On the Road Again
Greetings from yet another place I've never been
I returned home last week from attending the Bear Dance at the Southern Ute Indian Reservation and was absolutely gassed from the trip. As I remarked to some friends, last weekend was easily the best weekend I’ve had since arriving in Colorado and for more reasons than I will get into here. But I was pooped. I took Tuesday off to collect myself and got back at it Wednesday, trying to get caught up with the one billion emails I missed.
Today I was back on the road, headed even farther west. I’m staying in Cortez, Colorado for the weekend, where I will visit with folks at the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation, who have kindly invited me down. I’ve been looking forward to visiting; I’ve never had a chance to get out here. I’ll also be attending Bear Dance with the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe this weekend. Like the other things I am doing with the Forest Service, my number one job is to support Tribal communities, exercise some humility, and learn more about their histories and cultures. And the best way is get on the road, get out here, and participate.
If you’d like to learn more about the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, the best place to start is via their website and hear directly from them: https://www.utemountainutetribe.com/
Today was a long drive. I got out on the road about 9:30 this morning and didn’t arrive until about 5:15pm. Colorado ain’t Texas, but it’s plenty big. My plans this weekend are to be a good guest, do what’s asked of me (I’m a big guy so I’m used to folks asking me to move stuff for them), and enjoy my time here. While I represent the Forest Service out here, the job can’t be all work. I am here to celebrate with new friends. If I get a chance, I hope to slip over to Mesa Verde National Park as well, but we’ll see about that.
I’m really thankful that I have a career that allows me to learn so much from other folks and to be in a position to be of service to tribes. That means a lot to me.
We’ve got a terrific pod this week with Julio Capo, Jr. talking about The Birdcage. If you haven’t had a chance, you can check it out below.
Don’t forget- BIG THINGS COMING JUNE 6.