Already its been my first week here and I have been learning a lot. The southwest is pretty much the exact opposite of PA! By now I'm pretty settled in as well as getting over my culture shock. It seems silly to have culture shock in the same country but I definitely have it! How I ended up spending my whole life in PA-even through college? I do not know. Maybe I need to get out more! Being Utah/Colorado is like living in a whole other country. Here the people eat healthy, explore the great outdoors, hike, raft, climb, etc all the time. There is beer in the grocery stores and medicinal marijuana shops in every town. Its crazy different!
Everyday I learn about other sites in the area that have ruins. Apparently the surrounding area has over 6,000 sites that are on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land. Nothing is there to protect the ruins other than kept sort of secret! I probably won't be going "treasure hunting" though seeing as there is so much to do even right here (not to mention its illegal and disrespectful). So far I hiked/drove to all the outlier sites (we have 5), did lots of reading and learning about the history of the place, marveled at the new scenery, encountered some interesting wildlife and missed home a bit too. The solitude and silence has been wonderful and almost sacred in a cleansing sort of way. It makes a person turn inward simply because there are no other distractions. I'm still getting a feel for this land and its history- there is something beautiful and mysterious about it.
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