down, so how might we find a solution? Is there a way to improve our mindsets as a whole earth? From country to country, ideas differ greatly. This is expected, however would it not be better to form different mindsets that are still moving in the right direction? Could we increase the way we grow food through things like new innovative farming techniques, while still making sure that the foods are the best quality for the consumer so that everyone can get on board? What if we were to increase awareness of the problem and set everyone on the right path to acting as one rather than making it so hard for others? To begin change, all parties involved have to be willing to admit faults in their own thinking and consider what will benefit the earth as a whole.

We must come together to blend these two ideas. A fair futuristic world could have a place in our minds starting now. If we could come up with the technology to better the way we live, then can a common ground between groups be discovered as well? Could wealthier and more prosperous countries help the less fortunate so that debts are equally distributed? Is there more that can be offered?

If we seek to find the answer to the deterioration of the world, we must come together as one mind working towards one purpose. Though it is not seen eye to eye, we know something must be done in order to preserve and sustain our world for future generations to use and thrive off of. By each person coming into the drawing board of ideas to fix the planet with an open mind, people can already begin taking a bigger leap toward economic prosperity and safety than they thought.

 

Have You Ever Wanted To Shake Hands With Your Soap?

Do you ever feel like you can’t buy hand soap for your family and friends because it is wrongly named? Is it missing the shape of say, a hand? Well look no further! Introducing Hand Soap, soap that is shaped like a hand! With its innovative design and super convenient plastic container, you can’t go wrong! Or can you?

Soap can’t be bad for the environment can it? The answer is yes, it can be bad for the environment. It can also be bad for your skin. This Hand Soap contains most of the things regular soap does, but that doesn’t mean it is good.

Sodium Palmate which is the main base of the soap is created by a chemical reaction between sodium hydroxide and palm oil. Though the sodium hydroxide in the soap becomes harmless, in its raw form, it is a harsh skin irritant. The fact that the soap contains palm oil means it could potentially be bad for habitats that depend on oil palm trees. Also the lack of trees and increased deforestation can result in increased pollution. The hand soap also includes Sodium Palm Kernelate, which is the ingredient that strips skin of its oils, it is derived from palm kernel oil and sodium chloride. For most people, this ingredient is okay to use but for the people with dry or sensitive skin this can worsen their symptoms. The next ingredient in our life like soap is Glycerin. It is the moisturizing element of the “Hand Soap”. Glycerin attracts moisture to your skin, thus making it moisturized and healthy. (Which is needed if you have a reaction to Sodium Palm Kernelate). If none of these ingredients struck you as troubling, then hopefully this one will. Tetrasodium Etidronate/ Tetrasodium EDTA: a chelating agent in soap. It is used to counteract the effects of hard water and heavy metal ions during manufacturing. It adds antioxidant stability making the soap fresher and more vibrant for longer, however it could be hurting the environment as well as the user of the soap. Tetrasodium is a preservative that comes to be through reacting ethylenediamine, hydrogen and formaldehyde. This isn’t a harmful ingredient by itself, but it does make its user more susceptible to absorbing other chemicals that may be toxic if absorbed. Though it is FDA approved, let’s keep in mind that the FDA also allows roughly 9 rodent poop pellets per kilogram of wheat, so should we really be okay with everything they approve? Our next ingredient is Sodium chloride which forms to the fatty acids in the soap. This ingredient really is harmless seeing as it is just table salt. The last ingredient is musk fragrance. Unfortunately for the buyer of this soap, companies don’t have to disclose what exactly is in their fragrance, meaning it could be a whole slew of harmful chemicals, or chemicals that cause skin irritation.

All of this brings us to the part of the gift that does the most damage to the environment. The PET plastic container. PET plastic is the same type that is used to make plastic water bottles. It is incredibly hard to get it to degrade as well as it can easily end up in the ocean floating and being a transporter for invasive species and causing problems for aquatic life. Not only is it nearly impossible to degrade, but when it sits in the landfills the chemicals used to make the plastic can leach into the sediment and end up polluting the groundwater. The life expectancy of plastic is upwards of 450 years.

Although the soap itself is not incredibly harmful to the environment, the plastic container is something that should make you think hard about buying this gift for someone. Rather than spending $7.95 on a bar of soap shaped like a hand, you could try getting Lehman’s Natural Handmade Soaps. This costs you a mere $6.99 for a much higher quality product that is shipped to you in a reusable organic cotton bag. It uses coconut and extra virgin olive oils to moisturize your skin while it uses ground earth clays to hold the bar together. It also uses essential oils to give the bar a nice scent where as the Hand Soap used musk fragrance of which does not have to divulge it’s harmful secrets because the FDA does not require it.

Overall, the Hand Soap would be a funny gag gift, but if you truly care about the person you are getting the gift for, you would consider something that would be much more polite to their skin as well to our earth. As much fun as it would be to have a bar of soap that you could shake hands with, I think that most people would prefer a clean environment and non irritated, and itchy skin.

Sources:

Hand Soap

https://www.lehmans.com/product/10961/soaps?utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&utm_campaign=15149&zmam=32933335&zmas=1&zmac=1&zmap=15149&partner_id=bcbgoog&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NB_PLA_AllProducts_GOOG&utm_term=shopping&utm_content=slfAyctpm_dc|pcrid|54869971724|pkw||pmt||&&gclid=CjwKCAiA9rjRBRAeEiwA2SV4ZS9zTPuChqnbTBnfI9SofPPfsu3pTo6t5XqRsPv6QbIsKdGoj1QcvRoClfQQAvD_BwE

https://www.postconsumers.com/2011/10/31/how-long-does-it-take-a-plastic-bottle-to-biodegrade/

http://teachsoap.com/2012/03/06/soap-making-methods/

 

 

Book Review of “The Emerald Mile”

 

From the perils to the victories, the heartache to the bliss, the exhaustion to the exhilaration, Kevin Fedarko’s The Emerald Mile tells the story of Kenton Grua and his crew on their journey to set the fastest river running record through the Grand Canyon. Through captivating description, Fedarko explains the different ways nature can be seen and how it can impact people in different ways, they can find different meaning in it, and when it comes to protecting or exploiting it, it is important that both sides are represented. He gives us insight into what the history behind the land is, what took place upto, throughout, and after the run, and the feelings between that all. I must admit, I wasn’t one to choose the book, but through time spent with the words, I became convinced of Kevin Fedarko’s talent of being able to use intense, vivid description to provoke my thoughts and move me through the story as though I were part of it. The Emerald Mile is a true story told from an unbiased perspective, that is capable of mesmerizing its reader and projecting them into the story.

The rich history of the events leading up to the story of the Emerald Mile can be a lot to digest, but when eloquently presented, the reader can come to appreciate the beauty of the important background. Fedarko presents every aspect of the story in incredible detail. Every description seems to be a poem rolling out of his mind preparing us to launch into the dory and help row Grua and his men row to victory. He has a very gentle way of creating a dramatic scene for almost every occasion in the book, my favorite of which is when he talks about the sky looking like a river of stars from the bottom of the Grand Canyon. “They emerged slowly, popping out one by one, and then they all came in a rush, spilling out of the ether until the narrow ribbon of sky above was no longer speckled with isolated motes but was a milky torrent, alive with eddies and whirlpools, a millrace of planets and stars whose combined translucence defined the ragged line of the canyon’s twinned rims with such clarity, such crystalline precision, that anyone looking up from could not help but gasp at what had been unveiled.”(319) From his description of the golden hues of the canyon at sunset, and the rushing waves of the rapids, every words draws the reader in and mesmerizes them with the tale of the longest, shortest journey through the Grand Canyon.

Another attribute important to the transportation of the reader would be his ability to represent an even plain on which people can make a decision about what side of the controversy they want to be on. That is the controversy of how the land is being affected and if people see it as a negative or a positive. Fedarko was very cautious on how he explained the details surrounding the disagreement at hand and that helps the reader to not feel pressured or uncomfortably forced to accept his opinions whilst reading. Being a nature lover himself, I can imagine that it would be difficult to keep his own thoughts at bay, but he beautifully executed his talent of remaining at an unbiased, even ground. The descriptions of both sides stay the same, and neither is made to look like the incorrect view. I know that for me, this helped in my enjoyment of the book and made me think on my own and create questions for myself and my beliefs.

Overall, I loved this book even though I didn’t think that I was going to. I was thoroughly impressed with his eloquent language. This book gives the reader a lot to think about as far as the beautiful descriptions, and the open ended views of controversy. It is easily relatable even for those who have never been to the Grand Canyon. There is enough detail to take the reader from wherever they are and raise the canyon walls around them and throw them to the dory. I think this book is a great representation of transportation to the narrative world, as well as a fantastic natural adventure narrative.

Monuments

“War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.” ― Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West. War has always been with us and it shall continue to be. Wars can leave behind some pretty memorable pieces, even though the wars were completely different. This is no exception for the Greek battle at Thermopylae and WWII. They were different most aspects, but yet we recognize them as wars, and we erected monuments in their memory. The memorials are the same in that they represent lives lost and trials faced, but they are different in how much they tell us about the war, and where they are placed along with how well they are taken care of. The wars are nothing less to mention, we can see differences in tactics as well as technological advances. The wars themselves were very different in that Leonidas knew about the invasion that was about to take place, whereas the United States had no idea that Pearl Harbor was about to be attacked, launching us into a war we sought to stay out of. The memorials reflect this by representing the severity of the offenses in the upkeep and nurturing shown towards the monuments they created.

 

The first thing that sets the monuments/ battles apart is the fact that Leonidas was aware of the invasion about to take place, and that the U.S. was oblivious to the fact that we were on the list of places to attack. At the battle of Thermopylae, Leonidas and his army of 300 Spartans attempted to protect Thermopylae from the advance of the Persian army led by Xerxes.  The Greeks managed to hold their stance for three days, but ended up losing their hold. Alas, the Persians took rule because of their anonymous tip and the fact that they held more men than the Spartans. World War II was a compilation of problems left over from the Great Depression as well as some political heads trying to use the weak spot as a time to rise and wreak havoc. There was a much longer war, and a much more intense one at that. Brought into the war by the unannounced bombing of Pearl Harbor, the United States initiated its entrance into the war.

The monuments differ greatly in how much of the story they tell. Both places have an information center in which people can learn more about the battles. However the monuments themselves tell different amounts of their whole stories. The WWII memorials grand and has significant meaning behind each one of its parts, and it can be found around the site. Unlike its counterpart, the Leonidas monument says far fewer words. It has some of his quotes such as, “Come and take them.” (His response to the Persians offering a deal that if they left their weapons less intense actions would be taken). There is little explanation on Thermopylae’s monument, so you have to be very aware about what you are looking at.

The last great difference is the placement of the monuments and how eye catching they are. The Leonidas monument stands in a relatively unkempt area and it is slightly plain and uninteresting. In the center of the monument stands a brass statue of Leonidas holding his spear and shield and below him has some explanation and some of his quotes. To his right is a marble figure of a male human version of Eurotas (a river in Laconia), and to his a version of Taygetos (the highest mountain in the Peloponnese) also portrayed as a man. The story behind it is quite noble, however the monument doesn’t portray it with such vigor. I don’t feel as though there is much explanation nor thought put into the presentation of the monument. The WWII memorial, however, is located in our country’s capital. It is well kept with other monuments and memorials. There is symbolic meaning behind each of its many parts and it is a beautiful thing to look at.

 

Regardless of the fact that the wars themselves are different, or that people have different feelings about the monuments created, we are lucky to have each one. They provide us with different thoughts and new knowledge every time we encounter a memorial. We should be truly grateful for the meaning behind them, and not take for granted those who lost their lives in battle.

 

Sources:

• http://www.factbehindfiction.com/index_files/300TheBattleatThermopylae.htm
• https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/United_States_National_Parks
• http://culture.lamia.gr/en/blog/thermopylae-monument-leonidas
• https://www.nps.gov/articles/ww2memorialguide.htm
• http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1661.html
• https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/war?page=4
• http://www.battle-of-thermopylae.eu/complementary_sparta.html

The Shattered Reflection: Who Am I?

Avid coffee drinker, tea enthusiast, lover of change, overachiever, procrastinator, pluviophile. This list doesn’t even begin to cover all of the things that I am. I have weird quirks like singing ridiculously loudly to songs that I hardly know the words to, writing stories even though I know I’m no good at it, and changing some part of my life drastically at least once a month. I’m aware of my weird habits, but I am open to being myself. I love trying new things and participating in experiences that others find joy in. A few traits of mine are that I am a dedicated, hard worker as well as I tend to be dramatic in the sense of being thoughtful and easily consumed by concepts I find intriguing or enjoyable. I don’t consider myself dramatic in an over the top reactions sort of way, but rather in a deep seemingly mysterious way. I strongly believe in self-growth, and pushing yourself to be the best you can be. I don’t necessarily have one set meaning or direction for this, I simply want to grow in the things that make me happy. Sometimes it is hard, and you have to give up things that weren’t helping you grow, but I believe wholeheartedly that it is the key to happiness. Setting fire to my past problems is a concept I follow. I consider myself a deep person when it comes to describing myself. The picture I try to paint for people always has layers of meaning. I like people being able to know who I am on the surface, but I always leave small indicators to a much bigger, more intricate depiction of myself.

        For just about my whole life, I have been at the top of my class, or at least towards the higher end. I went into first grade early, and it has given me a head start on life. I have always pushed myself and been extremely critical of my own work. I find that the more I push myself, the better I feel at the end of the day. I feel like I have something to prove, not to others, but to myself. I feel accomplished and proud of what I have done when it is a challenge for me to complete. Growing up, I was the youngest in my family, so I felt like everyone expected the least out of me, so I wanted to prove that I could do things just as well as the other kids in my family. In doing so, I became a hard worker. I credit my third-grade self for failing every class -yes literally failing because we got letter grades- and being super disappointed in myself. I learned that I didn’t want to be someone who let the hard times get the best of them, or take the easy way through life, so I pushed my way through the tough days and long nights continue to do so every day.

        I consider myself a pluviophile, and a lover of deep, thoughtful, and mysterious things. I love the dreariness of the rain, as well as things that aren’t necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. I have always found that I do my best work in the rain and I am very agreeable and cheerful against the desolate backdrop. I find that my mind is put at ease, I can just take time to relax, and that I feel overall content and joyful. When I was younger, I wasn’t allowed to go out in the rain, for fear that I may catch a cold. Instead of being in it, I would sit and stare out the window for hours or until the sun brightened the sky once again. As soon as the sky lightened, I would close the windows and go do something else. Even now, as soon as I hear the pitter patter of the drops falling onto my house, I open all the windows to let in the scent, and I go sit outside and admire the rain. I gain inspiration from the gloom because I think it provides the mystery that I long for.

        Being a hard worker… it has been something that has been etched into my personality from a young age. I take pride in following my aspirations even though they may be difficult physically or mentally. I hope that this will follow me through life and I will be able to have a good future and share this trait with my children. As far as having a love for gloomy situations and venues, I hope that will take me to a place I’ve never been before. I hope that it will inspire my creativity and I will continue to make things that I am proud of and have a deep connection to. There is a lot of things that go into a person and what they tell you about themselves, I love that a person is like a puzzle with tons of pieces that make them who they are.

Impacts of the Aswan High Dam

Dams are present in all of our lives. The new construction, the old demolition, the ever changing mile markers of our electric and water supply. Dams are all across the world, in old countries and newly developed cities. They all require a great deal of planning and scheming, but no dam is ever perfect. The Aswan Dam of Egypt is no exception.

Eight miles south of Aswan Egypt, a three-hundred-sixty-four foot wall poses splayed across the Nile. Due to the rising population in Egypt, which grew by 3 percent every year, government officials of the country had to figure out a way to increase the yields of energy and agricultural manufacturing. (White 6) The Dam was then decided to be the best option to take care of both of these problems. Construction began roughly in the 1950s and was completed in 1970. From this dam, Egypt gained Lake Nasser which is used for fishing, and was originally intended to help agriculture in the area. The dam provides hydroelectric power and minimizes the famine and floods caused by the natural flow of the river, but it also takes away the nutrients that Egyptian farmers depended on to grow crops, as well as the creation of the reservoir resulted in flooding archaeological sites. The reason behind the dam was purely good, however the risks of the dam are bringing about serious debates and worries.

The Nile used to flood between June and September every year which brought nutrient rich soil to the lower parts where Egyptians farmed. This was crucial to their vitality, so when the Aswan High Dam was built and the silt no longer got deposited, it made farming complicated.(Penvenne 1) The dam holds back all of the silt and soil leaving the land barren and unfit for crops. Of course, farmers can still use fertilizers to increase the richness of their soil, but it is no longer done by nature. Not only is there no longer fertile soil, but the ground is also eroding away much faster without deposits of sediment being laid down. I think that Laura Jean Penvenne paints a great picture by saying “A maze of artificial waterways on the Nile Delta traps sediment that would otherwise replenish the eroding coastline. The fertile land of the delta is thus disappearing rapidly.” (1) It amazes me that intentions for a dam can be so well thought out, but some of the flaws are not considered.

The Nubian civilization has ruins under present day Lake Nasser. This civilization was lost in the deep abyss of the reservoir and can not be salvaged. In an attempt to smooth over any wrongdoings, Nubian museum was created and resides in Aswan. It features some of the Nubian objects, but there was still much more to be discovered such as pieces of monuments. This isn’t detrimental to people, but it poses a moral conflict. An ancient civilization has been drowned and left to be undiscovered and buried below modern day contraptions. For the people of Egypt who had ancestors that belonged to Nubia, it could be very unsettling or devastating.

Understandably we have come up with an idea to control rivers to our advantage, but there are always negative sides to our actions. I think it is unfortunate that we can’t let nature be and adjust ourselves to its ways, but that we change them instead. However, I understand the dynamic behind the dams in providing modern day luxuries such as power. I think that in the grand scheme of things, it is a subject that can always be fought from both directions.

Sources:

Brown, Jeff L. “Researchers Unravel Mystery of Eroding Egyptian Monuments.” Civil Engineering (08857024), vol. 71, no. 9, Sept. 2001, p. 22. EBSCOhost, proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5139484&site=ehost-live.

Penvenne, Laura Jean. “The Disappearing Delta.” Earth (1056148X), vol. 5, no. 4, Aug. 1996, p. 16. EBSCOhost, proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9607032816&site=ehost-live.
Walton, Susan. “Egypt After the Aswan Dam.” Environment, vol. 23, no. 4, May 1981, p. 30. EBSCOhost, proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=5212835&site=ehost-live.

White, Gilbert F. “The Environmental Effects of the HIGH DAM at ASWAN.” Environment, vol. 30, no. 7, Sept. 1988, pp. 4-42. EBSCOhost, proxy.li.suu.edu:2443/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=8800018182&site=ehost-live.

 

Image:

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTcXzlrPJZXPkAeJmjzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBtdXBkbHJyBHNlYwNmcC1hdHRyaWIEc2xrA3J1cmw-/RV=2/RE=1509104997/RO=11/RU=http%3a%2f%2fwww.leisuretravelegypt.com%2fAncient-Egypt%2fAswan%2f/RK=1/RS=PQ5t6dAbLb6Xf0oxiRICd1T5uXM-

Finding Inspiration

As I begin my blogging experience, I set out to find a blogger who I could find inspiration from. I stumbled upon https://theblondecoyote.com/about/ and read through Mary Caperton Morton’s (aka The Blonde Coyote’s) adventures. She is a science and travel writer who has degrees in biology and geology. I think that she intends her audience to be anyone who wants to travel or can’t and wants to live through her experiences. She also includes the general public who are looking for a good story to read. It is very simple and thoughtfully organized. She has a stunning portfolio of photos to go along with her posts. She beautifully and truthfully describes the places she has been and her feelings about them. Mary has gone on an unbelievable amount of trips, and she provides a poetic explanation of each. I really like reading through her blog and seeing reviews and thoughts on some of the natural parks close to me. I like that she has do’s and don’ts as well as tips and tricks for traveling. She has an abundance of posts on various topics, but follows the same writing patterns. I really enjoyed seeing her photos of places that I have been to as well. I think that blogging on the topic of nature, and how to enjoy and experience it is helpful to a wide range of people. Others can connect to her experiences, or prepare themselves to go on similar journeys. More or less, I have found this to be inspiring for my own blog writing. I hope to keep such a detailed account of my own trips and experiences.

Here are a few posts I really liked from The Blonde Coyote:

https://theblondecoyote.com/2012/04/16/not-so-delicate-arch/

https://theblondecoyote.com/2012/03/07/grand-canyon-day-4-plateau-point/