Grand Canyon National Park round 2

The weekend before Thanksgiving, Ashley and I attempted the Grand Canyon Hike again...actually allowing ourselves 2 days to hike it, enabling us to get to the bottom and back! In total, it was a 17 mile hike...we hiked to the bottom one day and then back up the next. It would have been great to stay longer, and now after seeing the bottom of the canyon and the different campgrounds I am dying to go back!

This was a little oasis a bit before the Indian Garden Campground...so pretty!

Bright Angel Creek, right in front of the Bright Angel Campground where we stayed, at the bottom of the canyon

The warning sign telling you not to try to go to the bottom and back in one day...we were surprised to see many people trying this...it is such a bad idea!

A beautiful canyon view

Arches National Park

On my drive from Montana to Arizona, I stopped at Arches National Park. It was a beautiful day, and a really pretty place to see.

This is the balancing rock. I really have no idea how it stays where it is.

One of the grander rock formations....I think it is called the Courthouse

One of the classic arches in the park. How an arch is defined is kind of bizarre...and most are so think they are impossible to see through....this is one of the bigger ones, you can see the people at the bottom of it.

Final Days of Fundraising

As I am preparing for my move to Bhutan, I am finishing up all sorts of last minute things before I leave- shopping for warm weather clothes, buying school supplies, and finishing up with the fundraising for my journey to Bhutan.

All donations are due December 16th...you can go online at https://bhutancanada.merchantsecure.com/donatenow/ and donate...please put my i.d. number, 31206, in the comment section

Thank you all!

Fundraising for Teaching in Bhutan

Dear friends and family,

In February of 2012 I will be beginning a year-long contract as a
volunteer teacher in Bhutan with the Bhutan Canada Foundation! I am
very excited about this opportunity. I am writing to those who may be
willing to financially support the work I will be doing. The
Foundation sends teachers to Bhutan in order to support a developing
democracy and to help build a stable and strong education system.

The need for teachers in Bhutan is very real. Since the 1960s, when
Bhutan first established its system of modern education, the country
has been steadily increasing the quality of and accessibility to
education. However, with these improvements comes a whole new set of
challenges to the Bhutanese education system.

The provision of free education to all Bhutanese youth means that many
schools experience overcrowding, with more than 40 students per class.
The Minister of Education in Bhutan estimates that the country
currently faces a shortage of 1,000 teachers, primarily in rural
areas.

The Bhutanese government has set a target teacher-student ration of no
more then 40 students per class. They have asked the Bhutan Canada
Foundation for assistance in reaching this goal, by providing up to
100 Canadian, American, and other native English speaking teachers to
teach in the country.

Not only is it my intention as a teacher to improve literacy and
encourage learning, I also look forward to working diligently with a
team that is able to give hundreds of Bhutanese youth the opportunity
to obtain an education that might otherwise be unattainable. It is my
hope that together we will be able to have an impact not only on
education in one rural community, but on the transformation of the
education system of an entire country!

I greatly appreciate whatever support you are willing to offer me in
this endeavor! Donations are tax-deductible, and need to be received
by the first week of December. Cheques can be made out to "The Center
for Cultural Interchange" and should note my unique BCF ID number,
which is 31206. The Center for Cultural Interchange will send you a
tax receipt. You can send them to me at,

Sarah Carlin
7803 Cocobay Ct.
Naples, FL 34108

If you would like to learn more about the Bhutan Canada Foundation,
and the work I will be doing while I am in Bhutan, their website is
www.bhutancanada.org and facebook page is
www.facebook.com/teachinbhutan. I will also be writing about my
experiences in Bhutan on my blog,
sarahstravelsandadventures.blogspot.com.

WIth much gratitude and sincerity,

Sarah Carlin

My Life in Transit

These days, it feels like I spend most of my time on the move. Specifically behind the wheel of my car. Driving is not one of my favorite activities, and living in such rural locations has made me strongly dislike highways, but I am trying to tap into my NJ roots and be more confident behind the wheel on 5 lane interstates.

I finished up my job at the ranch at the beginning of the month, jetted off to Miami for a lovely R&R vacation, and then began my drive south from Bozeman MT.

Besides the actual driving the car aspect, I really do enjoy road trips. There is a lot to see out the windows, and you have enough time to look at everything you want to. You can get food and take bathroom breaks pretty much whenever you want, and listen to music/books on tape all day. Its a pretty good life...except for the whole driving part, and that I am stuck in my itty bitty car all day almost every day.

But, another plus about road trips, and especially solo road trips, is that you can make pit stops wherever you want. I am currently in Denver visiting old friends from college and the Ice. This weekend, I will hike to the river of the Grand Canyon, and with any luck, hike out, with Ashley. And then its Thanksgiving, then home to Florida for a short time before the eternal travels start again for the Christmas season.

But, the culmination of it all will be in January.....

when I go to BHUTAN for a year to teach!!!

Bison!

My favorite thing about Yellowstone National Park is by far the wonderful bison. They are very cool, and really just look like mythical animals. They roam all over the park, and even into Gardiner, the town at the north entrance.

This is the bison hanging around the town cafe in Gardiner. They are free to roam outside of the park in the winter and early spring.

Both males and females have horns on their heads, and the males can weigh upwards of 1000 pounds. They are literally everywhere in the park, and often will walk in the middle of the roads.

In late August and early September, the bison have the yearly "rut", where all the colonies get together, mate, and raise their young together.

When bison are born, they are a light brown, and they darken over time.

Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure

Endurance: An Epic of Polar Adventure by Frank Arthur Worsley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have read almost every book written on the Endurance expedition, and quite a number of books about polar exploration.
This is my favorite one.

View all my reviews